The abbots quarters in the temple were simple and old-fashioned, with a wooden table and bench, and a green lamp shining on peoples faces.

  It was only after Meng Qi entered the Zhai Tang that he realized there were dozens of miscellaneous monks, with at least fifty or sixty people. It seems that the total number of monks in Shaolin Temple is likely to be counted in thousands.

  In the midst of a group of gray-robed monks, no one noticed Meng Qi and the other newly arrived young monks sitting on their stools, waiting for the duty monk to bring in the food boxes.

  "Little brother, sit here." Meng Qi had a big secret in his heart and was trapped in an unfamiliar place. It was rare to have a silly and foolish Zhen Hui by his side, so he took care of him with the mentality of an adult, which also relieved his fear of being alone.

  Zhen Huis expression was always serious, and no nervous emotions could be seen. She sat down opposite Meng Qi with a big and steady manner, her eyes fixed on the food box nearby.

  "Has this kid been starved silly before?" Meng Qi muttered to himself, suspecting that Zhen Huis IQ was defective, otherwise he wouldnt be so wooden.

  The monks who were on duty finally arrived at Meng Qis table with the food boxes. As soon as the lids were opened, the aroma wafted up and filled their senses.

  "How fragrant!" Meng Qi couldnt help but exclaim, and thought suspiciously in his heart: "Is the cooking skills of Shaolin really that high? Or is it because Im too hungry?"

  The servant carefully took out the dishes from the food box and placed them one by one on the table. Meng Qi looked at them intently, and suddenly felt stunned. This...this seemed to be meat?

  In the plain white bowl in the center, that chunky, oily thing should be meat, right?

  But this is a temple of monks!

  Meng Qi hesitantly picked up his chopsticks, intending to pick up a piece to taste, but with a few swift movements, chopsticks came stretching from left and right, front and back, and the suspicious meat-like substance in the sea bowl immediately decreased by a whole layer. The miscellaneous monks at this table were all extraordinary when it came to grabbing food.

  Looking at Zhen Hui with a mouthful of greasy food, Meng Qi became even more certain of his guess, and while sighing that they were really good at snatching food, he picked up a piece and put it into his own mouth.

  Rich but not greasy, melts in your mouth, extremely delicious, truly a heavenly delight!

  Damn its really awesome!

  Meng Qi felt that only profanity could express his current mood, first to vent his own frustration and second to express his unbelievable emotions.

  "Hey, little brother." Meng Qi called out softly to Zhen Hui.

  Zhen Huis chopsticks flew as she ate, her mouth never stopping, her small face with clear eyebrows and bright eyes was full of focused expression: "Huh?"

  "This is meat!" Meng Qi felt he had a duty to remind his younger brother, not to fall into the trap and violate the precepts.

  Zhen Hui nodded sincerely and said vaguely: "Its meat."

  Im not asking you... Meng Qi felt a bit difficult communicating with Zhen Hui.

  At this time, someone beside him said coldly: "Before opening wisdom, just abstain from pungent and spicy food."

  "Isnt rou just meat?" Meng Qi subconsciously retorted, only to realize that the person sitting next to him was his "roommate" Zhen Guan.

  Zhen Guan didnt stop eating and said with a hint of mockery, "Youre from a noble family, yet you dont even understand the word meat?"

  This hit Meng Qis weakness, and for a moment he didnt know how to respond. Suddenly, a young monk with a clear face and eyebrows from the side front smiled and said: "The strong flavor of onions and garlic is not specifically referring to meat, but in recent years, people often use 荤 (xīn) to refer to meat, Masters younger brother doesnt know, its actually normal."

  Meng Qi nodded solemnly, and the young monk continued: "Originally, Buddhism only prohibited killing living beings and eating pungent foods, but not meat. Later, out of compassion, it gradually became forbidden as well. However, Shaolin is a major school of martial arts in the world, and many disciples engage in physical training to strengthen their bodies. If they didnt eat meat and lacked spiritual herbs and medicine to supplement their diet, it would be detrimental to their health. Therefore, the Shaolin Precepts state that before opening ones aperture, disciples should follow the original intention of only abstaining from pungent foods, but not killing living beings."

