Chapter 1

The vast blue sky was clear and pure, without a single cloud in sight.

What a beautiful day... When Meng Qi opened his eyes, he was greeted by such a beautiful scene, and he felt as if he had just woken from a great dream, making it hard to leave the comfortable bed.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Meng Qi felt his body being violently shaken, and a hurried and tense male voice rang in his ear: "Young Master, you're awake?"

Young Master? Meng Qi instinctively turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with a worried expression. He had a very noticeable horse-like face and a long beard like a goat's, but that wasn't the main point. The main point was that he wore a headscarf and a wide-sleeved robe.

What's going on here?

"Young Master, are you alright?" The middle-aged man began to touch Meng Qi's body, which frightened him, thinking he had encountered a pervert. He hurriedly sat up and tried to back away, but the man's hands were like iron clamps, rendering his struggle useless. He felt a warm current flowing through his body, dispelling all discomfort, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring.

Seeing Meng Qi stand up, the middle-aged man nodded slightly and said, "You should be fine now."

After making his own judgment, he asked Meng Qi with some concern, "Young Master, do you still feel unwell anywhere?"

His concern was evident.

Meng Qi, completely confused about his situation, felt as if his brain had turned to mush and numbly replied, "No."

The expression on the horse-faced man's face immediately relaxed, and he forced a smile that was more painful than crying: "Young Master, the Marquis had no choice. It's better here in the temple than at home. Think about it, although here we have the green lamps and ancient Buddhas, far from the secular world, Shaolin is a great martial arts school. Perhaps in the future, you will have the opportunity to achieve the body of a Buddha, suppress the world, and transcend the sea of suffering. Moreover, you have a natural connection with Buddhism, and an unnamed old monk gave you a jade Buddha pendant..."

As he spoke, he seemed to realize how unlikely this was, feeling ashamed, and his voice gradually lowered. After a few more words, he changed his tone: "Even if you can't achieve the body of a Buddha, the seventy-two unique skills of Shaolin are all wondrous. If you can learn a few, you can roam the world, live a life of freedom and vengeance, how wonderful that would be..."

His voice became lower and lower, like a mosquito, and in the end, he simply raised his left hand to cover his face, turned, and walked away, leaving behind a long sigh.

Watching the horse-faced man's back disappear into the dense forest on the hill, Meng Qi, who was thoroughly confused by his nagging words, wanted to ask:

"Sir, who are you?"

It's completely absurd!

Meng Qi had already realized that he was not in a familiar place but in a very strange environment.

A place similar to ancient China!

I just stayed up to watch the World Cup, and now I wake up to find myself in a different era?

Meng Qi did not suspect that this was someone's prank or that he was on a set for a period drama, because when the horse-faced man covered his face and walked away, although his steps were disordered and hurried as if pursued by a demon, his speed was like that of a startled horse, far beyond what a normal person could achieve!

"He's clearly a martial arts expert!" Meng Qi "judged" based on his experience from novels and TV shows.

"Namo Amitabha, follow me into the temple." Just as Meng Qi's thoughts began to become active, a deep Buddhist chant sounded from behind him, almost making him scream in surprise.

When did someone appear behind me?

I didn't feel a thing!

Turning his head, almost twisting his neck, Meng Qi saw a monk in a yellow-brown robe. He was very tall but as thin as a bamboo pole. His features were unremarkable, except for his eyes, which carried an indelible sense of despair, making it hard to guess his age, which could be anywhere from thirty to fifty.

Noticing Meng Qi's attention, the yellow-robed monk didn't say anything more, just gestured with his eyes and turned to walk toward the temple's main gate.

Yellow walls, black tiles, and a dark red door, the front of the temple was no different from the ones Meng Qi had visited before, except that it was much larger and wider.

What shocked Meng Qi was the gilded horizontal plaque above the main gate, which read in characters similar to regular script:

"Shaolin Temple"!

It's really "Shaolin Temple"!

The characters here are almost identical to ancient regular script!

Upon arriving in this strange and eerie place, Meng Qi dared not ask questions, suppressing his surprise and confusion, and followed the yellow-robed monk closely.

It was only then that Meng Qi noticed his short arms and legs. After a careful examination, he thought with a mix of joy and worry: "A different kind of 'rejuvenation'..."

From the size and whiteness of his palms and the jade pendant around his waist, this body was probably under fourteen years old and had been pampered.

"I wonder what this body looks like. Good looks are essential for youth..."

"In the Shaolin Temple, with green lamps and ancient Buddhas, what need is there for youth!"

"I don't know if I can refuse to enter the temple, but with this small body, I can't survive outside Shaolin. This is a world of martial arts, and I don't know if there are also demons and monsters... Sigh, in many ancient records, wealthy families often kept young boys for pleasure..."

"According to the horse-faced man, even if this Shaolin is not the same as the one we know, it is still a great martial arts school with seventy-two unique skills. I wonder if they have the 'Yi Jin Jing'..."

"I often fantasized about becoming a great hero, living a life of freedom and vengeance. Now there's hope, but why am I still not happy? Computers, phones, the internet, and family..."

