The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“That is, you can specify one item that is at the same level as a treasure you already possess. Do you understand?” explained the System patiently.

“I understand. Haha, that’s awesome!” Although skipping levels was not permitted, Fangzheng did not mind it. After all, it was something he was getting for nothing. Most importantly, he had no idea what he would request for even if he could skip levels. As for something of the same level… Fangzheng did some calculations and came to the conclusion that the most valuable item he had was probably the Yongle Bell!

Therefore Fangzheng did not hesitate to shout, “I want a drum that’s at the same level as the Yongle Bell!”

“Are you certain?” asked the System.

“Yes!”

“Alright, silly. I’ll give you a drum.” After the System said that, a blob of yellow light appeared in front of Fangzheng. Having had the experience with the Yongle Bell, Fangzheng was not foolish enough to release it. Instead, he ran up the drum tower and after confirming that no one could see him, he removed the Buddhist light. The next moment…

A black drum appeared in front of Fangzheng. The moment it appeared, Fangzheng felt as though he was inundated by the vicissitudes of time! The drum seemed to come from a world which had been lost to time. Simultaneously an extreme majesty spread out from it, making Fangzheng feel deep respect for the drum. The joy he originally had vanished. He stood there solemnly without any hint of rashness.

The drum was 6.2 meters tall. There was a black frame holding it up from below. But the frame was nothing intricate to speak of. Instead, it was unadorned, simple, and with a sense of savageness to it. It was as though the person who had made the drum was a savage, hence giving the drum an aura of savageness too. This drum seemed paradoxical. It was like a lurking beast. If it was not touched, it would lay there silently, but if anyone would dare touch it, the beast would immediately awaken, changing into a godlike existence to devour the disturber.

The drum’s surface was clearly made of leather, but it felt like metal. On careful inspection, there were unique patterns on it that were in the shape of lightning bolts. It was especially fascinating.

On the drum frame, there was a huge drumming stick. It was unknown what wood the stick was made of, but it was extremely heavy. When Fangzheng held it in his hands, he felt like he was carrying the bell hammer! Fangzheng estimated that to strike the drum with such a heavy drumming stick would probably produce gongs that could be heard fifty kilometers out.

“System Bro, what drum is this? Why doesn’t it appear harmonious like what Buddhism should entail? Instead, it has the ferocity of a beast,” asked Fangzheng worriedly.

“This is a Kui ¹ Wardrum. Back when the Yellow Thearch ² fought Chiyou ³ , the Yellow Thearch wove eighty drums with Kui hide with the help of the Mysterious Maiden of the Nine Heavens. The great might it possesses allowed it to resound 250 kilometers out with a single strike, and 1900 kilometers with three strikes. However, Chiyou was also highly capable with his numerous transformations. And yet, nine consecutive strikes forced him to stop and prevented him from flying away, allowing the Yellow Thearch to kill Chiyou at Qingqiu. As for these Kui Wardrums, they were augmented by immense merit for aiding the Thearch to kill Chiyou. They also mitigated the resentment from the soul of the Kui which perished. Kui was the mount of the God of Lightning and enjoyed extraordinary prestige. Even if he died, his hide still contained the might he possessed.”

Fangzheng said, “Stop kidding. This drum does not look anything like something that has been augmented with great merit. Nor does it look like a drum that has mitigated resentment. It looks more like a drum with raging resentment. To be honest, what the heck is this?”

Fangzheng understood how much of an a**hole the System was. The douchebag often paused mid-sentence, so the better the initial description was, the more definite it was that there was something negative awaiting him.

As expected, the System chuckled. “It’s true that this isn’t one of the eighty drums, but the drum of a fiend who created a replica of the Kui Wardrum after killing a Kui. In order to strengthen its might, the fiend used eighty-one means to torture the Kui. Finally the Kui was tortured to death, which is why the resentful aura from the drum seems to be raging! If an ordinary person were to strike it, their soul could scatter simply from the surging of the Kui’s resentful aura.”

“That can’t be! Then why did you give this to me? Take it away! I don’t want it! I want a refund!” Fangzheng jumped in fright as he exclaimed.

“You don’t want it? Do you think this is some online purchase which gives you a seven-day return period, no questions asked? It’s already been given to you, and you can only put it there. However, you don’t have to be afraid. This drum has already been sealed. Striking it won’t kill you, but… If your Buddhist Dharma isn’t profound enough, if you have nefarious thoughts in you, or if you lack the required broad-mindedness, you will be half-dead from the scare one strike brings you, as well as having a month of nightmares.”

Fangzheng was left completely speechless. This wasn’t an evening drum, it was lethal drum!

“What will people feel like when this is struck?”

“If placed outside, it would be a fiendish drum which causes unrest to all beings within 50 kilometers. But in the monastery, with the existence of the monastery, the incense, the wishes of all beings, and the Ten Thousand Buddha plaque’s repression, it won’t be able to do much. When the gongs sound, it will not sound anything different from an evening drum. Moreover, you have the Yongle Bell which is a Buddhist sacred artifact. The Bell concentrates immense Buddhist powers, allowing the bell gongs to eliminate the negative effects of the drum. If you want the details, you can give it a try,” said the System.

Fangzheng immediately heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. He was really afraid that he would cause the death of millions of beings with a strike of his drum. He would truly be in trouble when that happened.

As he looked at the black drum in front of him, Fangzheng ultimately failed to garner the courage to strike it. He looked into the sky and mumbled. “Forget it. I’ll strike it together with the Yongle Bell in the evening. Morning bell, evening drum. I’ve finally completed the set.”

After he descended the drum tower, Fangzheng suddenly thought of a problem. “System, why did you call me silly? Was there a problem with me choosing an item at the same level as the Yongle Bell?”

“The most valuable item in your monastery is the Ten Thousand Buddha plaque. Its value comes from every Bodhisattva on it. If you were to choose an evening drum at the Ten Thousand Buddha plaque level, you would have automatically received one of the eighty war drums that was augmented with great merit. Tell me, aren’t you silly?”

Fangzheng’s eyes immediately turned red as he exclaimed, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Professional integrity. Heaven’s secrets are not to be revealed. What a pity. However, it’s not like you really lost out. This drum is still not bad. Perhaps it will become an opportunity by a stroke of luck. Who knows?” chuckled the System.

Fangzheng looked up into the sky as he said through clenched teeth, “If you were human, I guarantee you I’d teach you a lesson!”

Although Fangzheng did not cause too much of a stir, the addition of such a huge drum in the drum tower naturally could not be concealed. Soon Squirrel, Monkey, Lone Wolf, and Red Boy discovered the drum and immediately sought out Fangzheng…

“Master, when did we get a drum?” Squirrel jumped onto Fangzheng’s shoulder and exclaimed excitedly.

“Master, this drum is really huge!” cried Lone Wolf.

Monkey said, “Amitabha. Master, this drum looks impressive.”

Red Boy narrowed his eyes and did not say a word. He knew Fangzheng was odd and that the backer he had was terrifyingly powerful. Therefore, he was not surprised that strange things would pop up in Fangzheng’s possessions.

Fangzheng said, “I just put it up.”