The next morning, Huo Yuanzhen drank a small bowl of porridge with barely any rice grains in it, then set off down the mountain.
The environment on Mount Shaoshi was tranquil, with tall, ancient pines and cypress trees, lush green grass, and the sounds of birds and cicadas from time to time. Occasionally, squirrels or rabbits could be seen darting through the woods.Huo Yuanzhen, who was deeply troubled about how to develop the sect, felt a little better as he walked, appreciating the scenery of the forest.Suddenly, a melodious song reached his ears, a female voice, clear and pleasant."It's her!"Huo Yuanzhen immediately recognized the voice as the shepherd girl from the village below.Having crossed into the body of Yi Jie, Huo Yuanzhen naturally inherited Yi Jie's memories, and he had a deep impression of the cute shepherd girl from when they were children.Her name was Lin Rou, a local girl from Fenglin Village, and she had known Yi Jie since childhood. Now, at sixteen, she had grown into a graceful young woman, and every day she led a large black dog to tend sheep by the mountainside.Whenever Lin Rou sang, the people working nearby would stop and listen to the mountain song. It was a form of leisure and enjoyment.Such authentic folk songs were something Huo Yuanzhen couldn't experience in his previous life, which was filled with an endless array of hollow sounds. Now, these songs had a unique flavor to him.He strolled slowly, enjoying the music when suddenly, he heard Lin Rou scream and a few men's laughter in the distance."Not good!"Sensing that something was wrong with Lin Rou, Huo Yuanzhen quickly threw aside his shabby yellow monk robe and hurried in the direction of the sound.Although the "Pure Boy Skill" was a rather morally questionable martial art, it had its benefits. For one, Huo Yuanzhen now had internal energy and a light, healthy body, so he ran quickly.He soon reached the edge of the forest and saw the hillside meadow ahead, where Lin Rou often tended her sheep.At this moment, Lin Rou was in danger, with two young men dressed in green standing in front of her. They were speaking and trying to touch her.Lin Rou dodged while screaming, and the two men laughed loudly."Stop!"Although Lin Rou hadn't been harmed yet, Huo Yuanzhen couldn't stand by and watch her being bullied. He shouted and ran over.When he reached them, Lin Rou's eyes lit up with joy when she saw Yi Jie, but she quickly shouted, "Little monk, don't come over! These two are village ruffians, and they're tough. You're no match for them! Go up the mountain and call your brothers. They have martial arts skills."Huo Yuanzhen felt embarrassed, thinking, "Am I that untrustworthy?""Don't worry, I don't need anyone else to deal with these two jerks. I can handle it myself."Lin Rou was stunned. "This Yi Jie is different. He used to never curse like this."The two village men sneered when they saw Huo Yuanzhen jump out. "I thought it was someone important. Isn't this the bald monk from Shaolin Temple? What? You think you can stop us from having fun?""Bald monk!?"The insulting name made Huo Yuanzhen furious. Calling him "bald monk" was really offensive."You two, get in line!"Seeing the two lazy village men, Huo Yuanzhen was fuming. It seemed like he was set to be the hero saving the girl today."Yo! Bald monk, doesn't Shaolin have rules about not speaking rudely? You little bald monk, dare to call yourself 'I'—which master taught you that?"The two men were a little stunned. "This little monk is not quite right. Could he be an imposter?""Bald—bald you mother's bald!"Huo Yuanzhen was so angry he couldn't hold back. He kicked one of the men, sending him tumbling.With his internal energy, the kick sent the man crashing to the ground, unable to rise."Ouch! That hurt! Lao Zhao, you know martial arts! Go take care of this bald monk! My big brother is an outer disciple of the Zhongyue Sect, and he has connections with the county office. Don't be afraid of this bald monk.""Bald!"Huo Yuanzhen kicked again, landing a blow to the man's chest. The man almost lost his breath, lying on the ground, eyes rolling back and unable to speak.At this point, the other man finally realized what was happening. He shouted, "Bald monk, take this!"In this era, people still observed the traditional practice of calling out before an attack—unless they were real scoundrels.After yelling, the man threw a punch at Huo Yuanzhen.Although Huo Yuanzhen didn't know the martial arts style of the man, he was confident that with his meager internal energy and the Iron Head Skill, defeating the man would not be difficult.However, Huo Yuanzhen had a plan. As the man attacked, he casually placed both hands behind his back and stood still, staring at the incoming punch.The disdaining stance made the village man think that Huo Yuanzhen was hiding some profound skill.Though his martial arts were modest, the village man couldn't believe anyone would just stand there and take his punch. Unsure of Huo Yuanzhen's abilities, he decided to throw his punch with full force.With a powerful blow aimed at Huo Yuanzhen's eyes, the man struck.Although the Iron Head Skill was powerful, the eyes were