As the morning sun cast golden rays across the sky, the mist gradually lifted, and the orchids lazily stretched their alluring stems. Water droplets slid off the petals, silently soaking into the soil.
A beautiful day began at Shaolin Temple. Yi Kong, Yi Jing, Hui Zhen, and Hui Ming had all risen early, some reading scriptures, others practicing martial arts, each tending to their own duties.
But the young abbot, not yet twenty, was still lying in bed, engaged in a quiet date with the goddess.
"Abbot, get up!"
Huo Yuanzhen blinked, groggily opening his eyes, and saw Yi Jing standing by his bedside.
"What do you want? What did you do to me?" Huo Yuanzhen was still half-asleep, still immersed in the remnants of his sweet dream. He hadn't yet come to his senses, and seeing Yi Jing, he thought something had happened.
"What do you mean, what did I do? A lot of people have come down from the mountain and want to see the abbot."
"Oh, I see."
Huo Yuanzhen got up, washed his face, and donned his only dull yellow monk's robe. He put on his monk's socks and slippers, swaying slightly as he walked out of the temple.
Outside, about sixty to seventy people had gathered, and more were coming up from the mountain.
As soon as they saw Huo Yuanzhen, they greeted him warmly.
Most people simply said hello, while those who knew the ways of the temple bowed deeply in respect to the abbot. Unfortunately, they didn't know that Huo Yuanzhen felt awkward with such formalities.
Before, everyone just greeted him casually. Now, these people bowed to him, and he had to put on an act.
"Good morning, everyone! It's been a while, but you still look as radiant as ever. Congratulations to all!"
Huo Yuanzhen mumbled awkwardly as he asked Hui Zhen and the others to fetch tables and chairs, whispering a few words to them. The monks quickly caught on, setting the tables high and placing stools on top to give Huo Yuanzhen the chance to stand out.
Satisfied, Huo Yuanzhen nodded and climbed onto the table.
"Everyone, I am the abbot of Shaolin Temple. There are many affairs in the temple. While I can share the story of Journey to the West with you, I won't have much time, so I ask for your understanding."
The people, who had climbed the mountain early in the morning to hear about Journey to the West, were displeased. They had hoped to hear more, but the young abbot had said he didn't have much time.
"Couldn't you spare more time?" one person asked.
"Yes, what could you possibly be busy with?" another added.
Huo Yuanzhen cleared his throat, trying to think of an excuse: "Amitabha. The truth is, I planned to offer incense and pray today. You all know, the more incense we offer, the better. And we need to keep changing it. So, there isn't much time for storytelling."
"You've got four other monks here; they can take care of it," someone suggested.
"They could, but today, they're all going out to perform rituals and can't stay on the mountain," Huo Yuanzhen explained. He signaled to Hui Zhen and the others, who immediately bowed. "We'll go down the mountain and return only in the evening."
After they left, Huo Yuanzhen continued: "As you can see, I am the only one left here, and I need to frequently replace the incense. I'm afraid I won't be able to tell you the story for too long."
The crowd was still not satisfied. They whispered among themselves and one person asked, "Abbot, what if we help by taking turns lighting the incense while you tell the story?"
"Amitabha, that won't work," Huo Yuanzhen said. "This incense, called Wang Xiang (旺香), burns very quickly, and it must only be handled by me. If others do it, it loses its power."
"What should we do then?" someone urged. "We came all the way here, we can't leave empty-handed."
Huo Yuanzhen looked around. Nearly three hundred people had gathered, and no more were coming. He decided to abandon his pretensions and show his true nature.
"Fine," he said. "I have a middle-ground solution. You can offer some incense money, and then you may take turns lighting the incense. This way, the Buddha will not be upset and will bless all of you with safety."
"How much for a stick of incense?" someone asked.
"Not much. It's not supposed to cost anything, but to avoid offending the Buddha, I'll charge three copper coins for a stick," Huo Yuanzhen explained.
