True Star - Volume 2 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“I asked him if he had anyone he liked, like how Daddy likes Mommy . ” The devilish girl blinked mischievously . Winding her arms around Albert’s shoulders, she
stuck out her tongue playfully .
“That was a smart question . How did he reply?” Albert was unperturbed by how Annie had phrased her question . He was unmarried; the socalled
“love between
Daddy and Mommy” was inapplicable in his case . He simply needed a child . That was the only reason .
He had no idea who Annie’s birth mother was . There was no need for Annie to know either .
“He said he didn’t like anyone . ”
“What did you ask after that?” Albert was unsurprised by his daughter’s reply; he had already expected that to be the answer . And he was right .
“I asked what type of person he likes . Daddy, his answer is so stupid . ” Annie wrinkled her nose . She deepened her voice and said in a tone that resembled Tang
Feng’s, “‘Hmm, for appearance, it’s fine as long as I like how they look . As for character, I hope they would be a kind person . Someone with a sunny outlook on life .
I also hope they have the same values as me . ’”
Annie had relayed Tang Feng’s answer word for word . The gentle and mature tone she had taken while reciting was at odds with her young appearance, making it
a quite comical display .
“A kind person with a sunny outlook on life…” Albert chuckled coldly . “Haha, what a foolish man . An idealist to the end . I can’t help but be worried for you . Like
Esmeralda, will you fall in love with someone you shouldn’t?”
♦
Most people would never believe that a fourandahalfyearold
child could lie to an adult . The obvious reason was because most people carried a friendly outlook




on life, choosing to believe in the positives instead of the negatives .
Similarly, the kind people residing at the seaside church in Ireland would never choose to be suspicious of the new monk from the east . He had carried the ashes of
the old priest all the way home by himself . He was dusty and shaken from his long journey . Even after arriving, he had yet to speak a single word . Everyone simply
assumed that the monk named Tang was especially avid to his holy cause .
Tang had arrived at the strange and remote land during a rainstorm in the night .
Thunder clashed and roared in the dark sky above . The man who appeared shrunken in his black robes clutched a dried branch in his hand as a crutch . His shoes
sank into the soft mud underneath with every step he took . He felt as if the ground was trying to swallow his legs . Who was that clutching at his heels below the
ground? Was it the devil from hell?
He didn’t know, but he was alarmed . He felt cold from the top of his head to the ends of his toes . And hunger ate at him constantly from the inside .
Beansized
raindrops fell unrelentingly from the sky and splattered onto his hood and shoulders . His robes were completely drenched . Luckily, the fabric was black .
If it had been a lighter color, it would have already been dyed a dirty grey by all the mud and filth that had collected on the fabric .
The rain had been falling for five days, and he had also been walking in the rain for five days . He couldn’t turn back now . The only thing he could do was walk, walk
without ever stopping…
He rearranged the thin robes around him and tied the urn of ashes around his stomach using a piece of cloth . He could better protect the urn this way and prevent
it from colliding against something and breaking apart .
After stepping on his journey to this foreign land, Tang had relied on written words to relay his intents: what he wanted, where he wanted to go, which road he
should take .

Kind individuals he met on the road would give him food and water . They praised him for his staunch character as a monk who had given the entirety of his life to
God . People assumed that he didn’t speak because he had devoted his everything to God . They were surprised to learn that such a dedicated monk came from the
far east .
Heavens, he had walked for so long, only chasing after the guidance and footsteps of God .

Tang made no efforts to dissuade people’s assumptions about him . He was glad that he was unable to speak . He hadn’t lost the ability to speak; he simply wasn’t
allowed to speak . The people of his original church had made him promise that he wouldn’t utter a single word for fifty years . Additionally, he had to write down the
doctrines of God every day and commit the words to heart .
They forced him to leave the land he had grown up in to bring the old priest’s ashes to this foreign place .
Tang didn’t feel hurt or hopeless due to the harsh punishment, he was even happy . The new land he had come to was far away from his homeland . The disgusting
and shameless crime he had committed there would never reach the ears of the people here . He didn’t ask for much anymore . He didn’t have the courage to
attempt anything that would turn him away from God’s teachings . He only wanted to pass the fifty years he had left in peace and quiet in a small church
somewhere .
Due to hunger and exhaustion, Tang fell onto the muddy path . Before losing consciousness, he looked one last time at the sky above him . It was dark and heavy
like the black robes he wore . The sky seemed to inch ever closer to him, becoming an icy and impermeable black cloth that gradually enveloped him .
You are an embarrassment to God…
Monk, you have committed a dirty crime . Your punishment is to keep your voice to yourself for fifty years . You will bear the consequences of your crime!
Tang took a deep breath and abruptly opened his eyes . He sat up with a pale face . His black eyes glittered with the light of the stars, appearing on the verge of
shattering at any moment . They were eyes of helplessness, pain, and repentance .
“You’re awake . ” A weak ray of sunlight shot into the room from the wooden window . A blondhaired




