Chapter 140: As Long As You're Living Comfortably, Being a Beggar Isn't That Bad After All (Monthly Votes Appreciated)

The Master said nothing more to Bai Haonan, merely instructing a middle-aged monk to arrange living quarters for him before returning to his villa.

Indeed, Bai Haonan had been astonished upon his first glance. Right within the temple grounds stood a row of detached courtyard villas. The high-ranking senior monks and grand masters resided in such clean, elegant, and attractive small buildings, with one or two cars parked in each courtyard, many of them luxury brands.

This was a far cry from the impoverished, ascetic monk life Bai Haonan had imagined before arriving at the temple.

Naturally, having just arrived at the temple, there was no lavish welcoming banquet—not even a meal. The middle-aged monk who brought Bai Haonan explained that, first, Thai monks do not eat dinner; second, today's alms-gathering route had not included him, so he would have to fend for himself for this meal. It would be best to endure it and get used to it first, as the temple only served breakfast and lunch daily.

If he stayed long-term, besides doing chores in exchange for lodging, he would also have to go out and beg for alms.

Beg for alms?

Wasn't that just panhandling for food?!

Bai Haonan was shocked by this bizarre lifestyle. After repeatedly confirming that it was true, he strolled out of the temple anyway to find a roadside stall and eat some fried rice. He had no interest in touring the city, likely exhausted in both body and mind from driving day and night in shifts. He didn't need to report his safety to anyone. He simply laid a makeshift bed on the drafty wooden floorboards and fell asleep instantly, while Ah Da finally enjoyed the privilege of sleeping right beside his head.

Early the next morning, just as day was breaking, Ah Da nudged and pulled Bai Haonan awake. The moment he opened his eyes, several monks—somewhat creepily barefoot and holding blades—were looming over him!

In such a situation, anyone would break out in a cold sweat. Yet not only did these monks flash big, smiling faces with their palms pressed together in greeting, but even Ah Da showed no fearful or ferocious reaction, foolishly squatting nearby to watch the spectacle. It turned out that even without a common language, Bai Haonan managed to understand through gestures that they were there to shave his head. If he wanted to go out for alms, he had to look the part of a monk, which was another of Master Tianlong's instructions. The middle-aged monk who slowly strolled up later explained that nearly all Thai males come to be monks around adulthood, putting aside wealth and status for at least three months to uniformly endure the monastic precepts. Begging for food was a basic requirement, as the temple did not light fires to cook. Normally, becoming a monk involved a cumbersome process, but since he was personally introduced by Master Tianlong, he would directly shave his head and go out onto the streets to beg.

For a split second, Bai Haonan wondered if old Yu had dug a pit for him, trapping him into working for the Yu family forever. But upon reflection, that didn't seem likely. With the Yu family's wealth, resources, and collection of property deeds, what kind of ideal son-in-law couldn't they find? Why go to such great lengths to torment him? After clarifying that Thai monks could return to secular life at any time after three months, Bai Haonan gritted his teeth and agreed. Aside from his curiosity about this brand-new lifestyle, he still wanted to learn something, even if he had no idea what he could possibly learn.

Though everything was supposed to be simple, while the middle-aged monk who introduced himself as Master Aida sat nearby reciting scriptures throughout the process of Bai Haonan's hair and beard being shaved off, Ah Da stared dumbly as Bai Haonan's head transformed from a bearded face into a giant boiled egg!

A literal giant egg. In the end, Bai Haonan discovered that even his eyebrows had been shaved off!

Then came taking off everything he was previously wearing, handing over all cash, bank cards, and even his cell phone. Even his underwear was replaced with the temple-designated style. Actually, it wasn't bad—the silk felt quite comfortable to wear. It was just that wrapped up in those yellow monastic robes, his crotch felt drafty. He finally understood what women felt like wearing skirts. At any rate, Bai Haonan was now truly free of all earthly attachments!

Right up until stepping out of the temple, Bai Haonan still faced his monastic career with the kind of eager anticipation a soccer player feels before stepping onto the pitch. But as the temple bell rang around seven in the morning, with a yellow cloth bag hung around his neck containing a round stainless-steel pot, Bai Haonan was finally swept up among the yellow-robed monks of all ages pouring out from every corner of the temple and onto the street...

