Get Ready to Head Down the Mountain

"Okay..."

I followed the old monk to his meditation room. The young monk, Huiru, brought over a pot and poured us each a cup.

"Huiru, go prepare our vegetarian meal."

"Yes, Master."

The young monk nodded, then turned and left. Only the old monk and I remained in the room, drinking tea and talking about all sorts of things from far and

wide.

The old monk really was knowledgeable. He had visited practically every famous mountain and ancient temple across the country, and he was also quite

funny.

Honestly, I figured the old monk must have been quite an exceptional man in his youth. I just wondered why the old

monk had taken the vows.

After thinking it over, I asked him.

"Hey, old monk, you don't seem like an ordinary person. Why did you become a monk?"

The old monk paused, then smiled.

"In my youth, this old monk accidentally killed someone in a moment of carelessness. I fled here and became a monk. Before I knew it, I had

become the abbot."

"Pfft! Old monk... you killed someone?"

I nearly spat out my tea. Why did this sound so much like something out of a third-rate TV drama?

"Yes. Back then, this old monk was young and hotheaded. In a moment of anger, I killed someone and fled. After all these years, this old monk feels

that I have more or less atoned

for my sin. Still, I fear I am destined for hell when this life ends."

The old monk nodded calmly.

Who would have thought... This old monk really was something.

Preparing to Head Down the Mountain

According to the limited historical records, the modao apparently measured one zhang in length, while seven chi in that era would have been roughly two meters ten

in modern