Chapter 2049

Zhu Yanyi hadn’t expected her casual remark to evoke such deep reflection from Ouyang Tianyun. She smiled softly. “It’s good that you’ve found your path. I have no other demands. I’m just waiting to taste your new creations.”

“No problem, Shiwu. Wait and see. I won’t let you down,” Ouyang Tianyun replied with a grin.

Sikong Xuran sighed, “I really envy you, Tianyun. You’ve found your direction. I still haven’t. Maybe because I fought too many evil cultivators in the past, now that I’ve stepped away, I can’t find a way to break through.”

“It’s not that you can’t find a direction. It’s that you haven’t found your own Dao,” Yan Aohan said, glancing at Sikong Xuran.

Sikong Xuran paused, staring at Yan Aohan for a moment. “Your Excellency Yan means I haven’t found my own Dao?”

“Yes.” Yan Aohan took a sip of clear wine. “Everyone has their own Dao. The saying of ‘three thousand paths’ is just a metaphor. The core truth is that cultivators follow different methods. If they succeed, they all reach the same destination—ascension to immortality or godhood. But before that, the most important thing is to comprehend your own Dao.”

Yan Aohan pointed at Zhu Yanyi. “Look at Ani. She chose the path of medicine. A healer serves the world. So she centers herself on healing, expanding into poison medicine, shamanic healing, herbal arts, and more. Beyond medical skills, she studies everything beneficial to the world. For example, in the Bright Forest, she trains elves, dwarves, and orcs to become self-reliant. This is also an act of great benevolence. Her path is clear. But yours is not. You don’t know where your path lies, so you don’t know what to do. Your future seems blurry, and you don’t know how to walk it.”

Yan Aohan looked at Sikong Xuran. “Every cultivator must have a clear vision of their path. If you are unclear, you will hit a bottleneck and feel lost.”

“But I am also a healer,” Sikong Xuran said directly.

“There are thousands of healers. But what is your healer’s heart?” Yan Aohan asked.

“What is a healer’s heart?” Sikong Xuran was stunned. He had never thought about this. To him, a healer simply treated the sick. He hadn’t considered anything else. Now he realized his view was narrow. Healing was a vast field, and not all healers were the same.

“Ani’s path is to strive for the title of Medicine God. What is your path?” Yan Aohan asked again.

“What is my path?” Sikong Xuran looked even more confused.

“It’s okay to be confused now. You can think about it slowly. But staying confused forever is not good,” Yan Aohan smiled gently. “You are all healers, but your paths differ.”

“We understand. We will think it over carefully,” Yi Yunfei answered. He knew Yan Aohan’s words were not just for Sikong Xuran, but for all of them.

Yan Aohan offered this guidance only because of Zhu Yanyi. Without her, he would never have bothered.

Zhu Yanyi smiled beside them, took a sip of wine, and continued eating roasted meat. “Life goals are best understood slowly. Don’t force it now. Sometimes, a single opportunity will show you exactly what to do.”

She raised her eyebrows slightly, signaling them to focus on eating.

Sikong Xuran, Yi Yunfei, and Ouyang Tianyun exchanged glances. They dropped the heavy topic and started grabbing food. It was rare to visit the mortal realm and enjoy such delicacies. To hesitate now would be foolish.

The three men competed for food, and soon Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan joined in. The five of them ate until their bellies were full and round before stopping.

Another day passed. The leisure of yesterday was gone. Today would be busy. They needed to find the soul trapped within Ming Chuan Yunzi.

They had already located Ming Chuan Yunzi’s residence from the previous night.

It was a small villa. Their observations revealed a cook, a butler, two servants, and two security guards. The guards were specially hired. Even the cook, butler, and servants had some martial skills. It was not a place to be entered lightly.

Ming Chuan Yunzi preferred driving herself to avoid being tracked by drivers.

Rumors said she took different routes to work every day. No one knew which path she would choose. There were five possible routes from her home to her practice chamber, varying in length. The key was that no one could predict her choice. Just because she took one route yesterday didn’t mean she would take it today, though she might. Intercepting her on the road was nearly impossible.

As soon as Ming Chuan Yunzi left the villa, Zhu Yanyi and her group quietly drifted into the courtyard. Upon landing, Zhu Yanyi scattered a pill into the air. Instantly, within a hundred-meter radius around the villa, the air was infused with her special drug.

“They’re asleep,” Ouyang Tianyun said, looking at the servants sleeping on the ground. He waved his hand in front of their faces to test if they were truly unconscious.

Zhu Yanyi nodded. “They have no grudge against me. I have no need to kill them. Putting them to sleep is enough. Our main goal is to find the book.”

“I don’t think we’ll find the book here so easily,” Yi Yunfei said.

Zhu Yanyi sighed. “Let’s try. If it’s not here, she has other houses. We will find it eventually.”

“But what if Ming Chuan Yunzi carries the book with her?” Ouyang Tianyun asked.

“Then it’s even better,” Zhu Yanyi said directly. “I won’t have to search so hard.”

Because they were unsure, they had to check everything in the house first.

Entering the room, Zhu Yanyi scanned the surroundings. Yi Yunfei walked toward a vanity table, ready to open a drawer. Zhu Yanyi quickly said, “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” Yi Yunfei asked.

Zhu Yanyi said calmly, “Don’t you see the powder on the drawer handle?”

Yi Yunfei looked down. Indeed, a thin layer of powder coated the handle. If Zhu Yanyi hadn’t noticed, Yi Yunfei would have left fingerprints or traces by pulling it.

“What a cunning Ming Chuan Yunzi,” Yi Yunfei sighed. “I almost left a trace.”