The Shaolin Abbot Born in the 1980s

Chapter 10: Breaking Ground

Early the next morning, the sun rose in all its glory, and the mist in the mountains began to dissipate. He had just given Yikong some silver to go down the mountain and buy ingredients for making zongzi, when Qian Delu arrived on the mountain with a large group of craftsmen. He also brought six thousand taels of official silver; the additional five hundred taels had already been paid as wages for the craftsmen. Huo Yuanzhen greeted Qian Delu with a smile and tucked the silver into his waist pouch. Calling the artisans over, Huo Yuanzhen began to outline his vision for the construction of the Shaolin Temple. As they listened, the artisans’ mouths dropped open in astonishment. They had originally assumed that Huo Yuanzhen merely intended to erect a perimeter wall, build some steps, and level the ground a bit. They never expected his vision to be so grand—this… this wasn’t just building a temple at all! It was practically constructing a fortress. He actually planned to build a wall along the entire length of Yuzhai Mountain—a mountain that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. It was already extremely difficult to climb the mountain from anywhere other than the mountain trails, and now he intended to construct a wall along its slopes. This meant that, aside from the main gate, it would be nearly impossible to ascend the mountain from any other direction—unless one possessed exceptional martial arts agility. Moreover, the plan was to build this wall as sturdy as a city wall—a project of no small scale. Furthermore, the ground inside the walls must be completely leveled and paved with bluestone—another immense undertaking. Judging by the abbot’s vision, once the temple is completed, it will easily accommodate several thousand people. Fortunately, the construction of the mountain path didn’t involve overly stringent requirements. However, this far exceeded the craftsmen’s plans—and Qian Delu’s as well. Qian Delu hurriedly pulled Huo Yuanzhen aside. “Abbot, I’m afraid that won’t work.” “What’s wrong with it?” Huo Yuanzhen remained unflappable. Ever since he’d drawn the construction order for the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, his mindset had shifted somewhat. It seemed his previous designs had been a bit too modest; the infrastructure of the Shaolin Temple was undoubtedly a major undertaking. He’d rather spend more money now than have to redo the work later. “Based on your construction method, it’ll cost at least thirty thousand taels of silver to complete. Do you have that much money?” “We’ll discuss the money and land issues later,” Huo Yuanzhen said, uttering a sentence that sent a chill down Qian Delu’s spine. “Well… we don’t have enough craftsmen either.” Qian Delu didn’t have the heart to say he was afraid Huo Yuanzhen wouldn’t be able to repay the money; his current concern was that Huo Yuanzhen would keep asking him for loans, so he could only bring up the issue of laborers. “That’s easy to handle. These craftsmen all have relatives and friends; have them reach out. As long as This Humble Monk pays them enough, it shouldn’t be a problem.” After exchanging a few words with Qian Delu, Huo Yuanzhen went to speak with the craftsmen. The craftsmen weren’t afraid of a large-scale project—the bigger the project, the more money they made. Since Huo Yuanzhen promised to pay them the full agreed-upon price, they all rushed out to find their relatives and friends. Since they were all craftsmen themselves, finding fellow tradespeople wasn’t difficult. Qian Delu watched Huo Yuanzhen speak with the craftsmen without saying a word, but inwardly he was quietly pondering: what if, in a moment, this young abbot came to him for a loan—how could he find a way to refuse? After seeing the craftsmen off, Huo Yuanzhen approached Qian Delu and said warmly, “Amitabha Buddha. Qian, the Benefactor, it’s windy out here. Please follow This Humble Monk inside for a cup of tea.” “No, no, please don’t trouble yourself, Abbot. I’ll just wait here for you to tell your story in a little while.” Qian Delu was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly; he certainly didn’t dare to have a long conversation with Huo Yuanzhen—who knew if this young abbot might try to trick him again with that little cloth bag? Seeing that Huo Yuanzhen was about to speak again, Qian Delu hurriedly said, “Abbot, to be perfectly honest, my money house is just a branch office. The maximum loan amount cannot exceed 10,000 taels. Your renovation plans have changed, and you may need more silver, but I’m truly powerless to help. Any amount beyond that is simply beyond my capacity.” “Oh, so you lack the authority to approve it?” Huo Yuanzhen asked. “What? Abbot, did you just say ‘the