The Monk Has Come (Part 1)

"So surprising, so exciting!"

"I'm so smitten by the Zoo Director's handsomeness QAQ"

"The most thrilling viewing experience..."

"Live streaming into the sky is just too thrilling!"

"Zoo Director, don't go, let's keep flying!"

"+1 to keep flying!"

......

"Please continue to follow us, there will be all sorts of benefits in the future." Xiao Su and Duan Jiaze waved goodbye and said to the netizens, "Next, we'll take everyone somewhere else."

The netizens' imaginations ran wild. What did 'all sorts of benefits' refer to?

"Will there be monkeys taking us to live stream parkour..."

"I think swans would be good, mainly because we could observe peacocks flying up close."

"I've already fallen in love with Luya. How can a bird be so handsome? I still want it to take me to the sky."

"I'm begging the host to stream every day from now on. You don't even have to say anything, just set up the phone in the white fox immortal's enclosure. I could watch it all day."

Xiao Su smiled, "I can't make that decision. I'll show it to the Zoo Director later and let him decide."

Xiao Su took a look at the donations. Just during the short time Luya was streaming, they had increased by a lot. The total was almost thirty thousand now. The Zoo Director would probably be very happy.

......

After Xiao Su left, Duan Jiaze placed Luya back on a branch, then put his hands together and bowed to him. "Bro, you're too awesome. Thanks for your cooperation. Look at how you've conquered the humans. Let me tell you, the bullet comments are full of praise for you."

Ever since that commercial director spoke the honest truth, Luya... needed praise even more! It had even added a new layer; he would first refuse to admit that he liked hearing nice words!

Luya: "Hmph, don't think that just because you say a few nice words, I'll do anything for you. I'm telling you, this time was only because you were begging so pathetically."

"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to the Daoist Lord for saving me from dire straits." Duan Jiaze said skillfully without blinking, "But everything I said was the truth. Just like I said before, it's the first time anyone has played like this. How could anyone else have my superior conditions? So everything I said was from the heart. And all that nonsense I spouted during the live stream, you were magnanimous enough not to hold it against me. You truly have style."

Luya tilted his head up and huffed, "It's good that you know."

......

Lingyou Zoo's live stream was a huge success. Luya's high-altitude stream, in particular, brought the broadcast's popularity to a new peak. There were over a hundred thousand concurrent viewers, and the number of replays afterward was also exceptionally high.

The entire high-altitude segment was even clipped out separately, given all sorts of eye-catching titles, and reposted on other websites, which in turn attracted more attention to Lingyou Zoo. The discussion level was very high; after all, no one had ever done something like this before.

Xiao Su, the temporary guest host, also deserved credit. Many of the people Luya had attracted stayed to listen to Xiao Su's commentary on the other animals after he left.

Duan Jiaze's method of live streaming was unprecedented, thus earning him the title of "The Man Who's Best at Playing with Birds". When Duan Jiaze found out, he was covered in black lines.

An unexpected but reasonable development was that, besides Duan Jiaze and Luya being worshipped once again, Donghai, a city not particularly conspicuous on a national scale, also received a lot of positive reviews.

It had mountains, the sea, and an ancient temple. The pace of life was slow, and it hadn't been overdeveloped with a commercial atmosphere. Although it didn't have an airport, it was connected by high-speed rail, making it seem like a great place for a vacation.

The local media in Donghai City reacted quickly, drafting article titles like "Did You Know This Video Made Donghai Famous?" which went viral in local social circles. After watching it, many people discovered it was that bird from Lingyou Zoo causing a stir again, and they were actually quite pleased to see it.

Luya had long ago shown his style to the people of the nation, so no one was surprised by his behavior. They were just pleasantly surprised that such a move was even possible. Well, those who hadn't been to Lingyou Zoo before now really wanted to go.

Thus, just after opening its new park area, Lingyou Zoo welcomed another high tide of tourists.

Head Zhao from the Forestry Bureau's conservation station was one of them. His old classmate from out of town came to Donghai for a visit. As per his usual custom for hosting guests, Head Zhao would definitely have taken him to visit Linshui Temple and then climb Cape Mountain. Besides these, Donghai didn't have any other famous attractions.

But this time, his old classmate took the initiative to say, "You guys have a Lingyou Zoo here, right? It's been very popular recently. Can we go take a look?"

Head Zhao had actually dealt with Lingyou Zoo many times. After all, the entire bureau now knew that Lingyou Zoo's Director Duan had a solid relationship with Bureau Chief Sun, and Bureau Chief Bao also seemed to admire him, having given instructions to proactively take care of him with any policies.

But Head Zhao didn't go online often. At most, he would 'like' his leader's posts in his social feed and wasn't keen on watching things. So he didn't know that Lingyou Zoo had gone viral again with its live stream. At this moment, he nodded dazedly, "Sure, it's just at the foot of Cape Mountain."

