The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“Ding! Heavenly Eye, you once possessed this divine power. Now, you only need to use one chance at the draw to exchange for it. Do you want to start exchanging?” asked the System.

Fangzheng nodded. “Exchange!”

The next moment, Fangzheng’s eyes stung. Following that, he felt a familiar feeling return.

“Jingxin, lock the monastery’s door. From today onwards, I will be in seclusion for a while.” After Fangzheng said that, he activated his Heavenly Eye and looked into the future again. He went straight to ten years!

In the end, ten years later, the world was… blank!

“What’s going on? It’s blank again?” Fangzheng frowned, looking confused.

One year later, it was still blank!

Six months later, it was still blank!

It would still be blank in a month!

Fangzheng gritted his teeth. The next day was still empty!

Fangzheng was instantly infuriated as he exclaimed inwardly, “System, what’s going on? Has the Heavenly Eye failed?”

“Ding! Don’t ask me. I don’t know either. Your world is very subtle, completely different from Mount Numinous.”

With the System not knowing why, Fangzheng was truly dumbfounded. He sat cross-legged on the ground, his brows tightly furrowed… A blank. Why was the future completely blank?

Fangzheng looked up at the Guan Yin Bodhisattva statue and could not help but ask, “Bodhisattva, what’s going on?”

Unfortunately, Guan Yin Bodhisattva did not show any reaction…

Fangzheng shook his head helplessly. He got up and was about to leave when he suddenly heard a stifled laughter behind him. It was as though someone could not help but laugh.

Fangzheng pricked up his brows and suddenly turned his head. He carefully observed, but that there was no one behind him!

However, Fangzheng believed that he had definitely heard someone laugh! Could there be someone else in the temple hall? With this in mind, Fangzheng searched every corner of the temple hall but found nothing!

“Master, what are you doing?” Red Boy asked in puzzlement when he saw Fangzheng.

Fangzheng said, “It’s nothing. When I was about to leave, I seemed to hear someone laughing in the temple hall. But after searching the temple hall, I didn’t see anyone… How odd.”

Red Boy smiled. “Could it be an illusion?”

Fangzheng shook his head. “Perhaps…”

“Master, return me my divine powers. Won’t we know when I sweep the area with my divine perception?” suggested Red Boy.

When Fangzheng heard that, he felt that it made sense. He immediately restored Red Boy’s divine powers. Red Boy’s eyes lit up as his divine perception swept across the entire temple hall and even Mt. One Finger. Yet…

“How is it? Did you discover anything?” asked Fangzheng.

Red Boy shook his head. “No… Master, it must have been an aural hallucination.”

Fangzheng frowned as he felt somewhat indignant. However, even Red Boy’s divine perception could not detect the person. It was likely that there was no one there.

With this in mind, Fangzheng patted Red Boy. “Forget it. Let’s sleep.”

Just as the two of them were about to walk out of the temple hall, a stifled laughter sounded from behind them. It sounded like someone was secretly laughing.

Fangzheng and Red Boy exchanged looks and turned to stare at the temple hall!

Red Boy released his divine perception, but there was nothing…

“Strange, there’s no one…” Red Boy mumbled.

Fangzheng said, “There’s indeed no one, but this laughter…”

“I heard it too, but there’s really no one.” Red Boy was indignant. He flipped through the area and climbed onto the roof beam to search. There was nothing.

Finally, the master and disciple left in doubt.

After they left, in the empty temple hall, under the towering Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s statue, the corners of the girl attendant’s mouth curled up slightly before returning to normal. Her colors had faded and her face was indiscernible.

Fangzheng did not know about this, but he lost sleep that night.

He tossed and turned until it was almost dawn before he fell asleep in a reverie. However, in his sleep, he seemed to see a girl looking at him. She smiled at him happily… She looked very playful, familiar but yet a little unfamiliar, but most of it was an indescribable pain. It made Fangzheng subconsciously hold his chest…

“Ah!” Fangzheng suddenly sat up and looked around. It was still the old room. Nothing had changed. There was no girl or anything…

“Master, what’s wrong with you?” At that moment, Red Boy, who had opened the door to check the situation, walked in. He was stunned when he looked up at the stunned Fangzheng.

“What’s wrong?”

Red Boy pointed at Fangzheng’s face. “Master, why are you crying?”

Fangzheng subconsciously touched his face. Indeed, there was a tear…

For some reason, when he touched that tear, his heart ached…

“This… is not mine, right?”

“If it’s not yours, is it mine?” Red Boy pointed at himself.

Fangzheng looked suspiciously at Red Boy. Red Boy rolled his eyes. “It’s really not mine. I was just cooking with Salted Fish. I only came in when I heard you shout.”

Fangzheng wore a look of puzzlement as he whispered, “Do you think there are ghosts in this world?”

Red Boy curled his lips helplessly. “Master, we have discussed this topic many times. In your world, even ghosts can’t survive a second… Besides, I’m here. Whatever the hell comes, they have to kneel down and pay respect to us!”

Fangzheng thought that it made sense. He did not harp on the topic.

Red Boy asked, “Master, can we talk about serious matters?”

“Speak.”

Red Boy said bitterly, “Master, Eldest Senior Brother has changed so much that his appetite is terrifying. In the past, the metal basin was already insufficient… We don’t have much food left.”

Fangzheng felt a headache when he heard that.

“I know. You can leave first. I’ll think of another solution.” Fangzheng waved his hand and got Red Boy to leave.

Fangzheng thought about it and realized that it was impossible for him to solicit donations. As for plucking vegetables on the mountain? There was probably not enough.

Planting it by himself? He could not even afford the seeds!

“Seeds?” Fangzheng was taken aback before he smacked his forehead and said with a smile, “How did This Penniless Monk forget about this? Haha…”

Fangzheng suddenly stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out. The moment he stepped out, he said, “Disciples, I’m going out for a trip. Is there anyone following me down the mountain?”

Fangzheng saw Salted Fish turn around as though he hadn’t heard him.

Lone Wolf lowered his head as though he was counting ants.

Squirrel fiddled with his fingers as Monkey looked at the torn scriptures…

Only Red Boy looked longingly at Fangzheng.

Fangzheng shook his head helplessly. “Alright, Jingxin. Follow me down the mountain.”

Red Boy immediately jumped up. “Haha… Master, you made the right choice!”

What could Fangzheng say?

However, when he passed by the temple hall, Fangzheng subconsciously looked at the statue in the temple hall. Unfortunately, he failed to see anything. Helpless, Fangzheng shook his head and followed Red Boy out.