We'd seen plenty of monks. Mountain City alone had quite a few temples.
But this was the first time I'd seen a monk wearing robes, carrying a Buddhist staff, and smoking.
The monk did not look very old, perhaps twenty-eight or twenty-nine. He was as tall as Zhang Yuchen, a little over six foot three, but even more powerfully built.
When we saw the monk, we all gave him a few extra looks.
Master swept his gaze over him once before speaking.
"This monk has Buddhist light!"
So-called Buddhist light did not mean there was actual "Buddhist light" shining from him. It meant that this monk was also a cultivator, surely a Buddhist practitioner who had descended from some temple.
Just as Master finished speaking, Pan Ling said to Mao Jing beside her,
"Senior Brother! Look at him. He seems to be Senior Brother Iron Tube from Soaring Cloud Temple on Wutai Mountain!"
Mao Jing nodded slightly after hearing that.
"Seems like it!"
Hearing Pan Ling and Mao Jing say this, I asked from the side,
"You know him?"
Pan Ling and Mao Jing both looked uncertain.
Pan Ling said at the same time,
"We met Senior Brother Iron Tube when we were teenagers. It's been nearly ten years now, so we can't be sure."
"Isn't that simple? Just go over and ask!"
I said with a smile.
But before I had even finished speaking, Zhang Yuchen had already rushed over ahead of us.
"Greetings, Master!"
Zhang Yuchen had always been outgoing and thick-skinned. Even with so many people around, he did not feel awkward in the slightest.
The young monk, who had been gazing out from the mountaintop, turned around when he heard Zhang Yuchen.
The young monk had dark skin and a square, upright face. At a glance,