Jiangcheng smiled, unfazed, and asked, "Master, what is the meaning of this?"

The dark-skinned monk who had spoken to Jiangcheng earlier was stunned, and then noticed the other two bowls of porridge on the table, brought over by another monk.

"Huicong, don't be absurd," the dark-skinned monk scolded, his face stern.

Compared to the dark-skinned monk, the monk with the dharma name Huicong was much stranger. He was extraordinarily thin and dirty all over, his old monk's robe covered in patches. He didn't seem to care about being scolded, just stood there grinning foolishly, looking anything but bright.

Contrary to his idiotic appearance, Huicong's eyes were surprisingly bright. He gesticulated clumsily, "Hehe, eat, eat, you came together, if you came together, you should... should eat together, hehe..."

Fatty watched as Huicong's snot almost dripped into the bowl. He grumbled inwardly, wondering what kind of genius gave Huicong such a dharma name; it was a pure joke.

The dark-skinned monk also felt a bit embarrassed at the sight, but still patiently tried to persuade him, "Junior Brother Huicong, those benefactors are in the west wing, not here. Don't be absurd. You've already had your vegetarian meal, so go outside. Later, Senior Brother will take you to cultivate merit, okay?"

Hearing the words "cultivate merit," Huicong frowned, then wiped his snot with his sleeve, picked up the bowl, and ran off, muttering, "Came together, heh... hehe, not here! Not here!"

After seeing Huicong off, the dark-skinned monk smiled apologetically at Jiangcheng and Fatty, placing his palms together. "I apologize to you two benefactors. My junior brother may seem mad, but he has a pure heart and no malice. Even our abbot praises his clear eyes and bright mind, saying that in time, he will surely gain great understanding and glimpse the truth of the world."

"All dharmas are cultivating the heart, and tribulation is also cultivation. Master Huicong may be limited by this physical form, but a pure and exquisite heart is the rarest thing in the world," Jiangcheng said sincerely, watching Huicong leave.

"It is rare for a benefactor to have such enlightenment," the dark-skinned monk bowed to Jiangcheng again.

"May I ask for the master's honorable name?" Jiangcheng asked.

"I dare not, Hui De."

Jiangcheng nodded with a smile. "So it's Master Hui De, my apologies. I heard from Master Hui Qing that we were rescued and brought to your esteemed temple by a group of people."

"That is so. The two benefactors fell off a cliff, and fortunately, another group of benefactors passed by. The Buddha is merciful, and the two benefactors had this opportunity; your lives were not meant to end." Master Hui De placed his palms together, his expression exceptionally devout. "Amitabha, well done, well done."

"It seems I have a karmic connection with your noble monastery," Jiangcheng said with a smile. "May I ask where the benefactors who saved my friend and me are now? Would it be convenient to go and thank them?"

"The other benefactors are staying in the west wing. Benefactor, please go ahead."

After saying this, Master Hui De was about to take his leave, but Jiangcheng stopped him. "Master Hui De, please wait. May I ask who the benefactors are?"

Seeing Hui De hesitate slightly, Jiangcheng smiled naturally. "After all, they saved my brother and me, so it's only proper to prepare a suitable gift."

"Gifts..." Monk Hui De sized Jiangcheng up, wondering how he could possibly afford gifts, and the fat man beside him as well.

But Jiangcheng didn't care and mysteriously patted his pocket, the one containing his phone.

Whether Master Hui De understood or simply didn't care, he just nodded. "The two benefactors can rest assured, those benefactors are traveling merchants, very kind people. Last night they brought the two benefactors to knock on the temple doors, they were quite exhausted."

"Thank you, Master Hui De."

After Hui De left, Jiangcheng finally sat down slowly. Fatty held the bowl of porridge in his hands with a bitter expression. It was no exaggeration to say that it was just a bowl of water with a small pinch of mixed grains, so clear that you could see your reflection.

Fatty drank the "porridge" dry in two gulps, then dragged Jiangcheng along to the place where the porridge was being distributed, hoping to get another bowl. But to their surprise, the monk distributing the porridge refused.

"Little Master, that one bowl of watery soup isn't enough to fill us up. Please, be kind and give my brother and me one more bowl each, just this once, please?" Fatty hoped to move the little monk distributing the porridge with sincerity.

But the little monk seemed polite, but there was no room for negotiation. "Two benefactors, this is the temple's rule, each person can only have one bowl of porridge per vegetarian meal."

Fatty was unhappy to hear this. Although he wasn't in the right, he still shouted, "You're treating us differently! You monks can eat as much as you want, but we only get one bowl each?"

The little monk put his palms together towards Fatty. "Please understand, benefactor, this temple has always been poor. Even if there is extra incense money, it will be distributed to the poor people nearby. Monks do not lie. Everyone who comes to this temple is the same, whether they are monks of this temple, or benefactors stopping to rest, even if the emperor himself comes, he will also only eat one bowl of porridge."

"You..." Fatty was choked half to death by the little monk.

Fortunately, Jiangcheng pulled him away. The two of them put down their empty bowls and walked out of the dining hall. On the way, Fatty kept complaining, saying that the little monk only knew how to talk big, saying that even if the emperor came, he could only eat one bowl of porridge, bullshit! If his imperial majesty really came, the abbot would run out wagging his tail and personally cook two meat dishes for the emperor. If the emperor was in a good mood, he might even be rewarded with a couple of drinks at the table.

Jiangcheng frowned when he heard this. "This is a sacred Buddhist place, be careful what you say."

Hearing this, Fatty's stomach growled again, making him feel even worse. He shouted, "What, am I wrong?"

Jiangcheng thought about it, but couldn't find a reason to refute him.

But at the same time, he was more puzzled by something else. "Fatty, did you see the appearance of those monks?"

Fatty said angrily, "I saw them, they're all big and burly." As soon as he finished speaking, Fatty's expression changed, as if he had suddenly realized something. "That's right, these people drink clear porridge every meal, with only a few grains of rice in it. How did they grow so strong?"

Recalling the physiques of the monks in the temple, there were a few who could arm wrestle with him. It didn't seem like they could have grown that way from clear soup and water.

Following Master Hui De's directions, they finally found the west wing. The scale of the entire temple was larger than they had imagined. They estimated that it could accommodate hundreds of people without any problems.

Walking forward, before they could even knock on the door, the wooden door creaked open. The room inside was relatively dark, with only a red candle burning on the table.

By the dim light, Jiangcheng and Fatty saw that there were eight people in the room. Besides the middle-aged man who opened the door, there were four men and three women.

"What are you doing here?" The middle-aged man stood in the doorway, frowning.