The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism
chapter-23

Chapter 23: So Poor

Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon

“Oh my, I finally know why Sima Vat took it off and got naked (guang). Ah, slip of the tongue, why Sima Guang took off and smashed the vat. This vat is so obnoxiously huge, even I want to smash it! System, although the System’s products are made to be substantial, isn’t this a bit too big!? Are you sure this is meant for me and not an elephant?” Fangzheng said as he circled the vat.

The water vat had a diameter of 1.5 meters and a height of nearly two meters! The brown water vat was even inscribed with the word ‘Buddha’ in gold! It was written with great flair and had quite an imposing air to it just from a single glance. Combined with the water vat’s large size, it made it even more splendid.

Fangzheng tried peeling off the ‘Buddha’ word’s golden plating from the vat but to no avail. He tried biting at it and said disparagingly, “It’s so hard. This isn’t real gold! System, are you trying to scam me? You made it gold in color, but it’s not gold. You are trying to cheat me.”

“This is Buddha Gold, not ordinary gold. Buddha Gold has the ability to drive out evil spirits and turn ill luck into good. It’s best you do not covet it. The word on the Buddha Vat will not move, even if you break your teeth while biting at it.”

“Ahem… what did you say? I was just checking to see if it was real gold. Who would covet it?” Fangzheng rubbed his nose in embarrassment. The System saw right through him. He flicked his sleeves and went for a drink of water, but was left flustered.

Fangzheng circled the kitchen a few times before shouting, “I… Amitabha! Where’s my water vat!? Have I been robbed? That’s not right. The villagers all have several water vats at home. Why would they need to steal mine?”

That’s right. The water vats in Fangzheng’s kitchen were gone, together with the water in them!

“Those water vats are secular items. Now that you have the Buddha Vat, they naturally had to be discarded. I helped you throw them away. There’s no need to thank me.”

“Thank you, my ass!” Fangzheng cursed inwardly as he said, “Thank? You are overthinking things. I want to beat you up! Those are my water vats! Can you let me know before you throw things away? Also, what happened to the water that was in them?”

“That was poured out as well.” The System did not sound repentant in any way.

Fangzheng felt helpless as he hung onto the side of the Buddha Vat and looked in. It was very clean inside, but that also meant that it did not contain a drop of water.

Fangzheng immediately felt too sad for tears. He could not even drink a sip of water if he wanted.

Fangzheng ran out to the water well in the backyard to try and get some water. It let out mechanical noises, but no matter how much pressure he induced, it did not produce any water. Without any water at the source, it was impossible for him to hope that the well could produce water.

“Sigh, it looks like I do need to go down the mountain to fetch water.” Fangzheng felt truly helpless. He picked up a pole and two water buckets.

“Eh? It’s so light? That’s not right. It has never been this light in the past. It should be very heavy.” Fangzheng weighed the metal bucket in hand and it gave off a metallic sound, indicating that it was true metal. Fangzheng immediately realized that after cultivating in the Great Strength Vajra Palm, his strength was no longer what it was before.

Fangzheng said with a wry smile, “I see… System, you were already planning on getting me to fetch water, right? No wonder you gave me martial arts. It’s because you want me to do hard labor.”

The moment he went out the door, he saw Lone Wolf shaking its tail while frolicking back. Fangzheng watched Lone Wolf and his eyes lit up with an idea…

Mt. One Finger was straight but the path up and down the mountain wasn’t flat. The steep steps and lack of repairs over the years made several spots rather treacherous. Walking down the path required extreme care. Thankfully, the path was two-meters wide. As long as one did not fool around, they would not be in any real danger. Instead, it gave Mt. One Finger an additional unique charm.

At the same time, Mt. One Finger was not simply a precipice that reached towards the heavens. It had a total of three segments, making it more like a bamboo shoot, or a human’s finger. Each segment had an ecosystem of its own. There were trees, grasslands, and a water source.

Fangzheng was headed for the second segment. There was a natural water source there with spring water that was extremely refreshing and sweet. It would flow down the mountain and pass by One Finger Village. Many people from the village drank the water from the water source. But as technology took over, most families had machinery that drew water from underground, so they began drinking less from the water spring. Furthermore, the village was irrigating wastelands, and so had destroyed the spring’s water channels. The water channel was turned into part of an irrigation system for farming, so if people wanted to drink spring water, they had to ascend the mountain to do so.

It was not easy to scale the mountain, so the number of people that drank the spring water naturally reduced over time.

As such, quite a number of elders had voiced their dissatisfaction. However, the development of the area was for their livelihood as well…

Fangzheng also found the matter rather regretful. With technology improving by the day, nature was being destroyed at an even faster pace. The memories of people were also being wiped away by technology. If a person were to leave the village for a few years and come back, everything but the person would remain unchanged. That was a symptom of the fast-paced modern age. When he thought on this, Fangzheng could only shake his head. To destroy the environment for one’s livelihood was something that did not end well no matter where it was.

So it was that, on the steep steps, a person carried two water buckets. Behind him followed a wolf the size of a calf. The wolf was feeling aggrieved. On its back were two additional small water buckets. They hung off its body with a wooden pole and rope. It was a strange sight.

“What are you howling for? Do you want to eat Crystal Rice again? If you do, then do some work. That’s not right. It’s called cultivation! Do you know what cultivation is? It’s about enhancing the body and the mind. And what does enhancing the body mean? It means training your body. Look at me, the two buckets I’m carrying are bigger than yours. Are you unconvinced? You are now the guardian of my temple. In the future, you will be a servant of Buddha and become a heavenly protector. Yet one small bit of training, and you are already wailing so terribly?” Fangzheng reprimanded.

After whimpering twice, Lone Wolf did not make another sound. It was probably thinking to itself: “I only whimpered twice. Do you need to say so much… Sigh, what a sad life.”

The human and wolf duo came to the mountainside as they conversed. Fangzheng drew two big buckets of water from the water source and filled the two buckets for Lone Wolf before they returned.

When they returned to the mountaintop, Fangzheng looked up and saw the dark clouds in the sky. At the same time, the wind clearly became stronger…

“Sigh, the winds are beginning to stir. However, this rain will probably cause the change in weather. Winter is coming. That means it’s time to prepare the necessary supplies to get me through winter. However… what should I prepare?” Fangzheng became vexed once again. Now, he had thirteen hundred bucks. It didn’t seem like a small amount, but it also didn’t amount to much when he spent it. More importantly, he was unable to leave the mountain to buy the necessary supplies for the winter!

“Forget it. I’ll give Grandpa Tan a call when we get back. I’ll get him to help purchase some food for winter,” muttered Fangzheng.

“Friendly reminder: Money that has been imbued with the wishes of sentient beings cannot be used to purchase secular goods. What others give you is considered Dharma. You are not to use it to buy things for yourself!”

“What the f**k? Do you even want me alive?” Fangzheng cursed inwardly but he said, “Are you kidding me? It’s winter. It lasts three to four months! I only have two sacks of rice. Do you want me to freeze to death?”

“The Host can try other means.”