His old classmate said, "Have you been to this zoo? It's seriously awesome!"

He talked on and on about Lingyou Zoo's awesome aspects, as if listing his family heirlooms. After all, he had once reposted about the white fox and immediately won a two-thousand-yuan lottery ticket.

Hearing this, Head Zhao actually felt a sense of shared honor. "Of course. Some of the animals there were sent over by our conservation station. If they weren't formidable, why would we send them to a private zoo?"

Head Zhao brought his old classmate to Lingyou Zoo, and they toured the site to see the animals his classmate had been praising.

He also took his old classmate to meet Zoo Director Duan Jiaze. Duan Jiaze had a rather close relationship with the people from the Forestry Bureau, especially those from the conservation station, and had dealt with Head Zhao quite a bit. So Duan Jiaze invited Head Zhao and his old classmate to stay for lunch.

Head Zhao said, "It's not that I'm trying to be critical, Director Duan, but your Lingyou Zoo is great in every way, except now that there are so many tourists, how come you don't even have a cafeteria? There's only a small shop that sells bread, and that bread is for feeding sparrows. This can't meet the tourists' needs. We can still scrounge a meal from you, but how do those tourists manage?"

Currently, most of the zoo's visitors were local citizens, and they usually only had one meal at the zoo. They either ate at small restaurants or simply went to Cape Park for a barbecue or a picnic.

Head Zhao was right. As the zoo's area grew larger and the number of tourists increased, their sightseeing time in the park also lengthened. It was indeed time to consider more visitor services, and the first thing was to set up food and beverage services.

Duan Jiaze said helplessly, "We're already short-staffed. The ten new employees we hired are all swamped. Where would we find the spare time to run a restaurant? We've thought about contracting it out, but they usually require accommodation, and I can't even build staff dormitories for a while."

Restaurant work requires waking up early. With the zoo being so far away, it's impossible not to require accommodation. Plus, there's the issue of procurement for the restaurant. Lingyou Zoo's procurement is a secret. It would be awkward if it were to be exposed because of this.

Head Zhao laughed and said, "That's true. Director Duan himself is still living in the small two-story white building. All this land has to be used to house the animals."

"..." Mentioning the office building made Duan Jiaze's heart ache.

But to be honest, he also felt they should set up a restaurant, but he'd have to hire his own people. This way, not only would it bring in extra income, but it could also serve as a cover for the animal food. This would prevent a situation where, after the zoo expanded, someone might actually look into it, only to discover that Lingyou Zoo never procured from anyone.

......

Because Xu Chenggong was cooking at noon, he didn't have time to stir-fry any bamboo shoots. When Head Zhao and his classmate were leaving, Duan Jiaze stuffed a few Purple Bamboo shoots into each of their hands.

After Head Zhao and the others left, his classmate was amused. "Aren't these from the bamboo growing in the park? The Zoo Director is really interesting, using them as a parting gift."

Head Zhao also gave a helpless smile. "You should be content. That's very courteous of him. Did you expect him to give you an animal?"

This is a zoo, not some gift shop.

The old classmate laughed heartily, "I just found it amusing, that's all."

......

Head Zhao's old classmate stayed and played in Donghai City for a weekend before heading back. When he was leaving, Head Zhao packed the bamboo shoots for him, including his own share.

The old classmate was speechless. "You keep them and eat them. I have to carry them all the way back."

Head Zhao said helplessly, "Your sister-in-law is busy with work, and my daughter and I both eat takeout. I can't do anything with them if I keep them." For the past few days, he and his old classmate had been eating at various restaurants.

Hearing this, the old classmate thought, fine, I'll take them back then.

And so, the old classmate traveled a great distance to bring a bag of bamboo shoots home from Donghai City.

When he got home, his wife took them and said, "Is this a specialty of Donghai City?"

The old classmate smiled, "I guess so."

"I'll cook them tonight then," his wife said. "Go check on Mom. She barely ate anything for lunch."

When people get old, they develop many ailments. The old classmate's mother was already eighty years old. High blood pressure, high blood sugar, indigestion... all sorts of problems had appeared, and she tended to have a poor appetite.

The old classmate hurried to the room to check on his elderly mother. It wasn't until his wife said the meal was ready that he helped the old woman to the dining room.

His wife said, "Mom, I made some chicken soup with tofu. Please have some."

"I don't want to eat tofu..." The old woman sat down slowly, a bitter look on her face. "Sigh, there's no taste in my mouth."

She didn't want to eat tofu, she didn't want to eat meat, and she didn't want to eat vegetables either. The old woman could now barely manage to eat half a bowl of rice at each meal, and it tasted like chewing wax.

There was no taste in her mouth, but with all her health problems, his wife couldn't cook greasy or salty dishes.

