This monk looked to be at around his mid-thirties, with a physique that was sturdy like a small hill and a height that approached ten feet tall. However, he barely had any fat on him, as though he was just a layer of dirty yellow skin covering a giant skeletal frame. He was wearing a black kayasa—a robe typically worn by buddhist monks—while displaying deep eye sockets and hair that was only a third of an inch long.

　　The monk sniffed his nose, drawing closer while chanting; he was clearly following the smell of grilled meat. “Not praying to Buddha nor revering the gods; of three thousand paths, I love only the mortal road. When the shore shows ahead, the boat is turned around; a kindred spirit is worth little compared to silver or gold….”

　　Hearing the chant, Fang Xing turned for a closer look before growing slightly surprised. ‘What’s a bald donkey doing here in such a deserted mountain range?’ Then, after a closer listen to the monk’s chant, he realized it was quite different from what one would normally expect. A Buddhist monk not worshipping the gods? Of all the three thousand paths available to choose, he was fond of only the one of mortals? When the shore was seen, he would choose to turn back? And most importantly… to him, a kindred spirit of the Buddhist sect wasn’t as important as plain silver or gold?

　　This sort of monk… he was either some kind of hidden master, or a complete and utter idiot!

　　This caused Fang Xing to keep a close eye on the monk, before he decided to use the [Book of Revelation] on him, but he was left a bit astonished after only a short period of focus. The [Book of Revelation] had the ability to see through a person’s cultivation level with one look, but this time it had failed. There could only be two explanations: the monk had no cultivation level to speak of and therefore nothing could be seen, or his cultivation level was much higher than what Fang Xing could appraise.

　　Now that Fang Xing had broken through into the late stages of Spirit Stage, even a late stage Foundation Stage cultivator like Sect Master Chen Xuanhua wouldn’t be a problem to appraise. If he couldn’t see through the level of this monk, did that mean his cultivation level was even higher than the sect master’s?

　　‘This monk really is something…. I need to suck up to him real good, see if I can get anything out of him….’ Fang Xing thought to himself with shifty eyes.

　　Just as Fang Xing was thinking this, the monk walked closer and took a seat on a large rock nearby, pretending to rest. He sat in a lotus position with a single palm held horizontally in front of his chest while still muttering that “buddhist chant” of his, but his deep eyes seemed—intentionally or otherwise—to constantly glance at the gazelle cooking over the bonfire.

　　‘Such a gluttonous monk….’ Fang Xing thought before waving and smiling. “Big monk, I’ll treat you to some meat! Do you want some?”

　　A hint of joy flashed through the monk’s eyes as he slowly stood up. “Since the esteemed benefactor is so generous, this poor monk would be impolite to refuse.” As he spoke, he slowly walked in closer. Fang Xing cut a piece of meat and passed it back to the monk, but the man shook his head before tearing off an entire leg for himself to chew on.

　　Fang Xing was left speechless by this; this monk really was making himself at home and had quickly decided the piece Fang Xing had given him was too small! Since the monk was an outsider, the golden crow remained quiet and simply watched him with interest.

　　Without saying anything more to the monk, Fang Xing began eating a piece of meat before taking a gulp of wine from his gourd. At this sight, the golden crow shoved his head over as well, with his beak wide open for Fang Xing to pour some of it into his mouth as well. Once he’d had some, the crow was very satisfied and smacked his beak, and it was at that moment the monk also caught the scent of wine. His eyes lit up once more and he placed the gazelle leg down. “Esteemed benefactor, since you offered this poor monk some meat to eat, how about some wine as well?”

　　Fang Xing looked around. “Then find something that can hold some wine.”

　　“No need to make it so complicated. This poor monk shall drink from it directly.”

　　“You’re dirty! There’s no way I’m going to have you drinking from my gourd!”

　　Fang Xing carefully monitored the monk’s reaction through this back and forth to get a feel for his temperament. If the monk had a bad temperament, Fang Xing wouldn’t push his luck anymore; this monk didn’t look too friendly, after all. However, if the monk happened to have a good temperament, it might be possible to get something out of him—one of Fang Xing’s personal favorite pastimes.

　　Fang Xing’s response had left the monk speechless, but he didn’t get angry. Instead, he looked around, stood up to grab a large leaf from the side, and rolled it into a cone before passing it to Fang Xing. Fang Xing poured half a glass full, and the monk downed all of the offered wine with a single gulp followed up by a long sigh. “Seems like it’s made from an ancient recipe. This wine is not bad at all….”

　　Fang Xing laughed. “As a monk, aren’t you embarrassed to be drinking wine and eating meat?”

　　These words caused the monk to appear suddenly solemn. “Meat and wine may pass through the intestines, but the Buddha shall remain forever in one’s heart…” he replied.

　　Fang Xing loudly laughed at this. “Your insides are full of fat and oil. Can the Buddha still stay in such a place?”

　　The monk was a little surprised by this. Normally, when he made such a statement, everyone that heard it would smile and praise him as “a free and unconstrained master” or “an unruly master”, and Fang Xing’s response was the first of its kind. He felt a little awkward and gave a bitter smile. “Then the great Buddha shall be asked to stay elsewhere. This poor monk loves his wine and meat; such a habit cannot be changed.”

　　“That’s more like it! If you want to eat meat and drink wine, you eat meat and drink wine. Why make up all these excuses!” As Fang Xing spoke, he poured another for the monk, and the man smiled before downing the drink and grabbing the gazelle leg.

　　With two humans and a crow—all with huge appetites—it didn’t take long before the gazelle was completely eaten and it was possible to see the wine gourd’s bottom. Fang Xing smiled and stroked his stomach while leaning up against a rock. “Big monk, what’s your name?”

