Time flies, and it’s dusk in a blink of an eye.
On the country road leading to Zhangjiacun, Pei Wende, who was carrying a recurve bow and a dog-leg knife on his waist, was strolling along with a relaxed look on his face, showing no trace of fatigue.
On the contrary, the stronger Zhang Butcher behind him was out of breath after a day of hard work.
"After all, I am still getting older..."
I saw Butcher Zhang gasping for air while looking at Pei Wende who was still calm and composed in front of him, and he felt sincerely.
When he was still young, Tutu Zhang would not be as calm and calm as Pei Wende, but he would never be as tired and out of breath as he is now.
"Uncle Zhang, it's obvious that you haven't exercised for a long time."
Hearing Butcher Zhang's voice behind him, Pei Wende turned around with a smile and said to him.
Because Pei Wende was telling the truth, even in this era of short life expectancy, Butcher Zhang, who was only in his early thirties, was still considered to be in his prime.
"I'm old, I'm old, I'm not young anymore."
Faced with Pei Wende's teasing, Butcher Zhang just laughed it off.
"I have lived enough in this life. Now I just hope that Chu Sheng and my little sister can make a difference, and I will have no regrets in this life."
As soon as these words came out, Pei Wende, who was originally curious about why Butcher Zhang was so cheerful and left Zhang Chusheng in Tongqing Temple, asked curiously.
"Speaking of this, Uncle Zhang, why did you agree to let Chu Sheng stay in Tongqing Temple?"
When he said this, Pei Wende continued to explain softly as if he was afraid that Butcher Zhang would not understand why he asked this question.
"Although my master does not have any requirements for his disciples to become monks..."
"Even the precepts do not require disciples to abide by them..."
"But Tongqing Temple is a temple after all. You agreed so readily to let him stay in the temple to practice. Isn't it a little too considerate?"
"What if Chu Sheng really becomes a monk when he comes of age, who will inherit the Zhang family's incense?"
"Also, will Aunt Zhang agree to your approach?"
Although in this era there was a practice of sending one's own children to temples to avoid misfortune and pray for blessings, it was usually the youngest sons of the family who were sent to temples.
It was very rare for Zhang Tuhu to directly send his eldest son to become a monk in a temple, even in this era of Buddhist belief.
"Haha, this is Chu Sheng's fate. As a father, it's too late for me to support him. Why don't I agree?"
Smiling and patting Pei Wende on the shoulder, Butcher Zhang said very freely.
"After all, that kid Chu Sheng has been smart and kind-hearted since he was a child. If a person like him wants to live to adulthood, he will inevitably go through all kinds of hardships. This is God's test for him."
"Just like when he was just born, if he hadn't been lucky enough to meet you and Zen Master Lingyou, he would have died long ago."
"It's the same this time. It was you who saved that child's life again."
There was a slight pause in his tone. When Butcher Zhang said this, his eyes showed sincere gratitude.
After helping Zhang Chusheng through hell twice in a row, even a layman like Butcher Zhang who did not believe in Buddhism had to admit that his child might indeed have a "buddha connection".
"As for the incense issue? Do you think I am the kind of person who cares about incense?"
Butcher Zhang's rhetorical question immediately stunned Pei Wende.
Indeed, as he said, if Butcher Zhang was really the kind of person who cared about incense, he would not have agreed to marry into the Zhang family so neatly.
For Zhang Tutu, who had been lonely since childhood and joined the army as a boy, the recognition of his family and relatives was far more real than the illusory "incense".
"What's more, I believe that if Chu gave birth to that child, it would be impossible for him to abandon me and his mother to become a monk."
It was obvious that this horoscope had not yet been mentioned, but Zhang Butcher's solemn look made Pei Wende believe that Zhang Chusheng might indeed be destined to the Buddha, but he was destined to never truly leave behind his secular family ties.
"According to your calculation, Tongqing Temple will suffer anyway?"
Raising a son for Butcher Zhang for nothing, and also teaching him how to be a human being and how to practice cultivation seriously, this is indeed an "unfair deal" in the eyes of outsiders.
"Aren't you afraid that one day my master will force Chu Sheng to stay and let him inherit his mantle?"
"I think with Chu Sheng's character, the possibility of him rejecting this request is very small!"
This is not that Pei Wende is lying. After all, if Zhang Chusheng is really allowed to stay in the temple until he reaches adulthood, it will be uncertain what will happen then.
"This is impossible, because neither you nor Zen Master Lingyou are such people."
After decisively rejecting Pei Wende's hypothesis, Butcher Zhang's face suddenly showed a hint of cunning unique to country people.
"And I never thought Zen Master Lingyou would choose to let Chu Sheng inherit his mantle."
Clearly hearing something behind Butcher Zhang's words, Pei Wende, who had been walking in front, was stunned again.
"Uncle Zhang..."
Pei Wende couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Butcher Zhang. Only then did Pei Wende realize that he seemed to have underestimated this tall and muscular man.
"Don't think that I don't know, even though Master Lingyou never said it..."
"But in his heart, the only one who can truly inherit his legacy is you."
"At this point, even Master Huiji is inferior."
To be honest, compared to his trust in Chu Sheng, Butcher Zhang actually admired Zen Master Lingyou for putting all his efforts into Pei Wende.
After all, the relationship between him and Zhang Chusheng is a serious father-son relationship, but the relationship between Zen Master Lingyou and Pei Wende is just a master-disciple relationship.
Under such circumstances, Zen Master Lingyou obviously preferred Pei Wende to inherit his mantle, but he never had any intention of letting Pei Wende become a monk, not even the slightest innuendo.
"Master knows...it's impossible for me to be a monk."
He turned his head uncomfortably. Pei Wende couldn't help but notice what even Butcher Zhang could see.
However, as he said himself, he never wanted to become a monk.
In order to avoid this possibility, Pei Wende never took the initiative to ask Zen Master Lingyou to teach him how to practice in the past sixteen years.
For this reason, he deliberately pretended to be stupid and pretended that he had no idea about Zen Master Lingyou's magical powers.
Otherwise, with Zen Master Lingyou's love for Pei Wende, even if he takes into account the awakening of "Mohu Luojia" in his body, it is impossible not to teach him even the most basic cultivation methods.
"..."
While Butcher Zhang was talking to Pei Wende, Xiao Qing, who had been hiding under Pei Wende's clothes, naturally heard the conversation.
As a result, Xiao Qing, who was still taking a nap, suddenly opened his eyes, with a look of unknown meaning in his eyes.
——It turns out that this guy has never thought about becoming a monk?
—Recommendation ticket—Monthly ticket—
