CFSMS -Chapter 164 Form Is Emptiness, Emptiness Is a Giant Braised Pork Knuckle

At the very edge of the crowd stood Fang Xian, the only man on site who still had hair and whom the boss had completely forgotten about. Several times, he wanted to say something.

The reactions of the disciples from Tianfo Temple had far exceeded his expectations. Whenever he had met them before, they always carried themselves like enlightened monks untouched by worldly dust.

So how had they suddenly descended into the mortal world and started fighting over things?

The strangest part was that amidst all the scrambling, there was a peculiar sense of harmony.

As if this sort of scene happened regularly.

“Boss Lu?”

Holding his lemon tea, Fang Xian muttered the name to himself. It sounded familiar.

Seeing that there was no way he could squeeze into the crowd anytime soon, he pulled out his One-Realm Communicator and typed in three words.

The next moment, an information explosion hit him.

“Why Are So Many Diners Crying in Yuanhai City?”

“The Sea Clan Offers a Huge Reward for Boss Lu’s Location—Confirmed Sightings Earn a Seven-Day Undersea Vacation with Food and Lodging Included.”

“My Brother and I Went from Brothers-in-Arms to Mortal Enemies Over a Single Crab Roe Burger.”

…

The flood of posts left Fang Xian dazzled. Every thread he opened featured Boss Lu in some way.

After browsing for a while, he finally remembered.

Long ago, he had come across a post by a fellow ascetic cultivator who had tasted a certain food and subsequently abandoned ascetic cultivation to join the Carefree Dao.

That post had mentioned Lu Wu’s name.

At the time, Fang Xian had scoffed, considering the man a heretic and paying no attention to it.

As the saying went:

The end of doubt is the beginning of truth.

Now that Boss Lu stood before him in person, and after witnessing the monks’ madness and tasting the lemon tea himself, Fang Xian had found the truth.

After opening several more threads, his gaze became uncontrollably drawn toward the delicious-looking foods.

Steaming bowls of snail rice noodles.

Layered mini burgers.

Crispy savory pancakes.

…

There was simply too much.

The diners’ shared photos nearly covered the entire forum. Pictures taken from every conceivable angle.

Every single one made Fang Xian want to gorge himself.

Snap!

He closed the communicator.

But the appetite that had been stirred up refused to disappear.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

No!

One taste was enough.

He absolutely could not allow a street-food stall owner to destroy his Dao heart!

He was an ascetic cultivator.

Cultivating the body meant cultivating the mind as well.

“I will not succumb to temptation. No matter how many delicious little temptresses there are, they cannot shake my heart.”

“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form… emptiness is… giant braised pork knuckle. Bah! I mean ice jelly dessert… Bah, bah, bah!”

Standing with his back to the stall, Fang Xian found himself unable to continue.

Even though he had sealed his sense of smell, the images lingering in his mind continued to influence him, preventing him from calming down.

Meanwhile, Lu Wu had already served the third monk.

More and more monks received their milk tea. Gathering together, they savored it while showering it with praise.

“This Smashed Lemon Tea is amazing! Sour, sweet, and refreshing. My mind feels so much clearer. Scriptures I couldn’t understand before suddenly make sense.”

“Same here. After licking the milk foam, a bunch of ideas suddenly clicked together.”

“Senior Brother, you lick the milk foam too?”

“Not just lick it. I scraped every bit stuck to the cup clean. Can’t let it go to waste.”

“Junior Brother, give me a kiss. I’ve got my eye on the milk foam at the corner of your mouth.”

“Get lost!”

“I actually like these pearls. They’re chewy and packed with caramel flavor. They practically dance when you bite them.”

“And look at this huge strawberry! So sweet and satisfying.”

The diners’ endless compliments eventually pulled Fang Xian’s gaze back toward them.

At some point, he had unconsciously reopened his sense of smell.

Milk fragrance.

Tea fragrance.

Fruit fragrance.

The aromas hung in the air like countless invisible hooks.

Simply smelling them lifted his mood.

More.

His stomach, having already tasted the lemon tea, cried out for more.

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

Opening his mouth, he lunged forward and bit onto one of those invisible hooks.

One step.

Two steps.

…

Fang Xian found himself standing at the back of the queue, tiptoeing just like the monks as he counted how many people remained ahead of him.

This wasn’t surrendering to desire.

This was experiencing desire in order to conquer it.

A higher realm of ascetic cultivation.

He firmly believed that after confronting this demonic force known as milk tea once more, he would surely overcome it and attain enlightenment.

Waiting, however, was agonizing.

Especially when everyone else was downing cup after cup while his own hands remained empty.

The anxious anticipation made him want to shove the monks in front aside and shout:

“Let me do it!”

“LET ME DO IT!”

A loud shout suddenly shook the surroundings.

The source came from behind Fang Xian, startling his heart into racing.

Turning around, he discovered several more ascetic cultivators had reached the mountaintop. No one knew how long they had been standing there, but now they stared at the stall with glowing eyes.

When you’re starving.

When you’re parched.

And someone places a fragrant cup of milk tea before you.

Do you continue clinging to your discipline?

Or do you embrace the milk tea and set yourself free?

The newcomer chose the latter.

“I’ve said it before—ascetic cultivation isn’t for me! Eating and drinking are what suit me! Carefree Dao, here I come!”

After climbing all the way up the mountain, his throat felt like it was on fire from thirst.

Those cups of icy milk tea looked less like beverages and more like miracle medicine.

Ignoring everyone else, he charged toward the stall.

“Boss, I want—”

Before he could finish his request, a fist rapidly filled his vision.

Thus was born a panda eye.

Simple.

Unadorned.

But that wasn’t the end.

A hand shot out from the side and grabbed the ascetic cultivator who had dared cut in line.

“I’ll teach you to cut in line!”

“I’ll teach you to be blind!”

“I’ll teach you to drink!”

“Heh heh heh…”

The irritation of waiting so long instantly found an outlet.

The monks showed absolutely no mercy.

Some particularly vicious monks even targeted the most painful spots.

Naturally, Fang Xian contributed a few dark kicks of his own.

On the mountain path, we are companions.

Here, we are competitors.

Cutting in line?

Die.

After a storm of punches and kicks, the diners finally vented their frustration.

The ascetic cultivator lying on the ground regained his senses.

No broken bones.

But it hurt.

A lot.

So much that stars danced before his eyes when he stood up.

“I already said I knew I was wrong. You people fight dirty…”

Lacking any confidence to resist after being in the wrong, he rubbed his swollen face and limped toward the back of the line with his head lowered.

Wasn’t lining up enough?

He could endure his thirst a little longer.

He didn’t want another beating.

Sob, sob.

It hurt.

He needed comforting.

After this cautionary example, the other ascetic cultivators obediently joined the queue.

Of course, not every ascetic was lured by the milk tea.

Some sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating, deaf to everything around them.

Others struggled just as Fang Xian had.

“Brother, let me give you some advice. The sooner you figure it out, the sooner you’ll get your drink.”

With only one person left ahead of him, Fang Xian was in an excellent mood.

As someone who had already walked this path, he earnestly advised the others, recounting his own battle against inner demons.

“In the end, you won’t be able to resist the heart demon anyway. So why hesitate from the beginning?”

“Look. There’s already one more person at the end of the line.”

Tianfo Temple had no shortage of disciples.

More and more monks heard the news and rushed over.

The queue kept growing.

“Milk tea, wait for me!”