One occasion, they happened to stay at the home of a widowed elderly man with no children. When he saw that the man was already left with nothing to eat, not only did he not ask for rations, he also even gave the man some money in return.

"Even in peace and prosperity, there can exist one who starves and freezes to death, and even in the turbulent world, there can still exist glory and splendor." As they passed through the market in the town, he signed to Chang Geng. "The morality in this world should be divided into two. 'Morality' is where one's heart should be directed towards. 'World' is a single grain of rice in a thousand families, a single brick in a thousand cities."

Chang Geng: "Master should be someone who is already beyond this realm, yet when talking about the common world, you still have a clear and logical view."

Chang Geng's head was almost higher than the monk's, the youthfulness distinct in a teenager's voice had entirely faded away. His tone was deeper now, his speech pattern was neither slow nor fast, sounding very stable.

He used to favor quietness, growing uneasy whenever there was a crowd. He always felt that he could never be comfortable when dealing with strangers, as he did not know what to say. But unknowingly, he had started to acquire the ability to treat everywhere he went as a casual stroll in an empty courtyard.

Perhaps for he had cut off his own means of retreat, some unwillingness and reluctance in his heart naturally turned into trivial matters.

Liao Ran smiled and calmly said: "If the monk does not understand the world, how can he dare say that he is out of this realm?"

The monk was naturally born with a very deceitful face: when washed thoroughly, he appeared like a master who was beyond this world; if he did not for a few days, he seemed like a sacred saint. His head reflected the vast light of Buddha, his eyes always contained a vast pool of cleansing water for all living beings - if he was more generous when it came to a few coins, which were only materialistic, then Chang Geng and the others would really have to admit that he was truly a highly educated master.

Suddenly, Cao Niangzi interrupted him in a low voice: "We should stop talking about this subject, big brother Chang Geng, did you notice that many people are watching us?"

Their group — with a monk, a gentle young master, a plump son from a wealthy household, and even a little girl who though delicate and beautiful, seemed to have something rather odd about her — was very eye-catching when walking together. They had long since gotten used to being pointed at by others, Chang Geng was no longer so sensitive to the eyes of passers-by.

But this time, the onlookers surrounding them seemed rather too much.