The crowd didn't find this unreasonable. Incense at the base of the mountain cost two copper coins, so three coins wasn't much. It seemed the abbot truly was compassionate.
"I'll buy two sticks," someone said, "and now you can begin your story, Abbot."
Huo Yuanzhen smiled faintly and pointed to a cloth bag in the corner. "The incense is over there. Just throw in the copper coins, and you may take a stick."
The man eagerly walked over, dropped six copper coins into the bag, and took two sticks of incense. He went to the Buddha's statue, offered a few bows, and lit the incense.
Once the incense began to burn, Huo Yuanzhen resumed his storytelling.
He had been talking about Sun Wukong going to learn from Master Bodhi, but had yet to get to the part about the 72 transformations. As the incense burned down quickly, he reminded the audience, "Everyone, do not let the incense go out. If it does, I will have to stop the story."
The man, entranced by the tale, looked back and saw the incense almost burnt out. "The incense burns so fast!"
It was no wonder he was surprised. It hadn't even been five minutes, and the incense was almost gone.
He quickly went to relight it and asked, "Why does this incense have an oily smell?"
"Amitabha," Huo Yuanzhen replied. "The incense has oil in it, which makes it burn more fiercely. This is why it's called Wang Xiang — the more it burns, the more blessings you receive from the Buddha."
At first, the man suspected Huo Yuanzhen had tampered with the incense, but upon hearing the explanation, he accepted it and smiled widely as he returned to his seat.
Seeing the incense burn so quickly, others were eager to purchase incense for themselves, eager to hear more of the story. The crowd soon joined in, throwing their copper coins into the bag, taking incense, and waiting their turn to keep the incense burning.
As the incense continued to burn, Huo Yuanzhen could finally relax. The plan was working. He had originally considered having Hui Zhen and the others change into different outfits and pretend to be regular customers to help him, but now that wasn't necessary.
Though some people felt that buying incense just to hear a story wasn't worth it, they couldn't help but be drawn in by the abbot's storytelling. Each story was more riveting than the last, and they didn't want to miss a single moment. Plus, if they didn't buy incense, it would seem too cheap.
Almost everyone in the crowd paid for incense, taking turns to keep the fire burning, all while Huo Yuanzhen continued telling his story.
"Ha, so the incense burns every three minutes, and I make two copper coins for every stick. If I tell stories for five hours, that's 200 copper coins, or two taels of silver. This is a pretty easy way to make money," Huo Yuanzhen thought.
The incense kept burning, and the story continued, going on until noon, when he finally reached the part where Sun Wukong borrowed the magic staff from the Dragon King. At this rate, it would take a month to finish the entire Journey to the West.
"Now, the Monkey King has this magical staff. He can make it grow or shrink at will, make it longer or shorter, harder or softer... cough... It's getting late, so we'll stop here for today. I have to do my midday prayers, and in the afternoon, I'll be practicing martial arts. If you want to hear more, please come back tomorrow."
The part about the staff had hooked everyone, and though they were reluctant to leave, they knew they had to. They couldn't wait to hear more tomorrow.
As the crowd dispersed, Huo Yuanzhen descended from the table, eager to count the money.
But just as he was about to, he noticed one person had not left.
"Esteemed guest, my story for today has concluded."
"Abbot, now that the others have left, we are all sensible people. I know you're looking to make money. How about this? I'll find someone to record your story, and once it's finished, I'll buy the rights. You can even sell this story to other towns."
Huo Yuanzhen sized up the man. He was dressed well, with a confident air, and appeared to be someone of some status. He had a mustache and a shrewd look in his eyes.
"And how should I address you?" Huo Yuanzhen asked.
"My name is Qian, the owner of the Qian Bank in Luyue Town," the man replied.
"Master Qian, since you admire my story, come to my room, and we'll discuss it further," Huo Yuanzhen said, his heart leaping with excitement. Finally, someone was offering to buy the rights to his stories. He hadn't expected things to move so quickly, but now, he was ready to negotiate the terms.
Selling the story by the chapter might be a great idea.