Nozawa hadn't expected that Hai Xin, the old monk, wasn't looking for him to treat an illness—judging by the tone, the old guy actually wanted his medicine, and was trying to do business with him.
This caught him a bit off guard, but as his gaze swept over to Zhiru, who was quietly sitting on the side, he remembered the little monk could already "Amitabha, wild mushrooms are tasty," so this style from the old monk wasn't so surprising—he'd heard about the Zen Sect before coming and thought he'd meet an enlightened high monk. Turns out, he couldn't have been more wrong; the guy wasn't even close.
Probably, the teachings were brought from China to Japan, but Japan's feng shui must be terrible, since the Zen Sect has grown all crooked.
He thought about all those Zen riddles and Buddhist verses he'd tried to prepare along the way—all a waste. But that's not important. If it's business, then business it is!
