The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

With a reverberating clap of thunder, the rooftop crumbled apart as a bolt of lightning struck the spot right in front of Fangzheng!

The group of people jumped up in fright as they scrambled to hide away.

Xu Yin fell straight to the ground as he dodged to the side, dirtying himself in the process.

As for Fangzheng, he had been quick to act by standing in front of Chang Xiaohong. Fangzheng was certain that the bolt of lightning would not injure anyone, but if the roof collapsed, rubble that fell from above might still cause damage. Besides, Chang Xiaohong had a baby in her arms. It would be terrible if the baby was given a fright.

Fangzheng directly placed the baby into a dream to insulate it from the thunder.

As for the rest, they were left crawling as much as they wanted. It was quite a sight to behold…

The clap of thunder had attracted everyone else over too. Even the Leader who seldom appeared ran over to inquire about the situation.

Xu Yin said amid sobs, “No idea. There was a sudden bolt of lightning. It was f*cking scary!” After saying that, Xu Yin looked into the sky. The sky was clear as far as the eyes could see. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and there wasn’t even a single cloud! Then where did the lightning come from? Immediately Xu Yin felt his soul escape him as his heart turned chilly. Thinking back to how the lightning had struck the moment the monk shouted ‘good,’ he could not help but feel like it was a warning from Buddha. Perhaps Buddha was unhappy with his stealing of a devotee?

“There’s nothing odd about lightning during clear skies. Quickly mend the roof. That shall be all for today.” The Leader’s expression was somewhat nasty. As the saying went, a clear conscience sleeps unperturbed amid thunder. Having done something against her conscience, she turned wary about every single thing. She too was a little afraid as she rushed back into her room.

The bolt of lightning had ended the summary session. Song Keling went out to find a carpenter to fix the roof, while Xu Yin checked to see if anyone was injured. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was injured. He mumbled, “Thankfully no one was injured. If not, we wouldn’t be able to treat them. Sending them to the hospital would only invite trouble. We would likely have to abandon them.”

A cold glint flashed in Fangzheng’s eyes when he heard that. If the ordinary members there still had a conscience, Xu Yin’s conscience was probably long gone.

Taking advantage of the fact that Xu Yin had no time for him, Fangzheng came to Ma Zhi’s side while whistling.

Ma Zhi looked over warily. His expression turned slightly better when he saw it was the rookie, Fangzheng. He also lowered his guard.

Fangzheng said, “Patron Ma, what’s your take on this?”

“It’s just heaven’s punishment for committing too many sins,” mumbled Ma Zhi.

Fangzheng was taken aback as he smiled. “I’m not asking about the lightning. I’m asking you about your take on Star Ocean.”

Ma Zhi immediately fell silent, unwilling to say a thing.

“You haven’t paid?”

Ma Zhi smiled wryly. “Where would I find the money to give to them? If I had the money, I would be out already.”

“I see. You still owe them money?”

“Yes. I owe them board and lodging.”

“I’ve paid as well, for a month. How much do you owe them?”

“A few thousand,” said Ma Zhi with a sigh.

“Is that so? This Penniless Monk shall pay it for you. How about it?”

“Ah… Ah?” Ma Zhi first reacted without thought until he realized what Fangzheng had said. He looked at Fangzheng in astonishment. “You will pay it for me? But… But I don’t have money to repay you. If you lend it to me, you are washing money down… Uh, down what?”

Fangzheng roared with laughter. “It’s only a bit of money. This Penniless Monk can still afford it. However This Penniless Monk has a few questions to ask you. Answer This Penniless Monk honestly.”

Ma Zhi fell silent before saying, “Pay the money for me first. As long as it’s paid, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

“No problem.” With that said, Fangzheng prepared to return to his room.

Ma Zhi looked at Fangzheng’s back when he suddenly cried out. “Venerable One, if you can leave, leave as soon as possible! This is no paradise. It’s hell!”

Fangzheng turned back to Ma Zhi and smiled. “Amitabha. If I don’t descend into Hell, who will? Since this is hell, This Penniless Monk has come to the right place.”

With that said, Fangzheng went into the room.

Ma Zhi stood rooted to the spot in a daze. His eyes lit up next. He seemed to see a glimmer of hope! However, what could one mere monk do? Could he take down Star Ocean? It was even possible that the monk might not be able to escape. Although he had such thoughts course through his mind, Ma Zhi still felt a sliver of hope burn in him. He looked up into the sky, yearning for the world outside. He wanted to return home!

At noon, Xu Yin also turned a little worried after what had happened in the morning.

Xu Yin called Song Keling to the side and said, “Don’t make mantous for lunch. That monk has too big an appetite!”

“I know. This time, I cooked a pot of porridge, a huge one! I want to see him eat it! If there’s not enough, I’ll just add more water. If he wants to drink water, I’ll satisfy him!” Song Keling was quite a bright person as she chuckled.

Xu Yin laughed as well. The porridge they spoke off was prepared with one bowl of rice and a huge pot of water. It could provide for any number of people. How much they wished to drink was up to them since it was only a matter of adding more water. Xu Yin was certain that Fangzheng would be unable to cause so much as a blip this time!

In a good mood, Xu Yin returned to look for Fangzheng to talk about payments. However the moment he entered, he failed to see Fangzheng. He was not in the other rooms either! Xu Yin turned flustered as he randomly grabbed a person. “Where’s Fangzheng?”

The person was somewhat flabbergasted.

You are the one who’s always with Fangzheng, how would I know if you don’t?

Before the person spoke, Song Keling’s exclamation sounded from inside the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

For some reason, as long as something out of the ordinary happened, the first person that came to mind was that bald monk! Xu Yin took wide strides as he rushed to the kitchen. There he saw Fangzheng standing beside the pot. He held a ten kilogram bag in his hands while looking innocently at Xu Yin.

And beside him, Song Keling was on the brink of tears. As she pointed at the pot, her eyes turned red.

Xu Yin closed in to look at the pot only to instantly blow up! The pot had an entire bag of rice!

“What are you doing!?” Xu Yin shouted in fury.

Fangzheng shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing. I had nothing to do, so I figured that I should not be idling by myself and imposing on you. I should do some work, right? I saw no one in the kitchen, but the fire was burning. There was only water in the pot without rice, so I added some rice. I also cook rice back in the mountains. There are so many of us here, so a bag of rice should be enough. Why? Don’t worry. Although there’s not much rice, it should be able to barely fill everyone’s stomachs.”

“You!” Xu Yin looked at the innocent and adorable Fangzheng after hearing him. He was unsure how to reprimand him! He had helped out of goodwill, so scolding him wasn’t right. And according to his words, it did seem to make sense!

But the problem was that they were an MLM lair. How could this place be compared to elsewhere? If they could have full meals every meal, wouldn’t their organization be eating dirt if no one joined for an extended period of time?

Song Keling yelled, “Who says that there wasn’t any rice? I clearly put it in. Why did you mess with my cooking!?”