The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Guan Ping jumped in fright when she looked back at Fangzheng Fangzheng was gone. Replacing him was a white-dressed woman with a stoic expression with a look of benevolence. She sat on a lotus flower platform and a Buddhist wheel lit up behind her. Guan Ping subconsciously exclaimed, “Guan Yin Bodhisattva?!”

It was naturally not Guan Yin Bodhisattva but Fangzheng transformed. Fangzheng smiled but did not nod nor shake his head. “Here is a pill named Material Forgetting Pill. After eating it, your importance of wealth will diminish as you become indifferent to fame and wealth.” Then, the allurement of money you mentioned will dissipate naturally and it would no longer be a problem for you. But you have to understand that if you were to reject the enticement, everything will return to how it was. Decide on the path you wish to travel.”

Guan Ping was taken aback. She never expected Guan Yin Bodhisattva to produce such a pill. She pinched her thigh and it hurt. It was not a dream! Since it was not a dream, it meant everything was real. Bodhisattva was real and so was the pill!

Upon coming to this realization, Guan Ping’s heart thumped as it raced. Her gaze fell onto the Material Forgetting Pill, eyes wavering, an intense war being waged inside her.

Seconds changed to minutes but Fangzheng did not have any intention to press her for a decision. He quietly waited.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour…

Deep in her heart, she was constantly pondering a question. If she could return to the past, would she?

Without her villa or sports car, none of her branded bags… nothing. She had to return to the basement in Beijing, carrying that branded imitation, afraid that others would recognize it as fake. She had to use cosmetics that hurt her skin, wear imitations… Just the thought of that left Guan Ping quivering.

What if she did not eat the pill? She would still have everything she currently possessed. She would have to pay for it with her reputation. She would forever be labeled as a money-grubber. If her beau abandoned her, she might still get some money but that label would forever cling to her. However, was reputation really so important? Did she really come here to return to the past?

The answer was obvious! She did not wish to return. She came here to say all that because… she wanted to find someone she did not know, someone who she could confide in and tell her story, hoping to gain his approval! As long as someone approved her actions, she could let go of her inhibitions. She could pursue everything she wanted without fearing the reactions of others. Yet she had never expected that after screening for candidates, it eventually landed on Bodhisattva. She was in an even deeper dilema than before. She did not wish for Bodhisattva to think of her as a money-grubber or a bitch…

Fangzheng looked at Guan Ping and kept sighing. He shook his head gently and put away the pill. “The mortal world leads to hell. Enticement is a constant, steering people away from their original aspirations. It is up to you to decide your future path.”

After Fangzheng said that, he dispelled the divine power. Guan Ping felt her eyes turn into a blur as Bodhisattva vanished. The person in front of her was still the clean-looking young monk. His face had a radiant smile filled with calmness and peace. The sunlight penetrated the bodhi tree’s leaves and landed on his body like dancing butterflies, making him appear especially sacred.

“Patron, do you have any other questions?”

“Uh, Venerable One, you… What just happened?” Guan Ping was unsure if Fangzheng knew about Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s appearance as she gave an inquisitive probe.

Fangzheng gave an innocent and unknowing look and asked, “What happened? Where were we?”

Guan Ping shook her head. “It’s nothing. Nothing… Well, Venerable Fangzheng, I have something to tend to. I’ll be leaving first.”

Guan Ping got up and left One Finger Monastery in a pathetic manner as she rushed down the mountain.

Fangzheng shook his head as he watched her depart. If it were the him of the pas, he would have guided Guan Ping into choosing the past but now, Fangzheng did not. Everyone had to pay the price of their own choices. What Fangzheng could do was only give her a chance to seriously make the choice.

After Guan Ping left One Finger Monastery, she was still in a daze. She finally understood why Dong Yueru had suggested that she seek Fangzheng. Dong Yueru, as well as the other psychiatrists, could tell her true thoughts. She had long made the decision and her seeking of psychiatrists were only to console herself or to give her reason.

A Rolls-Royce was waiting for her at the foot of the mountain. She stared straight at it and thought everything through. She finally sighed and boarded the Rolls-Royce. The instant she sat down, she smiled. She smiled for the choice she finally made. Tears streamed down the corner of her eyes. She was bidding farewell to her past self.

The car drove away but Fangzheng saw this scene from the cliff at the mountaintop. He shook his head. “The mortal world is like hell. Hell torments the human heart but some people can see hope amid hell while others end up losing themselves completely to it. Where is hell? Hell is in the heart. Once the heart is in hell, the body is in hell. Amitabha…”

After Guan Ping left, she never returned to One Finger Monastery. Fangzheng saw news regarding her a few months later on the news.

Former female celebrity Guan Ping, a victim of domestic abuse, continues smiling to the cameras, “I fell.” She answered to the inquiries.

Half a year later, Fangzheng received a WeChat message from Guan Ping. “Venerable One, although I missed the chance of returning, I never regretted the choice. I am myself. I’d rather cry in a mansion that laugh in a basement. I do not regret it, really.”

The next day, Guan Ping appeared on the news again. She had committed suicide…

“She does not repent even at death’s doorstep. Who is to save her?”

Fangzheng felt miserable due to Guan Ping. As he watched the luxury car drive off, he returned to the monastery. He sat inside the temple hall and began silently reading the scriptures.

He struck the wooden fish and recited the scriptures when—

“Ding! Mission from the System. Guan Yin Bodhisattva recently recruited a new child who is wild at heart. Guan Yin Bodhisattva has specially banished him to One Finger Monastery, allowing Abbot Fangzheng to discipline him. If his savagery and killing intent is purged, he will be able to return to the South Sea. If not, he will forever stay in the mortal world. Upon the mission’s completion, a random prize will be drawn. Merit points: 10,000 points.”

When Fangzheng heard such a massive prize, with ten thousand merit points, he felt like the sky was falling! He immediately exclaimed, “Can I reject it? System, stop pulling my leg. You are throwing a fellow that even Bodhisattva can’t deal with to This Penniless Monk? Are you sure This Penniless Monk will not end up having his bones crushed and thrown into a pot to be stewed?”

“Don’t worry, he’s only a normal child. Yup… absolutely normal.”

Only then did Fangzheng heave a sigh of relief. “That’s more like it. But what’s the child’s name? Where is he from? What’s his identity? Also, are you sure I can manage him?”