The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Song Bin’s men had been hiding in the back when Chief Wang came. None of them dared to say a word, but when they suddenly realized that they could contribute, they immediately rushed forward like cruel beasts of prey.

The disciples weren’t to be messed with either. Although the swords they held on their backs were cheap stuff, they were still made of metal. Even though the disciples had not sharpened them before, they were still more ferocious than the barehanded Song Bin and company. Clearly, Song Bin and company were no match.

Upon seeing this, Fangzheng said lightly, “Jingfa, subdue the fiends.”

Lone Wolf darted over like a bolt of silver lightning. He gave a slap to each one of them like he was playing volleyball. One by one, the fake priests were sent flying backwards as they fell to the ground with a thud. Following that, they were thrown into a pile.

With the swords dropping to the ground, Song Bin and the residents quickly picked them up. Now with swords in hand, they surrounded the bunch of fellows who had attempted to escape. Upon seeing this, the priests knew it was over. They gave up and began wailing. “Ouch. My bones are fractured… An evil dog is bringing harm on me. Police violence!”

Unfortunately, this might have attracted some easily fooled idiots if no one understood the situation. But now, all they received was rolling eyes.

Before long, the police came and cuffed them one after another. Chief Wang couldn’t even close his smiling mouth. As for Fangzheng, he exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving.

Sun Xiao originally thought of running as well, but he was thrown into the police car and tragically brought away.

At this moment in time, the Internet was in chaos as well. With the truth revealed, everyone fell silent. Following that, there was a string of self-criticism.

“Sigh. Master Fangzheng has used actions to prove one thing. Sometimes, the audience is blind.”

“Previous poster, you’re wrong. The audience’s eyes are clear; otherwise, Zhang Huixin wouldn’t have her reputation redressed. We can only say that as flamers, we are blind! We made up everything from a single picture. F**k, I should change this bad habit of mine in the future.”

“I admit that I don’t like seeing people doing well. Fangzheng is too young, and he has risen to the spotlight too quickly. I wished for him to be flawed, so I was willing to believe those baseless allegations rather than believe that he was a good man…”

“Agreed.”

“I only wish to say one thing. Master Fangzheng, I’m sorry!”

“Master Fangzheng, I’m sorry!”

“Master Frivolous, I’m sorry!”

…

When everyone snapped back to their senses and was planning to ask Fangzheng something, they realized that the smiling Fangzheng, who had been standing by the side with the white wolf, had already disappeared! Just as suddenly as he had come, he had left equally abruptly. Everyone exchanged looks.

Keke was wiping her tears as Zhang Huixin sighed. The others reflected. “He’s truly elusive…”

Ouyang Fenghua curled her lips. “He sure ran fast.”

Jing Yan cursed. “This heartless bastard. I ran until my legs nearly broke for him, but he didn’t even give a word of thanks before running off. I’ll find you at your monastery!”

…

And at that moment, what was Fangzheng doing?

“Quick!” Fangzheng ran the entire way.

“Master, slow down… I can’t run from my hunger,” Lone Wolf cried.

Fangzheng shouted miserably. “Do you think I can run? There will be food to eat once we reach the mountaintop!”

“You’ve promised food numerous times on our trips, but never was your promise fulfilled,” Lone Wolf cried amid sobs. “Although a Dharma Body can’t satiate the real body, you could have returned later. I’d feel a lot better if I just had one bite.”

Fangzheng rolled his eyes and said, “I’m afraid you won’t feel better if you first starve to death!”

As they spoke, Fangzheng ran up the mountain and onto the staircase. When he looked up, Fangzheng instantly felt like tearing up. He had finally arrived at the monastery!

There was a white wall that appeared before him. The wall had engravings which exuded an ancient vibe. In the middle were the words: “Shangfeng Temple”!

Before stepping in, there was a monk sitting at the door. He looked at Fangzheng and pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. This Penniless Monk is Shangfeng Temple’s One Ingenious. Venerable One, you aren’t a monk from Mount Heng, right?”

Fangzheng returned the greeting. “Amitabha, This Penniless Monk is Fangzheng from One Finger Monastery. Greetings, Venerable One Ingenious. It’s true that This Penniless Monk isn’t a monk from Mount Heng. However, This Penniless Monk has heard that Mount Heng is a sacred land of Buddhism from his master since a young age. Shangfeng Temple has also produced people who have fought for the country before. Having passed by Mount Heng, This Penniless Monk came here especially to visit.”

“Ah, Venerable Fangzheng, please come on in.” One Ingenious smiled with a nod and led Fangzheng into Shangfeng Temple.

When he stepped into the monastery, Fangzheng behaved prim and proper. Lone Wolf’s sudden appearance gave One Ingenious a fright, but after hearing that the wolf was Fangzheng’s disciple, he didn’t think much of it other than having genuine curiosity. He then led Fangzheng inside.

Passing through the main entrance, they came to the Mahavira Hall. At this moment, the incense offerings it received couldn’t be considered plenty, but they were much better than One Finger Monastery’s. It left Fangzheng a little envious.

As One Ingenious walked, he explained. “Although Shangfeng Temple is quite an old temple, it had its fair share of bombardments during World War Two. It also suffered quite a bit of rough luck. So although its lineage continued, only the buildings at the back are original. The ones you see up ahead can’t be considered old buildings…”

Fangzheng nodded when he heard that. One Ingenious led Fangzheng as they circled around the Mahavira Hall and headed for the back. Fangzheng was introduced to the ground as they walked.

As he walked, Fangzheng’s stomach growled. One Ingenious looked at Fangzheng who smiled bitterly. “This Penniless Monk and his disciple haven’t eaten for a day. This Penniless Monk wonders if your esteemed monastery accepts foreign monks.”

One Ingenious smiled. “Although the Skanda indicates no, how could there be such cold-hearted monks? The monasteries these days are different from the past. In the past, all monks who ventured out were ascetic monks, and even they were few in number. It didn’t matter if you hosted an occasional monk, but things are different now. With planes and high-speed rail, as well as us being in a scenic spot, there are just too many people that pass these grounds. If we didn’t reject foreign monks, this monastery might not be big enough to accommodate all of them.”

Fangzheng was enlightened when he heard that. It was no wonder that so many large monasteries had Skandas indicating that they didn’t accommodate foreign monks. It was for this reason. But indeed, it did make sense. Besides, the nation didn’t approve of or encourage monks to travel around. Firstly, it was difficult to manage, and secondly, some monks who weren’t accomplished in the Buddhist Dharma would only sully the reputation of Buddhism if they did.

As One Ingenious spoke, he led Fangzheng to the mess hall. It was very simple with spartan tables and chairs. One Ingenious personally got Fangzheng some food, and although it wasn’t cooked with oil, Fangzheng and Lone Wolf wolfed down the food as they were famished.

One Ingenious sat by the side, watching with a chuckle. When Fangzheng was done eating, he asked, “Venerable One, This Penniless Monk notices that your clothes are quite extraordinary. Why are you in such an abject state that you don’t even have food to eat on your travel?”

Fangzheng shook his head with a bitter smile. “Some things happened. It’s better not to talk about it.”

One Ingenious imagined that Fangzheng had encountered robbers and was too embarrassed to talk about it. Hence, he didn’t press for more.