entire county’?” Qian Delu had never heard that term before and asked for clarification. “Haha, nothing,” Huo Yuanzhen realized he’d let something slip and quickly laughed it off, then added, “Since this is a branch, Qian, the Benefactor, I assume there must be a main branch. May I ask where the main branch is located?” “The main branch is in Jinling. This place of mine isn’t even a branch—we only have branches in the county seat.” “Oh, then I’m curious—what is the maximum amount of silver a branch in the county seat can lend?” “The county branch can lend up to fifty thousand taels. Judging by the scale of the Abbot’s temple construction—even if we only consider the mountain paths, the walls, and the groundwork—I’d estimate it would cost three or four thousand taels, and that’s a conservative estimate.” “If This Humble Monk were to borrow silver from a branch in the county, might Qian, the Benefactor, be so kind as to put in a good word for me?” “That’s no problem.” Qian Delu agreed, figuring he’d let the county branch deal with the headache of this matter. After giving his word, Qian Delu continued, “Although I can make introductions for you, Abbot, please forgive my frankness. You cannot limit your efforts to paving roads and laying groundwork. The temple’s true expenses lie in the prayer halls and Buddhist statues. Given the scale of your current project, those costs will be the real financial burden. I wonder how you plan to address this, as the county’s branches may eventually be unable to provide you with the necessary silver.” Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand. “Qian, the Benefactor, there’s no need to worry about that. This Humble Monk already has a plan. All you need to do is introduce me to a money house in the county.” As for the money, Huo Yuanzhen didn’t actually need to rush, but it was best to lay this foundation as early as possible so he could shift his focus to martial arts training as soon as possible. As for repaying the debt, that wasn’t a problem at all—he could gradually use his rewards to pay it off, and Shaolin’s future earnings could also be used to settle the debt. He had no worries at all about the Buddhist hall and statues—he could simply use the construction tokens. Most importantly, he needed to resolve matters such as road construction and paving all at once as soon as possible; only then could he focus on other tasks with peace of mind. Qian Delu glanced at Huo Yuanzhen and said hesitantly, “It probably won’t be easy for the abbot to take out a loan from the branch in the county seat.” “What do you mean by that?” “Well, the manager of the county branch is surnamed Zhao. He’s a former scholar who failed to pass the imperial examinations. Because he’s literate and quite talented, he ended up working as a manager at the money house. He has a rather peculiar personality—he’s very easy to deal with if he likes you, but if you don’t suit his temperament, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to borrow from him no matter what collateral you offer.” “There are people like that!” Huo Yuanzhen was somewhat surprised. So the manager of the county’s money house was such a strong-willed fellow after all. Still, it made sense—scholars, after all, tend to have a certain inexplicable sense of pride. And since this was a scholar who’d failed to make his mark, it was only natural that his personality might be a bit eccentric. “I wonder what kind of person Manager Zhao finds to his liking?” Qian Delu thought for a moment: “Probably someone with real talent. There was once a man who shared a drink with him and composed a seven-character quatrain on the spot. Manager Zhao was so impressed he slammed his fist on the table in admiration and lent the man fifty thousand taels of silver right then and there.” “I see. In that case, I’d be grateful if Qian, the Benefactor, could introduce me. This Humble Monk intends to meet this Manager Zhao tomorrow.” Qian Delu had said all that needed to be said. He’d originally thought this young abbot would back down when faced with the challenge—after all, what talent could a monk possibly have? But since the abbot was determined to meet him, he might as well let him have his way. He had no idea of Huo Yuanzhen’s true capabilities. After all, he was a college graduate—and although college degrees had lost their value in the society of his previous life, in this era, describing him as “a man of extraordinary talent” would be no exaggeration. The two agreed to head down the mountain the next day and make their way to the county seat. By this time, people had begun trickling up the mountain to listen to the storytelling—more than the day before. Huo Yuanzhen climbed onto the table once more. Today’s main story was “The Great Uproar in the Heavenly Palace,” a particularly thrilling segment from *Journey to the West*. Over on the other side, the incense and candles that Huo Yuanzhen had developed continued to burn. Today, people were very conscientious about buying them, taking care not to disturb the abbot on stage. With business booming, Huo Yuanzhen delivered his narration with particular enthusiasm. He continued narrating until the sun began to set. “Wukong smiled at The Jade Emperor and said, ‘The throne rotates among us—this year it’s my turn. Old Jade Emperor, you’d better step down while you still can!’ ” “Wukong’s boldness stunned The Jade Emperor and shook the heavenly immortals to their core. Since the creation of the world, this was the first time anyone had dared to speak to The Jade Emperor in such a manner. Truly, the strong command respect and should yield, yet a hero like this dares to take the lead!” At this point, Huo Yuanzhen paused, glanced at the red sun sinking in the west, and said to the crowd, “That concludes today’s lecture. This Humble Monk has matters to attend to tomorrow, so we’ll resume the lecture the day after tomorrow.” The crowd below had been so captivated by the story that they didn’t even feel hungry after going a whole day without food. When they heard the abbot was stopping, they grew so anxious they began scratching their heads and cheeks, but there was nothing they could do. One by one, they bowed respectfully to Huo Yuanzhen on the stage before dispersing. Huo Yuanzhen smiled and returned each bow in turn, his demeanor that of a true venerable monk, leaving Yikong and the others—who had been listening to the story from below—utterly awestruck. Seeing Huo Yuanzhen’s effortless poise, Yikong and the others felt an even deeper sense of admiration. This monk really had what it took; it seemed the Shaolin Temple would have an easier time in the days to come. Unconsciously, the abbot’s authority had been firmly established. Once the audience had dispersed, during the Shaolin Temple’s meal period, Huo Yuanzhen handed the newly acquired *Lotus Sutra* to Yikong. Although the sutra was a precious text, Huo Yuanzhen had no interest in studying it himself. Since everyone should be used to their full potential and every resource should be put to good use, it was more appropriate to give it to Yikong, who truly loved the Dharma. Upon receiving the Lotus Sutra, Yikong was so overjoyed he was practically beaming. He bowed deeply to Huo Yuanzhen with genuine sincerity, then, without even finishing his meal, scampered back to his room to immerse himself in the study of Buddhist teachings. Huiming and Hui Zhen looked at Yikong with eyes full of envy, while occasionally stealing glances at Huo Yuanzhen, hoping he would produce another sutra. But Huo Yuanzhen only had this one book at the moment, so he pretended not to notice their expectant gazes and instead asked Yijing about his progress in martial arts. Yijing had long since mastered the study and practice of the Tiger-Subduing Fist and was now eagerly waiting for Huo Yuanzhen to teach him the Iron Head Technique. Seeing how obsessed Yijing was with martial arts, Huo Yuanzhen—who wanted the Shaolin Temple to have more skilled practitioners—handed the “Iron Head Technique” manual directly to Yijing after dinner. Having received the new manual, Yijing treasured it as if it were a priceless treasure. He carefully cradled the book as he walked away, heading toward the back mountain. Huo Yuanzhen knew he likely wouldn’t see Yijing for some time—the young man’s obsession with martial arts had reached its peak, and he wouldn’t resurface until he’d made significant progress in mastering the Iron Head Technique. Early the next morning, a large group of craftsmen from the valley below made their way up the mountain. Huo Yuanzhen lavished them with silver, and they set to work: some building roads, some paving the ground, and others erecting walls. Since these were all relatively simple projects, progress was rapid. Huo Yuanzhen estimated that the work would be completed within half a month. By then, he’d be able to put the Construction Order and other such decrees into effect. However, his current supply of silver wouldn’t last half a month; just purchasing raw materials would be a struggle to sustain for three to five days—and that didn’t even account for the final wages he’d have to pay the craftsmen. Since he hadn’t won any silver in the lottery, securing a loan had now become his top priority. So, without even waiting for Qian Delu to come up the mountain, Huo Yuanzhen headed straight down the mountain. He ran into Qian Delu at the foot of the mountain, where a horse-drawn carriage was waiting. Huo Yuanzhen climbed right in and headed to the county seat with Qian Delu. Huo Yuanzhen was also eager to meet the scholar-shopkeeper.