The Reason for Being a Monk

Xieyang Temple was a small temple. Durandal had to marvel at the skill of the person who took the promotional photos for the temple. How on earth did they manage to make such a small temple look so magnificent?

The peeling paint on the walls, the old wooden doors, the threshold that looked like it was about to rot, and the still-shining golden characters for "Xieyang Temple" on the main gate.

In front of the gate was a large open space with a large pot set up. There were also a few tents around, and a group of people in casual clothes were mixed with some people in monk's robes, fiddling with something around the pot in the middle.

"We're back!" a wrinkled old woman looked up and shouted in a resonant voice, then waved to the girl who had poked her head out.

But when she saw the three people behind the girl, the old woman's voice came to an abrupt halt, and she stood there stiffly, like a hen with its throat caught.

Hearing the old woman's shout, those people all turned their heads. Some were just about to stand up, but when they saw Durandal and the others, they also froze in place like the old woman.

The sudden appearance of three strangers instantly pushed the already tense nerves of these people to the limit. Everyone stared at Durandal and the others, as well as the girl beside them.

The girl shivered, turned her head and gave the three of them a sheepish smile, then quickly ran out and stood in front of them.

"Miss Du, these three are..." A bald... a young monk squeezed out from the crowd, still holding a long ladle in his hand.

"Master Yuanming, they say they are from the MOTH, some kind of search team, and they came here specifically to save us," the girl said, looking up, slightly out of breath.

The crowd immediately burst into an uproar. The confirming voices rose and fell, and the place instantly became a chaotic mess.

Yuanming was a little helpless. He wasn't a master. In fact, it hadn't even been two years since he had been ordained.

But now was obviously not the time to be helpless. He looked up at the three people who had consciously stood a little distance away, pondered for a moment in the noisy crowd, and then handed the ladle in his hand to the girl.

"Miss Du, please go to the temple and inform Senior Brother Xuanhui and Senior Brother Yuanling. Ask them to go to the pagoda and inform Master," Yuanming instructed, then walked out of the crowd and quickly came to the three of them.

He stretched out his hand and bowed to the three. "Sorry for the neglect. I just heard from the young lady who brought you up that you are members of the MOTH's exploration team, is that correct?"

Durandal nodded. "Yes, we received a mission saying that there are still many survivors in the Xieyang Scenic Area, so we came."

"Have you encountered those possessed by demons?" Yuanming asked again. "That is, those zombies. I wonder where you three got your information?"

"Of course we have," Rita stepped forward and bowed slightly to Yuanming. Yuanming quickly bowed in return. "Even we would find it difficult to clear out so many zombies. I'm afraid we'll have to request reinforcements from the base to clear them all out."

Yuanming's eyes widened. He knew how many zombies were wandering around the temple. Just the ones entrenched at the foot of the mountain numbered in the thousands.

Could it be that these three people who claimed to be from the MOTH were lucky and had only encountered a small group of zombies, maybe...

Yuanming looked down at the excellent equipment on the three of them and slightly raised his expectations.

A hundred or so?

An enemy of a hundred was already very exaggerated! His senior brothers could only fight two or three zombies with weapons without getting hurt...

Yuanming was more concerned about the "reinforcements" Rita mentioned. If they could really call for outside reinforcements, they might really be able to get these people out of here.

With a commotion, a group of monks wearing cloth robes walked out of the temple. The monk at the head was followed by the girl who was still holding the ladle.

Without the girl pointing, the monks saw the out-of-place Durandal and the others at a glance. They immediately strode over and bowed respectfully to the three of them.

This made Durandal want to bow and greet them in return.

"The three of you, we have already heard the reason for your visit. It's not a good place to talk here. I have already prepared tea for you. Please come into the temple to rest and talk."

The monk at the head said. Rita nodded, and seeing that someone had already made a decision, Durandal didn't say anything more.

However, before entering the temple, Durandal glanced at the pot as she passed by. In the thin soup, there were some grass roots, chopped leaves, and a few scattered vegetable leaves. She couldn't even see a single drop of glistening oil.

What is this?

Durandal was stunned for a moment. When she looked up again, she saw a group of people with bright eyes, but they were all emaciated from hunger.

"Um, wait a moment," Durandal said in a low voice, then took out two green vials from behind her back.

Each of them carried two nutrient serums, each of which could sustain a normal person for fifty days. Durandal remembered that the girl had said there were over a hundred people here, so her two vials should be enough for one day...

I'll just leech off Rita's for the rest...

"This is..." Yuanming hadn't gone with them, but had taken back the ladle.

Looking at the two green vials that looked like some kind of dangerous drug that Durandal had handed over, Yuanming didn't dare to refuse or use them rashly. He could only bite the bullet and ask what it was.

"This is nutrient serum. These two can feed a hundred people and supplement the nutrients their bodies need," Durandal explained. "There are no side effects, but the taste is a bit... it should be better after boiling it with some water."

As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes focused on the two small, thumb-sized vials.

Yuanming quickly switched to using both hands, carefully holding the vials, afraid of any accident.

"This... I..." Yuanming knew that according to the teachings, he shouldn't accept such a valuable thing, but he really didn't want to refuse such an opportunity. This was an opportunity to feed everyone...

Is my cultivation really too shallow...

Yuanming cast a pleading look at his senior brother, who nodded at him.

"Accept it. This is a gift from our benefactor. We should be grateful," he said, then turned and gave Durandal a deep bow, startling her.

"You don't have to do this..." Durandal was flustered, but she felt a strange and wonderful feeling in her heart.

Yuanming followed suit, hurriedly bowing to Durandal in thanks before rushing back to the pot and carefully pouring the vials in.