Chapter 85: The Nameless Sweeping Monk

Du Lao Guai stared at Huo Yuanzhen for a long while, as if unsure of his decision.

"Senior, thirty years of change have passed. The world is no longer the same as it once was. You once sought to join Shaolin but failed, and now you have seen the state of the Southern Shaolin. Mingxin, a person like him, can hold the position of Chief of the Discipline Hall. That alone shows how low the quality of Southern Shaolin has sunk," Huo Yuanzhen said.

Hearing this, Du Lao Guai nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Mingxin poisoned me. Such actions are utterly disgraceful. Even if they came now asking me to join the Southern Shaolin, I wouldn't go."

"Since you do not wish to return to the Southern Shaolin, might I suggest you visit my temple? Although the Northern Shaolin is newly established, we have gathered the hearts of people, full of vitality, and it is well regarded by the locals. You may inquire as much as you wish. If my words are false, you can leave at any time."

Upon hearing Huo Yuanzhen's suggestion, Du Lao Guai finally nodded. "Well, then. I will follow you and take a look. If everything is truly as you say, I will stay, fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a monk."

The two of them prepared to leave. Huo Yuanzhen contacted the Golden-Eyed Eagle in his mind and learned that Yi Yin had already been killed by the Golden-Eyed Eagle.

The medicinal pills in the cave had not been touched for the time being, and according to Du Lao Guai's instructions, Huo Yuanzhen took the two red gourds with him. The remaining herbs would be moved later by Yi Jing and the others.

Since Du Lao Guai was affected by the soft bone powder and unable to move well, Huo Yuanzhen summoned his white horse.

Du Lao Guai looked at Huo Yuanzhen's white horse with a look of surprise. "Such a spirited horse, I have only seen one like it in my life."

Huo Yuanzhen smiled but did not speak. He did not boast about his ability to communicate with the Buddha. Some things were better for Du Lao Guai to discover on his own, as it would add to the sense of mystery.

The white horse took Du Lao Guai back to Shaolin, while Huo Yuanzhen followed in the rear using his lightness skill. His graceful movements made Du Lao Guai hold him in even higher regard. After all, it was because of this very lightness skill that Huo Yuanzhen had escaped from under Du Lao Guai's watch twice. Du Lao Guai remembered it clearly.

Upon returning to Shaolin, Du Lao Guai did not enter the house but sat in the courtyard, gazing at the towering Wanfo Tower and the distant Luohan Hall.

He had been in the cave for too long, and everything outside seemed new to him. If his body were not so weak, he would have gone to the top of the Wanfo Tower to take a look.

Huo Yuanzhen did not interfere and went to sleep. It wasn't until the next morning that he got up.

Upon waking, he found that Du Lao Guai had recovered some of his strength and was slowly making his way toward the bell tower.

Huo Yuanzhen followed him and asked, "Senior, what do you think of this bell tower?"

"Built quite well. It must not have been made by local craftsmen," Du Lao Guai said.

At this moment, Yi Jing walked over, saluted Huo Yuanzhen, and began to strike the bell.

The bell rang melodiously, clearing the mind.

Du Lao Guai had heard Shaolin's bells before, but they had not been so clear when he was in the cave. Now, standing beneath the bell tower, the sound was direct and resonant. He slowly closed his eyes and said, "This bell sound is even more intoxicating than the one from the Southern Shaolin. The worldly distractions seem to vanish with the bell's sound."

As they stood under the bell tower, the wind began to rise, and dark clouds gathered in the sky. Before long, a light rain began to fall.

The two of them stood there, listening to the bell's sound, letting the rain soak their clothes, unmoving.

"Old age!" Du Lao Guai sighed. "I've spent my life in struggle. My martial arts once ranked among the top, but unfortunately, in the final battle, I made a single mistake and caused the death of the Kongyin monk. Since then, I have been unable to recover. After thirty years of refining my skills in the cave, I thought I could re-enter the world and stand proud, but now, at this moment, I have no thoughts of that."

"Amitabha. How many fleeting things in life are washed away by wind and rain? How many dreams of the world are swept away by the flow of water? Senior, what is it that you still cannot let go of?" Huo Yuanzhen said softly.

Du Lao Guai closed his eyes again and was silent for a long time.

Huo Yuanzhen said nothing more, knowing that Du Lao Guai was making a decision in his heart, and it was best not to disturb him.

After a while, Du Lao Guai opened his eyes as if he had made up his mind. "If there's anything I haven't let go of, it's my guilt toward Kongyin. As for the enemies of the past, they no longer matter. In the martial world, one cannot avoid being helpless. Those who kill are always killed in turn. I bear no hatred for them."

Huo Yuanzhen put his palms together and recited a Buddhist chant. "Senior, your ability to think this way will surely bring you good karma."

Du Lao Guai returned the gesture. "There is no need for such formalities, Abbot. I may not be of much help at Shaolin in the future. I just wish to live out my remaining years in peace."

"Senior, from now on, there is no need to call me 'Abbot'," Huo Yuanzhen thought to himself, secretly pleased. At last, it's done. Once you've agreed to stay, everything will fall into place. As for your wish to live in peace, dream on. I'll leave you alone for small matters, but when it comes to major things, you can't avoid involvement.

