Master Qinglan appeared to be in her fifties or sixties, clad in a coarse linen robe, a lay Buddhist with her hair still on.
In the Imperial Capital, her fame was known to all.
Her origins were mysterious; she understood astronomy and geography.
She was versed in Yin and Yang, the Eight Trigrams, and proficient in medicine, destiny, physiognomy, and divination.
She could diagnose life and death by feeling a pulse, and observe fortune and status by observing qi.
However, she had retired many years ago, and countless wealthy merchants and powerful officials who came to Seven Stars Mountain seeking an audience were turned away.
Old Madam Ji was granted entry to Seven Stars Mountain because, in her youth, she had once shown kindness to Master Qinglan.
"Madam Ji, judging from your grandson's eight characters, he is like the bright moon in the sky, destined for immense fortune. However, a tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind.
His life will undoubtedly not be smooth sailing, and his yin energy is too heavy, which is why he is currently in a coma.
He needs a woman with a sufficiently strong destiny to suppress the yin energy within him. Once the two are married, he will awaken.
It is not a matter of simply finding any woman to marry for good luck; choosing the wrong person will only harm both parties."
Master Qinglan took a sip of clear tea, placed the cup on the table, her face serene and profound.
"But where can I find such a person? Master, you must help me."
Upon hearing Master Qinglan's words, Old Madam Ji grew even more anxious. Thinking of her comatose grandson, she couldn't help but shed tears.
"Do not fret. Everything is predetermined. I do happen to have such a woman here.
However, she is devoted to the Dao and has no intention of marrying, so she may not agree."
Master Qinglan pointed outwards. Old Madam Ji followed her gaze and saw, in the bamboo forest outside the room, a young woman in coarse linen clothing meditating.
Mist swirled in the bamboo grove. The woman on the rock was as graceful as a willow, her beauty like spring flowers.
Sitting there, she resembled a concubine from the Xiang River or a goddess from the Nine Heavens.
"What a beautiful woman, with such an outstanding aura! She would be a perfect match for my dear grandson!"
Old Madam Ji's eyes lit up, and she instantly took a liking to the woman.
Mingyue did not understand why, while she was diligently cultivating, she had suddenly become entangled in a marriage arrangement.
She had been intelligent since childhood, possessing a keen spiritual root, and had the good fortune to become a disciple of Master Qinglan.
Every year around this time, she would come to Seven Stars Mountain to stay for a month, seeking guidance from her master on cultivation methods.
One day, having achieved a moment of enlightenment, she was meditating and practicing breathing exercises in the bamboo forest.
An old woman suddenly approached her and begged her to marry her grandson, which was utterly perplexing.
Marriage was something she had never considered, nor did she need a man.
Therefore, Mingyue paid no heed to the old woman and returned directly to her room. To her surprise, her master also came to persuade her.
"Mingyue, your master would never harm you. This is a good marriage.
You still have worldly ties, and solely pursuing ascetic cultivation will lead to no progress.
Look at me; in my youth, I married more than ten times and divorced more than ten times.
Only then did I see through the world and attain my current cultivation. This is the power of example; you should learn from it."
After seeing off the disappointed Old Madam Ji, Master Qinglan beckoned Mingyue into her room, which was filled with luxury items.
"Divorce not only brought you your current cultivation but also this entire Seven Stars Mountain, and wealth beyond compare."
Mingyue leaned against the dressing table, pouting, and mercilessly retorted.
Watching her master remove her coarse linen clothes and change into high-fashion attire.
She truly couldn't understand how her master could be so schizophrenic.
In front of outsiders, she was a dignified cultivator, appearing ethereal and wise.
In reality, she ate meat, enjoyed fine food, drank wine, and ate meat.
Moreover, at fifty or sixty years old, she loved designer brands, bought handbags, enjoyed shopping, and wouldn't go out without makeup.
Of course, when she went shopping, no one recognized her as the renowned Master Qinglan of the Imperial Capital.
Furthermore, Mingyue felt that her and her master's ages seemed to be reversed.