still vulnerable. Huo Yuanzhen quickly lowered his head to avoid the punch to his eyes.The man's punch landed on Huo Yuanzhen's shiny scalp!Imagine hitting a stone with all your might—that's how the man felt.A loud cry of pain rang out as the man felt his wrist snap. His punch, intended for Huo Yuanzhen, ended up fracturing his own wrist.With the man in pain, Huo Yuanzhen seized the opportunity, kicking him again and knocking him to the ground. He then pounced on him, straddling his waist, and began slapping him hard on both sides of the face."I'll teach you to be arrogant! To mess with a village girl! To call me a bald monk! More bald, huh?"The slaps came down relentlessly, and in a few moments, the man who had some martial skills was left battered, begging for mercy."Master, spare me! I won't do it again!""Master? Call me 'Great Master'!""Great Master, spare me! I won't do it again!""Great Master? Call me the Abbot!""Abbot, please, I beg you! Just let me go, pretend I'm a fart!"After a while, Huo Yuanzhen was getting tired and sat on the man's chest to catch his breath."That guy ran away!" Lin Rou shouted.Huo Yuanzhen turned around and saw that the man he had kicked earlier was limping far away. He didn't know when the guy had escaped."Bald monk, wait for me! My big brother is from the Zhongyue Sect. He'll come for you when he returns in August. You'll pay then!"With the main culprit gone, Huo Yuanzhen lost interest in continuing to beat the man. He kicked him a couple of times and told him to leave.Both men ran off, disappearing out of sight. Lin Rou approached Huo Yuanzhen, her big eyes glistening with tears as she looked at him."Little monk, why do you have to show off like this?""Amita Buddha... Miss, you underestimate your humble Abbot. A mere scratch like this is nothing. Back in my past life, in the online game, I died over a hundred times without batting an eye," Huo Yuanzhen said, reminiscing about his online gaming days."What do you mean, a hundred deaths? You're just bragging."Seeing that Huo Yuanzhen was fine, Lin Rou relaxed. But then she thought of something: "Little monk, did you just say you're the Abbot? You can't just boast like that. Be careful, your master might punish you if he hears it."Huo Yuanzhen took a few steps back, standing about a few meters away from Lin Rou. He straightened his wrinkled monk robe and flicked his head, only to realize that he no longer had any hair, so his usual "flipping hair" pose was out of the question.He tried to strike a more dignified pose and said to Lin Rou, "What little monk? I'm the Abbot of Shaolin now. From now on, call me Yi Jie the Great Master.""You're the Abbot? What about your master?""My master has ascended to the Pure Land, answering the call of the Buddha.""Really? That's such a pity. Master Xuanming was such a good person..."Lin Rou's big eyes welled up with tears, and she seemed genuinely sad.Huo Yuanzhen quickly said, "Miss, don't be sad. Master is in the Pure Land now, enjoying bliss. Even though he's gone, Shaolin is still here. I'm the Abbot now. If the village needs any rituals or ceremonies, you can come to me. Don't be too upset.""Always boasting. Do you even understand Buddhism?""Of course I do. Actually, as a qualified Abbot, knowing Buddhism alone isn't enough. As a leader, my main task is to be comprehensive, placing the right people in the right positions. For example, let the most knowledgeable in Buddhism perform the rituals, let the best speaker be the guest monk at the mountain gate, receive the pilgrims, let the one who understands palmistry handle the divination, and let the most skilled martial artist guard the Dharma Hall..."Seeing that Huo Yuanzhen was getting carried away, Lin Rou couldn't help but interrupt, "Little monk, does Shaolin have all those things you just mentioned?"Huo Yuanzhen was struck by the question and realized he was merely fantasizing. Not only were those things nonexistent, there weren't even enough people to carry them out."Uh... heh heh... they're coming soon. The reason I came down the mountain was to make money and get an iron bell. Maybe in a few days, you'll hear the Shaolin bell ringing.""That's great. I'm looking forward to it."Lin Rou smiled and suddenly turned around. She rummaged in her clothes and then turned back holding a green apple."Here, little monk, I picked this while tending the sheep. It's not ripe yet, but I picked one for you. Take it."Huo Yuanzhen took the apple, feeling a strange mixture of emotions.The girl seemed to have feelings for him, but he couldn't express anything in return because he was just a monk, unable to make any promises to Lin Rou."I must leave the monastic life... I must leave the monastic life!"Huo Yuanzhen silently made up his mind, biting into the apple. Although it was a bit sour, it was still a treat compared to the mountain food.At that moment, a large black dog ran over.Huo Yuanzhen recognized it as Lin Rou's dog, one she had raised for many years. The dog wagged its tail excitedly and approached Lin Rou.With that, Huo Yuanzhen realized it was time to leave. He couldn't stay in this world forever, as much as he had begun to enjoy it.