  Does that mean secular disciples or farmers at the foot of the mountain can slaughter them? Meng Qi probably understood what was going on. As a Buddhist martial arts sect, Shaolin must consider the physical condition of its disciples in the ascetic phase, so it makes an exception according to the original intention of Buddhism.

  Seeing this young monks extraordinary demeanor and clear logic, Meng Qi felt a sense of admiration and smiled, asking: "May I ask, what is your Dharma name?"

  "Mahāvairocana". The young monks wooden chopsticks didnt stop moving.

  Meng Qi continued to ask: "Shi Di Zhen Ding, dare to ask Shi Xiong, what does Kai Huo mean?"

  He is relying on his young body to shirk responsibility and forcibly enlighten others by pretending that he has not been taught by his family yet.

  Zhenyan burst out laughing and pointed to the wooden table with his left hand: "Youll know later, first take care of your mouth and stomach."

  Meng Qi followed his finger and saw that seven or eight dishes on the table had been emptied by half!

  Damn it! This group of bastards, none of them waited for me!

  After muttering a curse, Meng Qi picked up his chopsticks and joined the fray.

  …………

  After finally eating his fill, Meng Qi wiped his mouth and strolled back to the Zen room with Zhen Hui.

  "Ah, to be honest, the standard of this meal is still a bit off. At first, I thought it was delicious, but its probably just because I was too hungry." Meng Qi rubbed his belly and let out a satisfied belch as he evaluated tonights dinner.

  Zhen Hui thought seriously for a moment: "The food I had before cant compare to this time, but since Shixiong thinks its slightly worse, then it must be slightly worse."

  "Ah, so you believe me?" Meng Qi saw that Zhen Hui spoke quite reasonably and felt that he might still be salvageable, so he curiously followed his words and asked.

  Zhen Hui raised his hand and touched his own bald head, looking a bit embarrassed as he said: "I think youre a good person, Shixiong. You dont dislike me like others do, so I trust you."

  "On the Relationship Between Childhood Experiences and Mental Illness" …… Meng Qis mind somehow came up with this topic.

  Just as he was about to blow the cowhide again and establish his senior brothers brilliant image, Xuanshen walked over with a swollen belly: "Hey, you two, go sweep the yard, wait for Master Uncle to give you more knowledge of Jianghu."

  Meng Qi suddenly became interested and asked about the location of the broom after inquiring clearly, and then called Zhen Hui to go to the corner of the courtyards storage room.

  As a miscellaneous monk, one must have the awareness of being arranged to do things at any time. Meng Qi did not reject this, as long as it was not too excessive and not specifically targeted, just like when reading books or working, the class teacher or boss assigns tasks, arranges for cleaning, which is not a rare thing.

  Sweep, sweep, sweep, the broom sweeps across the grayish-white stone floor, raising dust and removing fallen leaves.

  Meng Qi and Zhen Huis still somewhat underdeveloped bodies found swinging the broom a bit of a strain, but it was manageable; after all, the yard was frequently swept and wasnt too dirty.

  As he swept, Meng Qi suddenly had a strange and interesting idea, and he chuckled to himself, putting on an old voice: "Young Master, does this count as being a Shaolin Sweeping Monk?"

  A sigh, the path of progress for a generation of great men.

  "Uh-huh, Sweeping Monk." Zhen Hui continued sweeping without lifting his head.

  Meng Qis smile was stuck on his lips, and he let out a sigh, thinking to himself: "Not understanding the joke is really no fun!"

  Cheer up, Meng Qi cooperated with Zhen Hui, and they swept the yard clean before dark. Then, he saw a gray-clad monk carrying a bench into the yard, and they sat down in an orderly manner.

  "Very skilled indeed......" Meng Qi suspected that Xuan Xin was often telling everyone about his adventures in the Jianghu.

  By the time it got dark, Xuan Xin walked out of his own Zen room with a full and contented look on his face. Immediately, several lay monks came up to greet him, some setting out stools and others lighting lamps, all very diligent.

  "Senior brother, what is Jianghu hearsay?" Mu Mu muttered, seemingly a bit interested in this.

