The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

As Fangzheng looked at the idiotic wolf running around, he subconsciously looked away and thought, “This Penniless Monk doesn’t know him!”

When Wanderer Tranquil was done tidying up, everyone began eating. As there were many types of offerings, and Wanderer Tranquil specially cooked some porridge, Fangzheng and Lone Wolf had a great meal.

After the meal, Fangzheng got up in preparation to bid farewell. However, every time he raised his hands to say something, he would see the pureness and tranquility in Wanderer Tranquil’s eyes, making him swallow back his words. This continued for a few times until Fangzheng finally said, “Amitabha. It’s no longer early. This Penniless Monk has imposed on you for quite some time. It is time to leave.”

Upon hearing this, a strange look flashed in Wanderer Tranquil’s eyes. She then nodded slightly and said, “All good things come to an end. Let This Penniless Priest send you off.”

Fangzheng nodded and led Lone Wolf out of the yard. Wanderer Tranquil followed behind as the two walked in silence. Lone Wolf looked at Fangzheng before looking at Wanderer Tranquil. He then flicked his tail and ran off.

However, Lone Wolf was clearly overthinking matters. Fangzheng and Wanderer Tranquil didn’t have anything to say to each other in secret. Instead, they quietly descended the mountain, bade each other farewell, and turned to leave.

Fangzheng walked off rather coolly, while Wanderer Tranquil turned back without any lingering thoughts. It was as though they were only strangers.

“Master, aren’t you going to turn back to give a look? If I had any say in the matter, you are someone who wishes to renounce asceticism anyway, and I feel that Wanderer Tranquil is quite nice,” Lone Wolf came over with a flick of his bushy tail while shaking his head.

Fangzheng shook his head and said bitterly, “It’s still unknown if This Penniless Monk will be able to renounce asceticism before dying. It’s best not to bring harm to her. Besides, the feelings between us aren’t romantic. It’s a subtle feeling, but if I had to put it into words, I’d say we can be considered bosom friends.”

Lone Wolf smirked in clear disbelief. However, he was afraid of not being fed if he exposed Fangzheng, so he decided to shut up.

Fangzheng couldn’t be bothered to explain more. Such matters couldn’t be explained, and explaining would only make things worse.

Fangzheng descended the mountain as Wanderer Tranquil returned to her Daoist temple. After tidying up her Daoist temple, she sat quietly under the banyan tree and sampled her tea while looking far into the distance.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew as rustling sounds were heard. She saw the three sky lanterns hanging on the flagpole by the door shaking. Typically speaking, they had to be taken down after the festival, but after looking for quite some time, Wanderer Tranquil finally shook her head and said, “Since it’s almost the new year, just stay there.”

…

Down the mountain, Fangzheng ran once again, running all the way to a huge city. When he looked up, he realized they were already in southern China’s Guilin.

“It’s no wonder the nearby mountains aren’t tall, but look ridiculously beautiful. It’s because we are in Guilin,” Fangzheng said with a sigh.

“Master, these mountains are really odd. All of them are like bamboo shoots. Is this some place where a god planted bamboo?” Lone Wolf asked in passing.

“Perhaps. Let’s go.”

Although Guilin was famous for its mountains and rivers, Fangzheng wasn’t there to take in the sights. Having left the monastery for days already, he missed everyone. More importantly, he was worried about the monastery, especially about what Red Boy and Salted Fish would do while he wasn’t around. He was afraid that they would cause trouble without him there to watch over them.

Therefore, Fangzheng didn’t stay and continued running. He basically walked during the day and ran at night. Fangzheng was still alright since he had Buddha Beads to play with. He could run while chanting sutras, allowing him to restore his energy quicker than it was drained. Although he didn’t rest, he was turning more energetic as he ran.

However, Lone Wolf was different. Although his physique had been improved, and a typical wolf could run a few nights without stopping, that was when it was a slow run, not like the kind of running they were doing!

Lone Wolf clearly looked a lot more haggard after a few days. His body was covered in all kinds of weeds, and he looked dirty. He no longer looked as majestic as before and looked rather weary. Meanwhile, the look he gave Fangzheng was more a look of grievance combined with deep, bitter resentment.

Fangzheng rubbed his head and said, “Enough. I know you are tired. Look, we have almost reached Beihai. The mission is almost completed. Once you return to the mountain, you can sleep as much as you want!”

Lone Wolf looked a lot more energetic once he heard that. However, he still rolled his eyes at Fangzheng. “Master, you have been using this same excuse the entire trip to persuade me. Be honest. When can we return home? My legs are about to give way…”

“I’m really not lying to you. We have almost reached Beihai.”

“Almost means we aren’t there yet…” Lone Wolf grunted.

Fangzheng was left speechless at his retort. Fangzheng saw a tiny city ahead of them, and he had no idea what it was called. Early in the morning, Fangzheng took Lone Wolf along to find a place to have breakfast before heading for Beihai again.

Meanwhile, Fangzheng did a count of how much merit he would earn from what he had done on his trip. With the multiplier, he would definitely be able to get something good. The more he thought about it, the better his mood turned, and the more he wished to return home.

While letting his thoughts run wild, Fangzheng unknowingly arrived at a market. It was huge, and the area was tented to block out the snow and rain. There were several rows of stalls. Perhaps it was because it was no longer the peak morning period, but there weren’t that many people in the market. There were more sellers than buyers.

There wasn’t much more to say about this since Fangzheng planned on quickly passing through the market to head for the eatery across it to have some food, but a shout attracted his attention.

Not far away, a group of people walked over with angry faces. Leading them was a man with a checkered shirt and jeans. His cheekbones were very high, and his eyes were long and slender. He looked furious.

Behind the man was an old woman. She also wore a furious look, and behind them were people who looked to be middle-aged women. Similarly, all of them looked outraged with faces flushed red. It looked like they were about to fight!

Lone Wolf looked at Fangzheng as if he was asking, “Master, are you going to do something?”

Fangzheng rolled his eyes and said, “It’s clearly a domestic affair. We shouldn’t interfere. Let’s find a place to eat.”

Lone Wolf tersely acknowledged and prepared to leave with Fangzheng.

However, Fangzheng and Lone Wolf were somewhat puzzled. What were these people doing?

Just as he was pondering over the matter, Fangzheng saw the group of people rush into the market and head straight for a young woman. She looked somewhat dumbfounded as though she had no idea what was happening. She subconsciously pulled the child beside her close and made way. It was unknown if she was trying to allow these people passage or if she knew them and had shrunk into a corner to seek the protection of the stall owner.

At this moment, the man in the checkered shirt pointed at her and cursed angrily. “You bloody woman. You actually dared cuckold me while I wasn’t home!? Follow me. We’re getting a divorce!”