Chapter 1. The Little Monk Comes Down the Mountain

In February, the town of Qingshui was blanketed in heavy snow, with a biting cold wind howling through the air. The Qingshui River on the west side of the town had frozen over with a thick layer of ice. Beside the river, the haystacks, three to four meters high, had been hollowed out, creating a warm and snug hole where a small child was dozing.

The child was about four or five years old, with a smooth bald head, dressed in a patchwork cotton coat, prayer beads hanging from his chest, and a small bamboo basket on his back. He was a little monk with a serious demeanor, marked by a scar [1] on his head.

The little monk had rosy skin, long and thick eyelashes, delicate features, and a chubby face dusted with a layer of powder. His moist lips were slightly parted, and his neck occasionally tilted back as his small body swayed. In his hand, he clutched a piece of roasted sweet potato. As he dozed off, his grip loosened, and the sweet potato nearly fell, but he quickly rallied, holding it tightly to his mouth for a bite. His little mouth moved a couple of times, but he didn’t have time to chew before he fell back into a deep sleep, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be meditating and chanting.

Suddenly, a sharp curse pierced through the entire Qingshui town, jolting the little monk upright. He quickly stuffed the last bite of sweet potato into his mouth, got up, and peeked out, rubbing his eyes several times. His little bald head then shrank back into the hay.

It wasn’t a dream; it was that man named Gu Zhiming from the Gu family who was beating that human cub again.

The little monk sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping. With his hands clasped together in front of his chest, he murmured "Amitabha," tidied up his fishing rod and small leather bucket, picked up the recording pen that had fallen on the ground, and stuffed it into his small satchel, planning to end today’s practice.

Outside the Gu family's courtyard, the snow had piled up to a foot thick, turning the entire town white. However, a large portion in front of the Gu family’s house had been cleared, revealing the blue stone path. Gu Zhaochen was shoveling the snow at the entrance, pushing it toward the nearby ditch. But being small and weak, he quickly piled up a new layer of snow behind him after clearing the front.

Gu Zhiming slipped at the entrance, losing his grip on the beer bottle, spilling the unfinished beer all over the ground. He had just gotten into a fight outside and was already in a bad mood. Seeing Gu Zhaochen shoveling snow, he swung his hand and shouted, “You little bastard! It’s been all night, and you still haven’t cleared the snow in the yard! Do you want to die?”

Gu Zhiming was in his forties, with a burly build. His strength was great, and when he slapped Gu Zhaochen, the boy stumbled back several steps, his face scratched and bleeding from the nails. The cold wind made the fresh blood even more conspicuous.

Fueled by alcohol, Gu Zhiming found an outlet for his anger and whipped out his belt, striking Gu Zhaochen. He had just fought because of money, and the source of his financial woes was this little wild child!

Thinking this, Gu Zhiming’s movements grew more furious, and the force of the belt against Gu Zhaochen increased. Although there were no cries from the human cub, the sound of the belt cracking through the air was painful to hear.

Mingjing crawled out from the haystack, ignoring the snowflakes that landed on his little bald head. The man in the distance, who looked like a character from a story, almost daily beat this human cub. Mingjing had counted; for the past four months, there hadn’t been a single day without such violence. Other townsfolk said that for three or four years, this human cub had lived like this every day.

The first time Mingjing saw it, he had rushed out to intervene, but it was useless. He ran back to find his master, who told him that he needed to find his own solutions for the things he wanted to do, saying he was just a little Taotie [2] who had gained some intelligence, unlike other human children, and couldn’t rely on adults for everything.

But even though he had gained some intelligence, he was still only five years old. He couldn’t fight back and could only reason with them. When reasoning failed, he had to rack his brain for other, more effective methods.

Gu Feihuang was the son of Gu Zhiming and Lin Shuixiang. When he returned from playing outside, he didn’t even care about the ball in his hand. Laughing, he approached and kicked Gu Zhaochen down into the snow.

He had learned from his parents how to bully others, and his shouting and cursing mirrored Gu Zhiming’s exactly. “You ruined my shoes and made me the laughingstock of my classmates! Can you pay for it, you little beggar? You’re dead meat!”

As Gu Zhaochen fell, a hard bun rolled out from his clothes. He wanted to crawl over and hide the bun, but he was too weak and lacked the strength. Everything in front of him was blurry, and before he could reach it, it was stepped on by Gu Feihuang.

“Dad! Gu Zhaochen is stealing food!” Gu Feihuang’s eyes widened with excitement as he picked up the bun and turned to shout, “Dad! Gu Zhaochen is a thief! I told you the money at home wasn’t stolen by me, but you didn’t believe me! Now you believe it, right? Gu Zhaochen is a thief!”