  "This, this, its a long story. Let Master Xuanxin explain first, and then Ill slowly explain it to you." Meng Qi, who had just arrived, didnt have the heart to explain the "complicated" terms to Zhen Hui, so he sat down on the stool and waited for Xuanxin to start.

  Xuan Xin looked around in a circle, satisfied to see the eager expressions, and after coughing once, said: "Today I will continue to tell you all about that great battle I experienced in Jiangzhou City."

  It is said that both "Flying Night Yaksha" and I, Ye Yuxin, are renowned figures on the earth list. In that one battle, we fought fiercely, with the land scorched for a hundred miles and the Yangtze River frozen over. My Master was compassionate and couldnt bear to see the people suffer, so he chanted a Buddhist mantra, intending to dispel the private grudges between the two of us...

  He spoke with flying eyebrows and colorful language, but the miscellaneous monks below had different expressions, mostly half contemptuous and half expectant.

  "Is Master Xuanshen so formidable?" When listening to the stories of Jianghu, Zhenhui was much more lively than usual, seemingly having an interest in it similar to that of food.

  The sleepy monk didnt even turn his head, and said in a fine voice like a mosquito: "Flying Heavenly Yaksha is the master of Jiangzuos Jiangshi Fist, while Ice Fairy Ye Yuxi is the wife of Mr. Lu Daxian from Huashan Villa in Northern Zhou, both ranking among the top thirty on the Earth List, similar to the first seats of Shaolins Damo and Bodhi Institutes."

  Dharma and Bodhi two temples, miscellaneous affairs temple executive monk... Meng Qi suddenly understood that Xuan Xin was bragging, of course he bragged very skillfully, cleverly grafting the great events that had occurred in the rivers and lakes onto himself.

  This lazy monk is more knowledgeable than the cold and stern Abbot.

  Zhen Hui continued to ask foolishly: "Master Xuan Xin is actually so powerful!"

  He didnt understand the implied meaning of Zhenyings words at all.

  Meng Qi pulled his cassock and whispered: "The first seat is much more powerful than Master Xuan Xin."

  "Then... " Zhen Hui wanted to ask, if Master Xuan Xin was not formidable, why could he still stop this great war? But before she could continue, Meng Qi waved his hand to signal her to stop, telling her to go back and ask again later, lest she be overheard by Master Xuan Xin and incur his wrath.

  Xuan Xin spoke with great enthusiasm, and it wasnt until a while later that he finished telling the story of this "Wanjia Shengfo" legend. Finally, he looked at Meng Qi, Zhen Hui, and other new novice monks: "Do you have any questions? As for Jianghu affairs, I, your master, know everything."

  Meng Qi hastily said: "Xuan Xin Shifu, we know very little about Jianghu affairs. When you speak like this, many things are not clear to us."

  "That makes sense, if you cant understand it, you wont be able to truly feel my majesty." Xuan Xin nodded and cleared his throat, "Then Ill introduce you to some common knowledge of the Jianghu, starting with the four great temples of Buddhism."

  "Thank you, Master Xuan Xin." Meng Qi said with great delight.

  "With a pleased expression, he said: Although there are many martial arts sects and schools in the world, when it comes to those who can truly master the essence of martial arts, only the four Buddhist temples, three Taoist sects, six sword schools, six orthodox schools, nine demonic paths, fourteen aristocratic families, as well as the legacies left behind by the six external masters."

  As for the six external Taoist schools, he also didnt seem too sure, but that didnt stop him from continuing: "The four Buddhist temples are our Great Jin Shaolin Temple, Northern Zhous Water Moon Hermitage, Western Regions Vajra Temple, and... Langke Temple."

  When mentioning the Lanke Temple, he paused again, revealing a somewhat uncertain look, and then said with a hint of annoyance: "To be honest, Ive never understood why Lanke Temple is included in the four major Buddhist temples. Their whereabouts are unknown to anyone, their disciples are few and far between, and they have no earth-shaking achievements."

  The other miscellaneous monks also seemed to have heard this statement for the first time, and they curiously asked: "If so, why is Lanke Temple listed as one of the four major temples in Buddhism?"

  Xuan Xin started to show off again, saying: "Its said that the abbot was a traveler in his youth and once met the successor of Lan Ke Temple. Later, he only mentioned this matter with one sentence: If there is fate, Lan Ke Temple is just around the corner; if not, even if its right next to you, its still far away."

