The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“Thank you…” The man looked up, which only served to stun Fangzheng even more! It was a man who looked to be in his fifties, and his hair was grizzled, but he wore a tenacious expression. However, he was ultimately a bit too old. Although Salted Fish swept away the snow on Mt. One Finger every day, there was no way to get completely rid of the northeastern snow.

Just a gust of wind would bring distant snow to a cleanly swept area, covering the area. Therefore, the act of sweeping away the snow wasn’t to sweep it clean, but to reduce the snow a little, making it easier for people to walk.

Ordinary people would be panting by the time they arrived at the mountaintop even in normal weather. It only became harder if it snowed. People typically rested midway before continuing. If one had problems walking, to rely solely on their hands while faced with the obstruction of snow the entire journey, how hard would it be to scale Mt. One Finger? Fangzheng had never attempted it before, but it was obvious that it couldn’t be a simple endeavor! It was absolutely impossible without decent stamina and tenacity.

Fangzheng found it hard to imagine what matter had driven the man to climb up with such tenacity. He subconsciously activated his Wisdom Eye and saw quite a bit of golden light on him with little negative karma. Hence Fangzheng decided that he would help the man regardless of the matter as long as it was within his abilities.

Fangzheng helped the man up and realized that the man’s legs were like two motionless wooden blocks.

The man said with a bitter smile, “They’re a little numb…”

Fangzheng patted the man’s legs and found them hard. They weren’t numb but frozen solid!

Fangzheng asked, “Do you feel anything?”

The man shook his head.

Without a second word, Fangzheng carried the man and rapidly walked towards One Finger Monastery.

When he entered the monastery, Red Boy, Monkey, Lone Wolf, and Squirrel came over, having heard the commotion. As for Salted Fish, who had lifted half his body out from the Heavenly Dragon Pond to slump on the Bridge of Helplessness, Fangzheng couldn’t be bothered with him.

“Jingxin, prepare a fire basin. This Patron needs to warm himself,” Fangzheng said.

Red Boy immediately ran off after taking a glance at the man.

Fire basins were very common mobile heating devices in northeastern China. In fact, a fire basin was just a basin made of mud. Northeastern families had fireplaces, and they typically used corn kernels, tree branches, or trunks for their fires. These things were good fuel that burned well and could retain the heat even after the fire subsided. The effects were similar to coal, so northeasterners used these fireplaces to cook too. The remains were then dug out and placed in a fire basin as a device to warm themselves.

One Finger Monastery had just finished their breakfast, so there was still some coal in the fireplace. Red Boy scooped out a basin full of coal and placed the fire basin in the kitchen.

Shortly after, Fangzheng came in and placed the man on a chair. He then covered the man with a blanket which Monkey had brought over. Then, he placed the man’s feet beside the fire basin and sat next to him. He gently massaged the man’s legs and secretly circulated his Spirit Qi and injected it into the man’s legs. He rapidly activated his blood and warmed his nerves to rejuvenate the cells.

In the northeast, it was common for cold injuries to happen. The injuries ranged from having red skin and pain, to cracking skin and bleeding, resulting in the festering of wounds. Frostbite could even cause functional disorders. The man’s legs were suffering from terrible frostbite, and if not for Fangzheng’s cultivation mastery and the existence of Qi in his body, it would take a lot more effort to heal him if it were anyone else.

The man was clearly exhausted. The moment he sat down and had the fire basin warming his body, a rush of fatigue overwhelmed him as he nodded off to sleep.

The man slept for two hours and by the time he woke up, he saw a tiny squirrel sitting beside him. The squirrel was staring at him with widened eyes, but it jumped onto the ground and ran off when it saw him wake up.

The man thought nothing of it, but he heard a Buddhist proclamation the next moment. “Amitabha. Patron, are you awake? Are your legs better?”

The man turned to look and saw a white-robed monk standing there with his palms pressed together. He wore a genial look, and his smile was indescribably amiable.

Only then did the man recall that Fangzheng had previously carried him into the monastery and crouched down to massage his legs. The man immediately bent his back while sitting like he was bowing. “Thank you for helping me, Master. Thank you.”

Fangzheng shook his head. “Saving someone in need is only natural. There’s no need to be polite. Patron, why did you come up the mountain on such a cold day? Besides, it seems like your legs have not been able to move for quite a while? Where’s your family?”

This was what puzzled Fangzheng. Back when he was massaging the man’s legs, he discovered that the man’s legs had long been crippled. Typically speaking, such a person would be cared for by his family, so why would he suddenly come up the mountain? If not for his tenacity that drove him to reach the mountaintop, if he had to wait for Fangzheng or other visitors to discover him, it would probably be too late. He might have died!

When the man heard the question, he didn’t show a shred of sadness on his face. Instead, it turned rosy as he looked at the reddened fire basin. “My name is Chen Danian. I was given this name because I was born on the night of the new year. I’m 48 this year. I’m not a lonely old man who has no one to take care of him. I have a wife and a daughter. They are very beautiful, adorable, and obedient.”

Upon saying this, the man’s eyes welled with tears.

There was nothing wrong with such words, but Fangzheng found it odd. Why would he describe them as very beautiful, adorable, and obedient? Chen Danian’s wife was probably in her forties, so why would he use adorable and obedient to describe a woman that age?

As the saying goes, people are forever eighteen when they are in love. It seemed to be true, Fangzheng thought to himself.

At that moment, Lone Wolf, Squirrel, Monkey, and Red Boy walked in as well. They surrounded the fire basin and looked indifferent. But in fact, their ears were pricked up. Clearly, as life on the mountain was boring, they had come to listen to the story. Fangzheng even saw a fish head peeking out from the door. However, the fellow was apparently unhappy with his position. He was secretly shifting into the building.

Fangzheng glared at Salted Fish, but Salted Fish waved a hook in his hand. Then, he bit at it, jumped up and hung on a window sill, motionless. By hanging there, he didn’t look any different from a salted fish… However, to have a salted fish hanging in a monastery’s kitchen felt wrong!

With Chen Danian continuing his story, Fangzheng couldn’t be bothered with Salted Fish. He eyed him in a bid to get him to behave and not cause trouble.

As Chen Danian went on and on, he suddenly stopped as though he had entered an adrift state. His eyes looked infinitely warm as his voice turned immensely gentle, but his tears kept flowing without end.

Fangzheng knew that Chen Danian had lost himself to his emotions. And the matter that had agitated him was definitely related to his daughter. Hence, Fangzheng pressed his palms together and gave a Buddhist proclamation. “Amitabha.”

Then, he cast A Golden Millet Dream and entered Chen Danian’s memories with all his disciples.