The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Li Daguang said, “That’s impossible, right? At least there’s one thing. This animal knows how to speak! And those bamboo; have you ever seen bamboo grow in ice and snow?”

Baird said, “The bamboo is a natural product, after all. The world is vast, and all kinds of things can happen. It’s said that there are creatures at the bottom of the sea, right? As for why the monkey and dog can speak, there must be a reason for it. I even suspect that the monkey is a mutated person…”

“Alright, stop thinking about it. What’s the point of making a mystical monk a big deal for such a huge country?” Yalman asked.

Baird said, “The Chinese are best at doing some baffling things. Then, when they reveal their answers, they surprise everyone in the world. Just like how they created nuclear bombs, satellites, and space stations. When they were doing it, who would believe that they would succeed?”

The few of them fell silent.

Baird continued, “So, I think there’s something fishy about it.”

“If this gets out, I’m afraid you won’t be able to drink bamboo tea for the rest of your life,” said Li Daguang.

Baird fell silent upon hearing this…

After a long while, Baird said, “The Chinese said that you can’t have your cake and eat it. It’s good if the mouth can enjoy it, but there’s nothing wrong with insisting on the truth. I’ll just watch. If there’s really something fishy, I’ll expose it no matter what. If there’s nothing, I’m willing to go back and do publicity for them. It can be considered compensation.”

The few of them nodded in agreement.

In fact, everyone had considered what Baird was thinking.

However, since they were already so old, they really didn’t want to interfere too much. However, since Baird had already stepped forward, they didn’t mind helping him.

Just as they were chatting happily, another figure appeared on the mountain road. Soon, there were three.

Then five, six…

More and more people gathered on the quiet mountain peak.

Baird said, “Why are they standing by the water?”

“I don’t know. Let’s go and take a look.” Li Daguang said.

The few of them nodded and followed.

Seeing a few foreigners, the devotees were also quite surprised.

Although Mt. One Finger was famous, it was still a tiny scenic spot in China. It was just too small.

It wasn’t a place of attraction with a long history, so the visitors that came were always mostly Chinese.

When a few foreigners suddenly appeared, everyone could not help but be a little surprised. However, they just took a few glances without thinking too much about it.

More and more people gathered. Soon, hundreds of people gathered at the top of the mountain!

Baird and the others turned to look, only to see that there was a dense mass of human heads. Furthermore, everyone was gathered around the Heavenly Dragon Pond. Those who could squeeze forward were all trying their best to stand forward.

Li Daguang finally could not stand it any longer. He grabbed someone and asked, “Lad, why are all of you squeezing in here? Is it because you want to enter the monastery first?”

The person who was grabbed by Li Daguang was also an old man. His face was wrinkled and he looked older than Li Daguang.

Being addressed as “lad” by Li Daguang, he was clearly in a very good mood. He chuckled and said, “You can enter the monastery any time. Everyone here is here to see: The morning bell and evening drum blanketed in golden clothes as well as the rainbow clouds and nine colored lights.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was curious.

Li Daguang also asked, “The morning bell and evening drum blanketed in golden clothes as well as the rainbow clouds and nine colored lights? What is that?”

“You don’t know? If you don’t, what are you doing here?” the old man asked in shock.

A dark cloud hung over Li Daguang’s head. What was he here for? He was here to get some tea!

When the elder saw that Li Daguang did not know anything, he chuckled and said, “What I just said was the conclusion everyone gave One Finger Monastery. As for the specifics, you can see for yourself later.”

Upon hearing the old man’s words, Li Daguang and the others became more intrigued.

They weren’t in a hurry either. They had originally planned to go online to investigate, but after thinking about it, they gave up. Having some expectation and lesser spoilers was nice too.

As they were chatting happily, suddenly, Baird exclaimed, “There’s someone on the bridge!”

The group looked over and saw a white-robed monk leading a walking salted fish, a squirrel, and a tiny acolyte across past the Bridge of Helplessness. They pushed open the door and entered One Finger Monastery.

“Is that Fangzheng?” Yalman shouted.

“Chase after him!” Ottosky immediately chased the moment he saw the scene.

However, he was stopped by an old man. “Wait, it’s almost dawn.”

Ottosky was dumbfounded. “So what if it’s dawn?”

The elder said, “You will be beaten up if you go up now.”

Ottosky was still dumbfounded. He had no idea what the old man meant.

Instead, it was Li Daguang and Yalman who frequently read Chinese news. They knew a little about it and subconsciously asked, “The morning bell and evening drum?”

The elder nodded slightly. “That’s right. One Finger Monastery’s most beautiful moment in the day is about to arrive. Watch carefully. Don’t cause trouble. Otherwise, I’ll only join the others when they hit you.”

As Ottosky looked at the wrinkled old man, he didn’t think much of it. However, when he looked at the hundreds of spectators, he decisively gave up the thought of rushing out.

Fangzheng walked to the door and opened the monastery’s door. He said something, making the monkey that annoyed Ottosky come out again. Then, the monk walked to the drum tower while the monkey walked towards the bell tower.

The moment the bell tolled, the east began to show the rosy light of dawn.

The elder sighed. “It’s daybreak…”

However, the five of them did not hear this sigh because they were completely immersed in the sound of the bell and drum.

The drumming sounded, erupting out all the darkness in their hearts. All of them had red eyes as they grunted like bulls, almost as if they were about to devour someone.

When the old man saw this, he was not surprised at all. First-timers basically behaved like this when hearing the bell and drum.

Everyone called it a catharsis. After the catharsis, everyone would put down a lot of psychological burdens. They would be able to think through some things that they couldn’t figure out in the past. They would feel much more relaxed.

However, to the elder’s surprise, the fierce-looking Russian man’s breathing became more and more rapid. In the end, he sat on the ground and started wailing like a child…

Still, no one laughed at him. Everyone sighed and said, “Another pitiful person.”

As if Ottosky was the spark, Yalman began crying as well…

Then, the most bohemian little old man, Li Daguang, cried while calling out his sister’s name…

Although Baird and Nicholas didn’t cry, they clenched their fists tightly. It was obvious that the deepest feelings in their hearts had been dug out. They didn’t want to face anything…

The drumming continued as the crying continued.

The scene before Ottosky vanished, leaving behind a coffin that was about to be covered. He cried, “Mother… don’t go!”