  The horizon is at arms length, but the distance to the horizon is infinite?

  So mysterious!

  Including Meng Qi, each of the gray-robed monks was shocked, bewildered, curious and frightened.

  Seeing himself stunning the miscellaneous monks, Xuanshin chuckled and said: "Lets get back to the main topic, let me tell you about my Shaolin Temple first."

  "Several tens of thousands of years ago, the Demon Buddha wreaked havoc on the world and was suppressed by the Buddha. However, the Tathagata Divine Palm was lost as a result, leaving no trace. It wasnt until two thousand years ago that my Shaolin ancestor, Bodhidharma, came from the southern wilderness, crossed the river on a single reed, and happened to obtain the third form of the Tathagata Divine Palm. This supreme and unparalleled Buddhist art was thus revived in the world."

  "Although there is no overall framework, the founder of Damos heavenly endowment, facing the wall for ten years, from the third move of The Buddhas Divine Palm, he enlightened the Yi Jin Jing and many other ultimate skills, creating my Shaolin lineage. In just a hundred years, it has become one of the largest martial arts schools in the world. Later, through the joint efforts of successive generations of ancestors and divine monks, my Shaolin school has developed 72 ultimate skills, including Yi Jin Jing, as well as other temple treasures like The Great Dream Sutra and The Moka Fumo Fist. As for which ancestor or divine monk created or obtained these skills, I will discuss that later."

  What Devil Buddha, what "Tathagata Divine Palm", what "True Scripture of the Great Dream" and "Mahakala Demon Subduing Fist", Meng Qis heart was shaken by these names, and a sense of longing arose. The martial world of this world is probably not as simple as he imagined, with gods and Buddhas everywhere! Of course, it may just be legend.

  Coughing suddenly, Xuanshin smiled and said: "Its already late at night, lets continue tomorrow."

  Having said that, he immediately got up and flashed into the Zen room.

  This is really frustrating! Meng Qi was just about to hear the seventy-two supreme skills, the Golden Temple and other things, now its really annoying, itching with anxiety, but Xuan Xin has already left.

  Having tidied up the courtyard, Meng Qi and Zhen Hui quietly returned to the Chan room. Zhen Guan and Zhen Ying were already fast asleep, their breathing sounds lingering on.

  The two of them didnt speak, each taking off their shoes and socks, lying down on the bed, as if still immersed in the world of martial arts that Xuan Xin had described earlier.

  "Little brother, are you willing to be a miscellaneous monk forever and never learn the Shaolin ultimate skills?" Meng Qi suddenly asked in a low voice amidst the silence.

  Zhen Hui asked doubtfully: "Senior brother, what is meant by willingly?"

  "Its just happy, willing, and liking, dont want more." Meng Qi felt it was a bit difficult to communicate with Xiao Hui again.

  "Being able to eat, sleep, work and be full, being able to listen to Master Xuanxins stories, Im very content, its much better than before."

  He added, "If I can learn the Tathagata Divine Palm, that would be even better."

  Pfft, Meng Qis saliva almost sprayed out, really dont know if Zhen Hui is resigned to it or not.

  Meng Qi hesitated for a moment, just about to speak, when he suddenly discovered that Zhen Huis breathing had become light and she had fallen asleep.

  The entire Zen room fell silent, with only a few breaths rising and falling gently, which made the night even deeper and more secluded.

  The bright moon outside the window hangs high, casting a layer of silvery white on the ground, like frost.

  Meng Qi gazed at this serene and peaceful scene, and the past surged up in his mind, memories of longing, sorrow, wandering, confusion, and self-pity flooding his heart.

  The day is too busy to think so much, so this quiet night is particularly "soulful".

  That unforgettable past, that heart-wrenching "goodbye", made Meng Qi unable to fall asleep for a long time.

  It wasnt until this moment that he truly understood the real meaning of Qinglians poem.

  "The bright moonlight is in front of the bed, I suspect its frost on the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, and lower my head to think of my hometown."

  Gazing out at the cold moon through the window, Meng Qi was momentarily stunned.