man was sitting next to the young monk . When Tang looked at
him, the blondhaired
man revealed a brilliant smile . Like the sun, the smile pierced Tang’s eyes and he instinctively recoiled from the pain . Compared to the blond
man, he was the mud bubbling in the mire, dirty and dark .
“I don’t know if you can understand me, but you’d fainted by the sea . The priest had saved you . God have mercy, you are alive . A moment later, you would have
died and been swallowed by the sea god . ” The blond man smiled again . Despite his sincerity, Tang couldn’t figure out what he was saying exactly .
Tang decided to stay silent and listen instead . “We found a letter on you . Luckily, it’d been wrapped tightly or it’d have been soaked by the water . We know you’re a
monk from the east . We thank you for bringing Priest Dolen’s ashes back . The head priest has already given his permission for you to stay . Tang, will you stay?”
Tang lowered his head, his eyes unfocused . He knew of the letter the other man was talking about . Heavens, the letter had been written by the people of his
original church . It detailed the crime he had committed . During his journey through Europe, he had thrown the letter into the ocean . The letter the young monk had
read belonged to his own hand .
He couldn’t calm the panic within his heart, rendering himself all the more weakened and pitiful on the outside .
“You seem frightened . Don’t worry, you’ll be fine . We know you were close to Priest Dolen . Everyone sees you as a friend here . ” The young monk leaned toward
Tang . Their close proximity allowed Tang to clearly see the other’s features . The blond man was handsome and had a pair of blue eyes that shone like gems .
Among Europeans, the young monk should be quite handsome . At that, Tang was shocked that such a dirty thought had crossed his mind again . He couldn’t, he
couldn’t make another mistake .
Tang quickly lowered his head and nodded, indicating that he had understood .
The blond man chuckled beside his ear, his warm breath brushing lightly against Tang’s cheeks . “My name is Chris . Although you can’t speak, I hope that one day I
can hear you call my name . ” Chris paused, and continued in a low voice, “Do all Easterners have eyes like yours? They are beautiful . They are the most beautiful
eyes…I have ever seen, Tang . ”
Chris . Tang mumbled the name to himself, over and over .
He felt a warmth spread within his chest and a strange feeling pervade his body . Perhaps everything would turn out to be all right . Quickly, Tang recovered his
health and officially joined the seaside church . Everyone welcomed him, but aside from the initial curiosity of seeing a foreigner, most people left him alone .
To Tang, that was a good thing . He was glad that he couldn’t speak . That way, he could avoid accidentally saying ugly words to people .
There was an exception to this: the monk called Chris . He’d heard others say that Chris was extremely intelligent . A small church by the seaside wasn’t enough to
satisfy him . Very soon, Chris would be going to a bigger town to further his studies .
When he’d first waken up, it took Tang a while to realize that he was completely naked under the bedsheets . He grabbed onto the sheets and glanced around the
room in panic for his dirty and ripped black robes .

“Your robes are beyond repair . The head priest told me to prepare another set for you,” said Chris . He then smiled . “I’d taken off your clothes for you . I’d also wiped
down your body . ”
Tang did his best to ignore the teasing in Chris’ eyes as he spoke . These past few days, he could feel Chris’ eyes trailing behind him wherever he walked . But Chris
never spoke with him, only gazing at him while standing far away .
What a strange person .
♦
“Cut! Very good!” the director yelled . Tang Feng’s first scene with Gino had passed smoothly .
Wearing matching monk robes, Tang Feng and Gino looked at each other and smiled at the same time . It seemed that discussing the script two days ago had been
a good idea .

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