The old classmate and his wife looked at each other, both a little helpless. "Please, at least eat a little."

Just then, his wife went to the kitchen and brought out the bamboo shoot soup. "How about some bamboo shoot soup? I have to say, these bamboo shoots are really fragrant and tender. Just smelling them makes my mouth water."

The old woman's nose twitched, and she actually said, "I'll try some."

His wife ladled a bowl of bamboo shoot soup for her. The white, tender slices of bamboo shoot looked fresh and lovely. After taking a sip of the soup, the old woman picked up a slice of bamboo shoot and ate it. It wasn't difficult to chew at all. Moreover, after the soup flowed through her mouth, which had long been dry, bitter, and had a diminished sense of taste, it seemed to be instantly revitalized. Her stomach also began to gurgle, clamoring for food.

"...So fresh." The old woman even greedily continued to scoop the bamboo shoot slices into her mouth, savoring this long-lost vitality.

Hearing his mother's exclamation, the old classmate was stunned. Could these bamboo shoots really be that delicious?

He and his wife also dished some out for themselves to eat. They were indeed exceptionally fresh and delicious. But since the two of them were relatively healthy, it just tasted especially delicious to them, lacking the urgent craving that came naturally from within the body, which the old woman felt.

His wife said repeatedly, "If I had known, I would have told you to bring back more. I didn't expect Donghai to have such a specialty."

Seeing his mother's appetite so good for a change, the old classmate was also in a great mood. He scratched his head, not knowing how to explain the matter of this 'specialty'.

After the meal, the old classmate took his mother's routine blood pressure reading. The blood pressure had actually dropped quite a bit. He was even more delighted. "Great, Mom, keep it up. Your blood pressure is down."

His wife peeked over. "No way, it was the same as usual when we measured it yesterday. It dropped just like that?"

"Come and see if you don't believe me." The old classmate showed her.

His wife thought for a moment. "I've heard that bamboo shoots can lower blood pressure, aid digestion, and are also good for diabetes. Could it be related to this?"

The old classmate was speechless. "Even if it has that effect, it wouldn't work in just half an hour, right? Do you think this was planted by Guanyin Bodhisattva? I think it's because Mom ate and drank well, was in a good mood, and has been taking her blood pressure medication regularly. It's a cumulative effect, and her blood pressure has lowered as a result."

His wife said, "Isn't that still because of the bamboo shoots? Mom's appetite was whetted by them. How could she be happy if she couldn't eat well?"

The two of them had now reached a consensus.

"Contact your classmate and buy some more bamboo shoots. What we have at home isn't enough for many meals. Mom likes them, and they are indeed delicious, so let's stock up."

The old classmate was momentarily troubled. He had just been joking. Since when did these bamboo shoots become a specialty of Donghai? Was he supposed to ask Old Zhao to buy them for him from the zoo? He didn't even know if they were in that line of business.

Wait, since the zoo's bamboo shoots were delicious, the ones nearby shouldn't be too different. The old classmate thought to himself, the climate and soil are the same, and the varieties should be similar. The old classmate decided to go online and look for local farmers selling bamboo shoots, buy some, and the taste should be about the same.

As for how his wife vigorously promoted the delicious specialty bamboo shoots from Donghai in her local circle of housewives, that's another story.

......

A monk in light cyan robes trekked under the moonlight, the screen of the phone in his hand glowing.

This was precisely Reverend Zhao Xing, the head monk of Wuliang Temple, on an ascetic pilgrimage. He had already walked over a thousand kilometers on foot. The daily step count he posted on his social feed from his smartphone always ranked first.

When the abbot gave Zhao Xing the phone, he had set everything up. Zhao Xing fumbled around and learned how to use it. He could even video chat with his disciples for a while every day to update them on his situation.

Besides this phone, Zhao Xing didn't carry a single cent. He traveled on foot, relying on alms for food, sleep, and charging his phone. If no one offered alms, Zhao Xing would pick wild fruits to eat and sleep in the open. The phone's battery didn't use much power, and there was always a place to charge it.

Along the way, Zhao Xing cultivated on one hand, and on the other, he took every opportunity to preach Buddhist teachings to the fated people he met and perform what good deeds he could.

Tonight, Zhao Xing arrived in Donghai City. This was the location of Linshui Temple, so Zhao Xing didn't plan to stay long.

Although he wouldn't stay long, Zhao Xing would still go to Linshui Temple to pay his respects. After all, they were all cultivators. Although on different paths, they had always maintained contact and would often meet at the Religious Association. Since he was passing through Donghai City, he ought to pay them a visit.

But that would be a matter for tomorrow. It was already past eight in the evening now. To find lodging for the night, he needed to go to the city center.

This place was still some distance from the city center. With Zhao Xing's eyesight, he could easily make out the signs ahead, which read Cape Park and Lingyou Zoo.

