37 – Hospitality

I took a deep breath as me and Fumo appeared in front of a massive arch. We teleported directly into this Lingshan Temple where Fumo came from. Looking around, the building style looks the same as the sect back home. Though there’s plenty of statues that might have some significance. Then I saw that the entire temple complex was built atop several perfectly flattened mountain peaks. Neat! I have done a small construction using earth forming spells but this is on a different scale.

Uncovering the truth of what I am and how I obtained this body does not grant me the levity I am expecting. I have done to resolve all these karma, as the old man said, as best as I can. Jinlian, the wolves, Princess Qiuhua, and even the deer. But then a nagging feeling. Qiuhua won’t be turned into a sludge like me after taking the elixir right? Surely not. Maybe I should check up on her on my way back. As for the deer….

A short while ago…

I had offered the three mother deer a massive bowl filled with salted potato chips. At first, they tried to act dignified.

“This… human food is beneath us,” the First Mother declared, turning her head away.

But after one curious nibble from the Second Mother, their composure quickly crumbled. Within moments, all three were eagerly munching away, their usual graceful demeanor forgotten as they crunched loudly, ears twitching in delight. The fawn had been the most shameless, face buried in the bowl without any shame at all.

Back to the present…

Then, there’s the unresolved one. The Heaven’s Chosen. She looks like she is still a girl. About ten. But the Noosphere already calls her my destined enemy and screams for me to kill her. From the looks of it, I will meet her again in the future. That will be a problem. But, I won’t be regretting my decision to kill a child. 

As of right now, maybe a short vacation here will be good. I don’t know what to expect when visiting a Buddhist temple. But if Fumo is a good example, then this should be a good experience.

“Liking what you see so far?” Fumo asks after giving me time to take in the surroundings

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

I froze at the familiar young voice. Looking down, I saw a small white furred fawn standing between my feet, tail wagging excitedly.

“What are you doing here!?”

“Hehe. I want to ask for more salt food.” This is a lie. Not entirely, but I can taste it

I rubbed my temple, trying to figure out how to handle this situation.

“Can I follow not papa around?” she asked, ears perked up hopefully, eyes sparkling.

“No.”

“But-but. I am smart! I am quick on my legs!” Her ears drooped as she gave me the saddest puppy eyes imaginable. “I promise I’ll behave…”

She uses the pitiful dog stare at me again, trying to tug my heart. Which is not working. I am immune. I have kicked a dog before. Killed three of them a short while ago. Well, technically wolves. I can kick this little fawn away. 

But I sighed. I am going to regret this. 

So I open my arm. “Fine.”

“Yay!” The fawn leapt joyfully into my embrace. I caught her and held her against my chest while Fumo watched with an amused smile.

“Yes yes. I need to be firmer.” I repeat Fumo’s earlier scolding. “Doesn’t have to be right now.”

This was a different world, after all. No nosy bystanders ready to call the authorities if I tried to help a child. Besides, she was just a spiritual deer fawn.

Fumo chuckled softly. “Follow me then.”

I walked behind Fumo as he led the way through the temple grounds. All the monks we passed were completely bald. So bald is a requirement to be a monk here. How he greets other monks. Then the series of buildings that I still cannot differentiate. Eventually, we arrived before a grand main temple.

“I need to report to my master about my return… and your circumstances,” Fumo said, stopping before the doors. “After that, my master or an elder may offer you guidance. Then we can explore more freely.”

I nodded. Fumo entered the building first.

I nod and he enters the building first. I hum along as I wait. The fawn is trying to hum along. Then I caught the monks gathering. Not speaking but using telepathy. They caught me staring. Then their previously serene emotional halo turned dark with clear hostility. Lines of telepathy rapidly spread outward, reaching across the entire temple.

Hmmm… This is bad isn’t it? 

Then like a meteor, someone landed in front of me.

—

“I have returned, master.”

Fumo bowed deeply before the serene figure seated in front of the grand Buddha statue.

Abbot Zhàoshì (照世|Illuminating the World), appeared to be a middle aged man. hick Buddhist robes draped his body, but they could not conceal the massive, straight scar that ran across his face from the left side of his forehead to the right, as if his head had once been nearly split in two.

