The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Panda Novel

Seeing the two stand up, a policeman asked, “Didn’t you say that your brains were damaged and you couldn’t stand up? I can tell that your brains are damaged, but does this count as not being able to stand up? I really can’t say it does. Both of you, take note. Don’t make false reports to the police, or don’t blame me for throwing the book at you.”

With that said, the two policemen turned and left.

When the two men and the woman saw this, their faces flushed red. Having stood up, if they feigned illness again, that would really be a case of treating the police as fools. They knew very well that once the police became serious, there were always ways for them to put them in their place. Their goal was to give Fangzheng trouble, not find trouble for themselves.

After watching the police leave, the sickly man whispered. “What were the two of you doing? It’s winter, and there’s snow all over. How could there be any snakes? Even if there are any, they’re all hibernating!”

“I really saw a snake. It even slithered into my pants,” the sallow-skinned man whispered.

The woman added. “I saw it too. There was really a snake. It was black with white patterns.”

“Did it fly off at sixty miles an hour before hitting a tree too? To think you said it was black with white patterns… Have you seen such a snake before?” the sickly man berated.

The two were taken aback. Perhaps there were such snakes in the world, but they had at least never seen one! However, the two were very certain that they had seen a snake slither into their pants, but when they looked down on the ground, where was the snake?

The two immediately felt their bodies go cold. If there wasn’t a snake on the ground, what had they seen? Despite desperately trying to convince the man, he didn’t believe them at all. The two could only give up, but this question remained hidden in their hearts.

“Amitabha. Patrons, since the both of you are fine, head down the mountain. This Penniless Monk shall leave as well…” At this moment, Fangzheng’s voice sounded once again.

For some reason, the trio subconsciously felt their buttholes tighten when they heard that! This was because just moments ago, the two times this darn Buddhist proclamation had sounded meant trouble for them! Thankfully, Fangzheng only said that he was leaving, so the trio heaved a sigh of relief.

However, they quickly snapped back to their senses. Fangzheng was leaving? If he left, what about their job? They had only done half of the job entrusted to them. Did they still want the rest of their money? Wouldn’t their reputation be sullied?

With this in mind, the sallow-skinned man immediately shouted. “Abbot Fangzheng, you cannot leave!”

Everyone looked at him as though he was a retard.

Someone mumbled. “Hehe, this fool doesn’t seem like he’s done with this nonsense. He doesn’t know when to stop and keeps clinging onto Master Frivolous.”

“The lesson wasn’t enough.”

“This is clearly a case of someone looking for trouble. After one trick fails, another trick is used. They are really stubborn on this and refuse to give up! Regardless, I’m firmly standing on Abbot Fangzheng’s side.”

“Me too. I’m strongly supporting Master Frivolous!”

…

As they heard the crowd speaking, the sallow-skinned man wasn’t angry, nor did he look at them. Instead, he glared at Fangzheng, saying, “My friend is sick. Master, please take a look.”

Everyone was amused by this. This child was truly silly and adorable. He really new nothing like a naive child. He had just caused Fangzheng trouble, and now he was asking him to treat his friend? A fool’s thoughts were truly different from everyone else’s.

Hence, everyone looked at Fangzheng with a chuckle. They were also interested in knowing how Fangzheng would handle the matter.

Fangzheng chuckled as he looked at them, wearing a warm and benevolent look.

When everyone saw this, their hearts palpitated. “Could Master Frivolous really be compassionate and end up treating them of their illness?”

This thought wasn’t only shared by the crowd. Even the trio subconsciously thought that. After all, he was a monk. He had to show compassion and urge the evil to be good. Although they had antagonized Fangzheng, there was a chance Fangzheng would disregard what had happened to show his magnanimity so as to gain face, right? At least in history and in stories, many masters were like that. In order to redeem bad people, they were willing to let bygones be bygones.

With this in mind, the trio wore a look of glee, thinking, “No matter how you treat us, we’ll just say it wasn’t treated. Humph, let’s see what you can do about that!”

At the same time, the trio subconsciously glanced at the crowd. There were two men in down jackets, hats, and scarves who hid their faces among the people. They exchanged looks and saw the smile in each other’s eyes as though their prey had fallen into the trap.

However, at this moment, Fangzheng gave an extremely benevolent, sincere, and thought-provoking smile. He lightly said, “Not treating!”

“Pfft!” Someone in the crowd who was drinking water spewed it all out. The water quickly froze in the air and dropped as ice crystals.

The others couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, Master Frivolous is really Master Frivolous. You can never predict what he will do! Other masters might disregard any transgressions, but this fellow won’t.”

“Indeed, this fellow really won’t treat them.”

“Hehe, have you forgotten? Master Frivolous has already said that he doesn’t treat bad people. These people are obviously no good. It’s only right that he doesn’t treat them.”

“That’s right. The death of people like this is a kind contribution to the world.”

…

Upon hearing this, the trio didn’t have any reaction, perhaps because of their thick skin.

Instead, the sick man stared at Fangzheng and said angrily, “Abbot Fangzheng, a monk should be compassionate. How can you watch idly? How is this compassion?”

But in return, Fangzheng acted abnormally. He no longer gave slow and staid replies, but immediately replied this time. “Amitabha. This Penniless Monk has been compassionate.”

Upon hearing this, everyone facepalmed. This baldy was really frivolous. He was as shameless as the other party. He even wore a compassionate look. Did he not know the story of accomplished monks slicing their own skin off to feed others? That was true compassion!

However, if they had to make a choice, they would still decisively stand on Fangzheng’s side. This was because Fangzheng’s actions made them feel good.

The woman said, “Compassion? How shameless can you be? I’ve seen cold-blooded people, but never have I seen someone as cold-blooded as you! Although we might have offended you, shouldn’t you be more understanding as a monk? How can a man, or rather, a monk, be so petty about everything?”

When Fangzheng heard this, he immediately looked down at his crotch before replying in all seriousness. “It can be confirmed. This Penniless Monk is really a man. As for being a monk, if This Penniless Monk said he doesn’t wish to be one, could you make This Penniless Monk not have to be a monk? If you manage to do that, This Penniless Monk will have to thank you.”

Fangzheng spoke with utmost sincerity without any lies. This was truly spoken from the bottom of his heart. However, for some reason, everyone couldn’t help but find his sincere eyes comical as they burst out laughing.