Zhao Xing thought that perhaps he could spend the night in the park and enter the city early in the morning. Otherwise, it would be a bit late by the time he reached the city, making it difficult to find lodging.

So Zhao Xing walked in the direction of the park. As he passed Lingyou Zoo, he saw a man in a long robe squatting at the zoo's main entrance, gnawing on a bamboo shoot. As soon as this person saw Zhao Xing, he stood up enthusiastically. "Reverend, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

Seeing the man's attitude, he seemed to be a believer. Zhao Xing immediately stopped and replied, "I am a monk from Wuliang Temple, currently on a journey of cultivation, just passing through this place."

"Do you have a place to stay?" Xiong Siqian said warmly. "Why don't you come in for a vegetarian meal?"

What was this? This was a fated person!

Zhao Xing immediately put his palms together in a salute and accepted. He decided to eat the offered vegetarian meal and then preach the Buddhist scriptures to this benefactor, which could be considered this benefactor's fated opportunity.

Xiong Siqian led the man to a stone table in the new park area, then went to fetch some leftover vegetarian dishes and rice from the evening. "Discussing scriptures with the Reverend under the moon, wouldn't that be wonderful."

Xiong Siqian was full of artistic sentiment, but Zhao Xing couldn't appreciate it. He was already immersed in the rustling sound of the bamboo leaves, as if he could hear the heavenly arhats whispering in his ear, or the unhurried sound of a wooden fish.

After a long moment, Zhao Xing sat down on the spot in the lotus position, a smile on his face. He had actually achieved an epiphany amidst the sound of the bamboo.

Seeing Zhao Xing's epiphany, Xiong Siqian very kindly stood guard for him. By the time Zhao Xing awoke, his realm had already leaped forward, and he had achieved the goal of his ascetic pilgrimage ahead of schedule.

After Zhao Xing regained consciousness, how could he possibly care about eating a vegetarian meal? He bowed before Xiong Siqian, addressing him as "Great Virtuous One".

Zhao Xing never would have imagined that this was not the layman's fate, but his own. The sound of the bamboo here carried Buddhist nature, enabling one to achieve enlightenment. It must have been imbued by a Great Virtuous One who had cultivated here for many years.

This Great Virtuous One had pretended to be a believer and invited him in for a vegetarian meal. If he hadn't come in, he would not have had such a fated opportunity!

Xiong Siqian said in a panic, "How could I be a Great Virtuous One!"

Xiong Siqian hadn't expected the monks of the human world to be this weak. In front of these monks, he definitely counted as a "Great Virtuous One", but he was too embarrassed to admit it himself.

This person wasn't it? Zhao Xing was stunned. "Then may I ask where the Great Virtuous One is?"

Xiong Siqian scratched his head. "In the office building, I guess?"

No matter how he thought about it, the only one here who could be called a Great Virtuous One was Luya. Although he never ended up joining Buddhism, he was born with the makings of a Buddha.

At that moment, from the second-floor window not far away, Duan Jiaze stood and yelled, "Old Xiong! Where did this monk come from!!"

He had been playing Fight the Landlord with Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing when he suddenly heard Bai Suzhen say that a cultivator's realm seemed to have advanced nearby. He was still pondering, 'A Daoist priest dares to come to our door?'

"Epiphany is a Zen Buddhist practice. What does it have to do with Daoist priests?" Bai Suzhen said. "It seems someone has brought a monk in from outside."

Duan Jiaze was stunned. He then ran to open the window and look. There really was a bald head down below, shining brightly under the moonlight, incredibly conspicuous. Xiong Siqian was standing next to him. Needless to say, he was the one who brought the person in.

Bai Suzhen also walked over and said leisurely beside Duan Jiaze, "This is it. At the time, we only reminded Brother Xiong to be careful in front of Daoist priests."

Because there were no monks in Donghai City; this was the territory of Daoist priests.

Duan Jiaze never would have expected that there would be a day when a cultivating monk would pass through Donghai City and so coincidentally pass by this place. And Xiong Siqian, having served as Guanyin's mountain-protecting deity for so many years, had a certain fondness for monks. He had actually struck up a conversation and invited him in.

It would have been one thing if he just came in, but the monk even had an epiphany here!

Zhao Xing bowed from a distance. "This humble monk, Zhao Xing of Wuliang Temple, has come to pay respects to the Great Virtuous One of Buddhism."

From the moment of his epiphany, Zhao Xing no longer thought he needed to travel far and wide to cultivate. He believed that the Buddha must have guided him to come here and listen to the Dharma.

— It seems the monk knows there's a layman here. Listen to that, 'Great Virtuous One' no less.

Duan Jiaze swallowed. He thought about how the Daoist priests had prostrated themselves in worship upon seeing the senior, Luya. If a monk saw him, wouldn't he go crazy?