“I have completed the mission,” Fumo reported. “The people of Jin’s capital are safe. Unfortunately, the last remnant of the Yougu Sect has perished. I have also brought a brother who is in dire need of guidance.”

“I know,” Abbot Zhàoshì replied calmly, eyes remaining closed.

Fumo frowns. “You know?”

Then Fumo realizes what happens. Immediately he turns back and the temple door closes.

“Let brother Danxing go!” Fumo raises his voice

“Oh? So you know who he is?” A deep, growling voice rumbled from Fumo’s right.

The eldest direct disciple of Abbot Zhaoshi, Jiànglóng (降龍|Dragon Subduer) stepped into the hall. He was a massive, imposing man with an extremely muscular build. Deep blue river dragon scale armor decorated his habit, and a terrifying scowl framed his bearded face. Every step he took caused the entire hall to tremble. Behind him, three other inner disciples followed him.

“Yet you still bring him here?” Came a calm soothing voice from Fumo’s left

The third direct disciple of Abbot Zhaoshi, Chánshèng (禪聖|Zen Saint), enters. as the complete opposite of Jianglong. tall, elegant, and almost femininely handsome. His brighter colored robes radiated warmth, and his mere presence seemed to gentle the atmosphere around him. Three inner disciples also follow behind him.

Finally, Abbot Zhaoshi opens his eyes. Looking directly at Fumo. “Sit down.”

—

The dust settled.

Standing right in front of me was an old man with an absurdly oversized, muscular body and a comically tiny head. His empty, gouged-out eye sockets were almost level with mine. His long white hair and beard reached all the way down to his feet. The problem however… is he was wearing nothing but underwear. Shamelessly showing off his densely packed muscles

The fawn in my arm shuffles deeper. Trying to hide from the old man in front of me. The old man took a step forward. I looked around, there’s also a gathering of monks. Their halos darkened with hostility. 

Fuck! All I have is projecting railguns and the Great Thundergod Steps. But there’s too many of them. So the only option is to run away.

“Young man.” The old man spoke

I braced myself, ready to activate the Jackal special and bolt the moment he made a move.

The old man leaned forward, his tiny head tilting with surprising enthusiasm.

“Do you want to hear your fortune?” he asked.

“Huh?”

The old man took a long, dramatic breath. The surrounding monks immediately panicked and covered their ears. I quickly shielded the fawn’s ears with my hands and reinforced my own with an AT field.

“DO YOU WANT TO HEAR YOUR FORTUNE!?”

His roar was louder than a jet engine. The force blasted straight into my face, creating a typhoon of wind and a disgusting rain of spit. Even with protection, my ears rang painfully. This old man was monstrously powerful, I couldn’t even sense what realm he was in. So his realm might be comparable to my old man.

“Ehem.” I coughed, wiping spit off my face. “So… you’re a fortune teller or something?”

The old man whipped his comically small head around. His long white hair and beard whipped violently, generating a powerful gust that sent several weaker monks tumbling backward. I had to raise my AT field just to stay standing.

“I am more than a simple fortune teller.”he scoffed, puffing out his massive chest.

He whipped his head again for emphasis, nearly blowing me off my feet.

“I AM ELDER BÀOJĪ (爆肌|EXPLODING MUSCLES) OF THE TIANJI (CELESTIAL SECRET) SECT! PROUD BODY TEMPERING CULTIVATOR! GREAT MENTOR OF THOUSAND REFORMED CULTIVATORS!”

His voice thundered across the entire temple grounds.

“Now then,” he leaned forward again, eyes sockets empty but somehow intense, “do you want to hear your fortune, young man?”

I blinked a few times, ears still ringing. “No thanks.”

A heavy silence fell.

The old man clearly hadn’t expected rejection. He leaned in even closer. I instinctively leaned back.

