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 36: Putting on a Show
Yue Ying, carrying the Grand Princess, certainly couldn’t run fast—especially with his injuries. Once they entered the woods, he accidentally tripped and, along with the Grand Princess, fell heavily to the ground. They had been just a step or two ahead, but now they’d been caught. The bandit leader entered the woods, let out a savage laugh, and was just about to attack Yue Ying and the Crown Princess when he suddenly spotted someone not far away! This came as quite a shock. The bandits, no longer concerned with attacking Yue Ying, turned their attention to that person instead. This person was a monk—not very old, with clear, well-defined features that made him quite handsome. He wore prayer beads around his neck and a black-and-white monk’s robe, sitting cross-legged on a green stone slab. His expression was compassionate, and he certainly had a presentable appearance. But the most bizarre thing was that right in front of him knelt the White Horse—an exceptionally majestic and towering white horse. And the monk seemed to be speaking to the White Horse. The bandit leader furrowed his brow; this monk didn’t seem like an ordinary figure. But no matter what happened, he had to complete his mission today—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to report back successfully. He bellowed, “Hey, monk! What are you doing in the woods in the dead of night? Get the hell out of here!” Huo Yuanzhen didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Instead, he gently stroked the White Horse’s head and said, “Long’er, you are the reincarnation of the Dragon God of the South China Sea. Your true home is in the Nine Heavens. Why linger in the mortal world? Staying by This Humble Monk’s side will only be a hardship for you.” Hearing the monk’s words, the bandit leader almost burst out laughing. Had this monk gone mad? Calling a horse “Dragon”? Sure, the horse was a bit on the large side, but it certainly bore no resemblance to a dragon. But before he could laugh out loud, the White Horse over there actually shook its head repeatedly, its huge eyes seeming to well up with tears. Huo Yuanzhen also shook his head slightly: “I know you can understand me. If you’re unwilling to leave, just nod three times.” The bandits were also stunned by this eerie scene; they stood there, holding their breath and watching intently to see if the White Horse was truly as miraculous as it seemed. Even Yue Ying and the Crown Princess had momentarily forgotten their need to flee, staring blankly at the scene. Under everyone’s gaze, the White Horse nodded firmly three times, without the slightest hesitation. Huo Yuanzhen sighed: “Ah, why put yourself through this? Let me ask you: is your father, the Dragon God, searching for you? If so, just twitch your ears.” The White Horse’s ears twitched up and down a few times, leaving everyone watching nearly dizzy with astonishment. “This can’t be real! Do dragons really exist?” The bandit leader found the monk increasingly eerie. If he had a choice, he’d rather not stay in this forest, but the job had to be done, so he spoke up again: “Hey, monk, I can tell you’re just an animal trainer. What are you doing here playing tricks? If you don’t get out of here right now, I’ll kill you!” Hearing the leader speak, the bandits joined in with a chorus of shouts, creating quite a commotion—yet no one dared to approach this enigmatic monk. Over there, Yue Ying and the Crown Princess both turned pale. With their backs against the wall, the sudden appearance of this strange monk had given them a glimmer of hope. Yet, with so many bandits here in this narrow forest, even a master at the peak of the “After-Heaven” realm would likely struggle to gain the upper hand. Hearing the bandits’ loud commotion, Huo Yuanzhen turned and cast a calm glance at them, then suddenly spoke: “Amitabha. Kind sages, please do not make such a racket!” This Buddhist chant sent a rolling wave of sound surging forth; in the direction from which Huo Yuanzhen had spoken, tree branches were set in motion, and the bandit leader’s face covering was nearly blown off. If it had been merely the sound, that would have been one thing, but this sound seemed to contain a powerful force; even the bandit leader felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet. As for the bandits standing nearby, six or seven of them were knocked flat on the ground by the shockwave and remained speechless for a long moment. A true master’s skill is evident from the very first move. Without even raising a hand, this monk had sent six or seven of his men crashing to the ground; the rest were staggering about as if drunk, while some simply clung to trees, too frightened to move. The bandit leader had to steady himself before regaining his footing, staring at the monk with horror in his eyes. Unexpectedly, Huo Yuanzhen merely called out once, then turned back to the White Horse and said, “Although these men spoke disrespectfully, comparing your Divine Dragon form to that of a wild beast, you must not take offense—they meant no harm.” As Huo Yuanzhen spoke, the White Horse glared at the men with its enormous eyes, snorting through its nostrils as if deeply displeased. Huo Yuanzhen reached out to stroke the White Horse’s mane, and the horse extended a front hoof, scraping it across the ground. In his mind, Huo Yuanzhen kept instructing the White Horse which way to move its hoof and where to stop, but on the surface, he maintained a solemn expression, as if he were intently watching what the horse was doing. “Could it be that this horse knows how to write?” The bandits dared not approach, but they craned their necks to watch this miraculous scene, which seemed to go far beyond the realm of animal training. In the blink of an eye, several large, crooked characters appeared on the ground. After looking at them, Huo Yuanzhen said solemnly, “Although you possess the body of a Dragon God, This Humble Monk is a monk. While killing them would be as easy as turning my hand, I cannot grant your request. No one is to die here today.” After speaking, Huo Yuanzhen stood up, turned away with his hands behind his back, and seemed somewhat displeased. The bandits plucked up the courage to look over in his direction. Their