Sweeper Monk (I)
Looking at the old monk's back, Li Wei sensed that the man was no different from an ordinary person.
The broom continued to sweep the ground, but in the utter stillness, it felt as if it were slicing across Li Wei's heart.
Suddenly, Li Wei realized why the old man was acting strangely. With Li Wei's current perception, he couldn't hear the old man breathing. Apart from the sound of the broom, there was no sound at all when the old monk's shoes touched the ground.
Just like a feather.
Li Wei swallowed hard, a bizarre image flashing through his mind.
Clearly, the old monk couldn't be invisible; the door to the Sutra Repository would creak if it were to open, so the old monk couldn't have entered the Sutra Repository later.
In other words, he's been here from the very beginning.
As for himself, he hadn't seen a single person since entering the Sutra Repository. In fact, Li Wei's five senses hadn't detected any presence at all.
Subconsciously, people are governed by their five senses and believe that what they see and hear is the truth. However, the truth is often not so. If the old monk had been in the Sutra Repository all along, then he would only have one place to hide.
That was outside his line of sight; in this space, the only thing Li Wei couldn't see was behind him.
In other words, the old man had been hiding behind him since he entered the Sutra Repository, and he hadn't noticed him at all.
In an instant, Li Wei's hands and feet turned ice-cold. This wasn't an old monk at all; it was an old monster!
Hearing the clattering sound of sweeping, Li Wei felt as if a thorn was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak.
"Young benefactor, are you going out?" The Sweeper Monk didn't even turn his head, but spoke in a hoarse voice.
Upon hearing this voice, Li Wei's tense mood suddenly eased. He took a few deep breaths before saying, "Senior, this time..."
"Enough talk, help this old man sweep the floor. My old arms and legs are a bit sore and tired," the old monk said, seemingly uninterested in Li Wei's background.
Li Wei was taken aback, but then he saw the Sweeper Monk hand over the broom without turning his head.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Wei wondered what the Sweeper Monk was up to.
He had imagined what he would encounter after arriving at Shaolin Temple, but he never expected that the Sweeper Monk would be so strange. The monk's behavior seemed to know his purpose at all.
"The possibility is almost zero," Li Wei encouraged himself.
Although Li Wei thought so, there was no doubt that the Sweeper Monk's almost abnormal cultivation level completely disrupted Li Wei's plans.
Originally, he came to find the Sweeper Monk in order to obtain more cultivation points from this legendary master, but now, Li Wei felt that his plan was simply risky.
If that old man had been plotting something behind him just now, he would have had absolutely no ability to resist.
Seeing the broom handed to him, Li Wei reached out to take it.
When Li Wei grasped the broom, he realized that the broom handle was made of some kind of dark metal. He already felt something was wrong. After the Sweeper Monk let go, he suddenly felt that the broom was a thousand times heavier. If he hadn't activated his Sunflower Divine Skill in an instant, he might have lost his grip immediately.
"It's so heavy!" Li Wei thought, gripping the broom, his heart filled with shock.
The weight transmitted through his palm was at least a thousand pounds. Did this old man use it to sweep the floor every day?
With a sudden buzz, Li Wei's head felt even bigger.
"What a monster!" Li Wei thought, barely managing to wield the broom even after using all his strength.
"Young benefactor, you sneaked into Shaolin and knocked out my disciples. I thought you came to steal scriptures from the Sutra Repository, but you searched for a long time and didn't take a single one..." The Sweeper Monk still didn't turn around; all Li Wei could see was his slightly thin back.
It turned out that the old monk had noticed him the moment he entered Shaolin Temple. He had been so arrogant, thinking himself superior in martial arts, that he had underestimated Shaolin – a truly grave mistake.
Li Wei was pondering a countermeasure when the Sweeper Monk continued, "Although your methods are not honorable, young benefactor, your heart is kind. With your martial arts skills, killing several monks would be easy, yet you didn't harm anyone, only knocked him unconscious. Moreover, you didn't covet the martial arts manuals. Presumably, you didn't come here for those martial arts treasures, did you?"
Li Wei nodded quickly.
"Amitabha Buddha, then this old monk guesses that you have come to find me. But even in the temple, very few people know me. I really don't know how you, young benefactor, know me. However, you have a connection with Buddhism. If possible, I hope you can stay here for a while and listen to me expound on Buddhist teachings and martial arts. What do you say?" the Sweeper Monk said slowly.
"I have two friends who are still away. I wonder what arrangements the monk has made for them?" Li Wei asked.
It would be even better if Linghu Chong and Duan Yu could be brought in as well. If they received even a little guidance from this old monk, their martial arts skills would definitely improve significantly.
To everyone's surprise, the Sweeper Monk shook his head and said, "Buddhism emphasizes fate. The two of them didn't enter the door or meet me, so they have no fate. Since they have no fate, why force it?"
"The monk's insight is profound. Although the two of them came with me and did not enter the gate, they were there to block the martial monks outside. It is said that Buddhism prohibits anger and attachment. If we insist on talking about fate, wouldn't that be too pedantic and the attachment too heavy?" Although Li Wei was not very good at this kind of wordplay, he could still exchange a few words with the old monk without any problem.