“Perhaps I can convince you,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

I looked around. Is Fumo back yet!? I am being accosted by a freak of an old man! The monks still surround me with hostility. But they are clearly wary or respectful of the old man. So either this old man is on my side or he is something worse than monks that are suddenly hostile to me. Both are concerning especially when I don’t know his motive of helping me.

But wait, maybe I can use this to my advantage.

“Eh, maybe.” I cringe as I attempt fate

“That’s the spirit!” Elder Bàojī grinned.

He struck a dramatic pose, flexing his absurdly muscular body. Every movement caused the air to crack like thunder.

“The future is…”

I stay silent and await his next word. But only silence. Once again, the old man took a deep breath. I close the fawn’s ears and reinforce mine again.

“THE FUTURE IS…”

Oh right, alright. He wants me to finish his words. 

“Character?” I guessed, remembering an old game my great-grandfather used to play

“PRECISELY!” he roared with excitement, thankfully not as loud this time. “Never before have I met someone who answered so accurately! Most people think fate is set in stone. How wrong they are!”

“Right…” I muttered, slowly taking ten steps backward. He followed immediately.

Good. Alright, my goal is to keep stepping away to the direction of the entrance.

“So you’ll tell me my fortune and convince me to mend my ways?” I ask while keep stepping away

“PRECISELY!” He beamed. “Now then, I will reveal your future.”

“No wait…” I interrupt. Nearly bumping into a large monk who reluctantly stepped aside

“How do you, uh…” I try to find the right word, “Convince the people whose fortune you told to men their ways?”

This is important. I need to know if I will be violently coerced to mend my ways.

The old man pauses. His expression doesn’t change. He leans forward. Placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Why, I convince them like this of course.” He answer truthfully

I glanced at his towering, half-naked frame. “And these people… they were normal-sized? Like the monks?”

“Yes.” he answered cheerfully.

Hmmm. Considering that I am twice as big as the average person and this old man is the same, what he does can be interpreted as coercion. So either he does this deliberately or he is just a freak and is clueless. 

Alright, second goal. Try to make it so that he doesn’t tell me about my fortune. I don’t want to temp if he is deliberately coercing people or not as I am now his target.

“What happens if you fail to convince them?” I try to probe

“Haha! Those are rare!” He laughed 

“But in case I fail,” He raises one finger, “I do one full cycle of body tempering.”

“I see.” Nodding while walking away. “And if you succeed?”

He proudly raised two fingers. “I do two complete cycles of body tempering.”

So that’s how he got this ridiculously buff.

“Though unfortunately, I have reached the limit of my body tempering method.” He went off on his own.

“What do you do then?” I tell him to continue. We should be close to the entrance now

“I decided!” He looks up as if enlightened. “To temper my hairs.”

“Hairs? You mean…”

“My hair! My beard!” Then he spread his arms wide, before raising his forearms. Bulging his biceps. But most importantly… “And my armpit hair!” 

I almost choked as I saw his long, flowing strands of armpit hair unfurled dramatically down to his feet. If that is not enough, he starts whipping his head again. But this time, also his body with his arm proudly raised. His hair, his beard, and his two armpit hairs whipping violently. This time, creating a storm that finally throws away the rest of the monks still following us.

“Jesus Christ.” I said in disbelief as I fully raise my AT field to remain standing

Fortunately, he finished his posing and we should be at the entrance soon.

I turn around, preparing to use the Thundergod Step. Only to find that I am not at the entrance but at a different arch.

“The massive arch at the entrance is in the opposite direction of us.” Elder Bàojī said cheerfully.

Fuck… I went the wrong way and he knew I was trying to use him as cover.

“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Elder Baoji grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close like a friend. “The Abbot has graciously given me this grounds as my temporary residence and you will be my guest until your friend Fumo finishes his discussion.” 

“Thank you. But sorry, I don’t want to hear about my future.” I give my thanks

“Don’t worry about it.” He assures me with a grin. “I already know you wouldn’t want to.”

“I still don’t understand why you helped me though?” I try to probe his motives

“Don’t worry too much. You wouldn’t die here! Not that it is an option. This way is just more… preferable.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Yes it is!” Baoji said with a wide grin

Thus gone is my hope for any vacation