"Since that is the case, I will no longer address you as 'Abbot.' From now on, I am just an old monk," Du Lao Guai said.

"Since that is so, I've decided to let you join the temple. However, your dharma name is still hard to decide."

"What's in a dharma name? I'm old, and I've almost forgotten my own name. You can choose one."

"If that is the case, what do you think of the name 'Nameless'?"

"Amitabha! Very good."

Du Lao Guai was a carefree person. Once he made up his mind to join Shaolin, he quickly adapted to the role. From then on, Du Lao Guai was no more; instead, Shaolin had an old monk named 'Nameless.'

Huo Yuanzhen nodded and took Du Lao Guai to the Luohan Hall. The monks of Shaolin had gathered, and it was the perfect time to announce the matter.

"This venerable elder is about to join our Shaolin Temple, and his dharma name is Nameless. He will be an elder of our temple. From now on, all disciples of Shaolin must pay the same respect to him as they do to the Abbot."

Huo Yuanzhen first announced Nameless's high status, giving him a sense of belonging to Shaolin. That way, even if Huo Yuanzhen didn't seek him out, Nameless would not remain indifferent when something serious occurred.

However, Huo Yuanzhen did not explicitly state his rank in the temple. In Shaolin, the highest rank could only be that of the 'One-word generation,' meaning himself. No matter how old someone was, their rank could not surpass the Abbot. Nameless's position was an exception, but one Huo Yuanzhen felt was worth granting.

The monks all bowed and greeted Nameless, who returned the greeting in kind.

After the formalities, Nameless turned to Huo Yuanzhen and said, "Abbot, I am old and can no longer do the heavy tasks. You can send someone to fetch the medicinal herbs and the furnace from the back mountain. When I find a talented disciple, I can pass down the alchemy skills. Otherwise, I can only sweep the floor."

"Yi Kong, go find a broom for Elder Nameless. From now on, Elder Nameless will be responsible for sweeping the floor at Shaolin."

Huo Yuanzhen was exhilarated. A sweeping monk, a sweeping monk!

Although he was unsure about Nameless's exact level of power, Huo Yuanzhen had analyzed it. With one palm, Nameless had sent an old nun flying, and after inhaling both Huagong Powder and Soft Bone Powder, he was still able to injure Mingxin, who was at the peak of the early stage of Innate power. Such strength could easily surpass most middle-stage or even late-stage Innate warriors. This was the perfect candidate for a sweeping monk.

Besides, Nameless would also be responsible for teaching alchemy disciples in the future.

However, Huo Yuanzhen was somewhat regretful. It seemed that Nameless did not want to continue alchemy, which was a loss for Huo Yuanzhen.

But Huo Yuanzhen understood Nameless's feelings. After spending thirty years refining pills in the cave, it was hard to endure being locked in a room to refine pills again. If it were anyone else, they would feel the same way.

So, Huo Yuanzhen did not pressure Nameless, but still kept a thought in mind. If Nameless agreed to teach disciples alchemy, he would surely be called upon if Shaolin needed to refine Great Rejuvenation Pills in the future.

In no time, Yi Kong brought a broom.

Huo Yuanzhen also found a monk's robe for Nameless and took him to the first floor of the Wanfo Tower to officially ordain him.

After the ordination, Nameless officially became a disciple of Shaolin.

However, Nameless did not want the white monk robes but instead chose a simple, old robe with patches.

Donning the robe and picking up the broom, Nameless smiled, touching his bald head. "Abbot, may I attend the morning and evening classes?"

"Of course. In Shaolin, no elder is restricted from attending any service."

"Amitabha. Thank you, Abbot. I can finally be reborn," Nameless said.

After thinking for a moment, Nameless handed Huo Yuanzhen his relic.

"Abbot, since I have entered the Buddha's path, this treasure of the Buddha should be entrusted to you for safekeeping."

Huo Yuanzhen accepted it with satisfaction. It was the right decision to wait for Nameless to willingly offer the relic instead of forcing it from him before.

Huo Yuanzhen was pleased, and Nameless could not hide his excitement. Finally, he had become a monk, and this temple pleased him. Though simple, it felt just right. The bustling, extravagant places did not suit him.

At that moment, the doors of Shaolin Temple opened wide, and countless worshippers swarmed in.

Nameless looked around, startled. "Abbot, do we have so many visitors at Shaolin every day?"

"Indeed. Shaolin is a sacred place for the people. Not only do locals come, but even those from Dengfeng County, Zhengzhou Prefecture, and even other provinces come to pay their respects. There's always a steady flow of visitors. The dust and dirt are inevitable, especially at the Wanfo Tower. On the least busy days, at least two hundred people come to offer incense. Elder Nameless, your task of sweeping the floor will not be a light one!"

Looking at Huo Yuanzhen's sly grin, Nameless suddenly felt like he might have made a mistake. Choosing to sweep the floors at Shaolin was probably not as easy as he thought.

Looking at this seemingly honest Abbot, Nameless felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.