The Sweeper Monk was clearly startled, then laughed.
"Opportunity is the principle of Buddhism, unrelated to attachment, unrelated to right or wrong. Just like the growth of all things, it must follow the laws of heaven and earth. This is the right path. Although it is only separated by one door, once missed, it is missed." The Sweeper Monk had a slight question in his voice, as if he wanted to see how Li Wei would answer this time.
A slight smile appeared on Li Wei's lips. He thought to himself that if this old monk were in modern times, he might be a top debater. However, if he were to be easily fooled by the monk's words, then Li Wei wouldn't be Li Wei.
"May I ask, Venerable Monk, am I a human being?"
"That's natural." The Sweeper Monk the floor trembled, as if he knew what Li Wei was about to say.
However, Li Wei preemptively said, "As the Buddhist saying goes, 'Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?' Those two outside the gate are like brothers to me, yet they are currently being besieged by a group of experts from your temple. If I could still turn a blind eye, wouldn't I be no different from those inanimate plants and trees? And yet the divine monk knows that Buddha is compassionate, knowing that the fighting outside the gate is incessant, yet he ignores it, and instead says that I am too attached. Is this what is meant by Buddhist principles? Such reasoning is best left unsaid."
Li Wei flicked his wrist, unleashing the power of the tenth level of the Sunflower Divine Skill, and tossed the thousand-pound broom back.
The Sweeper Monk casually reached out and took the broom, then chuckled after a long while.
"Young benefactor, you are indeed destined for Buddhism. Very well, I will inform my abbot of the matter outside the gate, and I presume he will not make things difficult for those two benefactors. However, young benefactor, you need to promise me one thing."
"Speaking"
Li Wei thought to himself that there was a chance. The most important thing when reasoning with this kind of old monk was patience. As long as what you say makes sense, the other party will find it hard to refute you. But if you can't explain your reasoning clearly, then these stubborn old men are like rocks in an outhouse—stinky and hard.
The Sweeper Monk handed out the broom again, saying slowly, "I have been sweeping this Sutra Repository for over 80 years, and I am quite knowledgeable about martial arts. In fact, my achievements in this area far surpass those in Buddhism. As for the martial arts you practice, young benefactor, I have never seen anything like it before. From now on, you will need to spar with me. What do you say?"
"No good!" Li Wei took the broom and shook his head. "Divine Monk, if you ask me to stay with you for another 80 years, won't I be nothing but a pile of bones by then?"
The Sweeper Monk laughed heartily, "Young benefactor, you are indeed a cautious person. How about this: if you can touch my clothes during the sparring, you win, and you and your two brothers can safely descend the mountain. I will even teach you a unique skill. What do you say?"
Arrogance
If anyone else had said such arrogant words to Li Wei, they would have become a laughing stock. At this moment, Li Wei would have a great advantage even against a sect leader like Yue Buqun. Yet this old monk said that Li Wei could not touch his clothes.
However, Li Wei did not think that the Sweeper Monk was deliberately mystifying.
He has the right to be arrogant.
Hearing the Sweeper Monk's words, Li Wei nodded. Although he hadn't brought Duan Yu and Linghu Chong in, he was already quite satisfied with the result. Besides, touching the Sweeper Monk's clothes shouldn't be too difficult.
"Divine Monk, if it's just touching your clothes, then I can do it immediately."
Before Li Wei could finish speaking, he had already jumped up from his spot and appeared in front of the Sweeper Monk in a flash, attacking from both above and below with his hands.
However, the moment Li Wei's hand touched the Sweeper Monk, he suddenly realized that the Sweeper Monk had vanished without a trace.
The next second, the Sweeper Monk appeared more than ten meters away.
"Such fast movement! I couldn't even see how the opponent moved." Li Wei knew he couldn't hesitate any longer, so he activated the Sunflower Divine Skill again. He left an afterimage in the original spot, but his real body appeared behind the Sweeper Monk.
"Take this!" Li Wei's finger shot out like lightning, about to Sweeper Monk's clothes, but in an instant, Li Wei was startled.
The Sweeper Monk had been facing away from me the whole time. I had clearly walked around to his front just now, so why was he still facing away from me with his back turned?
If it weren't for the old monk's deformity, with backs on both sides, then it must be that his movements were incredibly fast.
However, regardless of whether you're in the front or back, as long as you touch your opponent, you win.
Li Wei's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Under the influence of the Sunflower Divine Skill, his fingers moved like lightning, pointing at the Sweeper Monk. However, before he could even touch the other's clothes, he was repelled by a powerful burst of true energy.
"Hehe, young benefactor, with your current martial arts skills, it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to get close to this old monk. You should improve your cultivation before you compete." After saying this, the Sweeper Monk flashed up to the second floor.
Looking at that figure, Li Wei thought to himself that this Sweeper Monk was far more powerful than Feng Qingyang. Li Wei made this judgment because of the sudden prompt.
"Ding! You have sparred with a master-level expert, the Nameless Old Monk, and your cultivation points have increased by 80 points..."
(It's late today, sorry)