Master Qinglan followed dramas, chased idols, and liked young, handsome men.
While she herself was like a still, ancient well, pure-hearted and abstemious, on the verge of death.
Yet, despite Master Qinglan's eccentricities, it did not affect her cultivation, and her state of mind continuously improved.
As for herself, she had reached a bottleneck three years ago and had made no progress whatsoever.
She wondered what kind of Dao her master cultivated. Could it be true, as she said, that she needed to marry to improve her cultivation?
"You wretched girl, I'm talking about serious matters, and you've dragged me into it again.
Master is telling you, the Great Dao lies in the human world. What is Dao?
The Three Thousand Great Daos include love and affection, joy and sorrow, the mundane matters of life.
Deception and intrigue are also Dao. You lack even a trace of worldly experience; what Dao are you cultivating?
Getting married is just that; at worst, you can divorce like me if you feel it's not suitable.
Consider it an experience of life's myriad forms, to increase your insight, just as master has 'fooled' you."
Master Qinglan sat before the dressing table, applying makeup with skilled hands.
While applying lipstick, she chattered on. In the mirror, after applying makeup, she had transformed into a mature woman in her early thirties.
"Alright, I accept this marriage. Inform the Ji family that the wedding will be in three days."
Mingyue instantly understood. Her master was right; she would treat it as an experience, and if it didn't work out, she could always divorce.
Having said this decisively, she maliciously patted Master Qinglan's shoulder heavily.
"You wicked girl, you did that on purpose, didn't you! My limited edition lipstick!
It's ruined, and my makeup is smudged; I have to redo it.
I still need to attend my idol's concert, and I'm running out of time!"
Listening to the wails of her shameless master from inside the room.
Mingyue felt a slight loosening in her cultivation and thought to herself.
Acting as freely as her master truly had an effect on the improvement of one's state of mind.
Upon receiving the notification, Old Madam Ji was overjoyed to learn that Mingyue had agreed to the marriage, tears of joy streaming down her face.
She chanted Buddhist scriptures incessantly, her dear grandson would be saved. Mingyue was not just a granddaughter-in-law to the Ji family; she was Ji Shiyou's life!
Old Madam Ji knew Mingyue's identity as Master Qinglan's only disciple. Coupled with her need for a favor,
she absolutely could not afford to be disrespectful. She immediately dispatched a luxurious motorcade, laden with generous gifts.
She personally went to Seven Stars Mountain to escort Mingyue back to the old Ji residence, where she was treated with the utmost reverence, as if she were an ancestor.
This treatment made Zhao Xinning and He Ling feel extremely uncomfortable.
One had usurped the position of the mistress, and the other had not been formally recognized by the clan at the time of her marriage; neither had ever had a wedding ceremony.
Therefore, they viewed Mingyue as a thorn in their side, an irritation.
Meanwhile, the news that the Ji family had found a woman from the mountains to bring good fortune to the comatose Ji Shiyou spread like wildfire.
It became the talk of the Imperial Capital, with all sorts of rumors circulating. However, most believed that the Ji family was resorting to desperate measures out of desperation.
Pity the unfortunate bride, who must have some unspeakable secret.
Otherwise, why would she marry a vegetative state patient, only to become a widow the moment she entered the household?
Perhaps one day, Ji Shiyou would breathe his last, and she would truly become a widow.
Ji Dechun and Ji Shigong also disagreed with this matter and repeatedly advised Old Madam Ji.
But Old Madam Ji knew that Master Qinglan would not deceive her and insisted on her decision.
The Ji family had extensive connections. On the very day Mingyue was brought down from the mountain, the old lady had already obtained the marriage certificates for Ji Shiyou and Mingyue.
Mingyue had never even seen what Ji Shiyou looked like, yet she had become the Ji family's eldest grandson's wife.
The wife of the CEO of Ji Corporation, Ji Shiyou's legal spouse.
As for the other party to the marriage, Ji Shiyou, he still lay in his hospital bed, lost in dreams.