As a side note, Bai Haonan was probably the only one shuffling along in flip-flops. As a former professional soccer player, some foreign stars even had their own specialized podiatrists and pedicurists, showing how much care they gave their feet. Expecting him to walk barefoot on the street with feet he had carefully maintained for nearly thirty years was indeed pushing it a bit. Fortunately, Aida wasn't rigid about such details, but he repeatedly emphasized the major precepts to Bai Haonan. Chief among them was that during his time as a monk, he must not approach women; failing to do so would result in immediate expulsion from the temple and potential handing over to the authorities for prosecution.

Bai Haonan mentally mocked himself, thinking he really should have used Li Lin's ID card before crossing the border, instead of trying to act all high and mighty. Well, look at him now. He hadn't tasted meat since returning from that pyramid scheme operation, and the moment he tried to hook up with a woman at the nightclub, he ended up getting stabbed in the ass. Now he was faced with a strict ban on touching women. This was going to break the longest dry spell in Bai Haonan's history!

Still, while such a demand might have driven him wild with lust a decade ago, now it didn't seem quite so terrifying. He even wanted to see if he could survive these three months.

Indeed, Bai Haonan only intended to be a monk for three months. He didn't believe he couldn't find a way to survive in this region on his own, and three months would be enough to learn some introductory knowledge from this so-called Master Tianlong. After that, he would decide whether to continue studying. Wasn't it said that monks here could return to secular life at any time? So he would just endure for three months.

Yet the moment he marched in formation out of the temple gates, a sudden roar echoed in Bai Haonan's mind!

It was that sudden rush of blood to the brain, the kind of valve-snapping sound where you could practically hear every blood vessel swelling...

Contrary to his expectation—he had imagined it would just be a quiet, civil act of begging door-to-door—the moment he stepped out, the entire opposite side of the street was packed with tourists, aiming all sorts of long-barreled cameras and video lenses right at this magnificent, glittering golden gate!

He instinctively wanted to lift his head to shield his face, but then remembered his eyebrows had been shaved off. Even he had found it hard to believe that the giant egg-like head in the mirror was his own. Now, blended among the front and back ranks of—well, hundreds of monks of all sizes—how could anyone possibly recognize him? All he needed to do was lower his head.

Yet even with his head bowed, his ears burned hot. This was nothing like the flushed red earlobes of Li Lin that night; Bai Haonan knew he was simply feeling a bit mortified.

He was nearly thirty years old, an adult by any measure, yet here he was, carrying a stainless-steel pot to panhandle on the streets. Even during his months on the run as a fugitive, he had never begged like this. As for living off Yu Jiali or Qiao Yingna, wasn't it always a matter of exchange?

And now he was actually waiting for handouts from strangers?

Of course, this train of thought lasted only a few seconds. As the line of young novices, standing a little over a meter tall on the outside, and the line of tall adult monks on the inside turned right at the gate, Bai Haonan finally understood why the tourists and cameras were across the street. Right along the curb where the monks walked, mat after mat was laid out, filled with kneeling barefoot citizens of all ages and genders. They devoutly held out bowls and basins brimming with various foods, ranging from rice to green, dumpling-like parcels.

In Bai Haonan's view, it was like stepping out of a bar after a night of drinking, searching around for a corpse to revive him.

As it turned out, Aida was seeking out the scattered believers along the streets, paying no attention to what food they offered. The crucial part was that after accepting their offerings, he would focus on placing a hand on the giver's head to pray and chant, bestowing his blessing upon them.

Even when begging for alms, it was a reciprocal transaction.

*Not knowing a single line of scripture, I'm just standing here as a prop,* Bai Haonan thought. Of course, his face still maintained the newly learned monastic expression—steady, with lowered eyes and a hint of a smile, as if following the master in chanting, while actually keeping an eye on Aida so he could quickly follow when he stood up.

When there were no outsiders around, Aida explained to him: according to Thai custom in this ninety-five percent Buddhist country, encountering monks first thing in the morning was a sign of great good fortune. Therefore, while begging for alms, the monks were also passing on their own blessings...

Bai Haonan listened dumbfoundedly to such idiotic reasoning. It seemed religion was great at fooling people; were the people in this country basically all fools?

