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 12: The Abbot of Dharma King Temple
This wait turned out to be quite a long one. The two had arrived around noon and ended up waiting until dusk, just as night was falling and it was time to light the lamps. At first, Huang Feihong stayed with them, but later his mother called him away, leaving only Huo Yuanzhen and Qian Delu. In the afternoon, Qian Delu went out to buy some food, and the two had a light meal. Huo Yuanzhen had originally wanted to ask Qian Delu to buy some meat, but, mindful of his status as the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, he felt too embarrassed to say so. He merely hoped Qian Delu would forget that his family ate a vegetarian diet, but Qian Delu happened to be a thoughtful person and deliberately bought nothing but vegetarian food. This left Huo Yuanzhen sighing inwardly, unable to voice his frustration. Not only was he unable to eat meat, but he also had to maintain the dignified demeanor of a high-ranking monk. Huo Yuanzhen kept his composure and endured the situation, while Qian Delu, growing increasingly anxious, kept glancing around—yet Huo Yuanzhen dared not move a muscle. It wasn’t until evening that Huang Feihong finally appeared. “Abbot, Mr. Qian, our Manager Zhao is hosting a banquet and has invited both you and Mr. Qian to join him.” Qian Delu’s expression darkened. Leaving the two of them waiting here all day, only to invite others to a banquet in the evening and casually include them as an afterthought—this was hardly the way to treat guests. He had expected Huo Yuanzhen to storm off in a huff, but she simply smiled silently and followed Huang Feihong into the inner chambers. The two followed Huang Feihong all the way to the very back of the money house. Qian Delu had never been here before; to his surprise, it was a garden bursting with flowers. These were no ordinary flowers, but peach, plum, and apricot blossoms—all from fruit trees. The garden was filled with fragrance, and the air was refreshing. As night fell, lanterns were lit throughout the garden, casting intricate shadows from the trees, creating a truly extraordinary scene. In the center of the garden, a banquet table had been set up, and three people were already seated there. Upon seeing Huang Feihong leading Qian Delu and Huo Yuanzhen over, a man with the appearance of a scholar stood up and greeted them, saying, “Manager Qian, please come and sit over here.” Huo Yuanzhen observed him from a distance; this man must be Manager Zhao—and indeed, he exuded an air of scholarly refinement. Qian Delu felt somewhat displeased that Manager Zhao had greeted him but not Huo Yuanzhen, so he could only say, “Manager Zhao, this is the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, Master Yi Jie. He’s been here all day.” “Oh, the Abbot, is it? Since you’re here, please join us at the table.” In his words, he showed not the slightest regard for Huo Yuanzhen. “Abbot, what do you think…” Qian Delu looked at Huo Yuanzhen, who nodded and said, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since Manager Zhao has extended such a warm invitation, This Humble Monk would be rude to decline.” After saying this, Huo Yuanzhen strode over and sat down directly on a stone bench. Seeing Huo Yuanzhen’s carefree demeanor, a flicker of surprise crossed Manager Zhao’s eyes. Once everyone had settled in, Manager Zhao stood up. “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you all to one another.” Huo Yuanzhen then turned his gaze to the other two men. One was in his forties or fifties, with a black beard and a large folding fan in his hand; he looked quite dashing. The other was also a monk, around forty years old, with a kind face but a sturdy build—he seemed to be quite skilled in martial arts. “Let me introduce you. This is the pride of Dengfeng County, the dashing knight-errant known as the ‘Iron Fan Immortal,’ Chen Dingchen, the Great Hero.” The middle-aged man holding the large folding fan gave Qian Delu and Huo Yuanzhen a slight bow with clasped fists, without further ceremony. “Master Chen is a renowned figure in our county. Not only is he a man of literary grace and charm, but his martial arts are also exceptional. His technique of striking pressure points with a folding fan is nothing short of supernatural. He once killed the Four Great Villains outside the city, ridding our county of a menace—everyone in the county knows his name.” Chen Ding gave his folding fan a light wave, seemingly quite proud of his past exploits. Huo Yuanzhen also smiled slightly but said nothing. He was aware of this story; the so-called “Four Great Villains” were nothing more than four thugs and hoodlums. It was true that Chen Ding had some martial arts skills, but they were hardly worthy of respect. Yet he kept boasting about this incident—a clear indication that both his character and disposition were questionable. Of course, he couldn’t let that show right now. “This gentleman is Master Li Xuan, the abbot of Dharma King Temple on Shaoshi Mountain. He is the junior disciple of Master Li Kong, the Abbot of Dharma King Temple. Both his Buddhist teachings and martial arts are of the highest caliber.” “Amitabha Buddha。” Li Xuan chanted the Buddhist invocation. Huo Yuanzhen and Qian Delu returned the gesture in turn. After introducing the other party, Manager Zhao introduced Qian Delu and Huo Yuanzhen. “This is Mr. Qian