Chapter 1398: Gold should not be what the heart wants
When people looked up and saw the gigantic Buddha statue in the sky, they saw a person in the palm of the Buddha statue. He was dressed in snow-white robes and his face was jade-like, yet he had a solemn look on his face. It made people revere him!
“That’s Abbot Fangzheng!” Someone recognized Fangzheng.
“Abbot Fangzheng saved us!”
“Amitabha. Thank you for saving my family, Abbot Fangzheng…”
“Thank you, Abbot Fangzheng!”
“Thank you, Abbot Fangzheng!”
…
Everyone bowed and thanked him.
Fangzheng’s eyes were like a pair of divine eyes as he swept across everyone present. He saw the mother who had died to save her son, as well as the husband who returned for his wife. He saw the teacher protecting the students, as well as her students. He also saw the mother smiling as she carried her baby. She saw the father who protected the child even if in death…
Fangzheng smiled when he saw their smiling faces.
Having spent so much merit—everything—he suddenly didn’t feel too bad!
“One minute has pa.s.sed. Quickly stop using the divine power,” warned the System.
Fangzheng nodded. Just as Fangzheng was about to retract his divine powers, he suddenly thought of something. He waved his hand and said loudly, “You are Buddha if there’s good in your heart! After today, This Penniless Monk will leave. I hope you will cherish today’s rebirth and treat yourself and others well. Amitabha.”
With that said, the gigantic Buddha statue flew into the sky with Fangzheng, disappearing into the sky…
Everyone was dumbfounded. They did not know what to say.
After a while, everyone snapped back to their senses.
“Master Fangzheng has left.”
“Master Fangzheng really left. Why did he leave?”
“That’s right. Why did Master Fangzheng leave?”
“He’s the guardian of China.”
“Master said that we are Buddha as long as we have goodness in our hearts. After experiencing near-death, I have seen through many things. No matter how much I have, it cannot be brought with me in death. I just want to cherish the present and love everyone around me.”
“That’s right. Having climbed back from the edge of death, I suddenly feel that the so-called setbacks I’ve previously encountered were nothing. It’s great to live… I want to live better for the rest of my life.”
“Master helped us, but he left. I really suspect that he left because of this powerful divine power… It’s just like what the novels say. He unleashed too much power that the laws of nature have captured him. Unable to control it anymore, he has ascended. Since Master wants us to help more people, let us fulfill his wish.”
Everyone nodded in agreement…
“Master, you are finally back. Our house changed so drastically.” Of course, Fangzheng did not fly far. Instead, he fooled everyone before immediately returning to One Finger Monastery to check on the situation.
The moment Fangzheng landed, he realized that One Finger Monastery had completely changed!
The Heavenly Dragon Pond, the Bridge of Helplessness, and Frost Bamboo were all gone. All that was left was a dilapidated temple. There was a wavering plaque on the temple: One Finger Temple!
“Master, those workers have just been moved down the mountain. Now that the mountain has suddenly become like this, I didn’t let them come up. Besides, no one knows if there are aftershocks, so they are all hiding outside,” said Lone Wolf.
Fangzheng nodded without a word.
Salted Fish said, “Sigh, what’s going on? Our beautiful and s.h.i.+ny monastery has become like this. At the very least, there should be a water pit left for me… Now, as a fish, there’s no water pit left.”
“This is the most dilapidated monastery I’ve ever seen,” said Red Boy.
“Thankfully, my house is still here.” Squirrel looked at the lush bodhi tree and patted his chest as he heaved a sigh of relief.
Fangzheng did not say a word the entire time. All he did was take a closer look. Now, One Finger Monastery had really returned to its former appearance as One Finger Temple. Its broken walls, dilapidated building, and damaged doors… even the Skanda statue was in tatters.
The only difference was the bodhi tree that courted death by sprouting in winter, thanks to Buddhistic Qi, wish forces, and incense offerings.
But in general, Fangzheng found the feeling of the former monastery that Zen Master One Finger lived in. The feeling of returning to his childhood made his heart palpitate. That familiar feeling made Fangzheng’s eyes water… At that moment, he suddenly felt that no matter how big a monastery was, it was not what he pursued. What he pursued was actually the beginning!
Fangzheng could vaguely see Zen Master One Finger standing at the door, holding a brush with one finger and writing a couplet.
It was as though he had seen Zen Master One Finger sweep the ground with his hunched back…
It was as though he saw Zen Master One Finger standing in the monastery smiling at him…
“Gold should not be what the heart wants; rid the ostentatious splendor to obtain the real… I didn’t understand in the past, but now I understand. Amitabha.” Fangzheng pressed his palms together.
“Master, what do you mean?” Squirrel did not understand.
After some thought, Fangzheng smiled and said, “What it means that no matter what good some other place is, it’s still inferior to your c.r.a.ppy home! Let’s go. Let’s go home!”
Fangzheng walked into One Finger Temple while laughing.
Red Boy, Salted Fish, Lone Wolf, Monkey, and Squirrel exchanged looks. They clearly didn’t understand what Fangzheng meant, but they followed him in.
The moment Fangzheng entered the backyard, the first thing he did was find something and help Lone Wolf make a brand new kennel.
Fangzheng realized that although the System said that it would take everything away, he still retained the skills he had obtained. Therefore, it was naturally easy for him to do these things.
Then, Fangzheng found some broken wooden planks and made another bed for Monkey. As there were no additional ingredients, Red Boy had to squeeze with Monkey for the time being.
“Master, they already have a place to call home. What about me?” Salted Fish looked pitifully at Fangzheng.
Fangzheng thought for a moment and said, “Sleep in the temple hall.”
Salted Fish didn’t mind. On the contrary, the temple hall was better than the kitchen. Therefore, he left happily.
After settling everyone in, Fangzheng turned his head to look at the meditation room in the middle. It was Zen Master One Finger’s meditation room. Later, the System had renovated the monastery and Fangzheng had found the clean environment not bad when he entered…
But now, Fangzheng realized that what he yearned for back then was not a clean and beautiful meditation room. Instead, he wanted to distance himself from Zen Master One Finger and forget some things. It was less painful. It was a form of escape…
Now, when he turned his head to look at the meditation room, Fangzheng was not afraid. All he felt was excitement… The excitement of a homecoming!
It was as though the old monk was still sitting in the meditation room. It was as though the old monk would knock on his head when he opened the door, lecturing him to remember to knock on the door.