Gu Feihuang’s sneakers were non-slip, and the uneven soles crushed down on Gu Zhaochen’s fingers, the sharp pain piercing through to his heart as the sound of bones shifting echoed in his ears. Gu Zhaochen gritted his teeth tightly, managing to suppress a scream. Long ago, he had learned that crying out was useless; it would only bring more satisfaction to those who hurt him.

He despised and hated their faces, so even if he were beaten to death, he wouldn’t make a sound.

Gu Zhaochen curled up, his anger boiling within him, yet he told himself to endure. But in the end, he couldn’t hold back; his right hand, hanging by his side, pushed Gu Feihuang hard! "Die! Really!"

Gu Feihuang was caught off guard and fell into the snow, his chubby face, so round that his eyes were barely visible, was filled with anger as he cried and cursed, “You little bastard pushed me! Dad! Kill him!”

Gu Feihuang’s small eyes darted around as he crawled forward, tugging at Gu Zhaochen’s clothes. Sure enough, he found a small bag inside the dirty shirt. When he tore it open, it turned out to be money!

There were one-yuan, five-yuan, and ten-yuan bills. Although it was a small amount, to a seven or eight-year-old child, it was a fortune. Gu Feihuang stopped crying and excitedly shouted, “Dad! Dad! He stole money!”

Gu Zhiming became even angrier. He didn’t even bother with the belt anymore and resorted to punching and kicking directly. His strikes targeted Gu Zhaochen’s head and face. Even when he saw Gu Zhaochen’s head hit a rock and start bleeding, he showed no mercy. “You little bastard! You’ve grown bold enough to steal money!”

He didn’t! He wasn’t a thief! The steamed bun was something he picked up outside, and the money was earned from years of secretly collecting bottles, cardboard, and helping other kids in the town with their homework!

Gu Zhaochen clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he curled up on the ground, shielding his head. His drooping eyelids hid the flames of hatred burning in his eyes.

Today was New Year’s Day. Not only did he want to push Gu Feihuang down, but he had also prepared a “New Year’s gift” for the whole family. Just wait.

Gu Zhaochen stared at Gu Zhiming, who loomed over him like a mountain, gritting his teeth and staying motionless. Let him beat me. Today will be the last time.

“What are you glaring at? Do you believe I won’t dig out your eyes?” Gu Zhiming detested the boy’s pitch-black eyes the most. No matter how much the dumb little mute was beaten, he never made a sound, shed a tear, or begged for mercy. Even when he was covered in blood and unable to get up, he just stared at him with those dark, hollow eyes. It made his whole body uncomfortable. What’s the big deal about being an orphaned dog without parents? What gives him the nerve to act tough?

“What are you looking at? I’ll dig out your eyes and feed them to the dogs!”

Cursing incessantly, Gu Zhiming restrained himself from killing the boy only because of the ten thousand yuan involved. Otherwise, this unwanted little stray would already be dead!

About twenty meters to the left of the Gu family’s courtyard lived the Zhang family, and to the right was the Li family. Grandma Zhang Chunhua opened her door and stepped out, as did Grandpa Li. Seven or eight people gathered around to intervene, but no one dared to step forward. Gu Zhiming was a scoundrel who would extort anyone trying to mediate—sometimes hundreds of yuan, sometimes just dozens. Over the years, this had happened dozens of times, so no one dared to intervene anymore.

The Gu family was obsessed with money and would do anything shameless for it. Everyone in town avoided getting involved with them. If it weren’t for the pitiful child, people would steer clear entirely.

The boy lay motionless in the snow, blood pooling beneath his head and mingling with the pure white ground. It was a shocking sight. Zhang Chunhua, unable to stand it any longer, dumped the water in her basin under a banyan tree, wiped her hands, and rushed over. “Old Gu, what are you going crazy for? It’s New Year’s! Can’t you behave yourself?”

Everyone in town knew Gu Zhaochen. Gu Feihuang had been diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four, and since Lin Shuixiang had undergone sterilization and couldn’t have more children, people pitied them. They thought the couple would have no son to take care of them in their old age. Unexpectedly, not long after, Lin Shuixiang and Gu Zhiming hurriedly brought home a child, saying he was their nephew from the countryside, given to them to ensure they had someone to care for them in the future.

That child was Gu Zhaochen.

But a few days later, when they went to the hospital to pick up medication for Gu Feihuang, the doctor explained that a mix-up with blood samples had led to a misdiagnosis. Their son wasn’t sick. The couple was stunned and caused a ruckus at the hospital, only calming down after receiving several thousand yuan in compensation.

With their biological son healthy, Gu Zhiming and Lin Shuixiang couldn’t care less about Gu Zhaochen.

An extra mouth to feed was a burden. The couple showered all their care on Gu Feihuang, treating Gu Zhaochen like an eyesore. Beatings and scoldings became routine.

And when they beat him, they didn’t hold back. More than once, Zhang Chunhua thought the child wouldn’t survive. “If you don’t want to raise him, send him back to the countryside to his uncle! He’s a child, born of flesh and blood, just like your own!”

