The Shaolin Abbot Born in the 1980s

Chapter 25: Su Huazi

On the Shaolin Mountain Trail, the green trees that cast shade during the day now looked eerie and terrifying in the night. The howling mountain wind swept past, causing the hems of Ning Wanjun and Xiao Cui’s skirts to flutter. “Miss, why did you leave Iron Ox behind? He’s so clumsy—how can he possibly get the job done? It would be better to find someone reliable at the main headquarters,” Xiao Cui asked, puzzled. Ning Wanjun had already removed her veil; even in the darkness, her stunning beauty remained indistinct. She turned to Xiao Cui and said, “You don’t understand. Iron Ox is indeed slow-witted, but it is precisely because of that that he can more easily gain the abbot’s trust. If we sent a clever person from the headquarters, it would actually ruin the mission.” “A sharp person would ruin things? Why is that?” Xiao Cui was completely baffled. “You’re underestimating that abbot—he’s unfathomable. Once, inside the pagoda, I removed my veil, yet I couldn’t elicit even the slightest emotional reaction from him. Moreover, he simply doesn’t care about my identity. I can’t gauge the level of his martial arts either—on the surface, he seems to have little skill, but that roar at the mountain gate was clearly the Buddhist Lion’s Roar taken to an extremely high level. And he was deliberately holding back his inner energy. With such ability, how could he possibly be a helpless fool? He’s actually extremely shrewd; it’s just that, as a monk, he pays no attention to worldly matters. If we send someone too clever, it might actually put him on guard. Once he’s on his guard, I don’t think it’ll matter who we send.” “If he’s that formidable, then even the Iron Ox probably wouldn’t be of any use there, would he?” “No. As long as that… thing is indeed on Yuzhai Mountain at the Shaolin Temple, Iron Ox will discover it sooner or later. Besides, there’s Dahuang—when it comes to tracking things down, Dahuang is far better than any human.” Xiao Cui nodded: “As always, you think of everything, Miss. You’re a thousand times better at this than I am.” “Stop being so sassy. It’s getting late; let’s hurry on our way.” Ning Wanjun glanced back at the Shaolin Temple in the darkness, then she and Xiao Cui leapt into the air from where they stood, landing on the treetops. Tapping their feet lightly on the branches, they glided through the air like celestial maidens and vanished into the night. After seeing Ning Wanjun off, Huo Yuanzhen felt a sense of caution. However, Huo Yuanzhen could still sense that although Ning Wanjun had her own agenda, she harbored no ill will. He simply didn’t yet know what those motives were, so he had no choice but to be cautious. That night, because the Iron Ox was so large, the small temple couldn’t accommodate him, so he had to spend the night in a bedroom that wasn’t quite finished yet. The tiger did not follow Ning Wanjun and the others as they left, but instead disappeared into the mountains and forests. Early the next morning, Huo Yuanzhen, Yikong, and the others continued recruiting lay disciples. Iron Ox was also placed among the applicants and underwent the same screening as everyone else; only after passing the assessment would he be allowed to enter the Shaolin Temple. About a hundred people had come to register that day, and the Iron Ox stood out strikingly in the crowd with his height of over two meters. After yesterday’s patience test, word had already spread; among those who came today, anyone who passed the physical examination had also performed well in the patience test. After being examined by several monks, more than twenty people ultimately passed. Among them was Iron Ox, and surprisingly, Huang Feihong had also arrived at the Shaolin Temple that day, hoping to become a lay disciple. The twenty-plus who passed will undergo Huo Yuanzhen’s final test; once they pass his character assessment, they will officially become lay disciples of the Shaolin Temple. Today, Huo Yuanzhen was wearing a new gray cloth monk’s robe—his only new one at the moment. Huo Yuanzhen had planned this long ago: as soon as the recruitment of lay disciples was complete, he would immediately begin the process of changing the Shaolin monastic attire. These robes were either gray or earthy yellow—as unattractive as could be. Being a monk already meant being bald, and dressing so shabbily simply did not befit his future status as the head of the martial arts world’s foremost sect. The final assessment took place inside the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda. Huo Yuanzhen set up a table and sat at the pagoda’s entrance, while those undergoing the character assessment stood at the bottom of the steps. Once the twenty-odd candidates who had passed had all gathered, Huo Yuanzhen announced, “The final assessment will begin in half a shichen. During this time, you are free to move about, but you must not leave the Fourth Zone—stay within this area. After half a shichen, return here to assemble.” These candidates had been anxious, fearing they might fail the final test, but upon hearing the Abbot say they could move about freely for half a shichen, their taut nerves finally relaxed. Most of them were locals who knew one another, so they wandered around the Fourth Zone in small groups of three or five. Huo Yuanzhen, meanwhile, sat in meditation inside the pagoda, silently cultivating his “Child’s Art.” Within this fourth area, Huo Yuanzhen had hidden one hundred copper coins in various corners and secluded spots, while Huang Feihong served as his inside man, secretly observing the behavior of these people after they found the coins. Huang Feihong had already been designated by Huo Yuanzhen as a lay disciple of the Shaolin Temple; he had even helped the Shaolin monks repel enemies. His character was beyond reproach, and since he was a native of Dengfeng, he was the ideal person for this supervisory role. Everyone had gone out for a stroll, but the Iron Ox was still standing at the bottom of the steps, motionless, like a massive black iron tower. Huo Yuanzhen asked curiously, “Iron Ox, why don’t you go out for a walk? It’s not time yet.” “I’m here to protect the Abbot,” Iron Ox replied in a