Delu, manager of the Money House in Lvye Town.” Qian Delu hurriedly bowed to the two martial artists; after all, in these times when the legal system was still underdeveloped, murder and the like were no big deal to these men of the martial arts world, and he certainly didn’t dare to offend them. “This is… Qian Delu. What temple did you say he was from just now?” “Shaolin—Shaolin Temple.” Qian Delu hurriedly reminded Manager Zhao. “Oh, right, the Shaolin Temple. Where is that, exactly?” Huo Yuanzhen’s eyebrow twitched slightly. This Manager Zhao was clearly trying to belittle him on purpose. He had never even met the man before and had no idea why he was acting this way. Just as Qian Delu was about to explain, Li Xuan spoke up: “Amitabha Buddha. I am familiar with the Shaolin Temple. It is located in the Shaoshi Mountain range, on Yuzhai Mountain, the highest peak. It enjoys favorable natural conditions, but since the sect was founded relatively recently, its reputation has yet to spread widely.” Hearing Li Xuan speak up in defense of the Shaolin Temple, Huo Yuanzhen had initially felt some goodwill toward him, but he didn’t expect what followed to be so unwelcome. “Furthermore, the Shaolin Order is in decline. The previous abbot’s martial arts were mediocre, and he has already passed away. There are probably only a few disciples left now, and I don’t know how skilled they are. Judging by Abbot Yi Jie’s age, even if he has practiced martial arts and studied Buddhism, I doubt he has much genuine cultivation.” These words were nothing short of outright disparagement. Huo Yuanzhen cursed inwardly, but still smiled and said, “This Humble Monk cannot agree with what Master Li Xuan has said. Our Shaolin Temple is located on Yuzhai Mountain, the central peak of the Shaoshi Mountains. In terms of geographical location, it is second to none. Although we currently have few disciples, our community is united, and recently, more monks have begun joining our temple.” After a brief pause, Huo Yuanzhen continued, “As for your remarks on martial arts and Buddhist teachings, Master Lixuan, you are quite mistaken. Learning knows no bounds; excellence comes first. This Humble Monk believes that whether in Buddhist teachings or martial arts, our Shaolin Temple is second to none. Sooner or later, it will be common knowledge that all martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin.” “Hahahaha…” Monk Li Xuan burst into laughter, as if he’d heard the funniest joke imaginable. He laughed for quite a while before turning to Huo Yuanzhen and saying, ““Abbot Yi Jie, your words are a bit too bold. How dare you claim that all martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin? Consider the over a hundred monks at our Dharma King Temple—even my senior brother, Master Likong, who is highly skilled in martial arts, would not dare to say such a thing. No school in the world dares to make such a claim. You, a young upstart who has just become abbot, have no sense of your place in the world. It’s utterly ridiculous!” “I’m speaking of the future. Master Li Xuan, just wait and see—within three years, Shaolin will be the foremost school on Shaoshi Mountain.” “What an arrogant tone from the Shaolin Abbot! Since you’re so confident, This Humble Monk would like to exchange a few moves with you right here today. I wonder if the Abbot dares to accept the challenge!” Huo Yuanzhen smiled and waved his hand. “Not today. This is Manager Zhao’s money exchange. Manager Zhao is a scholar; I’m afraid he wouldn’t appreciate martial clashes. As guests, we must naturally abide by our host’s rules. After today, This Humble Monk will be more than happy to oblige.” In truth, Li Xuan had come here to take out a loan; otherwise, martial artists would never associate with a scholar like Manager Zhao. Realizing this, he weighed the pros and cons and glanced at Manager Zhao’s expression. Sure enough, Manager Zhao looked displeased, so Li Xuan had no choice but to abandon the idea. Resolving in his heart to teach Huo Yuanzhen a lesson in the future, yet still unwilling to let the matter rest, Li Xuan changed the subject. “Very well. Since we’re inside Manager Zhao’s money exchange—and it wouldn’t be appropriate here—let’s do it another day. However, Abbot Yi Jie just mentioned that Buddhist teachings and martial arts are on par with those of other schools. Since Buddhist teachings come from books, and you, Manager Zhao, are also a scholar, why don’t we have a contest to see how well we know what’s in the books?” Huo Yuanzhen’s eyes darted about a few times: “Competing in scholarly knowledge is certainly fine, but if we were to discuss Buddhist teachings, I’m afraid Manager Zhao and the others wouldn’t be very interested.” “If not Buddhist teachings, then how about poetry? Manager Zhao is a scholar well-versed in poetry, and this Chen Dingchen—known as the ‘Charming Hero’—is also renowned for his expertise in the art. Since you both have a deep understanding of poetry, why don’t we compete in a poetry contest?” Seeing that both Chen Dinghe and Manager Zhao seemed intrigued, Huo Yuanzhen felt a secret sense of satisfaction. He’d been afraid they’d challenge him to a contest on Buddhist teachings—even though he was the Abbot of Shaolin, he really had little interest in the subject. As for poetry, with his bachelor’s degree, he certainly wasn’t about to be intimidated by a few half-baked amateurs like them.
