The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

On this day, Red Boy had his serving deducted. He lay pitifully in his cradle and counted the wooden patterns on the ceiling.

Monkey said, “Junior Brother, sleep early.”

Red Boy rolled his eyes at Monkey. “Why don’t you try sleeping when you’re hungry?”

Monkey said, “Alright, do whatever you want. I’ll sleep first.”

Red Boy lay there in a daze as he slowly fell asleep.

Red Boy couldn’t sleep, but Fangzheng slept soundly. He had been exhausted for days and hadn’t taken a wink. Now, the moment he closed his eyes, he lost consciousness. He began snoring loudly and slept until the evening of the next day!

Fangzheng got up and looked around. It was only when the sky turned dark that he mumbled. “I thought I slept all night. So I only slept for a while. But why is my stomach hungry? Forget it. it should be fake. Back to sleep…”

With that said, Fangzheng got back into bed and continued sleeping.

Outside, Monkey, who had finished cooking, was also puzzled. “Master hasn’t been out for a day. Is something wrong?”

Red Boy dug his ear and said, “Does it sound like something is wrong from the snoring? He probably isn’t hungry. Let him sleep.”

The few animals nodded and shared Fangzheng’s meal.

In the middle of the night, Fangzheng woke up again. He rubbed his belly and mumbled. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m too hungry.”

Fangzheng was puzzled as well. He didn’t have the habit of eating supper, so why was he so hungry today? When he ran to the kitchen, Monkey rubbed his eyes and asked, “Master, why are you here?”

“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”

Red Boy stuck his head out and said, “Thanks to your teachings, we have always licked clean the bottom of the pot, leaving nothing behind. Therefore, Master, if you want to eat, we’ll have to cook a meal.”

With that said, Red Boy felt a little smug. You beat me up the day before? How about it? You are having your comeuppance! Go ahead and cook. Time to sleep!

Fangzheng shot a glance at Red Boy. He could tell at a glance what was on the brat’s mind. He nodded slightly and said, “Jingxin makes sense. Jingxin, don’t sleep. Cook for me.”

Red Boy: “…”

Therefore Red Boy began cooking for Fangzheng with resentment.

After a bowl of Crystal Rice was out of the pot, Fangzheng also took out some White Jade Pickled Cabbage from the Buddha Vat. He tore them into pieces and blanched them with boiling water. He then clenched his fists and squeezed the water out. Matching it with some northeastern sauce, Fangzheng had a great time eating. However, Fangzheng had expended too much energy in the past two days, so his body needed nourishment.

Therefore, Fangzheng went out and expedited the birth of a spirit ginseng. He immediately used it like a carrot and held it in his hand. The spirit ginseng dipped in sauce tasted pretty good.

If old TCM doctors or tycoons knew that Fangzheng had used the spirit ginseng that could virtually revive the dead to eat with sauce, they would likely rush over to bite Fangzheng to death.

After having his fill, Fangzheng suffered from insomnia.

Although he was tired, his body was different from an ordinary person. As long as he had sufficient energy, he could recover quickly. One spirit ginseng, a bowl of Crystal Rice, and a plate of White Jade Cabbage were all supplementary products from the System. His body instantly recovered, almost to the point of excessiveness.

Instantly, Fangzheng felt his body heat up and he felt extremely energetic. Then, he suffered from insomnia.

“Jingxin, don’t sleep. Have a chat with me.” Unable to sleep, Fangzheng circled the yard three times before finally waking Red Boy up.

Red Boy lay in the cradle with a look of resentment as he exclaimed, “Master, can’t we sleep? It’s in the middle of the night. We still have to receive visitors tomorrow.”

Fangzheng: “If I can sleep, why would I get you? Come, get up. Let’s have a good chat.”

Red Boy helplessly crawled up and asked, “Master, what do we chat about?”

When Monkey saw this, he gloated and said, “Don’t be so impatient. It’s an honor to be able to chat with Master. Work hard.”

Red Boy rolled his eyes when he heard that. Bootlicker!

Fangzheng nodded slightly. “Jingzhen is right. In that case, Jingzhen, come over and join my chat.”

Monkey: “…”

Monkey really wanted to give himself two slaps. Why did he have to shoot his mouth? How nice it was to sleep in peace. Why did he have to say that and bring trouble on himself?

Therefore, Fangzheng took Red Boy and Monkey to the kitchen’s entrance. He looked at the stars that filled the sky as he breathed in the cold wind from the northeast. “Go ahead, say something.”

Red Boy said in surprise, “Master, shouldn’t you be the one speaking? We are just accompanying you.”

Monkey nodded.

Fangzheng shook his head. “How would I know what to chat about? Since I can’t sleep in the middle of the night, the two of you can go ahead and chat. I’ll listen…”

Red Boy and Monkey immediately wore looks of resentment. F**k you, darn baldy. What kind of person are you!? You aren’t letting us sleep in the middle of the night and want us to chat with you. Yet, when we are awake, you want us to do the chatting while you listen? F**k!

However, the two of them didn’t dare say it out loud. They exchanged looks and wore an awkward expression. They usually didn’t have much scruples chatting, but to deliberately converse made it feel awkward. They felt uncomfortable all over and their minds went blank. They didn’t know what to say.

Red Boy was smart. He immediately said, “Master, why don’t you tell us a story?”

Monkey added, “That’s right. Master, tell us a story.”

Fangzheng thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright. Do you want to listen to a long one or a short one?”

When Red Boy heard that, he found it familiar. However, he couldn’t recall when Fangzheng had said it before. Hence, he said, “Master, tell a long story.”

Monkey had the same thoughts as well. After all, they could forget about sleeping tonight. Since he wanted to chat, he might as well let Fangzheng recount a long story… He could still relax.

Fangzheng chuckled and said, “Alright, I’ll tell a long story. In the past, there was a temple on a mountain. The young monk in the temple told his two disciples a story. What was the story? He talked about how there was a temple on a mountain in the past… What was the story? He talked about…”

Upon hearing the story, Monkey’s face turned black. Red Boy snapped out of his reverie. Indeed, this cheat was using the same story to fool him!

Hence, Red Boy followed up angrily. “He talked about how there was a temple on a mountain in the past…”

Fangzheng said, “Not bad. Jingxin, you actually learned it.”

Red Boy looked at Fangzheng as though he was looking at a fool. “Master, who doesn’t know how to tell a repetitive story?”

Fangzheng nodded and said, “Alright, since you have said so and your perceptivity is so good, tell me a story. I’m listening. Remember, do not stop before dawn!”

Red Boy: “…”

When Monkey heard that, he nearly rolled over in laughter. However, he ultimately held back and did not laugh.

Red Boy looked up into the sky and thought to himself, “There will come a day when I will let this darn baldy tell me this story for a year!”

Then, Red Boy bitterly began the journey of his long story.

As Fangzheng heard the story, he was on his phone. At that moment, he was stunned. “Have you seen fireflies?”