The alms round lasted over an hour. By eight-thirty, Bai Haonan returned to the temple with his master. The monks who had returned earlier had already arranged the food. Traditional rules dictated that all the food should be dumped into a single pot for everyone to share, but while that might have been feasible in ancient times, modern dishes varied wildly in flavor, and Thai monks were not strictly vegetarian. Mixing everything together would just be shooting oneself in the foot, so nowadays, groups of monks sat around separate tables, with each table densely packed with dozens of different dishes!

The only thing Bai Haonan could compare it to was an emperor's banquet on television. Though the tableware wasn't impressive, the food tasted fantastic. Having frequently treated girls to Thai cuisine in the past, he now figured that being a monk for a couple of years wouldn't be all that difficult after all!

It really wasn't hard.

He didn't know if old Yu had thoroughly researched Bai Haonan's lifestyle habits, but aside from the somewhat unhealthy habits of womanizing and drinking, as a twenty-first-century young man, Bai Haonan's routine as an athlete was actually quite rigorous. He didn't smoke, was extremely particular about his diet, didn't care for his phone or television, and disliked computers. These lifestyle habits, which the vast majority of modern youth found unbearable, were second nature to Bai Haonan.

Along the way back, he listened to Aida explain that after the midday meal, there would be nothing else to consume except water. This was reportedly to prevent people from eating their fill and having idle time to dwell on lustful thoughts; by keeping them hungry, they wouldn't let their minds wander. This theory amused Bai Haonan slightly. Many fitness routines also emphasized eating lightly or skipping dinner altogether, supplementing with vitamins from fruit, yet gym bros driven by lust were hardly in short supply.

This theory didn't hold water... Bai Haonan's habitual cynical skepticism made him somewhat dismissive of the Thai monks' rules and regulations.

After breakfast, with a healthy mindset, he went for a short walk and brought some food over to Ah Da. Seeing the dog's tearful expression again, Bai Haonan decided to try bringing it along. After negotiating with the dog by the outer pillars of the glittering grand hall—with Ah Da promising not to bark or run around blindly—Bai Haonan smilingly entered the prayer hall. The morning's biggest takeaway had been mastering this solemn, dignified monk face, complete with a gentle smile. Though he didn't quite understand why, as a former master of picking up women, he could easily nail this facial expression.

However, his real difficulty began right after. Having never taken his studies seriously since childhood, Bai Haonan now faced a whole day of silent meditation and lectures—sitting cross-legged on the floor, a posture most ordinary Chinese people found difficult to maintain. At that moment, Bai Haonan found it somewhat ironic. Had he spent two months in a pyramid scheme organization sitting cross-legged on the floor listening to lectures just to adapt to a monk's habits today?

The hard part probably wasn't the sitting posture, but the fact that he couldn't understand a single word of the Thai lecture!

Master Tianlong sat before a hundred-plus adult monks, speaking fluently in Thai. To Bai Haonan, it was completely like alien communication. Moreover, the area was crowded with tourists pointing cameras and taking pictures, and the Grand Master's stern gaze swept over him from time to time. Sitting there was sheer torture for Bai Haonan!

He could only treat it as a form of exercise, imitating others by assuming a meditative pose, forcing himself not to look around, engaging in silent meditation somewhat similar to yoga, which he had heard about at the gym.

After all, he was a veteran professional athlete. He knew how to empty his mind, focus entirely on meditation, or gently and rhythmically sway his body. He had practiced such mental tempering before; while it wouldn't turn him into some grand internal-energy master, it was quite useful for preventing excessive excitement and premature fatigue before a match. Applying it now to fight off the urge to doze off during the mindless sitting had some effect. Yet Bai Haonan also knew this was undoubtedly his toughest hurdle—surviving three months of this would truly be hard labor.

That morning, despite suppressing countless yawns, Bai Haonan ultimately pushed through.

As if rewarding him for enduring the morning, the gorgeous scenery of the afternoon almost dazzled Bai Haonan's eyes!

Because the afternoon shift assigned him to be the welcoming monk!

In other words, the monk in charge of acting as a tour guide for the temple.

Let's not forget that nowadays, Thailand was a hugely popular destination for Chinese tourists, especially these northern Buddhist sanctuaries filled with literary and artistic ambiance!

It could be said that Bai Haonan's long-cherished wish—to stay for a few years in a hookup paradise or an extramarital affair city like the one in Yisha's hometown—had unexpectedly been realized right here.