Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon

  Therefore, Wu Ming went ahead and said, “Zen Master Baiyun, according to what I know, Fangzheng is a rather arrogant person. Back when the calligraphers went up to his mountain, he barred their entry. He spurned them and even released a dog to bite them. Not long ago, This Penniless Monk even heard that he had no plans on participating in the Spring Welcoming Blessing Dharma Assembly. He thinks of us as fake monks that only scam people.”


  “And you are?” Zen Master Baiyun did not show any anger. Instead, he looked warmly at Wu Ming.

  Wu Ming immediately said with a bow, “This Penniless Monk is a disciple of Hongyan Monastery’s Zen Master Hongyan, Wu Ming. Greetings, Zen Master Baiyun.”


  “I see, you are Abbot Hongyan’s esteemed disciple. Please forgive me,” said Zen Master Baiyun.

  Just as Wu Ming was about to say something, a few people suddenly walked over. Leading them was Zen Master Hongyan. Zen Master Baiyun was vital to Baiyun Monastery, so he was the center of attention anywhere he went. How could Zen Master Hongyan not have seen Wu Ming suddenly approach him? He was afraid that Wu Ming was causing trouble, so he walked over with that in mind. And indeed, he heard some nasty words.

  Zen Master Hongyan frowned and asked sternly, “Wu Ming, a monk doesn’t lie. Is what you said true?”


  When Wu Ming saw Zen Master Hongyan approach him and question him immediately as though he did not trust him, he immediately felt aggrieved. He thought to himself, “I’ve been following you all these years. Yet, you do not trust me? What am I to you? To think I am always taking Hongyan Monastery’s interest into consideration and trying to raise its reputation. He’s indeed old. He has turned foolish.”


  Wu Ming was enraged as he said, “It’s naturally true. This Penniless Monk has been a monk for more than ten years. How can This Penniless Monk lie?”


  “If that’s the case, then it’s indeed inappropriate for us to wait. However, everything requires confirmation. Does anyone here have Abbot Fangzheng’s contact information?” asked Zen Master Baiyun loudly.

  However, who was Fangzheng? That question hung in everyone’s minds.

  As for One Finger Monastery, they had never even heard of it.

  When Zen Master Baiyun saw everyone shake their heads, he felt placed in a difficult position. Should he wait or not?

  At that moment, a monk with a dark complexion standing beside Zen Master Baiyun whispered, “Senior Brother Abbot, we have already sent the invitations and the time was clearly stated. If he doesn’t arrive at the appointed time, it’s not our fault. Karma exists in everything. He might have been held up, but that too is his karma. We can’t let everyone wait for him, right?”


  Zen Master Baiyun nodded slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Then-”


  “Heavens! Someone is crossing the river!” someone standing at Village Viewing Cliff exclaimed.

  Following that, someone rebuked, “Le Kong! What are you shouting about? A monk should remain composed even if Mt. Tai were to collapse. Let me take a look. Seriously, what’s the big deal with a person crossing a river? My Buddha! Someone is really crossing the river!”


  Everyone exchanged looks. What was going on?

  Thus, more people squeezed towards Village Viewing Cliff’s edge and looked down. Then, there was a series of exclamations! It was most apparent in the volunteers that came as well as in the acolyte monks. They could not maintain their comportment due to a lack of a Buddhist heart. They had not changed their societal habits and as a result…


  “F**k, what’s happening?”


  “Holy sh*t. Abbot, quick look at Buddha!”


  “Am I dreaming? Let me give a slap to see if it hurts. Indeed, it doesn’t hurt.”


  “Why did you slap me?”


  “Oh? I missed. No wonder it didn’t hurt.”


  …


  Zen Master Baiyun and Zen Master Hongyan exchanged looks. They could see the shock in each other’s eyes. Did a person crossing a river deserve such a stir? Therefore, the duo walked towards Village Viewing Cliff.

  However, there was someone even faster—Wu Ming! Wu Ming felt an ominous feeling when he heard that someone was crossing the river. He rushed to the edge of Village Viewing Cliff and looked down. Instantly, his eyes stared straight, nearly popping out his eyeballs. He looked completely flabbergasted.

  At the foot of the mountain, Elder Du was smoking his pipe and looking ahead without much regard for anything. From time to time, he would rebuke Hong Xiang so as to kill the boredom. Hong Xiang had no choice but to listen to his tirade and endure it by nodding.

  At that moment, Elder Du suddenly stood up. His pipe nearly dropped as he exclaimed with a look of disbelief, “How is that possible? This… This…”


  Hong Xiang traced Elder Du’s gaze and was left dumbfounded as well. He too exclaimed, “Is he still human?”


  A few minutes earlier…


  The ferry workers were busying themselves on their ferries when they suddenly heard passengers cry out in shock.

  “What’s that monk trying to do? Is he committing suicide?”


  “That’s right. Is he trying to kill himself?”


  “Is he committing suicide because he suffered some setback in life?”


  When the ferry workers heard that, they looked up and were stunned. The black-clothed man from earlier cursed immediately, “Isn’t that the young monk, Fangzheng? This fellow is indeed trouble. He is trying to get into the water because we forbade him from boarding the ship?”


  “Forget it, the winter waters of River Bai are biting cold. Even winter swimmers are unwilling to swim in River Bai. I dare make a bet. If he really dares to enter the water, I’ll treat everyone to dinner,” joked a ferry worker.

  The boss of a ferry chuckled and said, “That’s right. But if he really dares to enter the water and swim over, I’ll be truly impressed by him. I’ll ferry him for the trip back. However, from the looks of it, he will only end up feeding the fishes. Someone, prepare a life vest. We can’t sit by and do nothing while watching him die if something untoward really happens to him.”


  “That’s right. If anything untoward were to happen to this monk, we would be partially at fault too. Treat it as doing some meritorious act. Sigh, but as Elder Du said, this monk is truly trouble! To think such a fellow wants to go to Baiyun Monastery. Hmph.”


  “Alright, enough with the blabbering. With all that talk, I’m beginning to believe that he might really be committing suicide. Baiyun Monastery is the biggest monastery in Black Mountain City. Every year’s Spring Welcoming Blessing Dharma Assembly is a grand event of Black Mountain City. Which Buddhist would not want to participate in it? If a person doesn’t come despite receiving an invitation, the outcome… You can figure it out yourself. Probably the entire Black Mountain City will blacklist him. He can forget about doing anything in the future. The young monk might have realized this. If he really ends up committing suicide because of that, we won’t escape the blame. Even if we aren’t legally responsible for it, we wouldn’t feel good either,” said the ferry’s boss in an extremely depressed manner.

  “Brother Hei, what do we do? Should we go over and send him across the river?” asked the ferry worker.

  “Bullshit! How can we not listen to Elder Du’s instructions? Without Elder Du, how could we have bought a ferry and do business? Watch him. Save him only if he really tries to commit suicide. As long as he doesn’t die, it’s fine,” Brother Hei, the captain, said.

  The ferry workers waited for the signal after hearing that it was possible for the monk to commit suicide. Since the ferry workers were trying to rescue someone, the passengers did not urge them to continue the journey. All of them began exhorting the ferry workers to be careful.

  At the same time, someone shouted at Fangzheng,

  “Little Monk, don’t commit suicide! There is no setback in the world that cannot be resolved. Just bear with it!”


  “Little Monk, life is like being raped. If you can’t fight it, just enjoy it!”