　　The monk still looked as though he wasn’t completely satisfied and released another long sigh. “As a monk, how can we have names? However, because of my love for meat and wine, most people refer to this poor monk as Meat-Wine Monk.”

　　When the golden crow heard this name, his eyes immediately lit up and he blinked at Fang Xing. Seeing the crow’s blinks, Fang Xing gave it some thought and remembered that when he had been training with Bai Qianzhang, he’d also heard of this name, although it was not someone familiar. Furthermore, he had tried—and failed—to see the monk’s cultivation level with the [Book of Revelations] earlier, so he already knew this monk wasn’t ordinary. He laughed and said, “Meat-Wine Monk, tell me the truth. How is the meat I grilled? And how about my wine?”

　　The Meat-Wine Monk pondered on the aftertaste before smiling. “The meat is fine, and the wine is great.”

　　Fang Xing nodded and held out his hand like a villain. “Give it to me then!”

　　“Give what?” the Meat-Wine Monk questioned, a little confused.

　　“Payment. I gave you wine to drink and meat to eat; are you not going to show any appreciation?”

　　This left the Meat-Wine Monk flabbergasted. “You were the one to offer them to me!”

　　Fang Xing rolled his eyes. “For me to offer is good manners. You paying me back, is that not also good manners?”

　　This left the Meat-Wine Monk completely speechless. He stood up and dusted himself off. “Does this poor monk look rich to you?”

　　Fang Xing smiled. “I know you’re poor. Big characters like yourself usually don’t carry money with them anyways. Besides, I didn’t say I wanted your money. Pellets, manuals, spirit tools and weapons from your Buddhist Sect; anything will do, I’m not picky!”

　　“How did you know this poor monk is a big character?”

　　“What sort of ordinary monk comes to a forest like this when bored?”

　　This truly left the Meat-Wine Monk without a suitable response. After a short while, he replied, “This poor monk really does not have any money, and does not usually use pellets. As for manuals and weapons, I need those even less. How about I recite a sutra verse for you…?”

　　Fang Xing’s eyes lit up. “Does it include cultivation techniques?”

　　The monk shook his head. “It’s just an ordinary Diamond Sutra[1]….”

　　Fang Xing let out a sigh. “Don’t worry about it then. I’ll just consider it as though I’ve taken a loss; I’m not gonna ask anything of you anymore!”

　　Seeing the boy’s disappointment, the Meat-Wine Monk actually felt some interest and smiled. “Then I’m free to go?”

　　Fang Xing dismissively waved his hand. “Leave as you please!” As he spoke, he squatted down to start cleaning up while muttering to himself, “I bumped into some big character and thought I’d get something good out of it if I offered him food and drink. At least all the stories Fourth Uncle talked about had been like this. Who would have thought I’d bump into such a stingy monk…? I’m no monk myself, so why do I need to listen to some stupid sutra?”

　　Looking awkward, the Meat-Wine Monk hesitated before replying, “How about this; this poor monk shall owe you this time, and will repay you the next?”

　　“With interest?”

　　The Meat-Wine Monk was surprised but bitterly agreed, “Sure…”

　　Fang Xing’s eyes brightened once more as he stood and bowed with a smile. “Thank you, great master!”

　　The monk was left dumbstruck. Didn’t this boy change his face just a little too quickly?

　　“Why don’t you leave your mark first?” Fang Xing suggested, taking out a jade talisman in the process.

　　The Meat-Wine Monk’s face immediately froze. He stopped saying anything at all before turning and fleeing with a swoosh sound. Almost instantly, the monk had fled into the bushes without any hint of him.

　　This left both Fang Xing and the golden crow astonished; the monk had run away using such a crude method! It was only after some time had passed that Fang Xing began to grow angry. “What is this monk, fleeing after he’d drunk and eaten his fill!”

　　The golden crow rolled his eyes. “It’s only normal that anyone who meets you would want to flee!”

　　“Weren’t you the one who blinked at me so I would try to get something good from him?”

　　The golden crow sighed. “Is that how you ask for something good? You have to appear polite and courteous, pretend you don’t know he’s a famous big character, and have to treat him like your real grandfather. Then you pretend to accidentally let out you’re being bullied, that your life is at its wit’s end, and then maybe he’ll be moved enough to gift you something good….”

　　Initially speechless, it took Fang Xing quite some time before he cursed out, “That is way too shameless!”

　　“Your method of asking so directly for something is even more shameless!”

　　“Isn’t it good to be more open and honest?”

　　“Honesty does not mean behaving so shamelessly!”

　　The boy and crow both felt as though they’d let a great opportunity pass them by. Although they felt regret, the monk had already fled and there was no way they could bring him back anymore, so they cleaned up after themselves and got ready to return to the Valley of Hidden Dragon. Just as they ascended into the air, however, they suddenly felt a strong force of Qi coming from the northeastern part of the forest giving off a very astonishing sensation.

　　Both were surprised as they looked towards that direction. At the edge of the northeastern horizon, a five-colored rainbow quickly flew towards the sect, passing through this area of mountains and valleys. The rainbow was incredibly fast, and by the time the two looked again, only a faint shadow remained. The rainbow had already arrived over the top of the Qing-Yun Sect, turning into a ten-foot-long talisman that floated in the air above the sect with bright lights.

　　Swoosh swoosh swoosh

　　All the Foundation Stage cultivators from the Qing-Yun Sect either ended their seclusion early or came out from their cave estates. They all gathered inside the sect and looked up at the talisman.

　　“No need to worry, it is the Message Talisman from Fuyao Palace. The important guest has arrived early; all elders, prepare to welcome!”

　　—

　　[1] Diamond Sutra: One of the most influential Buddhist sutras that emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment.