It was about thirty li (roughly 15 kilometers) from Dengfeng County to Luyey Town, which was less than a morning's journey by carriage.
Along the way, Huo Yuanzhen mostly kept his eyes closed to rest. Despite his age still being young, as the Abbot of Shaolin, maintaining composure was essential. He endured the whole journey without speaking, which made Qian Delu feel quite uncomfortable.
However, in his heart, Qian Delu couldn't help but admire him. This monk had a good temperament, no wonder someone his age could become an Abbot.
Upon arriving at the county, the guards at the entrance didn't stop Qian Delu's carriage. He was a regular visitor here, so they greeted each other casually, and the carriage proceeded directly into the bustling county.
Compared to Sanglin Village and Luyey Town, the county was far livelier. The streets were crowded with people, vendors shouting their wares, and the clamor was nonstop.
The two of them didn't get off the carriage immediately, instead heading straight for the front of the bank.
Before getting out, Qian Delu turned to Huo Yuanzhen and said, "Abbot, you should be prepared. Master Zhao is a bit eccentric. If there's anything lacking in hospitality, please be understanding."
"Amitabha, don't worry, Master Qian. This monk has the required patience." Huo Yuanzhen recited a Buddha's name, silently calculating whether, if Master Zhao refused to lend him any money, he might have to sneak into his room at night wearing a mask and threaten him with a blade.
With such thoughts in mind, he followed Qian Delu into the bank.
Everyone inside the bank knew Qian Delu. After a few pleasantries, they were led to the back hall, which was also where Master Zhao resided.
When they arrived, a young servant boy emerged. Upon seeing Qian Delu, he smiled and said, "Master Qian, what brings you here today?"
"Xiao Hong, is Master Zhao available?"
"He is inside."
"That's good. This is the Abbot of Shaolin Temple from Songshan, Master Jie, who has come to discuss a loan with Master Zhao. Please have Xiaojie inform him."
"Abbot?"
The boy, named Xiao Hong, was no older than fifteen or sixteen, even younger than Huo Yuanzhen by several years. He sized up the monk with curious eyes. Then, as if he had made a great discovery, he exclaimed, "You… you're the storyteller monk!"
Huo Yuanzhen smiled and rubbed his nose. He hadn't expected to meet a fan.
"Indeed, it's me."
Xiao Hong quickly ran over to Huo Yuanzhen, who stood at least 180 cm tall. To Huo Yuanzhen's surprise, this young boy was not much shorter than him, probably standing at over 170 cm, a rare height in ancient times. He also seemed physically strong, as if he had practiced martial arts.
"Master Abbot, I went to Shaolin Temple a few days ago to listen to your storytelling, but the journey was long, and I only heard the part about Sun Wukong being trapped under the Five Elements Mountain. I didn't get to hear the rest of the story. Could you tell me what happened next?"
Before Huo Yuanzhen could reply, Qian Delu spoke up, "Xiao Hong, we have urgent matters to discuss with Master Zhao. There's no time for storytelling right now. Go and inform him first."
Xiao Hong wasn't too happy but mumbled, "Master Zhao has a guest. He probably can't see you now."
"Just go and ask," Qian Delu urged.
"Master Abbot, don't go anywhere, I'll come back to find you," Xiao Hong said as he lowered his head and hurried back, frequently looking back at Huo Yuanzhen to make sure he didn't slip away.
Huo Yuanzhen couldn't help but laugh inwardly. This kid was amusing, at least his pure heart was likable.
After a while, Xiao Hong returned, excitedly announcing, "Master Qian, Master Zhao said he can't see you for now, but asked you to wait here."
Qian Delu was somewhat displeased and remarked, "Master Zhao doesn't want to see me, but you seem happy about it."
"Of course! That way, Master Abbot can stay here and tell me stories!" Xiao Hong said eagerly.
With that, he eagerly dragged Huo Yuanzhen and Qian Delu into the hall, clumsily poured two cups of tea, and then sat next to Huo Yuanzhen, waiting eagerly for the monk to tell him the story of Journey to the West.
Since they couldn't meet Master Zhao right away, Huo Yuanzhen had no choice but to wait. He looked at Xiao Hong and asked, "Xiao Hong, what's your full name?"
"My name is Huang Feihong. Master Abbot, please tell the story!" he urged.
"Huang Feihong!"
Huo Yuanzhen was stunned, looking at him carefully, "Which 'Hong'?"
"The 'red' in 'Hong,' as in the color red."
Huo Yuanzhen thought for a moment and said, "That 'Hong' is a bit strange—it sounds like a girl's name. How about we change it?"
"Yeah, I think it's a bit odd too. My mom liked girls when I was born, so she gave me that name. I've always wanted to change it, but I didn't know what to change it to."
"How about this? You change it to 'Hong' as in the 'feather' from 'Feihong.' It goes better with your 'Fei' (fly) than the current one."
"Ah... But I'm not sure if my mom will agree to it."
"Don't worry, I'll talk to your mother. She'll agree to it," Qian Delu, who knew Huang Feihong's mother, offered, sensing Huo Yuanzhen had an agenda and deciding to lend a helping hand.
Hearing someone else help him, Huang Feihong was overjoyed and nodded in agreement. From now on, he would be known as Huang Feihong.
Huo Yuanzhen took the name change very seriously. After all, Shaolin's fame didn't just come from the martial arts, but from the secular disciples who helped establish its renown. Huang Feihong was one of the most exceptional of these secular disciples. Although this Huang Feihong wasn't the same one known for his "No Shadow Kick," Huo Yuanzhen couldn't help but imagine what might come of training this young boy.
After confirming that Huang Feihong was indeed practicing martial arts, Huo Yuanzhen felt more at ease. He started silently calculating in his mind that perhaps this young man's future could even surpass the famous Huang Feihong of old.
When Huang Feihong grew impatient with Huo Yuanzhen's delay in storytelling, he finally asked, "Master Abbot, why is Buddha so cruel? Even though Sun Wukong caused a ruckus in Heaven, did he really need to be trapped under that mountain for five hundred years? I can't even imagine it! If it were me, even five hours would be unbearable!"
Before Huo Yuanzhen could respond, Qian Delu quickly interjected, "Xiao Hong, don't speak ill of Buddha! Buddha is the head of all Buddhas, and this Abbot here is also a monk. Don't make such remarks!"
Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand and smiled, "It's alright, I'm just speaking candidly. Buddha's compassion won't mind."
Huo Yuanzhen's words earned him even more respect from Huang Feihong.
"Have you ever seen a Buddha statue?" Huo Yuanzhen asked with a smile.
"I've seen them. The statues of Buddha are always so fat," Huang Feihong answered with a laugh.
"Yes, Buddha thought he was too fat, so he decided to go on a diet."
"Go on a diet?" Huang Feihong was stunned. "I've never heard that before!"
"Indeed," Huo Yuanzhen nodded with confidence, sipping his tea. "Buddha wanted to lose weight, so he only ate vegetarian food and refused to eat meat. But the weight wouldn't come off. Then he came up with another idea: to travel the world under the pretense of collecting alms, but really it was just to get some exercise. Still, he didn't lose any weight."
"That happened?" Huang Feihong's mouth dropped open in shock.
Meanwhile, Qian Delu was also staring in disbelief. This Abbot was joking about Buddha? Was he even still a monk?
Huo Yuanzhen, however, paid no mind to their surprised looks. He was simply joking—while he held the title of Abbot, his devotion to Buddha was not as deep as one might expect. In front of these few people, there was no harm in a little fun.
With a wink, Huo Yuanzhen continued, "Buddha tried everything, but nothing worked. Eventually, he resorted to a drastic measure—he started cutting his own flesh and feeding it to the eagles. But, as expected, the weight didn't go away."
Both Qian Delu and Huang Feihong were dumbfounded, staring at Huo Yuanzhen, now understanding where the story of Buddha feeding eagles came from.
"Even after Buddha fed his flesh to the eagles, he