The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Hence, Ong left as well.

Meanwhile, Fangzheng had no idea that Salted Fish, whom he had left in the room, had begun to wander around.

Under the attendant’s lead, a glass door with carvings slowly opened, allowing leisurely music to be heard. Countless figures were shuffling around with simple vegetarian dishes and beverages being placed in various spots. Monks, Daoists, and Christians were all discussing various matters in groups of twos or threes.

At the same time, the attendant announced Fangzheng’s arrival. “One Finger Monastery’s abbot, Zen Master Fangzheng!”

This announcement attracted everyone’s gaze. When they saw Fangzheng enter, everyone was somewhat astonished because of his age, rather than because of his attire or because they were seeing a living Buddha. From the looks of it, Fangzheng’s reputation had already spread overseas.

Fangzheng smiled in return to everyone as they reciprocated politely.

However, there was no one Fangzheng knew here. Also, with so many people and with all of them wearing different clothes—kasayas, Daoist robes, priest robes, etc—it was difficult to tell people apart at a glance.

Fangzheng decided not to make any acquaintances for now and went to sit down in a corner.

But before he got comfortable in his seat, he heard an attendant announce the next person.

“Shanwei Corporation’s Chairman, Song Guangming!”

Following that, a middle-aged man with a perfect build and radiant look walked in. As he did, he pressed his palms together and greeted everyone, a bright smile plastered across his face.

Following that, one chairman from a major corporation entered after another.

Fangzheng slowly discovered that the event no longer resembled a religious summit despite it being one. With these people arriving, more toasting started taking place. Although the overall mood remained calm and there were no women wearing exposing attires or the like, their appearance did add a dysphoric mood. This was because be it the representatives or the chairmen of these companies, they all had an underlying worry. They were people working hard to elevate the entities they represented.

Clearly, their goal wasn’t to acquaint themselves with the monks, but to rub shoulders with the Caodaism head.

With the number of people increasing, businessmen alone as well as businessmen with their female companions started appearing beside Fangzheng. However, when they saw Fangzheng’s patched kasaya, all of them quickly avoided him.

Fangzheng didn’t mind it. There were a few coffee tables in front of his sofa which had plenty of fruits on them. Without these people around, the fruits were all his. Furthermore, he was also happy to be alone.

He suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Master! You’re really here!” Fangzheng looked up and saw a girl with a ponytail standing there. By her side was an elderly man with a smile. It was Xiaoxun with her grandfather!

“Amitabha. What a coincidence. Patrons, are you here for the summit as well?” Fangzheng asked with a smile.

Xiaoxun sat on the sofa and ate a grape she plucked. As she ate, she said, “That’s right. Grandpa practices Full Arm Boxing. He was invited to perform, so we were allowed to enter.”

Xiaoxun’s grandfather said, “I’m inept and afraid that I’ll embarrass myself.” He knew that he was incomparable to Ong; yet Ong had been pressed down by Fangzheng with one strike, so Fangzheng’s strength had to be unfathomable. Therefore, he didn’t dare to flaunt himself in front of Fangzheng.

Fangzheng said in surprise, “So that’s how it is! This Penniless Monk shall look forward to it.”

Xiaoxun’s grandfather immediately turned down the compliment. With them meeting again, the trio finally managed to formally introduce each other.

The elderly man’s name was Chen Daoyuan. Despite being the current successor of the Full Arm Boxing lineage, he claimed that he was a man who couldn’t focus and that because of that, he was lacking when it came to Full Arm Boxing. According to him, it was only because he often fought that he became famous.

Xiaoxun’s name was Chen Xiaoxun, and she had practiced Full Arm Boxing from a young age with Chen Daoyuan. She had also practiced the Iron Palm from another master. As such, her palms were extraordinarily wide and thick, with a layer of old skin covering them. However, this girl was apparently quite a fanatic when it came to martial arts. She thought nothing of having abnormal hands, nor did she care about how they looked. Instead, she was proud of it.

Now that the three met again, there was no more awkwardness as they chatted rather happily.

At this moment, the attendant loudly announced the next entrant, garnering Fangzheng’s attention.

“Nguyen family patriarch, Nguyen Minh Cach!”

Fangzheng looked over and saw an elderly man enter the room in an imposing manner. Behind him were three people, one of which Fangzheng was very familiar with—Nguyen Thiên Tinh! Nguyen Thiên Tinh’s smile was bright, but when he saw Fangzheng, his expression immediately turned awkward. Deep in his eyes were pangs of anger.

Fangzheng continued scrutinizing him before laughing because he could still see a faint red palm print on Nguyen Thiên Tinh’s face. It wasn’t too obvious and had been deliberately covered up. Others might not have noticed it and even if they did, no one would say it out loud.

However, Fangzheng wasn’t like them. He chuckled as he pointed at Nguyen Thiên Tinh’s face. Immediately, anger made a scowl appear on Nguyen Thiên Tinh’s face. He glared at Fangzheng with a gloomy look as though he was about to spew fire at any moment.

“Thiên Tinh!” Nguyen Thiên Tinh had his name called by someone and scoffed before immediately bowing his head in silence.

At this moment, someone came over to speak to Nguyen Minh Cach, causing him to nod with a satisfied smile. Then, he walked off with Nguyen Thiên Tinh and another man.

The moment Nguyen Minh Cach left, the third man’s originally taut expression immediately changed into a look of relief. He pricked up his brows and instantly showed off his arrogance and dominance. This was the real him, not the fake facade he had put on moments ago. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, licked his lips, and shot a glance at Xiaoxun who was beside Fangzheng. With his eyebrows raised, he came straight towards Fangzheng and company!

“Master, that’s the Nguyen family’s prodigal, Nguyen The Thao. He’s infamous for being Hanoi’s scourge. However, the Nguyen family’s patriarch likes him a lot and dotes on him. He’s probably up to no good coming up to us. It’s best we hide,” Chen Daoyuan said.

Fangzheng looked around and asked, “Hide? Where?”

Chen Daoyuan was taken aback. They were already in a corner, so there was really nowhere they could hide.

By the time this exchange was over, Nguyen The Thao arrived in front of the trio. However, he paid no heed to Fangzheng or Chen Daoyuan. He went straight for Chen Xiaoxun and said, “Hey, baby. I’ve never seen you around before. You aren’t from Hanoi, right? Why don’t you have a drink with me?”

“Go away!” Chen Xiaoxun frowned.

“Heh. Feisty, I like that! The two of you, go to the side. Don’t be a sore sight.” Nguyen The Thao waved his hands, urging Fangzheng and Chen Daoyuan to scram.

Chen Daoyuan was instantly ready to flare up. Nguyen was hitting on his granddaughter in front of him, and he was even getting him to scram? What the hell! Just as he was about to say something, Fangzheng beat him to it. “Patron, this female patron doesn’t seem interested. Please leave.”