Universe Infinite Canteen

"Mr. Yang, please go ahead," the chubby monk said.

"Master Hui De, after you," Mr. Yang replied.

"Alright." Master Hui De no longer demurred and immediately reached out with his chopsticks.

But this time, he too heard a cough by his ear.

Master Hui De was momentarily bewildered, thinking that Buddha had become angry. Fortunately, when he looked towards the source of the sound, he realized that the cough had come from a waiter in the restaurant.

"Master, Boss Ma asked me to give you a message. It's better not to eat the hair growth cake if you can avoid it."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because eating this cake makes hair grow."

Master Hui De chuckled, "No worry, I am a monk who has already undergone tonsure."

"No, that's exactly the problem. You wouldn't want your hair to start growing again, right?" the waiter pressed.

It was then that Boss Yang finally caught on, "Hey, so the hair growth cakes this week are supposed to make hair grow? Boss Ma, why didn't you remind me?"

"I did remind you," Ma Lu interjected. "You insisted on ordering it yourself, Boss Yang, so you can't blame me."

Boss Yang then remembered it did seem to be the case; he seemed to have misunderstood earlier. So, he said, "Well, I'll eat it then."

After saying this, he picked up his chopsticks to grab a piece of the hair growth cake, but then he heard Master Hui De suddenly say, "Wait a moment."

"Hmm?"

"As monks, we beg for alms and must eat what is given to us. Being picky would bring disapproval from Buddha."

The two young monks had devoured the previous vegetarian dishes like a whirlwind, never having tasted anything so delicious in their lives. They thought if the side dishes were this good, the main dish must be even better.

They were looking forward to it, but to their dismay, they heard this terrible news and saw Boss Yang about to monopolize the plate of hair growth cake, anxiously scratching their heads. Luckily, their master intervened in the nick of time.

The young monks gazed at the chubby monk with admiration and reverence.

Boss Yang, hearing about the possibility of angering Buddha, also hesitated to eat. Even if Buddha didn't have influence over him now, he would still need to mingle in Buddha's domain after death; it was best to establish good relations in advance.

As a regular at the Universe Infinite Canteen, he was well aware of the exaggerated effects of the dishes here, so he kindly suggested,

"Master, maybe you should let your two disciples try it first."

The two young monks perked up at the suggestion, eager to try. However, Master Hui De knew his own disciples all too well. He was very aware of their poor self-control.

If the hair growth cake was indeed delicious (which was almost certain, considering the previous dishes), and with his two troublesome disciples lacking in spiritual discipline, they would probably finish it all.

By then, he would be left with nothing, his efforts for naught.

Master Hui De definitely didn't want that to happen, so he said, "It doesn't matter. If the hair grows, we can shave it again. Outsiders have many misconceptions about us monks. In addition to our initial tonsure when entering the temple, we actually have to shave our heads regularly every ten days or so, otherwise, the hair would grow back anyway."

"Oh, is that so?"

"So, Mr. Yang, you don't have to worry about us growing hair." Master Hui De explained with a chuckle.

While he spoke, he had already picked up a piece of hair growth cake with his chopsticks, and seeing their Master make a move, his two disciples also raised their chopsticks.

Despite the ups and downs, they finally got to eat the pastry they had been longing for.

The flavor did not disappoint the three of them, the fragrance of herbs hit them full in the face, but it wasn't bitter like medicine when they ate it, instead there was a sweet and comforting taste. Swallowed, it would even turn into a warm flow that nourished the limbs and body.

After circulating the Small Circulation once, that warm stream ultimately all surged toward their heads, becoming fine threads of warmth, nurturing their scalps—as if they were receiving head massages at a massage parlor.

The two young monks couldn't help but moan in comfort, while Master Hui De, although not losing his composure to such an extent, was still flushed with joy.

However, his happiness did not last long when he saw Boss Yang across from him with eyes widened in shock.

It wasn't just Boss Yang, in fact, the gazes of the other diners in the restaurant were all directed towards the three of them.

Having traveled around to preach, Master Hui De was someone who had seen the world, but being stared at by so many people at once, and with such strange looks, made him feel a bit uneasy.

Nevertheless, he kept his composure and calmly raised his cup of water to drink.

At this moment, his disciples also noticed the peculiar atmosphere in the room and asked, "Huh, Master, what are they all looking at?"

Master Hui De had intended to use this opportunity to teach his unruly disciples a lesson about keeping their cool, but he froze when he turned around.

Because he saw a vibrant young man in a monk's robe, Master Hui De almost didn't recognize his own disciple Zhi Hai, and when he looked at his other disciple Zhi Cang, with his long flowing hair, he looked just like one of those artsy types from 798.

Zhi Hai and Zhi Cang were equally shocked to see their Master.

Unlike Master Hui De, who had seen them before they entered monastic life when he shaved their heads, the two young monks had entered the monastery later and had never seen their Master with hair.

One of them blurted out without thinking, "Master, how did you turn into Qiao Shan?"

Before Master Hui De could say anything, Boss Yang had already slammed the table and exclaimed, "What kind of way is that to speak? You don't talk about your Master like that. But now that you mention it, he does look a bit like him!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Although he promptly covered his mouth with his hand, his shaking shoulders gave him away.

No one had noticed until the young monk mentioned it, but as they listened, they realized there was indeed a resemblance between Master Hui De and the famous actor Qiao Shan—especially when topped with those natural curls, which made him look nearly sixty percent similar.

As a result, more people in the restaurant covered their mouths and shrugged their shoulders in amusement.

Zhi Hai, realizing he had stirred up trouble, reached out to scratch his bald head, only to grab a handful of hair. At that moment, he realized it wasn't just the Master—the hair of all three monks had grown back.

But wasn't this speed of hair growth a bit too fast?

They had just had a meal; before they ate, they were bald, but by the time they were done, their heads were covered in black hair—how miraculous!

There the three monks sat, staring at each other, completely baffled as to when they had returned to a secular state.

In the end, it was Ma Lu, who was kind-hearted, that pointed them to the closest hair salon.

Putting off any further engagement with Boss Yang, Master Hui De hurriedly took his two disciples to the hair salon, where they were curiously questioned by tony at the door.

"Hey, are you three going to a comic-con to cosplay? Who do you plan to dress up as? Ah, I know, don't tell me, let me guess..."

"It's, it's that Fa Hai, that old rogue Fa Hai, right? At your age, you could only cosplay as Fa Hai. But you know, you do have quite a resemblance.

"But I gotta tell you, it's not easy for shaved hair to grow back like this. It might not even get this thick again in half a year. Uncle, maybe you should think it over, at your age, keeping this much hair isn't easy."