The talismans placed in the ancestral hall all disappeared without a trace.
This means that An Zhengzheng has been accepted into the Ruthless Path.
Although the clansmen in the ancestral hall felt regret, there was nothing they could do.
Lin's eyes were red from crying, but fortunately An Mao was there to comfort her: "Let's try to persuade her again, maybe we can get a replacement."
Madam An was furious and glared at An Zhengzheng, waiting for him to return.
Unfilial descendants! She's going to beat this girl to death today!
An Yirou was gentle and innocent, but also very sensitive. She immediately sensed something was wrong and sneaked out when no one was paying attention.
"Sister, sister, you mustn't go back..." An Yirou ran quickly with small steps, sweat beading on her forehead. "Grandmother was furious, and Mother cried terribly. Now everyone in the clan is trying to speak well of Grandmother. If you go back now, you'll definitely get a beating!"
"My uncle just told me to secretly tell you to go back and rest first, so you don't run into trouble."
An Zhengzheng nodded. Since her uncle had said so, she was naturally happy to have some peace and quiet.
She really couldn't be bothered to deal with that so-called grandmother.
"Please thank your uncle and the others for me." An Zhengzheng went back to her room to pack her things.
That night, Lin came to her room.
“Mother.” An Zhengzheng put down the booklet in her hand.
Madam Lin looked at her with a hint of disappointment: "Zhengzheng, do you still remember that I am your mother? Ever since you were a child, every time you said you wanted to go to the Heartless Path, your mother would patiently persuade you to come back."
"I thought you'd grown up, become well-behaved, and I wouldn't mention it again, but I never expected you'd still go in the end..."
An Zhengzheng looked up at her.
Lin has been working hard all these years. Although she has the constitution to cultivate immortality, women who have given birth have borne the karmic consequences, so her constitution is not as good as before, and the effect of cultivation is greatly reduced.
He's only lived for a few hundred years, yet he's already grown white hair.
An unusual feeling arose in An Zhengzheng's heart. It was a complex feeling, mixed with pity, sympathy, and an overwhelming love.
She asked Lin, "Mother, have you still remembered your dream all these years?"
Lin was somewhat bewildered by An Zhengzheng's question. Recalling An Zhengzheng's actions today, she couldn't help but retort in a huff, "My dream is for you to obediently cultivate the Joyful Union Sect."
“Mother, look at this.” An Zhengzheng showed her the booklet in her hand.
Lin accepted it, completely bewildered.
"This year marks my birthday, and I'm already 170 years old. I'm about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, which will bring me one step closer to becoming an immortal. I'm truly delighted."
"Everyone laughs at me for not choosing the Hehuan Sect, but I don't care. I am single-mindedly pursuing the Dao and determined to become the best medicine cultivator. First, I will help people heal their bodies, and then I will become a god."
"This year, on my birthday, I'll be 230 years old. All the female cultivators I know have been sent back to their families to get married. I asked Jia Mei, and she also wants to temporarily put aside her cultivation. It's so painful; another woman has abandoned her path to follow her husband."
"This year I will be 300 years old. I should be in the prime of my life, but people around me are saying, openly or secretly, that I am getting old and that it will be hard for me to get married if I wait any longer. Even Jiamei, who is heavily pregnant, is urging me to start worrying."
"I looked at Jiamei's belly; this is her third child. As I looked, it was as if I could see my future. It's terrifying, truly terrifying."
"This year I'm 360 years old. My parents are pressuring me to get married and meet a matchmaker. My mother says that once I reach the Golden Core stage, my immortal physique will completely change, and I won't be able to have children. I'm so angry! Is marriage and having children the only way out for a woman?"
"This year, I will be 361 years old. I'm getting married soon, and meeting my husband is the happiest thing in my life. I was born for this moment. I believe I will become the happiest woman in the world..."
(The above diary entries are adapted from real-life examples in modern society.)
As Lin read through the articles, she was filled with astonishment.
She flipped through the booklet somewhat blankly. It was indeed her diary, but she couldn't remember ever thinking that way before.
"Isn't my biggest regret in this life that I didn't cultivate the Joyful Union Sect?" Lin felt her head spinning at this moment.
With trembling hands, she turned the pages one by one, the contents of which recorded her joy at getting married.
But after just a few articles, the booklet was completely blank.
The last sentence is, "Children are the most adorable creatures in the world; for them, everything is worthwhile."
An Zhengzheng looked at the bewildered Lin Shi and gently placed her hand on Lin Shi's hand.
“Mother, your daughter also has dreams.” An Zhengzheng’s feelings were complicated at this moment. “Your daughter’s dream is just like yours back then.”
“Mother, no woman’s dream is to get married and have children from the very beginning. That’s just an option, and it shouldn’t be the deciding factor.”
"Perhaps one day, my daughter will want to cultivate the alchemy sect, the beast taming sect, or even the magic sect."
"But that must be because my daughter found the motivation to strive, created her own value, and gained confidence from these sects."
"Not because... these sects will make it easier for women to marry into good families and support their husbands and children."
An Zhengzheng took a deep breath, looked at the suddenly dazed Lin Shi, and earnestly made her request.
"Mother, I have chosen the path of ruthlessness, and I have no regrets. I am not afraid of hardship, and I believe that hard work pays off. Please understand me, okay?"
Lin had been lost in thought for a long time, and it was unclear what she was thinking. Finally, she closed her eyes and said, "Your grandmother... will scold me to death."
After she gave birth to Zhengzheng, her mother-in-law immediately urged her to have another child.
The following year, she gave birth to Rou'er, which completely damaged her health, and she was already being criticized by her mother-in-law to the point of being unable to hold her head up high.
If we can't persuade Zhengzheng to come back...
The Lin family was frightened.
But she quickly added firmly, "Zhengzheng, go ahead."
Perhaps fearing she would regret it, Lin clutched the booklet tightly and staggered out the door.
An Zhengzheng tried to help her up, but she held her hand down instead.
“Your grandmother is determined to force you to go to the Hehuan Sect, and your father and relatives in the clan can’t stop her. There’s no time to lose, so don’t wait three days. Pack your things now and go to Siyue Gate as soon as possible. You’ll also have your master’s protection.”
"I'll go get Rou'er, and then your uncle will take you away."
Lin left quickly and contacted her brother Lin Huai'an overnight using a jade slip.
Lin Huai'an ran a shop in the city. When he heard that his sister wanted him to escort his niece to Siyue Gate overnight, he closed the shop and went to rent a flying boat.
An Zhengzheng was carrying a bundle, while An Yirou carried four or five, all hidden in her storage ring.
Under Lin's cover, the two sisters secretly ran out of the back gate of the An residence.
"Why did you bring so little?" Lin Huai'an asked, puzzled.
His daughter, when she went to the sect a few years ago, brought several bags of clothes, shoes, rouge, and face powder.
This time, he was going to pick up two girls, so he specially rented a larger flying boat.
"Uncle, I put them all in my storage ring. My sister doesn't have many things, so I didn't put them in her storage ring," An Yirou said truthfully.
Lin Huai'an nodded. "Oh right, the An family is well-off, they even have storage rings."
An Zhengzheng hugged her bundle tightly and said, "Uncle, let's go quickly."
She felt uneasy.
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