A young man born in the 1980s is unexpectedly transported to ancient times and awakens as a monk. Before he can adjust, he discovers that he has also become the abbot of a struggling monastery and has been assigned an “Abbot System” with increasingly ambitious goals. The system expects him to master difficult martial arts, rebuild Shaolin's reputation, and eventually lead the wider martial world. He would much rather live an ordinary life, but abandoning the role is not so simple. Reluctantly, he begins strengthening the monastery and discovers that leadership may demand more of him than martial skill alone.
Chapter 11: Huang Feihong?
Dengfeng County was about thirty li from Lüyě Town, and they arrived in less than half a morning’s ride. Along the way, Huo Yuanzhen spent most of the time with his eyes closed, resting. Although he was still at an age when he loved to be active, as the abbot of the Shaolin Temple, he had to maintain a dignified demeanor. He forced himself to remain silent the entire journey, which left Qian Delu feeling quite stifled. Still, Qian Delu secretly admired him; this monk truly had a good temperament—no wonder he’d become abbot at such a young age. Upon entering the county town, the soldiers at the gate did not stop Qian Delu’s carriage for questioning. Since Qian Delu visited frequently, everyone was quite familiar with him; after exchanging a few pleasantries, the carriage drove straight into Dengfeng County. Compared to Sanglin Village and Lüyě Town, the county seat was much livelier. The streets were bustling with people coming and going, and the constant clamor of buyers and sellers filled the air. The two did not get out of the carriage immediately but rode straight to the door of the money house. Before getting out, Qian Delu said to Huo Yuanzhen, “Abbot, please be prepared—Manager Zhao has a rather eccentric personality. If he fails to treat you with proper hospitality, I hope you’ll bear with him.” “Amitabha Buddha. Qian, the Benefactor, you worry too much. This Humble Monk does possess a certain degree of composure.” Huo Yuanzhen chanted the Buddha’s name while secretly wondering whether, in the unlikely event that Manager Zhao refused to lend him the silver, he might have to return in the dead of night, masked and armed with a knife, to threaten him. Without pausing, he followed Qian Delu into the money house. Qian Delu knew everyone at the money house. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he led Huo Yuanzhen to the back room—Manager Zhao’s quarters. Upon arriving at the back hall, a young attendant emerged and, upon seeing Qian Delu, smiled and asked, “Manager Qian, what brings you here?” “Xiao Hong, is Manager Zhao here?” “He’s here.” “That’s perfect. This is Abbot Yi Jie from the Mountain Shaolin Temple, who has come to discuss a loan with Manager Zhao. Please have Xiao Jie go announce our arrival.” “Abbot?” The boy’s name was Xiao Hong. He wasn’t very old—about fifteen or sixteen—several years younger than Huo Yuanzhen was now. He eyed Huo Yuanzhen up and down, then suddenly exclaimed as if he’d discovered a new continent, “You… you’re that storyteller monk!” Huo Yuanzhen chuckled and rubbed his nose—he hadn’t expected to run into a fan. “That’s right, This Humble Monk.” The boy named Xiao Hong ran over to Huo Yuanzhen. Huo Yuanzhen stood over 180 centimeters tall, yet this boy—who looked to be thirteen or fourteen—wasn’t much shorter than him; he was likely over 1. 7 meters tall, which was extremely rare in ancient times. He also looked very sturdy and seemed to have practiced martial arts. “Abbot, I went to the Shaolin Temple a couple of days ago to hear you tell stories, but the journey was a bit long. I just heard up to the part where Sun Wukong was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain—I didn’t get to hear the rest of the story. Could you tell it to me here?” Before Huo Yuanzhen could reply, Qian Delu spoke up: “Xiao Hong, we have urgent business with Manager Zhao and really don’t have time to listen to your storytelling. Why don’t you go announce our arrival first?” Xiao Hong seemed reluctant and muttered, “The manager has guests right now; I’m afraid he won’t be able to see you.” “Go ask first,” Qian Delu urged. “Master, please don’t leave. I’ll come find you in a bit.” Xiao Hong walked back with her head down, glancing back at Huo Yuanzhen from time to time, afraid he might suddenly run off. Huo Yuanzhen chuckled to himself. This kid was quite amusing; at the very least, his childlike innocence was endearing. After waiting a moment, Xiao Hong came running out at top speed, beaming with excitement. “Manager Qian, our Manager Zhao says he can’t see you right now, but he told you to wait here.” Qian Delu felt a bit disheartened and said to Xiao Hong, “Your manager won’t see me, yet you seem quite happy about it.” “Of course! That way, the Abbot can stay here and tell me stories from *Journey to the West*.” Xiao Hong excitedly pulled Huo Yuanzhen and Qian Delu into the main hall, hurriedly poured two cups of tea, and then stayed by Huo Yuanzhen’s side, waiting for him to tell her the story of *Journey to the West*. Since he couldn’t see Manager Zhao for the time being, Huo Yuanzhen had no choice but to wait there. He glanced at the boy named Xiao Hong and asked, “Xiao Hong, what’s your full name?” “My name is Huang Feihong. Abbot, please start telling the story already.” “Huang Feihong！” Huo Yuanzhen was taken aback and scrutinized him from head to toe for a long moment. “Which ‘Hong’ character?” “The ‘hong’ in ‘red.’ ” Huo Yuanzhen’s eyes darted about. “That ‘Hong’ character isn’t good—it sounds like a girl’s name. I think you’d better change it.” “Yeah, I don’t like it either. But my mother loved girls when I was little, so she gave me this name. I’ve always wanted to change it, but I don’t know what to change it to.” “Well then, how about this: change it to the ‘Hong’ in ‘feather’ (Hongmao). It goes well with your ‘Fei’ and is much better than this ‘Hong’ you have now.” “I see… but I don’t know if my mother will agree.” “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to your mother—she’ll agree.” Qian Delu actually knew Huang Feihong’s mother. Seeing that Huo Yuanzhen seemed to have an ulterior motive, he decided to help him out. Huang Feihong was delighted to hear someone speaking up for him. He nodded in agreement, deciding that from now on, he would be known as Huang Feihong. Huo Yuanzhen showed great enthusiasm for renaming Huang Feihong,After all, the Shaolin Temple’s fame stemmed not only from the saying that “all martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin,” but also from its lay disciples, who had brought immense renown to the temple. Huang Feihong was the very cream of the crop among these lay disciples. Although this Huang Feihong was not the same Master Huang who had once made the “Shadowless Kick” dance through the skies, Huo Yuanzhen had never quite let go of that little bit of wishful thinking in his heart. Moreover, this young Huang Feihong had a sturdy build and was likely a skilled martial artist. With Huo Yuanzen’s future guidance, his achievements might not fall short of those of the Huang Feihong he knew from his past life. Only after repeatedly confirming that Huang Feihong was indeed a martial artist did Huo Yuanzhen feel at ease, quietly plotting in his mind. Seeing that the abbot before him was merely quibbling over his name and martial arts skills, and was dragging his feet about telling the story, Huang Feihong grew somewhat impatient. He had no choice but to take the initiative and ask, “Abbot, why do you think the Tathagata was so cruel? Even when Sun Wukong caused such a commotion in the Heavenly Palace, he didn’t deserve to be trapped under a mountain for five hundred years. Just thinking about it terrifies me. If it were me, I couldn’t stand being trapped for five days… no, not even five hours.” Qian Delu hurriedly interjected, “Xiao Hong, don’t talk nonsense. Rulai is the head of all Buddhas, and the man before us is the abbot of this temple. You mustn’t speak ill of Rulai.” Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand and laughed, “It’s all right. I’m just stating the facts. The Buddha is full of compassion; he certainly wouldn’t hold it against me.” Yuanzhen’s words made Huang Feihong feel even more favorably toward him. Huo Yuanzhen smiled at Huang Feihong and said, “Have you ever seen a statue of the Buddha?” “Sure, I’ve seen them. You see statues of the Buddha all the time—he’s really fat,” Huang Feihong chuckled. “That’s right. Actually, the Buddha thinks he’s fat and is determined to lose weight.” “Lose weight!” Huang Feihong was taken aback; it was the first time he’d ever heard that. “That’s right,” Huo Yuanzhen nodded firmly. He took a sip of tea and continued, “The Buddha wanted to lose weight, so he ate a vegetarian diet every day and didn’t even dare to eat meat. But he still couldn’t lose the weight. Later, the Buddha came up with another idea: traveling far and wide under the guise of begging for alms—but really, it was just an excuse to get some exercise. Yet, he still couldn’t lose the weight.” “Is that so!” Huang Feihong’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. Qian Delu, standing nearby, was even more dumbfounded. This abbot actually dared to make fun of the Buddha like that? My goodness, is this guy even a monk? Huo Yuanzhen, however, paid no heed to their opinions. He was just telling a joke. Although he served as abbot, Huo Yuanzhen actually harbored no real devotion to the Buddha. While he certainly had to put on a show in public, there were only a few people present now, so a bit of lighthearted banter was perfectly harmless. Determined to shock his audience, Huo Yuanzhen continued, “The Buddha tried repeatedly to lose weight to no avail. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he even resorted to such a drastic measure as cutting off his own flesh to feed an eagle. And what was the result? He still didn’t lose any weight.” The two people beside him were utterly stunned, staring blankly at Huo Yuanzhen. So that was the real story behind the anecdote of the Buddha cutting off his own flesh to feed an eagle. “Even after cutting off his own flesh to feed the eagles, the Buddha still couldn’t lose weight. Then he suddenly realized that Sun Wukong—that guy who gorges himself all day long—was actually much slimmer than he was. So the Buddha was consumed by envy and resentment. In a fit of rage, he pinned Sun Wukong under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, thinking to himself, ‘I’ll show you what it means to be thin! I won’t let you eat for five hundred years—I’ll make sure you lose all the weight you want!’ ” The two men were completely taken aback by Huo Yuanzhen’s antics, but Qian Delu was the first to catch on—Huo Yuanzhen was clearly just teasing Huang Feihong—and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Huang Feihong also caught on. Although he knew Huo Yuanzhen was teasing him, his opinion of the abbot improved even more. This abbot was truly entertaining—he was right up his alley—so he joined in the boisterous laughter as well. Thanks to Huo Yuanzhen’s banter, the atmosphere in the hall was now lively, and waiting for Manager Zhao was no longer such a tedious affair. Watching Huo Yuanzhen and Huang Feihong chatting and laughing over there, Qian Delu, standing nearby, couldn’t help but feel moved. This abbot was truly no ordinary man—he wasn’t bound by worldly conventions at all. For an abbot to dare joke about the Buddha was truly extraordinary.
