The Abbot Descends the Mountain

Mingyuan had no talent for martial arts and knew nothing of profound Buddhist teachings, yet he was patient, clever, capable of getting things done, and adept at reading people. He originally just wanted to figure out "what monks actually do," but never expected that after stumbling and struggling his way through the temple, he would ultimately be pushed into the position of abbot because he "knew how to get things done." After his status changed, he came into contact with cultural projects, funding, luxury cars, houses, banquets, media, and increasingly complex interpersonal relationships. Mingyuan began to realize that being abbot was not just an identity, but more like a "position" that required constant maintenance. He became increasingly good at handling matters, and increasingly good at explaining them. Then a whistleblowing letter appeared, and the people and events of the past that had seemed completely unrelated were reconnected one by one. Money, cars, houses, women, children—each matter seemed to have a reasonable explanation, but when they all appeared together in a single document, the story changed completely. An investigation followed, and Mingyuan ultimately lost the abbotship, his car, his house, and his interpersonal relationships, and was even taken away for investigation. Many years later, he returned to the temple and once again faced the question from his childhood: What do monks actually do? This time, no one answered for him. — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: The Abbot Descends the Mountain — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