Chapter 320: Stairway to Heaven
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Fangzheng looked up into the sky as he cried inwardly, “Fly my a.s.s!”
Red Boy chuckled secretly when he saw that. He had finally given the darn baldy a chance to experience the might of the chick’s powers at rattling off! It felt great! However…
“Kiddo, what are you smiling for? Come, recount to me what I told you yesterday,” Yao Yuxin grabbed Red Boy as she said with a chuckle.
Red Boy immediately grabbed Fangzheng’s robes and exclaimed, “Master, I recall that you wanted to explain the scriptures to me, right?” As he spoke, his eyes turned watery, and he was just short of crying there on the spot.
Fangzheng looked at Red Boy and sighed, “My dear disciple, since she likes you, accompany her.”
He had no other choice. The woman was just too garrulous. If he did not find a s.h.i.+eld, she was likely to continue discussing his martial arts. Just as the saying goes, let someone else suffer in your stead. The master had decisively sold out his disciple.
Red Boy was too deep for tears.
He Ming laughed out loud when he saw this, “Yuxin, spare the young Venerable One. That mouth of yours is just too talkative.”
Yao Yuxin curled her lips and said aggrieved, “What do you mean it’s too talkative? I’m being lively… adorable!
“That’s cute,” the young dancing teacher who danced the day before suddenly added.
Everyone immediately laughed out loud. The mood also turned more relaxed as they did not find it so tiring to push the carriages.
“Everyone, watch out. The carriages can’t proceed anymore up ahead. Take care of your safety when we climb the stairway to heaven,” shouted Village Chief Lei.
“Stairway to heaven?” Fangzheng was surprised. What was that?
When he arrived, Fangzheng finally found out what the stairway to heaven was. On the steep precipitous cliff, there were wooden blocks nailed to them. They extended down the cliff like a stairway. Other than the stairway made of wooden blocks, there were no protection mechanisms. Fangzheng suddenly realized that Mt. One Finger’s former mountain path was actually quite good.
“Master, why… do the people here not move away?” Red Boy asked as he looked down.
Fangzheng was curious as well. Wasn’t moving away from such a mountain path and environment better?
Yao Yuxin happened to be nearby and immediately, she rattled off like a machine gun, “It’s not that they do not wish to move out, but how are they to live if they move out? This place is their land. Although life is tough, they can still survive. They do not have any skills and some are illiterate, most of them speaking dialects and unable to speak Mandarin Chinese. Furthermore, some of them are old. They wouldn’t be able to find a job even if they moved out, so if they actually do… In short, there are many difficulties they face.”
As they spoke, everyone began carrying the water. Yao Yuxin looked frail, but she could carry one box of water as well. Fangzheng offered, “Female Patron, leave the water to This Penniless Monk.” Due to a lack of manpower, the number of boxes of water they brought was typically equal to the number of people. There was no excess or deficit.
Yao Yuxin immediately turned her head, “Sis Liu is older than me. Help her.” With that said, she shouted at another woman who was rather reticent but had a gentle smile.
The woman immediately shook her head, “I’m fine. You don’t have to help.”
“Amitabha. Patrons, leave them both to This Penniless Monk. It’s not that heavy after all.”
“Both? Venerable One, it’s very heavy. The path down the mountain is very long. It’s also very burdensome,” warned He Ming.
Fangzheng smiled. He went to the side and pushed away a boulder half the height of a person.
The few people were immediately left dumbfounded. Finally, the two women handed their water to Fangzheng. He only found it a little weighty on his back, but it was still quite relaxing.
Just as they were about to descend, they heard people shouting beneath them, “Sis, slow down.”
“Brother, you are so stupid. I’m faster than you.”
Fangzheng and company were momentarily taken aback as a tiny head popped out from beneath the cliff. She was a girl with plaited hair that was covered in dust. Her eyes were very bright and when she saw the group, she immediately turned a little afraid. But when she saw He Ming, Yao Yuxin, and company, she immediately beamed and said excitedly, “Brother, Uncle He and Sister Yao are here! We have sweet water to drink again!”
“What? Uncle He and the rest have come? Sis, quickly go up. I want to go up too,” a boy’s voice sounded from below.
The girl immediately climbed up as Yao Yuxin, He Ming and company quickly pulled her up. Only then did Fangzheng realize that there were not only two children ascending the mountain. There were a total of five children, four boys and a girl. A few of them were rather thin, but they were still quite spirited. Furthermore, He Ming, Yao Yuxin, and company were rather familiar with them. The moment they met, the children greeted each and every one of them very politely. However, they were a little apprehensive towards a stranger like Fangzheng. None of them dared to go forward.
After a short bustle, the children had to rush to school and left.
Fangzheng rubbed his nose subconsciously when he saw the few children skipping on the dust-laden road. He felt like crying. He felt that he had led a difficult life since he was a young boy. He wished to descend the mountain when he grew up to earn money and lead a good life. He did not wish to be a monk…
But when he saw the children, he suddenly realized that his youth had been very blissful.
Fangzheng rubbed Red Boy’s head, “My dear disciple, it’s decided.”
“What?” Red Boy looked up and asked.
“You will no longer be threatened by scripture recitals,” said Fangzheng in all seriousness.
Red Boy’s eyes lit up, “Master, for real?” He suddenly felt like he was liberated.
Fangzheng said solemnly, “Yes, if you are disobedient in the future, you will be sent here to stay with them.”
Red Boy was taken aback as he quickly tugged at Fangzheng’s pants. He also said with all seriousness, “Master, I will definitely be obedient in the future.”
…
The path down the mountain was indeed arduous. However, everyone was experienced, while Fangzheng was strong. His footsteps were stable, making it not a problem at all. As the group went down one after another, they finally delivered the water to the last village. The village’s name was Back Leg Mountain. It meant that it was the last village in the ma.s.sive mountain. The village had fewer than twenty families, with most of them being elderly. Some of them had no way to welcome them, so it was not as warm as Daili Village. However, the volunteers still went door to door to deliver the water. They would chat with the elders to kill their boredom.
Fangzheng brought Red Boy along with him the entire journey. They walked and watched, but Fangzheng did not say a thing. However, he was secretly filled with shock. Although he stayed on the poor Mt. One Finger, Mt. One Finger could no longer be considered poor. He had Frost Bamboo to eat and Unrooted Clean Aqua to drink. There was also Crystal Rice and many visitors. The scenery was also not bad. Although it was not some immortal realm, in a way it was still a kind of otherworldly paradise. And he could surf the Internet there and see the world outside. He also knew of the flouris.h.i.+ng cities.