The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“You have merit on you, so you are more sensitive towards negative karma than before. That is normal. If not, you will not be able to tell if someone is good or bad from their actions and eyes. Every person can act. Even if they aren’t doing so deliberately, they would subconsciously package themselves. As for now, you are feeling bloodlust and negative karma! The few people in front of you aren’t good people!” said the System.

Fangzheng’s heart quivered. If the System said that they were no good, then they were definitely no good! Fangzheng asked, “Then, does it mean that This Penniless Monk has to redeem someone again?”

The System did not reply until a long while later. “Buddha only redeems those that deserve to be redeemed!”

Fangzheng was stunned. What did the System mean? What did it mean by redeeming those that deserve to be redeemed? The System did not respond when he asked again. Fangzheng was baffled and completely unsure of the reason behind it.

While Fangzheng had his attention diverted, his eyes suddenly turned red!

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Give back whatever I gave you! Not one cent less!” As the short blondie spoke, he grabbed the money from the hands of an old man. The old man shook in anger but did not say a word.

“Did you not hear me? Do you think we are really giving you money? Stop f**king dreaming! People like you f**king deserve being poor for your entire life!” A stocky blondie said as he began snatching the money.

Most of the able people in Dongliang Village had left the village for work, leaving mainly the elderly or children. There were just a few women. There were even fewer able men who were a little cowardly. They did not dare go forward as they watched helplessly. The blondies had begun snatching the money back from them after using them.

“Give me the money!” A blondie came in front of a small girl, causing her to retreat in fear. She shook her head incessantly as she said in fear, “I didn’t take…”

“You didn’t? What’s that you are holding? Bring it here!” With that said, the blondie grabbed the stationery case she was carrying close to her chest. The girl burst out in tears from fright. She clung on tightly to the stationery case. She yelled, “Big Brother, I really didn’t take it. I just came over. Please, this is my stationery case. Don’t take my stationery case… Boohoo…”

“Stop crying. The money must be hidden in the stationery case! Hand it over!” The blondie grabbed the stationery case but the young girl pounced over immediately. The blondie was infuriated as he cursed, “F**king bitch. Do you want to go to hell!? Stationery case… F**k me. F**k your stationery case!” The blondie raised his hand and was about to smash the stationery case to the ground!

At that instant, Jing Yan was incensed as she began rushing forward.

There was someone even faster than her!

Pa!

With a crisp sound, the blondie felt as though his wrist had been clammed by iron hoops, unable to lower it. He turned his head and saw a white-robed monk with a nasty expression. He was staring at him furiously! The look in his eyes made the blond man’s heart tremble. As the saying goes, the poor feared the unreasonable while the unreasonable feared the crazy. The monk in front of him gave him that feeling of insanity!

“What… What… What are you doing?” asked the blondie.

Fangzheng enunciated his words clearly. “Let! Go! Of! Your! Hand!”

When the blondie realized that his voice was trembling and his hand was being held firmly, preventing him from smashing the stationery case, he felt humiliated. In order to win back face, he straightened his neck, “What if I do not let… Ah! It’s broken! It’s broken! It’s broken… It hurts… hurts… Let go! I’ll let go…”

The blondie only felt that Fangzheng had suddenly increased his strength as all the bones in his wrist nearly shattered! It was so painful that tears started appearing in the corner of the thug’s eyes.

The stationery case dropped as Fangzheng grabbed it with one hand. He flung his other hand, causing the blondie to feel a tremendous force as he could not help but stumble back about eight steps before falling to the ground.

Meanwhile, the blondie seemed to hear people laughing around him. Without even needing to look up, he knew that the villagers were laughing at him! Even his brothers were laughing. He had been utterly humiliated! How was he to carry on in this line in the future?

Looking back at the monk, he was further angered. Fangzheng was not looking at him and instead…

After flinging the blondie away, Fangzheng smiled and squatted down as he handed the stationery case back to the weeping girl. He said with a smile, “This was given to you by This Penniless Monk. Others cannot snatch it away.”

“Thank you… Thank you, Big Brother This Penniless Monk.” The girl was still choking with sobs. Yet she was smiling and this unexpected act broke Fangzheng’s heart! He was an orphan. Although no one in the village bullied him, he was often bullied in school. Years ago Zen Master One Finger had given him a tiny wooden amulet. It had been snatched by a classmate who mocked him. In the end, he beat up his classmate, sending him to the hospital. He knew the agony of having a treasured belonging taken from him for no good reason…

Fangzheng ruffled the girl’s head, “Alright, don’t cry. Be a good girl. It’s all fine.”

When the villagers saw this, they let out a collective sigh of relief. A few villagers that had their firsts clenched relaxed their fists as they looked at Fangzheng with eyes filled with gratitude. This person was the first person to show them respect. It was also this person who had come forward to help them first! This sense of gratitude warmed the villagers’ hearts. Their downtrodden hearts jolted to life once again as though something had exploded.

At that moment, Jing Yan snapped to her senses. The sight before her caused her heart to tremble, she felt the warmth seep into her heart as she smiled.

A monk dressed in a robe white as snow was squatting there. His smile warm like sunlight. He had his hand extended, ruffling the head of the girl in shabby clothes. He consoled her and the girl enjoyed the care he showed. It felt like an injured kitten was being taken care of. The horror in her dissipated.

This scene had been recorded by Jing Yan. She suddenly felt that even though the monk was not the most handsome person, his heart was definitely the most beautiful. Perhaps his Buddhist Dharma was not profound but it was sufficient if a person’s heart was kind and beautiful. Subconsciously, Jing Yan said, “Being true to oneself is perhaps being Buddha…” She did not know what she meant. It was just something spoken subconsciously.

When Fangzheng heard that, he was slightly taken aback. A look of enlightenment flashed in his eyes. Being true to oneself is perhaps being Buddha? Were those that read a lot of Buddhist scriptures accomplished monks? This was what most people understood. By alluding everything to the scriptures a person that followed countless Zen principles was an accomplished monk. At that moment, Fangzheng wanted to say that perhaps it was an accomplished monk but it was definitely not the only standard for an accomplished monk! To have an innocent heart as clear as a mirror, one that was untainted and spotless would similarly be one of the standards of an accomplished monk!

Fangzheng understood that he was far from having an innocent heart that was as clear as a mirror. He had too many other thoughts on his mind…

Just as Fangzheng’s mind wandered, a blondie spoke to the short blondie with a look of shock, “Brother Long, what happened? Weren’t they gone? I didn’t see them return. How did they suddenly appear again? They can’t be ghosts, right?”

When the short blondie heard that he cursed, “F**k you and your ghosts! We were f**king focused on taking our money back and didn’t see them. Can you have some sense? I don’t care if he is human or ghost. How dare he hit my brother?! Brothers, beat him up!” The short blondie finally came round as he let out an angry bellow. He picked up a rock and threw it at Fangzheng.