Chapter 164: Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is a Big Pork Knuckle
Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is a Big Pork Knuckle
On the fringes of the crowd, as the only man present with a full head of hair—and who had been forgotten by the boss—Fang Xian tried to speak up several times.
The reaction of the Heavenly Buddha Temple disciples was beyond anything Fang Xian had imagined. He was used to seeing them with the transcendent air of enlightened masters, untouched by worldly desires. How had they fallen from grace, now scrambling and fighting amongst themselves?
The strange thing was that amidst all the scrambling, there was an inexplicable sense of harmony.
It was as if... this sort of thing happened all the time.
"Boss Lu?"
Cradling his lemon tea, Fang Xian mumbled the name. ’It sounds a little familiar.’
Seeing he wouldn’t be able to squeeze through anytime soon, Fang Xian took out his One World Communication and typed in two words.
In the next instant, he was flooded with results.
"Why Are So Many Foodies Crying in Yuanhai City?"
"Sea Clan Offers Huge Bounty for Boss Lu’s Next Pop-Up Location. Confirmed Tip-Offs Rewarded with All-Inclusive Seven-Day Undersea Tour."
"From Brothers-in-Arms to Mortal Enemies: All It Took Was a Single Crab Roe Burger."
...
The sheer number of posts left Fang Xian dizzy. He clicked on a few, and every single one mentioned Boss Lu.
After scrolling for a bit, Fang Xian finally recalled a post he’d seen a long time ago. It was about a fellow ascetic who, after eating a certain dish, had abandoned his Ascetic training and joined the Carefree Path instead.
And it had mentioned Lu Wu’s name.
At the time, he had scoffed at the idea, dismissing the person as a heretic and giving it no further thought.
As the saying goes, the end of doubt is the beginning of truth.
Now, with Boss Lu right in front of him, and having witnessed the monks’ frenzied behavior and tasted the lemon tea for himself, Fang Xian had found his truth.
After clicking on a few more posts, Fang Xian’s gaze was uncontrollably drawn to the photos of food, all of which looked incredibly delicious.
Steaming-hot snail rice noodles, stacked mini-burgers, crispy savory crepes...
There were so many. The posts were flooded with photos shared by customers, taken from every possible angle. Each picture made Fang Xian want to gorge himself.
SLAP!
Fang Xian snapped his One World Communication shut, but the appetite it had stirred up was already triggering a physical reaction.
Fang Xian’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
’No!’
’A taste was enough. I absolutely cannot let a mere food stall owner corrupt my cultivation path!’
’I am an Ascetic. I cultivate my body, but more importantly, my mind.’
"I will not yield to temptation. No matter how many tempting little food demons appear, they will not sway my heart."
"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form... Emptiness is... a giant pork knuckle—spit! No, it’s ice powder... Spit, spit, spit."
With his back to the stall, Fang Xian couldn’t go on.
Even though he’d sealed his sense of smell, the images burned into his mind’s eye continued to torment him, making it impossible to quiet his thoughts.
By now, Lu Wu was already serving the third monk.
More and more monks got their milk tea. They gathered in groups to enjoy it, praising it endlessly.
"This Smashed Lemon Tea is amazing! It’s sour, it’s sweet, and it’s cleared my head completely. I suddenly understand a scripture that’s been stumping me for ages!"
"Me too! After one lick of the milk foam, so many different ideas just clicked into place."
"Senior Brother, you lick the foam too?"
"Lick it? I scraped the cup clean of every last bit of foam stuck to the sides. Can’t let it go to waste."
"Junior Brother, how ’bout a kiss? I’ve got my eye on that bit of foam on your lip."
"Get lost!"
"I prefer the pearls. They’re so chewy, with a strong caramel flavor. It’s like they dance when you bite into them."
"And look at these huge strawberries! So sweet and so satisfying."
The customers’ praise grew more and more elaborate, and with it, they managed to capture Fang Xian’s attention once more.
At some point, he had unsealed his sense of smell.
The air was filled with the scents of milk, tea, and fruit, each one a fragrant hook. Just breathing it in, Fang Xian felt his mood lighten considerably.
’I need more.’
The stomach that had tasted lemon tea was screaming for an encore.
The corners of his mouth began to curl up. He opened his mouth, flailed forward, and took a firm bite of one of those invisible hooks.
One step, two steps...
Fang Xian got in line behind the others and, copying the monks, stood on his tiptoes to count how many people were still ahead of him.
’This isn’t surrendering to desire,’ he told himself. ’It’s about experiencing desire in order to conquer it.’
’This, too, is a higher state of Ascetic training.’
He was certain that after confronting this demon called "milk tea," he would be able to overcome it, thereby achieving a new level of spiritual clarity and enlightenment.
The wait was excruciating.
Especially watching the other customers downing one cup after another while his own hands were still empty.
The anxious anticipation made Fang Xian want to shove aside the monks in front of him and shout, "Let me go next!"
"Let me go!"
The booming shout echoed in all directions.
The source was behind Fang Xian. The shout made his own heart hammer in his chest.
He turned to see that several more ascetics had arrived at the summit. He had no idea how long they’d been there, but they were now staring at the stall, their eyes gleaming with desire.
When you’re starving and parched, and a fragrant cup of milk tea is placed before you, do you hold fast to your ascetic vows, or do you let go and embrace the milk tea?
The one who had shouted chose the latter.
"I knew it! The Ascetic life isn’t for me! I was made for eating and drinking! Carefree Path, here I come!"
After the long climb up the mountain, he was so thirsty his throat felt like it was on fire.
To him, those cups of milk tea, radiating a cool mist, were nothing short of a life-saving elixir. Ignoring everyone else, he lunged for the stall.
"Boss, I want..."
He hadn’t even finished his request when a fist loomed large in his vision.
And just like that, simple and unadorned, a black eye was born. But it wasn’t over. Another hand shot out from the side and grabbed the ascetic who had dared to cut the line.
"So you want to cut in line, do you? So you’re blind, are you? So you want a drink, is that it? Hehehe..."
All the frustration from the long wait was vented on this poor ascetic. The monks didn’t hold back at all.
Some of the more malicious monks even aimed for particularly painful spots.
Fang Xian couldn’t resist getting in a few vicious kicks of his own.
’On the mountain path, we were comrades. Here, we are rivals. You dare cut in line? I’ll kill you.’
After a flurry of punches and kicks, the customers had vented their frustrations, and the ascetic lying on the ground had come to his senses.
No bones were broken, but it hurt. A lot.
It hurt so much that he saw stars when he finally got back on his feet.
"I already said I was sorry! You guys are ruthless."
The disgraced ascetic had no fight left in him. He rubbed his swollen cheek, hung his head, and limped to the back of the line.
’Fine, I’ll wait in line. Is that okay?’
He could endure the thirst. What he couldn’t endure was another beating.
*Sob*, it hurts, kiss it and make it better...
With this clear object lesson before them, the other ascetics dutifully got in line.
However, not every Ascetic was seduced by the milk tea. Some sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating and pointedly ignoring the commotion.
Others were caught in the same internal struggle as Fang Xian had been.
"Brother, take my advice. The sooner you make peace with it, the sooner you get to drink."
Now with only one person ahead of him, Fang Xian was in a great mood. Speaking as one who had been there, he began to advise the struggling ascetic, recounting his own recent battle with his Heart Demon.
"In the end, you won’t be able to resist the Heart Demon’s assault anyway. You might as well not even hesitate in the first place."
"See? Someone else just got in line behind you."
The Heavenly Buddha Temple had no shortage of disciples, and more and more of them were arriving as news spread.
The line was growing longer.
"Milk tea, wait for me!"