"Learning some martial arts might not be bad, but what is a 'Rohan body'?"

Meng Qi followed the yellow-robed monk calmly, passing by gray-robed and yellow-robed monks, but no one knew the chaos of thoughts in his mind, which wouldn't stop.

No matter how scattered his thoughts were, Meng Qi ultimately had to face reality. With his body's age and the fact that he had been abandoned, he could only stay in Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts for a while.

"I wonder if I can leave the temple with skills in the future? I can give up alcohol, but not meat!" Meng Qi felt he was "far-sighted," thinking several steps ahead and already pondering what to do after he learned the skills.

On the way, the yellow-robed monk did not pass through the main hall with the Buddha statues but walked around from the sides. After passing through several courtyards, he pushed open the door of a hall for the first time.

The door creaked open, and Meng Qi looked around to see dozens of children under fifteen, the youngest probably only eight or nine, sitting on cushions, their eyes focused on a broad-faced, big-eared monk at the front. This monk also wore a yellow robe, had a serious expression, and held a ruler.

"Namo Amitabha, Senior Brother Xuanzang, what brings you here?" The broad-faced, big-eared monk had a deep and resonant voice.

Tsk, he could easily sing opera, Meng Qi thought, feeling more nervous and unable to stop his mind from wandering. He also learned that the bamboo-pole monk who brought him to the temple was named Xuanzang.

After a low chant, Xuanzang said, "Junior Brother Xuan Ku, this is the child I mentioned before."

He was straightforward, with no hidden intentions, but his voice was dry and unpleasant, quite different from Xuan Ku's.

Xuan Ku glanced at Meng Qi without a smile and said, "Come in order."

Meng Qi looked at him, not quite understanding, while Xuanzang pointed to an empty cushion: "Wait for questioning."

"Yes." Meng Qi, who had worked for several years, understood the situation and quickly sat on the cushion like the other children.

Xuan Ku didn't look at Meng Qi again, holding the ruler and asking a child, "What is your secular name? Why did you come to Shaolin?"

The child was probably around ten, with rosy lips and white teeth, but a somewhat dull expression: "My name is Fang Aqi. I was sold to the monks because I couldn't get enough to eat."

Pfft, several children burst out laughing. They were the older ones, and Fang Aqi's answer was like cursing the monks to their face! It seemed he had some issues.

Xuan Ku frowned and said with a slightly dark expression, "Do not use your secular name again. Your Dharma name is 'Zhenhui,' and you will be in the service hall."

A slight intake of breath came from the older, more understanding children, and their expressions told Meng Qi that the service hall was not a good place.

"Fang Aqi is Zhenhui, Zhenhui is Fang Aqi..." The now "Zhenhui" Fang Aqi muttered to himself.

Xuan Ku's gaze moved to a relatively older child: "What is your secular name? Why did you come to Shaolin?"

This child was probably thirteen or fourteen, with a slightly nervous expression but answered fluently: "Master, my name is Liu Zhi. My family admires Buddhism and martial arts, so they sent me to Shaolin."

They were selected children, with good physical conditions.

Xuan Ku nodded slightly: "You are quite honest. If you had only said you admired Buddhism, you would have been sent to the service hall. From today, your Dharma name is 'Zhende,' and you will be in the 'Martial Monks Hall.'"

"Thank you, Uncle Xuan Ku." Zhende clasped his hands together.

According to what he knew, once given a Dharma name, following the order of "Xin Kong Wu Xuan Zhen," he could call Xuan Ku "Uncle" before having a formal master.

Xuan Ku didn't praise his cleverness and directly moved on to the next child.

Zhende's heart tightened, realizing that Uncle Xuan Ku was as upright as rumored, not swayed by flattery.

Meng Qi initially watched the questioning with a relaxed attitude, but suddenly his expression froze.

"What's my name?"

"What's this body's name?"

Meng Qi racked his brain, scratching his head, but couldn't remember the name of this body. He had inherited no memories at all!

"I can't just say Meng Qi, Xuanzang is still watching!"

"He must know the background and name of this body!"

"I need to come up with a way to bluff my way through!"

In front of the strict and serious Xuan Ku, Meng Qi didn't dare to speak much, didn't dare to secretly ask Xuanzang, and didn't dare to pretend to have amnesia. He could only think of other ways to avoid exposing the fact that he had traveled through time. There seemed to be real Arhats here!

"What is your secular name? Why did you come to Shaolin?" Before Meng Qi could think of a good idea, Xuan Ku was already standing in front of him, ruler in hand.

Meng Qi opened his mouth, and suddenly a flash of inspiration came to him. He blurted out, "Once in Shaolin, the secular name is forgotten."

After answering, Meng Qi secretly applauded himself, thinking how clever and fitting to the true meaning of Buddhism!

Xuan Ku looked at Meng Qi carefully, the ruler in his hand moving slightly, and without asking the second question, he said sternly:

"Too much cunning, go to the service hall. Your Dharma name is 'Zhending.'"

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