leader swallowed hard and asked Huo Yuanzhen, “Excuse me… Master, what does the White Horse have written on it?” “You can see for yourselves. Ah, what a sin, what a sin,” Huo Yuanzhen said, lowering his head, his expression somber. Accompanied by a few daring bandits, the leader walked over and bent down to look at the characters on the ground. After reading them, the bandits turned pale and plopped down onto the ground, utterly unable to believe what was happening before their eyes. Seeing the bandits in such a state, Yue Ying and the Crown Princess couldn’t help but walk over as well. Upon seeing it, they, too, were startled. Three characters were scrawled crookedly on the ground: “They die.” Though the characters, scrawled by horse hooves, were far from neat and barely legible, they were more than enough to shock everyone present. This seemed beyond the realm of animal training; it appeared that the White Horse was, indeed, the embodiment of the Dragon God. One timid bandit was so terrified he was nearly wetting himself. He shouted at Huo Yuanzhen, “Master, Master! You’re a venerable monk—please beg this dragon horse for mercy! I didn’t mean to offend him! I still want to live!” Following his lead, many other bandits began begging for mercy. As far as they were concerned, if this dragon horse wanted to kill them, they stood no chance of resisting—they couldn’t even run away. Who in this world could outrun a dragon? Not even Ding Bu’er, the “White-Haired Blood Demon” of legend, could manage it! This monk, however, was incredibly powerful and appeared to be deeply compassionate—even the dragon horse seemed to follow his lead. At this moment, he was their only hope for survival. Huo Yuanzhen chuckled inwardly. He’d originally planned to have the White Horse write the phrase “Take them to sacrifice to the Dragon God,” but the sentence was too long and the strokes too numerous for the Horse to manage. In the end, he settled for just these three characters—though their intimidating effect was certainly sufficient. So, feigning hesitation, This Humble Monk said, “Well… Sigh, even This Humble Monk isn’t entirely confident. After all, the Dragon God is a celestial deity. Though I possess some abilities, they’re not enough to intimidate him—he’s simply chosen to stay by my side. All right, I’ll give it a try. As a monk, I cannot bear to witness violence and bloodshed.” With that, Huo Yuanzhen approached the White Horse and whispered, “Spare them, will you?” The bandits standing nearby watched nervously. Unexpectedly, the White Horse stretched out its hoof and scraped the ground twice, forming the character for “no.” The bandits were on the verge of tears, but dared not make a sound; they could only look at Huo Yuanzhen with faces full of hope, not even daring to breathe heavily. Huo Yuanzhen shook his head. “Why are you doing this to yourself? They’re just ordinary mortals—not worth your trouble.” The White Horse still shook its head, its enormous eyes gleaming with murderous intent as it glared intently at the bandits. Huo Yuanzhen sighed deeply: “Very well, very well. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll make them promise to disperse immediately, to refrain from fighting one another, and to take no more lives. If they break this promise, you may seek out their families and wipe them out. As long as you agree to this, This Humble Monk will allow you to remain by my side.” Upon hearing Huo Yuanzhen’s words, the White Horse seemed to ponder for quite a while before finally nodding vigorously. The bandits finally let out a sigh of relief, their faces breaking into smiles. Huo Yuanzhen stepped before the bandits and said to their leader, “You—oh, right, and you too.” After speaking, he pointed at Her Highness the Crown Princess and Yue Ying: “You may all disperse as of now. From this day forward, fighting and killing are strictly forbidden. Should you disobey, the Dragon God will take your lives, and no one in the world will be able to save you.” Most of them nodded in agreement, but the bandit leader still seemed somewhat hesitant. Although he, too, believed that the White Horse was the Dragon God, he was, after all, on a mission. Returning like this, he feared he would be unable to fulfill his duties. Huo Yuanzhen glanced at him. “This layman seems to have some doubts. If any of you share his thoughts, stay here; if you wish to live, leave at once.” The bandits exchanged glances, then, as if on cue, turned and walked toward the edge of the forest. Turning once more to the bandit leader, Huo Yuanzhen said, “My friend, when will this cycle of vengeance ever end? If you do not come to your senses today, I fear you will soon find yourself in the Avici Hell.” The bandit leader clenched his teeth, about to offer some conciliatory words and slip away, when the Crown Princess suddenly spoke up: “Master, I am Zhao Yuanji, the Crown Princess of the High Tang Dynasty. This man harbors sinister intentions and seeks to harm me. Please help me apprehend him. You have a temple, don’t you? I will have it completely rebuilt and the Buddha statues gilded anew!” Yue Ying’s expression changed. This monk was clearly a reclusive master of the highest order, yet the Crown Princess was being so ungrateful—could someone of her stature really intimidate such a figure with mere rank? Sure enough, Huo Yuanzhen turned to glance at the Crown Princess and chanted a Buddhist prayer: “Amitabha. When one does good, though blessings have not yet arrived, misfortune has already departed; when one does evil, though misfortune has not yet arrived, blessings have already departed. Good and evil lie in a single thought. This layman has already come to his senses, so This Humble Monk will not cause him any trouble. Crown Princess, please go in peace—he will not harm you again.” After speaking, Huo Yuanzhen cast a glance at the Yin-Yang fish breastplate visible on the bandit leader’s chest, then suddenly soared into the air. Touching the treetop with a single leap, he leaped more than ten zhang, flying out of the forest like a night hawk. The White Horse let out a loud neigh and, transforming into a streak of white light, charged out after him. As Huo Yuanzhen landed, he landed right on the horse’s back, and in the blink of an eye, the pair vanished into the night.