The child was eight years old but so thin that he looked skeletal. On a snowy day like this, he wore a tattered, colorless thin coat. Now, lying motionless in the snow, his clothes were ripped, revealing his bony body covered in bruises—old wounds overlapping new ones, leaving no patch of unmarred skin.

Grandpa Li tapped his cane on the snowy ground, his voice stern. “Enough is enough! This child works like a mule in your household, and you’re still not satisfied? Look at what you’ve done to him! Are you even human?”

“I paid for him! I can beat him if I want! It’s none of your damn business! Mind your own crap!”

“What nonsense are you spouting about buying him, Gu Zhiming?”

“If you keep this up, we’ll call the police!”

“Go ahead! Report me all you want! A father beating his son is perfectly natural! Let’s see who dares to interfere with me!”

Gu Zhiming, drunk and belligerent, recognized no one. Gripping his belt, he charged forward, red-faced and enraged. He snatched the basin from Zhang Chunhua’s hands and flung it aside, the loud crash sending shivers down everyone’s spines.

Zhang Chunhua and Grandpa Li were not the kind of people who thrived on confrontation. Seeing his menacing demeanor, they instinctively retreated. "You two should at least try to accumulate some good karma. How much can such a small child even eat? You beat him like this." They had tried calling the police discreetly in the past, but when the officers arrived, they only offered some mild criticism and advice. After the police left, Gu Zhiming and Lin Shuixiang would escalate their beatings. Eventually, everyone stopped interfering.

Lin Shuixiang, awakened by the commotion, came out to hear the tail end of their conversation. She folded her arms and sneered, “Pretending to be some saintly do-gooder, Zhang Chunhua? If you’re so sympathetic, why don’t you buy him? No money, but you act like Guanyin Bodhisattva? Go die somewhere else!”

That so-called “country elder brother” was a complete fabrication. The Gu family had only one elder brother living a comfortable life in the city; there was no one from the countryside. They had spent 10,000 yuan to buy this kid, but couldn’t talk about it publicly. Lin Shuixiang was furious — if only they had that 10,000 yuan back, they could have spent it on Feihuang. Then their precious son wouldn’t constantly complain about not having snacks, a game console, or money for after-school and arts classes.

Zhang Chunhua was livid. “Selling children is illegal! Don’t you know that?” Things were not like they were a few years ago; the laws were stricter now. Both buying and selling children could result in fines and jail time. Who would dare take that risk?

Lin Shuixiang sneered, “You sound so righteous. If it’s illegal, why don’t you go spend your own money to buy a mute kid like him, huh?” She had done it, and the boy had lived just fine for the past few years.

“Keep being wicked, then!” Zhang Chunhua stormed off in a huff, picking up her basin and slamming the door behind her. The other neighbors wanted to intervene but were all scared away by Gu Zhiming.

Gu Zhiming, exhausted from the beating, sat down to drink and catch his breath. That little bastard never begged for mercy. Instead, he stared back with those wolf-like eyes, unwavering despite his frail and battered body. It was as if no matter how small and weak he was, his spine remained unbent.

Gu Zhiming hated that defiance in his expression. The more he looked at him, the itchier his fists became, as if he wouldn’t be satisfied until the boy was left gasping for his last breath.

But he couldn’t kill him — not outright. That kid had cost 10,000 yuan, after all. Gu Zhiming kept thinking about selling him off one day to recoup the money.

Lin Shuixiang spat disdainfully on the ground as the so-called do-gooders scattered when money was mentioned. Three or four years ago, 10,000 yuan was a huge sum in Qingshui Town. Half of it had been borrowed with great difficulty, and the debt still hadn’t been repaid. It had been a colossal waste. That money could’ve been invested in a small business like others in the village had done. Now those people lived in comfort, their days prosperous and carefree. Meanwhile, their family was drowning in debt, dirt poor, and dragging Feihuang down with them, subjecting him to bullying at school.

All of this was that cursed child’s fault.

The more Lin Shuixiang thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared at the detestable brat lying on the ground and opened her mouth to unleash a torrent of insults. But before she could say anything, a childish voice piped up behind her:

“Excuse me, Benefactor Lin [3]. May I ask how much it costs to buy this young master?”

Notes:

[1] 戒疤 (Jiè Bā) - Our main character has ceremonial burn scars on his scalp as a monk, signifying vows in Buddhist tradition.

[2] 饕餮 (tāo tiè) - A legendary creature from Chinese mythology, famous for its insatiable hunger and excessive greed. It is often portrayed as a symbol of gluttony. The term "glutton" may be used alternatively.

[3] 施主 (shī zhǔ) - A term used by Buddhist monks to address laypeople, often translated as "benefactor" or "donor". It conveys respect while highlighting the monk's role.