Chapter 153: Chapter 121: Heart Zen
Zheng Xiu asked curiously, "Oh? What sort of predicament?"
Ruchen scratched his head. "This Little Monk practices ’Heart Zen.’ I must temper my will and personally experience the sorrow and suffering of all living beings in order to succeed in my practice."
Zheng Xiu listened, feeling as if the Monk had just blown his mind. He said in disbelief, "You mean, to practice ’Heart Zen,’ you have to dress up as a woman, look like a down-on-her-luck courtesan, and then you absolutely have to sleep with a man?"
Listening from the side, Chu Susu’s face went beet red. She jumped back a few steps, as if Good man Zheng had just said something so filthy it could defile her ears.
The Monk nodded. "Yes."
Zheng Xiu was even more perplexed. He was the king of bathhouses, after all, and he knew for a fact some of the girls under his employ quite enjoyed their work. So, in the spirit of academic inquiry, he blurted out, "I may not be able to empathize, but I can understand. But Master Ruchen, have you ever considered that what some people find to be suffering, others might not? Since it’s not a universal suffering, how can selling yourself into a brothel possibly count as a form of cultivation?"
In simple terms: some people find it miserable, while others find it pleasurable. How could you be so sure it was suffering for them?
PFFT!
Feng Bei couldn’t hold it in. He covered his mouth and burst out laughing.
Ruchen was utterly stunned, momentarily rendered speechless.
Chu Susu covered her face. "Uncle Zheng, can you please stop talking!"
For someone her Age, Zheng Xiu’s words were clearly out of line.
Speaking of Ascetic Monks.
One must look back at their historical origins from several hundred years ago.
This world originally had Buddhist Monks, but they were not in the Central Earth. They were in the Western Regions.
Several hundred years ago, the previous dynasty was known as the Sheng Dynasty.
Buddhism from the Western Regions spread east to the Dasheng Dynasty, propagating its doctrines.
At that time, the number of monks who believed in Buddhism in the Central Earth grew and grew, spreading like wildfire. The flames of their faith burned ever more intensely.
While inspecting the state of his people, the reigning Emperor suddenly felt that something was amiss.
Looking back from a modern perspective, it was clear a trend was emerging: faith was beginning to supersede Empire Authority.
This led to the infamous "Burning of Sutras and Temples," an event that later generations would view with mixed opinions.
In a single month, throughout the Dasheng Dynasty, all Buddhist temples were set ablaze, statues of the Buddha were smashed to pieces, and all Buddhist scriptures were burned to ash.
The Monarch of Dasheng used this near-barbaric method to drive Buddhism out of the Central Earth.
Later, when the dynasty changed, the successive monarchs of the Daqian, having learned from history, were even more careful not to allow the Buddhist faith of the Western Regions into their territory.
Over time, some customs of the Ascetic Monks, like burning incense and undergoing harsh training, were passed down. But they no longer believed in the Buddha of the Western Regions. Instead, they sought to temper their bodies and cultivate a heart inured to suffering. They believed in themselves, seeking only the transcendence of their own Will.
They are the Ascetic Monks of today.
The practice of an Ascetic Monk hinges on a single word: suffering.
Some Ascetic Monks practice celibacy and abstain from meat and alcohol. Some travel the world on foot. Some whip themselves daily.
Their methods of self-torture are fantastically varied; nothing is too bizarre.
Zheng Xiu used to think all Ascetic Monks were a bunch of perverts with twisted minds.
Now that the Path was hidden in plain sight and he had met Ruchen, Zheng Xiu was even more convinced they were perverts.
No, not just perverts—perverts who don’t even realize they’re perverts.
After packing up, the Mighty Man, Feng Bei, and the Monk prepared to head up the mountain to Yunliu Temple that very night.
Ruchen had agreed to introduce them to Master Dengdeng, so Zheng Xiu’s intervention in front of the brothel hadn’t been for nothing.
"Wait, did you guys not hear a word I said?"
Chu Susu, who had been looking eager to join, watched as the three men left her behind and walked out of the courtyard. She quickly ran after them.
Zheng Xiu replied, "I heard you. But why would we take you? It’s not like we know you."
Feng Bei nodded. That made sense.
Ruchen put his palms together, his eyes closed in a smile. "Miss Susu, this sickness of your heart has no cure. I hope you will soon wash your hands in a golden basin, and steal no more."
Zheng Xiu really wanted to tell the Monk, ’You’re the last person who has any right to say that.’
’So cultivation is a free pass to be a thief and a prostitute, is that it?’
"But,"
Chu Susu’s expression was bitter, but a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes as she held up a waist token.
"Perhaps I can help you steal," she said.
Feng Bei froze and looked down at his waist.
The waist token in Chu Susu’s hand was inscribed with the words "Upper Three."
The renowned Feng Bei of Ye Weiyang, one of the Twelfth Moon, Upper Three.
He’d been pickpocketed. Again.
