8. The Reluctant Monk

"Sigh..." Bai Zongnan couldn't help but let out a long breath. Although he had long suspected something like this would happen after his death, actually seeing the information made him feel uneasy.

"So my fate is already sealed—is my time truly up?" Bai Zongnan stroked his chin.

But...

The last time the myth descended, there seemed to be no choice; he simply accepted the role of Wu Song. Furthermore, it was only in the final stage, when seeking the riddle of birth, that Li Sihui’s hint allowed him to understand.

This time, Bai Zongnan gave up the choice of mythic crystal without hesitation and chose to alter the trajectory of his life.

Though he did not know exactly what it entailed, he had a vague premonition—this change would have a profound impact on him.

"No matter what, this is my only choice!" Bai Zongnan looked resolutely into the depths of his own soul, where a golden orb of light was suspended.

"Life trajectory selection complete! You now possess the right to choose your own fate!"

"Life trajectory selection:"

"Do you wish to execute?"

"Execute!" Bai Zongnan answered without hesitation. At this moment, regardless of where life might go, tragedy was already destined; he might as well seize what he truly wanted.

"Congratulations, 'Bai Zongnan,' for choosing to become a man of the Buddhist order. From this moment, you shall wander the mortal world, awaiting rebirth to begin a new life." The inspiration dialog box flickered slowly, announcing a new quest.

"Is this a brand-new beginning?" Bai Zongnan looked at the task assigned by the system, a proud smile blooming on his lips.

He did not know how others would react after viewing their memories, or indeed if they even could. But for him, after witnessing it all, he understood what his future would be.

Light and shadow danced before his eyes, the scene shifting...

Bai Zongnan felt his mind grow increasingly muddled, his once-clear memories gradually fading away.

Time’s passage seemed to both slow and accelerate...

At last—

"Luda! Why are you daydreaming? I’m talking to you—we need to get going!"

Bai Zongnan jolted as if awakened from a dream, gazing in confusion at the person beside him who was patting his shoulder.

The man wore a gold-belted monk’s robe and held a long staff in one hand; his face was honest and broad, his expression full of concern for Bai Zongnan.

"The abbot said we must reach County L before the fifteenth. If we’re late, the bandits will have already fled!" The honest youth continued to pat Bai Zongnan’s shoulder.

Bai Zongnan finally came to his senses, glancing around at the barren hills—so this was County L.

"Abbot?" Bai Zongnan asked, puzzled.

"Ah, your master! Don’t ask so many questions. Come on, we have to hurry or we’ll be too late."

"Oh, all right!" With little time to think, Bai Zongnan accepted that he must now follow the script set for him in this world.

The two hurried on, reaching County L just as the sun rose.

"This..." Bai Zongnan stared blankly at the scene before him—what was this chaos?

"Luda, what’s wrong? Why are you spacing out? Let’s go!" The honest youth tugged Bai Zongnan toward the city.

"The abbot says things have gotten a bit dangerous in County L these past days. Let’s go in and gather information." The youth was anxious.

"Oh." Bai Zongnan nodded, inwardly recalling his own background.

"My name is Luda. My monastic name is Zhishen, given by the elder Zhizhen of Mount Wutai. Before entering the Buddhist order, I served as a centurion in the military."

Once inside the city, the two split up to investigate.

Not long after, the honest young man returned, sweating profusely. "Luda, do you know why this is happening?"

"Hmm? Why?" Bai Zongnan’s bewildered expression only made him seem more innocent.

"They say bandits have stirred up trouble in County L, killing many civilians. The officials are cracking down, sending troops to suppress them!"

"Bandits?" Bai Zongnan frowned. This sounded far more troublesome than the mere brigands they’d encountered before; those had only numbered a few dozen, but now the government was dispatching thousands of soldiers.

For these bandits to even dare provoke the authorities...

"Exactly! Apparently, an imperial envoy has arrived in County L, which has emboldened the bandits to challenge the emperor’s authority," the young man said gravely.

"An imperial envoy?" Bai Zongnan mused. "Seems this time I need not worry for my safety. I can focus on training and seeking martial arts manuals."

"Do I not look just like a martial arts fanatic?"

Having figured things out, Bai Zongnan grinned widely. He suddenly felt the urge to test his strength, to see what level he was at. "Let’s go, Honest Brother. Let’s find a martial arts school."

The honest youth stared at him in surprise. "You just barely recovered some of your energy—why do you want to find a martial arts school now?"

Bai Zongnan smiled. "My master is a great man. I want to learn some powerful martial arts."

At these words, the honest young man’s eyes widened. "Luda, are you planning to walk the path of the martial monk?"

"Of course! What else could I do?" Bai Zongnan replied matter-of-factly.

"Luda, you... Ai!" The young man shook his head. "Don’t you know? You’re a martial monk!"

"Martial monk? What’s that?" Bai Zongnan was genuinely confused and had to ask.

"A martial monk is a monk specially trained for combat."

"A fighting monk..." Bai Zongnan pondered. "So, a warrior who specializes in battle?"

"Yes, but you’re a different kind of martial monk." The young man’s tone became serious as he explained, "Martial monks are warriors who, under certain conditions, can gain extraordinary strength through training."

"Such warriors are rare in every country—one in a million, really."

"The methods of training differ by region—Great Tang, Northern Wei, Southern Chen... each has its own path."

"Our Mount Wutai specializes in Daoist techniques, while your martial world emphasizes hand-to-hand fighting."

"The ranks of martial monks are divided into three levels: novice, adept, and master."

"Each person’s aptitude and training method is different, because the path they follow is different. It’s a fiercely competitive world—only the very best martial monks stand out among the great sects and receive the best resources."

"And you, Luda..." The young man chuckled, giving Bai Zongnan’s shoulder a meaningful pat. "You’re a martial monk, so I’d advise you to just go back to the monastery!"

"Uh, no way. I’m a man, after all—how could I resign myself to being just a monk?" Bai Zongnan protested.

"Then don’t bother taking the martial monk test. Even if you scraped through, you’d never be taken seriously. Better to accept your lot now."