Fangzheng had truly benefited greatly this time. He was extremely satisfied with the reward the System had given him. At the same time, he had more ideas. He thought to himself, "From the looks of it, I can't be in a rush for rewards in the future. It's beneficial to accumulate more." At the same time, Fangzheng looked at the drum tower opposite him. It was still empty. It would be perfect if he could get the drum there.
Fangzheng sighed inwardly. The people below also snapped out of their daze. Master Ma, Luo Yang, Fatty, Monkey, and company could not help but marvel at the charm of the chimes. Fatty even sneakily recorded a recording with his cell phone. He planned on using it as an alarm clock.
Fangzheng walked down the bell tower and expressed his gratitude to everyone. Wang Yougui set up a celebratory banquet and led a group of workers down the mountain for a meal. Fangzheng sent them off.
The construction of the bell tower and drum tower that had been going on for nearly two months finally came to an end. However, Monkey still looked at his drum tower indignantly. He shook his head and mumbled, "I'm hoping to find a drum that can match the bell. It's the Lifetime series …"
With everyone gone, One Finger Monastery was restored to its former tranquility. However, Fangzheng had one more thing to do every morning. He cleaned the bell tower, drum tower, and struck the bell …
From afar, One Finger Monastery was no longer alone. On both sides of the monastery stood a tall bell tower and drum tower. They were like two guardian gods that guarded One Finger Monastery. In the distance was a bamboo forest, and even further away was the Mt. Tongtian and Changbai mountain ranges. It was majestic and the scenery was excellent.
Time passed quickly. One day, just as Fangzheng came down from the bell tower, he saw Red Boy running towards him. He shouted, "Master, Master, there's a festival tomorrow. Aren't we going to prepare?"
Fangzheng was taken aback as he returned with a question, "Festival? What festival? "
"Valentine's Day!" Red Boy answered matter-of-factly.
A dark cloud hung over Fangzheng's head. A bunch of monks and bachelors. How the hell were they going to celebrate Valentine's Day!? He shook his head and ruffled Red Boy's head. He said earnestly, "Jingxin, we need matching equipment to celebrate Valentine's Day. We are all alone. How do you plan on spending it?"
Red Boy was taken aback before he said bitterly, "Why don't I find one at the last minute to make do?"
Dong!
Fangzheng raised his hand and flicked him on the head before leaving. With his back facing Red Boy, he walked quickly, his back ramrod straight. He looked righteous, but Fangzheng was crying inwardly. He thought to himself, "I wish to do so too …"
Red Boy returned to the monastery dejectedly. But the moment he stepped in, he heard a loud laugh behind him. "Haha, Abbot Fangzheng, it's been a few days since we last met. Your monastery is becoming more and more impressive. This bell and drum tower. Hehe, beautiful."
Red Boy turned his head and frowned. "So it's you, Ox Nose …"
The person who came was Sage Letian. Back then, he had descended the mountain in search of the source of the bell chimes. In the end, he was chased by a wild boar for half a day after he descended the mountain. He rested for several days before descending the mountain again today and rushing over. Perfected Letian thought nothing of Red Boy's words. Instead, he smiled and said, "Heavenly Lord of the Immeasurable, Venerable Jingxin, long time no see."
When Red Boy saw Perfected Letian greet him, he could only return the greeting. "Amitabha. Perfected Letian, long time no see." Then, he ran off. For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that Perfected Letian was more like a child than he was. A child that could be his father. He could not stand it!
When Fangzheng heard Perfected Letian's words, he immediately walked over and pressed his palms together. "Amitabha. So it's you, Perfected One. Please come in."
Perfected Letian did not stand on ceremony as he followed. After exchanging a few pleasantries and drinking some water, he said with a smile, "Abbot Fangzheng, can This Penniless Priest take a look at the bell tower? I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I've never seen such a huge bell in my entire life. "
Fangzheng rolled his eyes inwardly. Laughing at me? Pui! In this world, probably no one had seen a bell bigger than this. However, he said with a smile, "Perfected One, feel free."
Perfected Letian was immediately delighted as he hurriedly climbed the bell tower and began observing the Yongle Bell. Perfected Letian was unrestrained, but he still knew the rules. Fangzheng did not say a word. He would not strike the bell. All he wanted was to watch. But he ended up looking at it for more than an hour.
Below, Red Boy raised his head. His neck was sore from watching as he mumbled, "Master, has this fellow become a demon? It's just a bell, but he can look at it for an hour … "
Fangzheng shook his head. "He's not looking at the bell. He's reading the Buddhist scriptures and gaining enlightenment."
"Gaining enlightenment? A Daoist reading Buddhist scriptures to gain enlightenment? "Red Boy was stunned.
Fangzheng said, "It's just different paths leading to the same goal. All the principles in the world can be understood. How can there be so many boundaries? The boundaries are man-made, not given by Buddhism or Daoism. "
Red Boy fell into thought as he recalled what Fangzheng had said back then. Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism had the same principles, and he came to a realization.
Another hour passed as Perfected Letian came down with a beaming smile. He bowed at Fangzheng and said, "This Penniless Priest has really learned a lot. This Penniless Priest has learned a lot and figured out many principles that he could not understand in the past. Thank you, Abbot Fangzheng, for allowing This Penniless Priest to take a look. "
Fangzheng said with a smile, "Perfected One, you are being polite. Buddhist scriptures placed on the bell are only Buddhist scriptures. Only by spreading them will there be merit. This Penniless Monk is only doing what he should be doing. "
"Heavenly Lord of the Immeasurable." Letian exclaimed his Daoist name before taking out a scripture book from his wide sleeves. He handed it to Fangzheng and said, "This was given to This Penniless Priest by my master when This Penniless Priest first joined This Penniless Priest. Today, This Penniless Priest is giving it to This Penniless Priest."
Fangzheng generously borrowed it. Letian took out the Daoist scripture he always carried with him and gave it to Fangzheng. This was severing karma. He had read Fangzheng's Buddhist scriptures, but he had given Fangzheng the Daoist scripture. The two of them did not owe each other anything. This also revealed Letian's character. He truly wished to escape the mortal world and walk the path of Dao. He wanted to be free and untainted by karma.
"Thank you, Perfected One. This Penniless Monk will definitely read it carefully before returning it," said Fangzheng.
Letian was slightly taken aback before he said with a smile, "There's no need to return it. A good book should be given to someone who deserves it. If it is left with This Penniless Priest, no one will read it even if it rots. Abbot, you are right. Spreading the scriptures is merit. Wouldn't it be a pity to leave it in the channel and let it grow vermin? Leave it behind. I hope more people will read it in the future. "
Fangzheng nodded in agreement. Red Boy secretly tugged at the corner of Fangzheng's shirt but Fangzheng ignored him.
Perfected Letian came quickly and left without any hesitation. After seeing what needed to be seen and giving what needed to be given, he turned and left in a carefree manner.
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