Chapter 2568

"Put simply, it means we should let nature take its course," Ouyang Tianyun explained with a smile.

"Yes," Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Besides letting nature take its course, we must also follow Heaven’s will. Zhang Jingzong becoming my second direct disciple is actually a form of Heaven’s will."

Sometimes, Heaven’s will can be slightly nudged, but at other times, it cannot be defied.

Many people say, "My fate is up to me, not Heaven." But truly, there are very few who can contend with Heaven. Unless one achieves the status of an Emperor or Empress, like the Black Emperor, the Empress, the Immortal Emperor, the Immortal Empress, or Yan Aohan—those who become Sovereigns of the Heavens. Once they become the masters of Heaven, they naturally have nothing else to fear.

Ouyang Tianyun added, "Following Heaven’s will is truly very important." It was a sigh of realization.

Zhu Yanyi smiled. "Yes, following Heaven’s will is important, but sometimes, Heaven’s will is not so easy to find."

Although the words "Heaven’s will" sound simple, finding it is no easy task.

"Eat the buns, eat the buns. Why talk about such profound things?" Cuiwan said. "Master, we came here to go shopping today."

Zhu Yanyi raised an eyebrow slightly. "So~"

"So, don’t tell us such deep things. Let’s just have a simple shopping trip," Cuiwan said directly.

Zhu Yanyi was stunned for a moment, then her heart stirred. So that’s it. In life, some things seem complicated, but often, the complexity is self-created. Some complexities are unnecessary. Looking at things simply can make life much lighter.

Thinking this way, her heart stirred involuntarily. Zhu Yanyi realized her state of mind had broken through again.

Yan Aohan sensed Zhu Yanyi’s breakthrough and smiled at her.

Zhu Yanyi rubbed her head. "I didn’t expect breaking through to be so simple."

"Door Master, please don’t tease us every time," Honglian looked at Zhu Yanyi, her face full of grievance.

Not just Honglian, but everyone else looked at Zhu Yanyi with aggrieved eyes, as if she had really teased them.

Zhu Yanyi blinked and made a funny face. "Hurry up and eat. After we finish, we can go shopping. I’ll pay for the local specialties later, okay?"

"Great!" Everyone cheered and began to eat happily.

Zhu Yanyi and her group stayed in the suburbs of Zhuangyuan for five days. During these five days, the others frequently bought local specialties and used immortal birds to deliver them quickly back to the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect. Meanwhile, they rested in the suburban manor.

Before the five days were up, on the fourth day, Zhang Jingzong returned. There was a trace of sadness in her eyes. Zhu Yanyi noticed it, pondered slightly, and decided to talk to Zhang Jingzong.

"Jingzong." Since Zhu Yanyi had decided, she took action.

"Master." Zhang Jingzong looked at Zhu Yanyi respectfully.

"I see sadness in your eyes and a thread of worry between your brows. Are you reluctant to leave the Medicine King Valley?" Zhu Yanyi asked.

"No." Zhang Jingzong shook his head slightly. "It’s just… it’s just…" Zhang Jingzong didn’t know how to say it. He organized his thoughts and then said, "Master, if someone uses the恩情 (gratitude/favor) of my family or sect to scheme against me, what should I do?"

Zhu Yanyi chuckled lightly. "A person lives with only one heart and one passion. When the heart breaks and the passion dissipates, there is nothing left."

Zhang Jingzong looked at Zhu Yanyi, somewhat confused. "Master, I don’t quite understand what you mean."

Zhu Yanyi smiled lightly. "What is there not to understand? Did the Medicine King Valley give you some orders?"

"Master, how did you know?" Zhang Jingzong was slightly stunned, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

It turned out that when Zhang Jingzong went back to pack his luggage, the elders from the Medicine King Valley who had come with him, except for Zhang Yihang, gathered to examine Zhang Jingzong’s body. They saw that his body had transformed from a useless physique to a genius constitution, with innate Wood Spiritual Roots and a Wood Spiritual Body. He was absolutely a natural talent for cultivating medicinal herbs.

This wasn’t the most important thing. The most important thing was that the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect possessed the ability to turn waste into treasure. If they could control this ability, it would be perfect for the Medicine King Valley.

However, they dared not bully the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect openly. First, the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect’s strength was evident; they had the absolute ability to deal with the Medicine King Valley. Second, the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect had connections with the Immortal Emperor and Empress. They could not afford to offend them. Therefore, they decided to steal the skills.

In this way, Zhang Jingzong was their best choice. Thus, they demanded that Zhang Jingzong learn the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect’s unique arts as quickly as possible and hand them over to the Medicine King Valley.

Zhang Jingzong had never imagined that the elders who had once shown him some care would now show such a face. Was利益 (interest/profit) really that important to them? He felt an indescribable melancholy in his heart.

Zhang Jingzong had been a cripple since childhood, so his state of mind had always been sensitive. That was why a thread of sorrow had condensed in his heart.

Zhu Yanyi looked at Zhang Jingzong. "If those elders of the Medicine King Valley hadn’t had such thoughts, that would be strange." Zhu Yanyi smiled, looking as if she had long predicted this.

"Master, you predicted this long ago?" Zhang Jingzong looked at Zhu Yanyi curiously.

Zhu Yanyi smiled gently. "Jingzong, do you know why I accepted you as my disciple?"

"I don’t know." Zhang Jingzong shook his head.

Zhu Yanyi looked at a streak of colorful clouds on the distant horizon and said, "Because I knew that saving you would cause unnecessary disputes."

"Actually, my technique is not something I cannot teach. At least within our Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect, I have never hidden it. Sometimes, when I perform surgery, I even ask some disciples to come and assist me. However, I know that if this technique were revealed to the world, it would cause immense trouble. So, unless absolutely necessary, I generally ensure that the children I cultivate who possess talent spiritual roots become disciples of our Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect."

Zhu Yanyi had a calm expression. "I don’t know if you have heard, but most of the disciples in our Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect are orphans that others discarded. Some are even disabled. But now, in the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect, their aptitudes are the same as yours. Because I am a doctor, my philosophy is that a doctor must relieve the suffering of patients, just like you."

"Accepting you as my disciple was for two reasons. First, your talent and physique are suitable to inherit my legacy. Second, it was to relieve your future suffering. If you had stayed in the Medicine King Valley, they would naturally make you cultivate, but more importantly, you would become their experimental subject, their object of study."

Zhu Yanyi turned back to look at Zhang Jingzong. "Don’t you think so?"

A trace of bitterness appeared on Zhang Jingzong’s face. He knew his Master was completely right. If he had returned to the Medicine King Valley with them, he would likely have become their research subject.