The mountain breeze from Qingyun Sect dispersed the stench of blood from Wanfo Mountain, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees as it brushed against the bamboo chairs in the courtyard.

Lin Zhou's white robes faded, and Su She stood beneath the old locust tree, his blue robe still stained with undried blood, his eyes somewhat vacant. He gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded mountains, his fingers unconsciously stroking the *Tao Te Ching* in his robes, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Master, is my path...wrong?"

Lin Zhou was lying on a bamboo chair basking in the sun when he heard this, and lazily lifted his eyelids: "Oh? What's wrong?"

“I thought the truth was in the human world, in justice, and in all living beings.” Su She’s voice was low and weary. “But I have seen the higher-ups in Buddhism treat human life like dirt for the sake of empty fame, committing evil deeds without any remorse, and even taking it for granted; I have seen believers being deceived, mistaking indifference for compassion, and slaughter for salvation… The injustices in this world seem to be far more than I thought.”

He paused, his tone tinged with confusion: "I wanted to set things right, to make them understand the true 'Tao,' but in the end, if it weren't for my master's intervention, I wouldn't even have been able to protect myself. Does this kind of Tao really have any meaning?"

Lin Zhou was silent for a moment, then took out a spiritual fruit from the bamboo basket and tossed it to Su She: "Try it."

Su She caught the spirit fruit, took a bite, and the sweet juice melted on her tongue.

"Is it sweet?" Lin Zhou asked.

"sweet."

"When it grows on the tree, it gets bitten by insects and battered by wind and rain. Do you think it feels 'unfair'?" Lin Zhou asked again.

Su She was taken aback.

"The Way is not a black-and-white ruler," Lin Zhou said calmly, gazing at the distant sea of ​​clouds. "If you think Buddhism is hypocritical, then expose it; if you think the common people are in trouble, then help them. As for the outcome, whether others approve or not, that's their business."

He sat up and patted Su She on the shoulder: "You walked this path yourself. It's normal to have blisters on your feet and feel lost. But whether you walk it or not, and how you walk it, is up to you. If you can't figure it out, go chop firewood on the back mountain. Maybe you'll figure it out while you're chopping."

After saying that, he lay back down on the bamboo chair, closed his eyes to bask in the sun, and said no more.

Holding the spiritual fruit in his hand, Su She gazed at his master's languid profile, and the fog in his heart seemed to dissipate somewhat.

Yes, the truth lies in one's own heart, not in the responses of others. Even if the road ahead is bumpy, even if the world is intoxicated, as long as he holds fast to his sincerity, he is not wrong.

He bowed deeply to Lin Zhou, then turned and walked towards the back mountain. The figure in the green robe disappeared into the woods, but his steps were much more steady than when he came.

"Master!"

Two figures emerged from the mountain path, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard. Xiao Chen was dressed in a green robe, with Ling Xue, dressed in white, by his side. The girl's blue eyes held a hint of nervousness, but also a barely perceptible anticipation.

"You're back." Lin Zhou looked up, his gaze falling on Ling Xue.

Ling Xue felt inexplicably restrained when she was swept by that seemingly indifferent gaze, and subconsciously shrank back behind Xiao Chen.

"Master, this is Ling Xue." Xiao Chen stepped aside to introduce her, his tone somewhat solemn. "Please take a look at her innate Ice Soul Physique."

"Okay." Lin Zhou responded and said to Ling Xue, "Come here."

Ling Xue hesitated for a moment, then, encouraged by Xiao Chen's gaze, she took small steps to Lin Zhou, lowered her head, and tightly gripped the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

Lin Zhou's pupils contracted slightly, and a faint golden light flashed in his eyes—that was the "Eye of Insight" he occasionally used, which could see through the origin of a person's constitution.

After a moment, he looked away and said calmly, "It's not a big problem."

Xiao Chen and Ling Xue's hearts tightened at the same time: "Master (Senior)?"

“The innate Ice Soul Body is a gift of extreme cold,” Lin Zhou explained, “but her physique has not been fully activated yet. The cold energy is running rampant in her body, harming both herself and others. To put it bluntly, she is ‘not fully developed,’ like an unripe fruit.”

Ling Xue froze, disbelief flashing in her blue eyes—the clan's supreme elder said that her constitution was a natural "ice affliction" that could only be suppressed but not cured, yet this senior said "it's not a big problem."

"Then... can it be cured?" Her voice was barely audible, carrying a glimmer of hope that even she herself couldn't believe.

“It’s not difficult.” Lin Zhou stood up and patted the grass clippings off his clothes. “Refine an ‘Ice Melting Pill’ to activate the Ice Soul Origin within her body, and then use cultivation techniques to guide it. In less than three months, she will be able to control it at will.”

Ling Xue's eyes lit up instantly, like stars that had been ignited, and her breathing became rapid: "Re...really?"

This was the first time in her life she had ever heard the words "can be cured." No longer having to worry about breaking hot food, no longer having to worry about getting frostbite if she got close to someone, no longer having to be treated as an "outcast" by her tribe... She never even dared to dream of such a life.

What Ling Xue didn't know was that even in a higher-dimensional world, there weren't many people with her physique.

Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you, Master!"

"No need to thank me," Lin Zhou waved his hand, "It just so happens that there are a few medicinal herbs in the herb garden."

He turned and walked towards the herb garden behind the sect's mountain, and Xiao Chen and Ling Xue quickly followed.

The herb garden was filled with spiritual energy, and all kinds of spiritual herbs were growing well. Lin Zhou walked to the northwest corner with familiarity, picked a "Cold Marrow Grass" with leaves like ice crystals, dug up a piece of "Earth Core Milk" buried in the soil that was emitting white steam, and finally plucked a few petals of "Warm Sun Flower" - which was the main ingredient for refining the Ice Melting Pill.

"This is enough." Lin Zhou handed the medicinal herbs to Ling Xue behind him. "Go to the alchemy room and wait."

Ling Xue held the medicinal herbs in both hands. When her fingertips touched the Cold Marrow Grass, instead of forming a thin layer of ice as usual, she felt a gentle coolness. She watched Lin Zhou's back as he walked towards the alchemy room, then looked at Xiao Chen beside her with a smile, and her eyes welled up slightly.

So, there really was hope.

It turned out that Xiao Chen hadn't lied to her.

Sunlight from the Qingyun Sect shone through the vines in the herb garden onto the girl's pale face, giving her a faint blush, like a crack finally appearing on a frozen lake, revealing the life beneath.

Xiao Chen looked at the light in her eyes and his heart stirred slightly—once she recovered, he would definitely take her to taste the grilled fish made by his master, take her to see the sunset at Qingyun Sect, and take her to all the places she had never dared to go before.

The stone door to the alchemy room slowly closed. Lin Zhou took out the alchemy furnace, and a cluster of pale blue flames ignited at his fingertips. Ling Xue stood to the side, watching the medicinal herbs gradually melt in the flames, her heart filled with anticipation.

Perhaps, her life could truly change from the moment she stepped into this sect.

Then the sound of chopping wood came faintly from the back mountain. Su She swung his axe, chopping the firewood again and again. Sweat soaked his clothes, but his eyes gradually became clear with each swing of the axe.

The wind of Qingyun Sect, carrying the scents of herbs and firewood, gently embraces the mountain, and also embraces everyone who comes here seeking "the Way" and "hope".