After hanging up the painting,
Xu Lei's mind flashed back through the decade or so since he had transmigrated.
For a moment, a wave of complex emotions washed over him again.
'Time really flies.'
'Over a decade has passed in the blink of an eye.'
Xu Lei was now thirty-four years old, heading toward thirty-five.
Of course, his goal of having children was mostly complete, so it wasn't as if he had wasted his time.
Because of this, Xu Lei still felt a sense of accomplishment.
He felt that it would be fine if he were to die right now and end this first life.
However, he was only in his thirties; it wasn't his time to die of old age yet.
If he were to be killed in a sudden accident, that could potentially end this life.
But at almost thirty-five, his body was still healthy.
'Even if I were killed right now,' Xu Lei thought, 'I'd probably choose to revive first.'
After all, there was a gap of several decades between each reincarnation. Who knew what the world would be like in a few dozen years?
What if some terrible natural disaster erupted and wiped out all his descendants?
The possibility was small, but it still existed.
Therefore, as long as he could live, he might as well keep living.
「A few days later.」
On this day, Xu Lei was on the mountain behind the temple, heartily enjoying some roasted meat.
"Amitabha Buddha. What a sin, what a sin."
Suddenly, a sturdy young Monk appeared. He pressed his palm vertically and sighed, "Master Wu Tan! How can you be sneaking meat again!
"When you were just the Supervisor Zen Master of the Bu Zhong Hall, I turned a blind eye to you secretly breaking your vegetarian vows because the 'seed planting' took a toll on your body!
"But now, you are the Host! You should be leading by example. How can you break the precepts yourself?
"What would the other disciples in the temple think if they saw this? What would become of our decorum?
"How could you command their respect?
"If you continue like this, I will have no choice but to report your actions to Master Wu Gui."
Hearing this, Xu Lei looked at the sturdy young Monk and took another large bite of the roasted chicken in his hand.
The young Monk before him was the same boy who had come looking for Xu Lei in Physician Lu's village with Qi De all those years ago.
He was a disciple of the "Hui" generation, with the Buddhist name Hui Ming.
"Martial Nephew Hui Ming!"
Xu Lei chewed as he grinned. "You're just in time! This mountain chicken is quite large today, a bit much for me to handle alone.
"Come and help me with some of it.
"This chicken is incredibly plump and tender, and with my special seasoning, one bite is simply beyond words!
"Come on, I guarantee you'll fall in love with it once you try.
"No one will know, don't worry.
"I'm the Host now.
"As long as your rigid Master Wu Gui doesn't find out, everything will be fine here at Longyuan Temple!"
The so-called Wu Gui was the other sturdy young Monk who had come with Qi De back then.
He was of the Wu Generation.
The Wu Generation was one level higher than the Hui Generation.
Thus, when Xu Lei joined the temple, he became Hui Ming's martial uncle.
Back then, Xu Lei had casually given himself the Buddhist name Wu Tan, not thinking much of it at first.
He hadn't expected that upon entering the temple, he would discover the Wu Generation was actually quite senior.
And because of things like saving people with blood transfusions and Anti-Inflammatory Medicine, Qi De and the others truly believed Xu Lei had an Enlightened Monk backing him.
Therefore, as soon as he entered the temple, Xu Lei was given the same treatment as a member of the Wu Generation.
And so, Hui Ming had been calling Xu Lei "Martial Uncle" for over a decade.
Of course, Xu Lei and Wu Gui were both of the Wu Generation.
Between the two, whoever joined the temple first was the senior.
Therefore, Xu Lei had to address Wu Gui as "Senior Brother."
At Longyuan Temple, Wu Gui was now in charge of the Precepts Hall.
Currently, the most powerful people in the entire temple were Xu Lei, the Host, and Wu Gui, who managed the precepts.
To put it in terms of the Court's Government Office functions...
...Xu Lei, the Host, was in charge of administrative affairs;
...while Wu Gui, the Elder of the Precepts Hall, was in charge of judicial matters.
"Amitabha Buddha, what a sin."
Of course, upon hearing Xu Lei's words, Hui Ming swallowed, shook his head repeatedly, and turned away. Chanting a prayer, he said, "Master Wu Tan, say no more. This is the last time I will tolerate this.
"If you persist in your ways, I will go and inform Master Wu Gui.
"Let him have a good talk with you."
"Whether you tell him or not is your choice, Martial Nephew."
Xu Lei just smiled. "I won't stop you.
"But I'm still going to eat this meat.
"Martial Nephew, you are a Martial Monk. Why do you adhere to the precepts so strictly?
"If you don't eat meat, how will you have the strength for Martial Arts Training?
"Look at you. All these years, I started my Martial Arts Training after you, but my muscles are much bigger than yours now.
"Besides, 'wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Buddha remains in the heart.'
"Insisting on avoiding meat, isn't that just being attached to form?
"And besides, how can you get proper nutrition without eating meat?"
After speaking, Xu Lei picked up a flask of fine wine beside him and took a hearty swig.
That's right. Xu Lei had nothing to fear now.
He was the Host. Even if Wu Gui came, the most he would get was a lecture.
Wu Gui might threaten to report him to the Head Temple if he didn't change his ways.
Normally, Xu Lei would definitely be afraid of Wu Gui's nagging.
But now, he was thinking about leaving the temple.
So he wasn't afraid at all.
