Huo Yuanzhen stepped down from the table and said to the two monks, "How much did you make today, brothers?"
"Ah! Junior Brother, this… this is really incredible. Do you know, we made over two hundred copper coins today, and there's even more than three taels of silver! We're rich, we're rich… uh, Amitabha, may Buddha forgive us, I've been too greedy," one of the monks responded excitedly.
Huo Yuanzhen silently chuckled in his heart. Everyone has to eat, even monks.
"Well then, brothers, let's divide the money here, and I'll take my leave," Huo Yuanzhen said.
The two monks exchanged a look, and the older one spoke, "Junior Brother, to be honest with you, we've already lost our temple and have been wandering around without food to eat. We have no place to stay. I heard you're from Shaolin Temple. Could you tell me about your temple's situation?"
"Here it comes!" Huo Yuanzhen thought to himself, feeling pleased, though he kept his expression neutral. He pondered for a moment before replying, "Our temple is newly built. Besides myself, there are two other monks."
"Are those two your masters?" the older monk asked.
"My master passed away a few days ago," Huo Yuanzhen answered.
"Amitabha!" The two monks bowed in respect, expressing their condolences, before continuing, "Then may I ask if your temple would be willing to take in wandering monks like us?"
"Well, there has been no precedent for this, but I have recently taken over as the abbot. If your conduct is good, and you are not greedy or possessive, I can consider it," Huo Yuanzhen responded.
"The abbot!" The two monks were shocked. They hadn't expected the monk before them, who appeared to be begging for food, to be the abbot. They realized they had misjudged him.
"Master Abbot, we didn't know you were the abbot. Please forgive our rudeness," they quickly said, bowing deeply. The title of abbot was a highly respected one, and they had no right to compare themselves to the wandering monks without a temple.
Huo Yuanzhen nodded slightly, returning the bow.
Seeing Huo Yuanzhen's restrained demeanor, the monk hurriedly handed over all the money to him.
"Master Abbot, we did not contribute to earning this money, so we should not accept any reward for it. Please take it back."
"How can I do that? We agreed to split it evenly," Huo Yuanzhen said politely, yet took the money without hesitation.
The monk glanced at the coins and silver, then forced his gaze away. Calming himself, he said to Huo Yuanzhen, "Master Abbot, although monks should not be greedy for wealth, we still need money to eat. Relying solely on alms is not guaranteed, and it's better to have some reserves. We've been wandering for years, and we know money doesn't last long. Even if you give it all to us, it may not last more than half a year. Seeing your talents, we believe you will surely spread the teachings of Buddha far and wide. We wish to join your temple and settle down."
"If that's the case… then I will reluctantly agree. Since you two admire Shaolin so much, I'll accept you. Follow me up the mountain today," Huo Yuanzhen replied, pleased that the matter was settled.
He needed the money now. The mountain was lacking food, and he had several things requiring significant funds.
The temple's buildings could be developed through the use of construction tokens, but some things could not be covered by tokens, like leveling the ground and laying blue stone tiles. That required money.
Huo Yuanzhen envisioned Shaolin as a vast temple, and laying the floor alone would require at least a thousand or more silver. The wall and the path leading up the mountain also needed repairs, and those costs would be even higher.
With the matter settled, the two monks asked Huo Yuanzhen for his Dharma name.
"Master Yi Jie," he said.
"Amitabha, Master Yi Jie, this is my Dharma name, Huizhen. This is my junior brother, Huiming."
"Alright, for now, you two will join the outer circle of Shaolin. We'll address each other as brothers, and later, based on your behavior, I will decide if you can join the inner circle."
"Master's kindness, we will not disappoint you," the two monks said in unison, bowing to Huo Yuanzhen again. They were serious this time, as monks were very concerned with their reputation. Now that they had joined Shaolin, they were eager to enter the inner circle.
What they didn't know was that Shaolin had no such thing as an inner and outer circle. Huo Yuanzhen had come up with this system on the spot. It was a strategy to motivate them. Without rewards or punishments, these monks didn't care much about material gains, but they cared greatly about their status. Huo Yuanzhen understood this psychology and decided to use it to create a competitive environment that would eventually be applied throughout Shaolin.
With the two newcomers in tow, Huo Yuanzhen went shopping. The market had already closed, so he had to visit individual shops, buying food and supplies.
Huizhen and Huiming were both in good physical condition and seemed to have practiced martial arts for a few years. Eager to help, they insisted on carrying all the heavy bundles, so Huo Yuanzhen had the chance to relax.
After a busy day, the three of them headed up the mountain.
By the time they arrived at Shaolin, night had fallen. Yi Kong and Yi Jing were about to sleep when they noticed Huo Yuanzhen had returned.
Initially, they hadn't planned to welcome him, but hearing that he wasn't alone, they were intrigued and decided to go out and take a look.
Since the founding of Shaolin, only a handful of outsiders had come to the temple. Tonight, it was even stranger to see new faces at this hour.
When they saw the new arrivals, Huo Yuanzhen introduced them and told Yi Kong and Yi Jing that Huizhen and Huiming were now Shaolin disciples, and they would refer to each other as brothers.
Yi Jing didn't mind and quickly focused on the large bundles of food Huo Yuanzhen had brought back.
Yi Kong, however, was different. Among the three monks, Yi Kong was the most conventional. He liked to flaunt his seniority and authority, but since they were all too familiar with each other, his attempts to show off had little effect.
Now there were newcomers, and they seemed knowledgeable about Buddhist teachings. Yi Kong immediately felt threatened.
"Uh-oh, my position as a Buddhist expert is at risk," Yi Kong thought, feeling the pressure. He tried to appear aloof and distant when greeting Huizhen and Huiming, hoping to maintain his special status in the temple.
Huiming, being mild-tempered, didn't care, but Huizhen, being more calculating, also adopted a cold attitude when he saw Yi Kong's behavior.
The two monks began a heated debate on Buddhist teachings, and Huo Yuanzhen didn't interfere. This was good. Competition created pressure, and with more people, Shaolin would gain more vitality.
However, Huo Yuanzhen knew that everything must stay under his control.
"Alright, you four will sleep in the same room. Get some rest now," Huo Yuanzhen ordered.
Although Yi Kong wanted to complain that it was too crowded, he knew better than to challenge the abbot's authority in front of the newcomers.
Only Yi Jing, the naive one, seemed ready to say something but was silenced by a glare from Huo Yuanzhen.
With the four monks settled, Huo Yuanzhen returned to his own room, lying down to think.
Shaolin's accommodations were too cramped. If this small temple continued like this, it would be hard to keep anyone. The urgent issue was not martial arts, but expanding the grounds.
At the very least, they needed to build two more rooms for the monks to rest in. It wouldn't do to have everyone sleeping in the Buddha hall.
Everything required money.
He would have to wait until tomorrow. With the stories of the Journey to the West circulating tomorrow morning, the temple would gain more attention. Once there were more people, wealth would follow.
Huo Yuanzhen drifted off to sleep, his dreams full of hope for the future.