The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“Count me in. I’ll go too!”

“Let’s go together and bring Master home!”

…

At the same time, some people’s attention was also attracted by the heated rumors online.

A particular female reporter who was buying shoes, an old secretary who was drinking, a female Daoist priest who was tasting tea in the mountains, a sunny girl who was arduously practicing calligraphy, a man wearing a crooked hat and playing with his cell phone, and a few kids who had banded together to search for Mt. One Finger…

Deep in the Southwest Mountain, the girl in the forest suddenly put down her phone and said to her brother, “Brother, I’m going overseas.”

“What?” The boy was dumbstruck.

…

At the border of Vietnam, there was a youth who was making a deal with the elephant. He touched the elephant’s nose and said, “This person must be Abbot Fangzheng. Although he looks different, I will never forget the charm of his every move… I’m going to find him!”

The elephant trumpeted.

On a tall building in Southeast Asia, a man put down his wine glass and said, “Let’s go and pay a visit to Abbot Fangzheng!”

…

That’s right. A group of people who had always worshiped Fangzheng in their hearts saw something fishy through Fangzheng’s subconscious actions on video. Following that, they began their journey to Europe to seek out Fangzheng.

In an instant, countless people cast their gazes at Europe.

Of course, there were also some who had nothing better to do. They weren’t sure if it was Abbot Fangzheng, but no one believed that it was a waste of time to verify it. After all, there was nothing to do. Many people were even willing to waste it in exchange for a sliver of anticipation…

Fangzheng didn’t know that he had unintentionally caused a stir. In short, he slept soundly that night.

However, due to his personal habits, he still woke up before dawn. He could not stay inside any longer. He smacked Red Boy on the butt and pulled the brat out of the sheets. After washing up, they went out.

“Master, what are you doing? It wasn’t easy for us to eat and drink to our fill and have a place to stay. Why aren’t you enjoying the bliss?” Red Boy rubbed his eyes as he yawned. He looked indignant.

Fangzheng said, “Look at how useless you are. You are already overseas, so you should take a look. Look at this place. That’s the way to live up to being overseas.”

“Alright, alright. You are my master. Everything you say makes sense,” Red Boy replied with a yawn.

The two of them walked for more than two hours. Two hours later, the two of them looked at the skyscraper in shock and the familiar scenes around them.

“No way. Master, we seem to have returned.” Red Boy looked at the scenery in front of him in shock.

Fangzheng scratched his nose and said, “This… It seems we have really circled back. Since we are back, it’s also fate. Weren’t we planning on going to the calligraphy exhibition yesterday? It’s just nice today. Let’s go in and take a look!”

Red Boy’s interest was immediately piqued when he heard that. Who wouldn’t love to join in the fun when they weren’t starving?

The arrival of the two monks made the service staff at the door frown. After all, the two monks were dressed in tattered clothes. It was obvious that they weren’t rich. However, the service staff didn’t stop them. After confirming that the monks’ clothes were clean despite being tattered, they closed one eye.

Without any dramatic developments, Fangzheng successfully entered the exhibition hall.

At the front of the exhibition hall, there were some rubbings. It was filled with famous people and calligraphy works by people like Wang Xizhi, etc…

It was also Fangzheng’s first time seeing these ancient works by these ancient calligraphers. He watched them with relish.

Further ahead were some calligraphers who were writing on the spot. Although they lacked the charm of the ancients, they produced the beauty of calligraphy. Each stroke was extremely grand. Fangzheng nodded as he watched.

“Hehe, Venerable One, seeing how you keep nodding, it appears you can appreciate calligraphy?” A middle-aged man who had just picked up a brush smiled gently.

Fangzheng pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. This Penniless Monk understands a little, but it’s not much. The word ‘Mister’ has the feeling of water. When it’s gentle, it’s like a tiny stream. When it’s unleashed, it’s like the surging Yellow River. It’s indeed beautiful.”

The man was taken aback when he heard that. He cupped his hands and said, “I am Wang Daochun. Venerable One, may I know how to address you?”

Fangzheng pressed his palms together. “This Penniless Monk is Fangzheng.”

Wang Daochun was taken aback as he said, “Fangzheng? Uh… I’m sorry. This Dharma name is too eyecatching…”

Fangzheng smiled. “It’s fine. Every time This Penniless Monk reveals his Dharma name, everyone’s reaction seems to be huge.”

Wang Daochun chuckled and said, “That’s not impossible. Abbot Fangzheng is a god-like figure in China. Who doesn’t know him? However, no one has a monopoly on names. There’s no need to change it just because someone else shares the same name. Venerable One, from what you said, it looks like you are quite good at calligraphy.”

Wang Daochun clearly did not want to harp on the issue, so he changed the topic and returned to calligraphy.

Fangzheng shook his head. “A little. It’s been a long time since This Penniless Monk wrote. Who knows what kind of words This Penniless Monk can produce now.”

“Haha… Venerable One, you’re being too polite. The exhibition just started and there aren’t many people around. If you wish to write, you can use our brush and ink. Everyone is here to talk about calligraphy. There’s no such thing as good or bad.” Wang Daochun chuckled.

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded. “If there’s no such thing as good or bad in calligraphy, why do you still need to write calligraphy? Can’t you just write it at home? There are always differences in everything. This is a Chinese calligraphy exhibition, not an exhibition to shame China. Every word here needs to be appreciated by foreign guests. If you find someone to randomly write, it will not only embarrass you, but also all of China!”

As he spoke, a man slowly walked over with a few people clustered around him like he was someone important.

“Huang Yu, what are you doing here?” Wang Daochun obviously didn’t like Huang Yu.

Fangzheng did not like it either. This was because Huang Yu did not look like a calligrapher. Instead, he looked more like a businessman. The way he looked at people was not as honest or easygoing as Wang Daochun’s. There was a sharpness in it like a knife.

Huang Yu said, “You hung up a signboard—Touring Exhibition of Chinese Calligraphy. I’m also a calligrapher, so I came here to take a look and write a few words. Isn’t that too much? I just never expected China to be so sad that it doesn’t even have calligraphers. Is the situation so bad that you need to get a random monk on the road?”

When a youth behind Wang Daochun heard that, he said angrily, “That’s at least better than going overseas to be a traitor! You abandoned what the ancestors taught and abandoned the country’s calligraphy to learn something that bears no resemblance to anything. When you return, you even claim yourself to be orthodox. You criticize the works of the ancestors and that what Japan has is true culture. I’ve seen shameless people, but I’ve never seen one so shameless!”

Huang Yu’s expression turned ugly when he heard that. However, he still maintained his arrogant smile and said lightly, “Wang Daochun, you guys are still so useless. It’s rude for a child to interrupt when an elder speaks. It’s no wonder China’s calligraphy is waning. If one’s character and morals aren’t good, how can one inherit and pass down calligraphy?”