The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

It would be too unbecoming of him if he acted picky. Hence, Fangzheng could only signal to Lone Wolf to make do with what they had.

Lone Wolf instantly drooped his head. He smacked his lips, hoping to squeeze out some minute amounts of fragrance from his tummy, but unfortunately…

“I nearly forgot your disciple. Hold on a moment. I still have things that he can eat.” Wanderer Tranquil recalled that there was still a huge white wolf when she saw Lone Wolf eating. She left after saying that in embarrassment.

Upon hearing that there was food specially for him, Lone Wolf immediately looked up and smugly tottered around Fangzheng as though he was flaunting.

Fangzheng couldn’t be bothered with the silly dog. Instead, he got up and walked towards the temple hall.

The hall was rather spartan. It was also made of wood with two floors, a feature that all standard buildings from ancient times possessed. Fangzheng estimated that the hall had a history spanning centuries or even a millennium.

However, to Fangzheng’s surprise, it was maintained especially well. The eaves were complete, and the pictures were still rather clear.

At that moment, he heard Wanderer Tranquil. “Back when This Penniless Priest first came here, this hall was in a rundown state. Later, This Penniless Priest hired someone to renovate it. Just restoring it to its former glory took two years. Over the two years, This Penniless Priest also learned a lot of repairing methods. Later, all the renovation work was done by This Penniless Priest. Although there are still flaws, it’s a lot better than its original state.”

Fangzheng clicked his tongue when he heard that. He originally thought that he had fully understoodd this female Daoist priest by now, but it seemed there was even more to her than that. She was more like a versatile expert! Fangzheng shook his head in silence, feeling wistful that such a perfect lady would enter deep into the mountains. It was quite a waste. However, on second thought, who had the qualifications to marry such a versatile chick?

A person like Wanderer Tranquil could likely not be kept at home her entire life. She was destined to be a fairy who sought immortality and the truth.

With this in mind, Fangzheng said, “Perfected One, you are truly talented. This Penniless Monk is impressed.”

Wanderer Tranquil smiled bitterly in response. “I didn’t have much of a choice. There’s no one deep in the mountainous woods, so This Penniless Priest can only rely on herself. All of this can be said to have been a result of forced circumstances.”

Fangzheng agreed with her. There was a saying that described this aptly. ‘There is either a lack of a man behind every successful woman or, if there is a man, it’s an unreliable man, causing the woman to become the man herself.’

As they spoke, Fangzheng’s gaze landed on the plaque in the middle of the hall. Written on it were three words—Three Pure Hall.

As the saying went, while the connoisseur recognizes the craftsmanship, the layman simply enjoys the show. Although the three words looked ancient in the eyes of others, making it impossible to tell much from them as the corners of the three words were so mottled and indiscernible, Fangzheng couldn’t help but frown when he saw the three words. The words had been mottled, but Fangzheng could fill in the gaps in his mind. When he did, it was as if a magnificent flair appeared. It made it seem like Fangzheng wasn’t seeing three words, but a river with revolving celestial bodies above it!

This was very similar to his Dragon Buddha Epithet! Unfortunately, the words were no longer complete. There was no name underneath the words, so there was no way of knowing who had written them.

Fangzheng was somewhat in disbelief that someone in the world had actually been capable of writing words that matched the Dragon Buddha Epithet. However, Fangzheng quickly felt relieved. Although he did think it matched the Epithet, that was only in terms of skill. As for what was actually written, it was worlds apart from what Buddha wrote. Hence, it was a little exaggerated to say it matched the original Dragon Buddha Epithet.

Even so, the words contained a sense of nature that Fangzheng had never seen in his life. It could be imagined that the person who had written them had definitely been a truly accomplished character of Daoism!

However, Fangzheng secretly found it a pity. The blanks he could fill in in his mind were ultimately incomparable to the real words. If he could have seen the complete version, he would have definitely gained tremendously from the experience.

“This hall’s plaque was destroyed long ago. This Penniless Priest saw that although the plaque was old, it carried the charm of history. Hence, This Penniless Priest couldn’t bring herself to changing it.” Wanderer Tranquil also saw Fangzheng’s puzzlement, so she explained, imagining that Fangzheng was despising it.

Fangzheng shook his head. “Not changing it was the right choice. These words are invaluable. Unfortunately, it’s a mystery who wrote ithem…”

Wanderer Tranquil was taken aback. “Invaluable? Really?”

Fangzheng smiled. “With your permission, This Penniless Monk would like to complete the words. Would that be possible?”

“This…” Wanderer Tranquil was somewhat stumped. To get a monk to draw on a Daoist plaque? She was unsure what the Three Pure Ones would think. Would they smack her to death?

Fangzheng also knew that he was putting Wanderer Tranquil in a tough spot. He smiled and said, “Forget it. This Penniless Monk just felt that it was a pity for these three words to be in this desolate state. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Fangzheng stopped looking at the words and instead walked into the hall. He left Wanderer Tranquil frowning in thought as though she was considering Fangzheng’s words.

Fangzheng ignored her. His character was like the wind that calmed once it was done venting. He didn’t leave marks by harping on topics.

The temple hall’s internal layout was similar to a monastery’s. Three statues were consecrated there; the Jade Pure One, Lord of Primordial Beginning; the Supreme Pure One, Lord of Numinous Treasure; and the Grand Pure One, Lord of the Way and Virtue, who was also commonly known as the Elder Lord.

Fangzheng knew that the Daoist religion treated the Three Pure Ones as their greatest deities. Nearly all Daoist temples consecrated the Three Pure Ones. That was from where the Three Pure Hall had gotten its name.

Fangzheng believed in Buddhism, so it was naturally inappropriate for him to bow to them. He didn’t stay long as he circled the place out of politeness before immediately leaving.

When Wanderer Tranquil saw Fangzheng come out, she seemed to have dispelled her dilemma from before. She asked with a smile, “It’s no longer early. Venerable One, do you want to rest first?”

Fangzheng thought about it and decided to agree. Wanderer Tranquil led Fangzheng to a guest room. Just as Fangzheng sat down, Lone Wolf ran in and asked schemingly, “Master, are you full?”

Fangzheng shook his head. “What nonsense. How could I be full from eating that bit of food?”

Lone Wolf chuckled. “Master, that priest is too stingy. She said she would get me food, but it was only a big bowl of vegetarian food. My stomach is still empty… While you were chatting, I secretly circled the backyard. Guess what I saw?”

Fangzheng asked with a frown, “What did you see?”

“I saw lots of good food! That priest is too stingy! She only gave you a plate of food for dinner. She even said she wouldn’t be eating. I originally thought she was some fairy who was otherworldly enough to not eat. But from the looks of it, she’s as stingy as you! Uh… Master, don’t mind that analogy.”

Pa!

Fangzheng smacked Lone Wolf on the head. Don’t mind it? Would he still be Fangzheng if he didn’t mind it?

After smacking him, Fangzheng said, “Be careful with your words. Continue.”

Lone Wolf was also used to it. He rubbed his head and continued. “In the kitchen, there’s plenty of good food made from all kinds of dough. Although I didn’t eat it, I caught a scent of it. It’s definitely good stuff! Tell me, why is she so unwilling to provide more food for us when she has prepared so much good food in the kitchen? Why is she so stingy? Isn’t she afraid that the food will go bad putting it there?”

Fangzheng was somewhat surprised. He originally imagined Wanderer Tranquil to be a poor soul like him, believing that must be why she had only brought out a little bit of food. But apparently, that wasn’t the case based on what Lone Wolf said.