gruff, muffled voice that boomed. “Oh, protect me? Do you think I can’t take care of myself?” Huo Yuanzhen asked, feigning profundity. Iron Ox thought for a moment. “You seem to have some skills, but I’m still going to protect you—that’s what the young lady told me to do.” Yesterday, he’d demonstrated the Lion’s Roar in front of the Iron Ox. Although he’d held back, an ordinary person would have been absolutely unable to withstand a single roar from him. At the time, the Iron Ox had merely turned pale and taken a step back; he seemed unharmed, but Huo Yuanzhen was certain it hadn’t been easy for him. It was only because his physique was exceptionally robust that he appeared to be unharmed. Recalling yesterday’s scene, Huo Yuanzhen felt a sudden impulse. Sitting there, he leaned forward slightly and opened his mouth, as if about to shout something. Sure enough, Iron Ox’s face paled, and he involuntarily took another step back, revealing a hint of fear. The Iron Ox was exceptionally gifted, capable of fighting tigers and leopards with his bare hands; he had never known fear. Yet yesterday, when Huo Yuanzhen stood before him and suddenly let out that shout, it had truly struck fear into his heart. Even if Huo Yuanzhen’s martial arts were so high that he could easily defeat him, it wouldn’t have frightened him. But Huo Yuanzhen had merely shouted once, and it had left him reeling and dizzy. Although he hadn’t been on guard at the time, this unknown technique was beyond his comprehension, and naturally, he felt a sense of fear. Huo Yuanzhen was very pleased with Iron Ox’s performance. He leaned back in his chair, and judging by the expression on his face, it seemed as though he had decided to let Iron Ox off the hook. The Iron Ox breathed a sigh of relief, yet he was even more baffled by Huo Yuanzhen’s true capabilities. Little did he know that Huo Yuanzhen was merely putting on a show; aside from that loud shout, he had no other skills worth mentioning. Half a shichen passed quickly. During that time, Huang Feihong slipped back several times to report to Huo Yuanzhen on what had happened after some people discovered the copper coins. When the time came, the group gathered once more, awaiting Huo Yuanzhen’s assessment. “The assessment for this round of recruitment of Shaolin lay disciples has concluded.” Huo Yuanzhen’s opening statement came as a bolt from the blue. Most of those present were left speechless, while only a few seemed to grasp the implication, their faces lighting up with delight. “Abbot, it hasn’t even started yet. How can it be over already?” Someone voiced their confusion. Huo Yuanzhen rose from behind the table and walked up to the steps of the pagoda, looking down at the crowd from above: “We of the Shaolin Buddhist Order are followers of the Buddhist Order. When selecting disciples, the Buddhist Order places the greatest emphasis on a person’s character. As This Humble Monk mentioned earlier, this is the final test—a test of one’s character—and that half-hour break was, in fact, part of that test.” Many realized what had happened and instantly blushed with embarrassment. No wonder there had been such “good fortune” in finding copper coins on the ground—it was likely all arranged by the abbot. Sure enough, Huo Yuanzhen continued, “This Humble Monk scattered a total of one hundred and twenty copper coins throughout this fourth area. During the rest period, all of you—either alone or with others—discovered some of these coins, but your behavior varied considerably.” As he spoke, Huo Yuanzhen produced a list: “This contains all of your names, but only three of you have truly passed the test.” He then read out the names: “Huang Feihong—passed! Iron Ox—passed! Su the Kid—passed!” After finishing, Huo Yuanzhen said, “Returning found money is a virtue. The person who lost it must be very anxious. Returning it is actually alleviating another’s suffering—it is doing good. Do not think that a few copper coins are a trivial matter. Do not commit evil because it is small, nor neglect to do good because it is small. Accumulating good deeds brings blessings; accumulating evil deeds brings calamity. Think carefully about this, and now go home.” Those whose names had not been called had no reply; with faces full of shame, they set down the copper coins they had found, then bowed to Huo Yuanzhen one by one before heading down the mountain. Looking at the remaining four, Huo Yuanzhen said, “The three of you are now officially lay disciples of my Shaolin Temple. In a moment, follow This Humble Monk to pay homage to our founding master, and you will be considered full-fledged Shaolin disciples.” Huang Feihong, who had been pre-selected as a disciple, now stood there beaming with pride, standing at attention with his chest puffed out and stomach tucked in. As for “Su Xiaozai,” he was a young Beggar of about fifteen or sixteen, with disheveled hair and a grimy face; that was the name he had given when he signed up. Huo Yuanzhen took a special look at this “Su Xiaozi” and asked, “Is your name really just ‘Su Xiaozi’?” “With all due respect, Abbot, my surname is Su. But when I was little, my parents passed away. I grew up begging for food, and no one gave me a name, so everyone calls me ‘Su the Little Beggar.’ ” Huo Yuanzhen nodded. “As a beggar, you still had the integrity to return found money—you’re a fine young man. Very well, Today This Humble Monk will bestow upon you a lay name: Su Can.” Upon hearing that he now had a name, Su Can was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He knelt down and kowtowed to Huo Yuanzhen: “Thank you, Abbot. I have a name now. Thank you, Abbot…” Su Can! Su Huazi! Huo Yuanzhen’s thoughts raced through his mind, but his expression remained impassive. After letting Su Can kowtow several times, he told him to rise and prepared to lead a few men to the back mountain. There lay the grave of the late Monk Xuanming. Though it was said to be a place to pay respects to the Shaolin Patriarchs, in reality, it was solely a place to honor the late Monk Xuanming. Just as they were about to set off, Iron Ox suddenly knelt down as well. “Abbot, I don’t want to be a lay disciple anymore. I want to shave my head and become a monk!”