Although Wang Linfu's reforms had failed and the new emperor had become a Puppet after taking the throne, the Da Yu Dynasty probably wouldn't last much longer.
But the reforms had lasted for over a decade, which had extended its life a bit.
The decay was continuing now.
But it would probably still take a few more years before it truly collapsed.
Xu Lei had already spread his bloodline considerably through "Charitable Giving."
By the time the Da Yu Dynasty collapsed, his bloodline would surely have multiplied even more.
Therefore, he could completely take it easy.
He was getting a little tired of staying in the temple.
He already wanted to leave the temple and wander the world.
For example, to taste all the delicacies the world had to offer.
The incense at Longyuan Temple wasn't as popular as before, and there were no longer any suitable candidates for Xu Lei's "Charitable Giving" coming to pray for sons.
It would be better to enter the mortal world, to experience its hustle and bustle, and to see the beauties from all corners of the land!
If possible, he could sire another wave of offspring. After all, having more children was always an extra layer of security.
Besides, after entering the world, he wouldn't have to keep sleeping with married women; he could pick innocent young maidens he liked to bear his children.
After all, he was only thirty-four or thirty-five. Given his current state of health, Xu Lei estimated he could probably live for another twenty-three years.
Of course, if he got old, around fifty, and his body was injured, it might not be worth spending a life to revive.
But it wasn't a guarantee he would encounter danger and be killed.
In short, for the rest of his life, Xu Lei wanted to live freely and enjoy himself everywhere.
Hui Ming's brows furrowed.
"Of course, you don't actually need to bother Senior Brother Wu Gui, because I, your martial uncle, am preparing to leave the mountain soon."
Seeing this, Xu Lei smiled again. "The temple will be left in your and Senior Brother Wu Gui's hands. So, whether I eat meat or drink wine won't affect the other disciples. Don't worry."
"What?"
Hui Ming was stunned. "Leave the temple and go down the mountain? Master, are you saying you intend to renounce your vows or just travel?"
"Travel, just travel."
Xu Lei said, "It's because last night, my master came to me in a dream.
"He told me to enter the mortal world and train amidst its trials.
"He will meet with me when the time is right.
"Think about it, Martial Nephew. My master has summoned me. How could I not go?
"Can I really make my master come all the way here to find me?"
After all, if he renounced his vows, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the various benefits of being a Monk, such as exemption from mandatory labor.
Xu Lei was naturally unwilling to give that up, especially since he had made significant contributions to Longyuan Temple over the years.
But if he directly stated he wanted to enter the mortal world to live freely, with Wu Gui and Hui Ming's personalities, they would definitely not let him use the temple's incense money.
So, Xu Lei brought out the mysterious 'master' he had fabricated all those years ago!
"Your esteemed master is going to appear in the world?"
As expected, Hui Ming was a little excited when he heard this. "Is this true?"
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "A monk does not tell lies."
"..."
Of course, Hui Ming didn't take this statement seriously. After all, Xu Lei disregarded the precepts against meat, lust, and alcohol.
Whether he would actually uphold the verbal precept of 'not speaking falsehoods' was anyone's guess.
However, Xu Lei's contributions to the temple over the years were tangible, and he did indeed possess strange and unfathomable abilities.
Thus, both Wu Gui and Hui Ming turned a blind eye to his transgressions.
But they were both extremely interested in this mysterious master Xu Lei spoke of.
Over the past decade, they had inquired about him, both openly and secretly, numerous times.
They had even openly expressed their admiration for him on many occasions.
But Xu Lei had always said that this mysterious master was wandering the world and his whereabouts were unknown.
They could only drop the topic in disappointment.
They never expected that Xu Lei would bring it up on his own today.
"Master, you have been in the temple for many years and have seldom gone down the mountain."
Hui Ming thought for a moment and said, "It is indeed time for you to enter the world and travel for a while. As for the necessary travel funds, I will have to discuss with Master Wu Gui how much the temple can allocate."
"As it should be."
Xu Lei nodded. "Go on, go on. Anyway, Martial Nephew, get me a good amount of travel money. After all, I've brought so much popularity to the temple over the years. The temple has collected quite a bit of incense money because of me."
"Rest assured, Master."
Hui Ming nodded. "Amitabha Buddha."
Then he turned and left.
Watching Hui Ming's retreating back,
Xu Lei continued eating his roasted meat, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Because, in truth, he had intentionally let Hui Ming find him roasting meat today.
The purpose was to deliberately bring up these topics and steer the conversation to what he wanted to say.
As for the reason?
It was because when Xu Lei was reminiscing about the past, he suddenly realized that he could see through everyone else in Longyuan Temple.
But with Wu Gui and Hui Ming, he always had a feeling that he couldn't see through them.
These two were Martial Monks who practiced martial arts daily, without rest through summer or winter.
Furthermore, they abstained from women and never accepted Devotees for Charitable Giving in the Almsgiving Room, no matter how stunningly beautiful the married female Devotees were.
They also never ate meat, strictly adhering to a vegetarian diet, no matter how tempting the delicacies placed before them.
Even Qi De had been unable to resist breaking his vegetarian vows a few times over the years under Xu Lei's temptation.
'When we first met back then, Hui Ming and I were both youths.'
Xu Lei said to himself, 'But now, so many years have passed. I've become a middle-aged man, yet he still has the appearance of a youth.
'He looks so much younger than me. Is it really just because he's a vegetarian, abstains from women, and practices martial arts relentlessly?'