My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The three left Tiger Roar Town and headed south along the official road.

After walking about two miles, the town behind us had become a small black dot.

The road is flanked by rolling hills overgrown with weeds, with a few crooked trees standing alone by the roadside.

Lü Yang walked behind Ye Qingfeng in silence.

This is unlike him.

Normally, after walking this far, he would have started nagging by now.

This mountain is so high, this road is so long, that tree is growing so strangely, Officer Shen, why are you walking so fast again?

But today, he didn't say a word.

Shen Zhaoyue glanced at him but didn't say anything.

After walking another mile, Lü Yang finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He quickened his pace, moved closer to Ye Qingfeng, and asked cautiously:

"Immortal Master, there is something I do not understand."

Ye Qingfeng kept walking:

"explain."

Lü Yang scratched his head:

"Just now in town, you did some calculations and then planted that peach tree. You said that tree could protect them, but I can't understand it."

"Weren't those two tiger demons both dead? The male tiger is dead, and the female tiger is dead too. What trouble could they possibly cause?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer and continued walking forward.

Lu Yang waited a few moments, but received no response, so he couldn't help but say:

"Could it be... that they have offspring?"

Ye Qingfeng finally stopped.

He glanced back at Lü Yang and shook his head slightly.

"no."

Lu Yang was stunned:

"No? Then what could it be?"

Ye Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the distant, rolling mountains.

"It's that old fox."

Lü Yang was taken aback:

"Old fox? What old fox?"

Then, as if he had just thought of something, his eyes widened:

"Another demon?"

Ye Qingfeng nodded:

"An old fox. He has cultivated for a hundred years and is cunning by nature. He brings two accomplices with him, intending to harm those hunters."

Seeing the ferocity of the ring of fire, it hid in the shadows to observe. Later, when the tigress died, the two vengeful spirits vanished with her. Sensing danger, it fled alone.

Lü Yang's mouth dropped open:

"There's...there's one more? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him:

"What's the point of saying so earlier?"

Lü Yang said urgently:

"We should have said so earlier, we could have found it and killed it too! What if it comes back for revenge..."

Ye Qingfeng interrupted him:

"It's not coming back now."

Lü Yang was taken aback:

Why?

Ye Qingfeng:

"That old fox has cultivated for a hundred years and is still alive today. He does not rely on his ability, but on his caution."

It witnessed the ring of fire I set up, and saw the two evil spirits vanish. It knows this town is protected by a powerful figure. Knowing its nature, it would never dare return immediately.

He paused, then continued:

"But it won't give up easily."

"Those two tiger demons were its backers. Now that its backers have fallen, it has become a rootless tree in these mountains."

If it wants to maintain its foothold here, it must establish its authority. And the best way to do that is to take revenge on the hunters who killed the tiger demon.

This cause and effect arose because of me, and naturally it should be resolved by me.

Lü Yang was terrified:

"Then...when will it come?"

Ye Qingfeng looked into the distance, his gaze distant and wistful.

"I just calculated that it will come seeking revenge on the night of the full moon, three months from now."

Lü Yang gasped:

"Three months from now? We can't possibly wait here for three months, can we?"

Ye Qingfeng shook his head:

"No need."

He turned around and continued walking forward:

"That peach tree was left for them."

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood:

"Does the Immortal Master mean that the peach tree can deal with that old fox?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Lü Yang was both surprised and impressed, but then a new question arose:

"Immortal Master, since you predicted that old fox would come, why didn't you tell them? That way, they could have been on guard."

Ye Qingfeng looked at Lü Yang, his gaze calm as still water:

"Do you know why heavenly secrets cannot be lightly revealed?"

Lu Yang was taken aback, then shook his head.

Ye Qingfeng:

"Once the secrets of heaven are spoken, they are no longer the original secrets."

He continued walking forward, saying as he went:

"I've calculated that that old fox will come in three months. What will they think if I tell them this?"

Lü Yang thought for a moment:

"They will be afraid, they will be on guard, and they will try every means to deal with that old fox..."

Ye Qingfeng nodded:

"Exactly. When they are afraid and on guard, they disrupt the original destiny."

When that old fox arrives and discovers they are on guard, he might strike beforehand, or he might seek another opportunity, or he might retaliate in a different way.

At that time, the three-month period I calculated will no longer be valid.

Lü Yang listened, seemingly understanding but not quite:

"Then...then we won't say anything?"

Ye Qingfeng:

"Silence is the best arrangement."

He paused, then said:

"The peach tree was planted there, and they regarded it as a sacred tree, and they would respect and protect it."

When the old fox comes, the tree will deal with him. They don't need to do anything, they know nothing, and that's the safest thing for them.

Lu Yang scratched his head, thought for a long time, and finally nodded:

"I think I understand..."

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him:

"Understand what?"

Lü Yang said earnestly:

"What the immortal master means is that some things are better left unknown than known. Knowing them might actually make things worse."

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly, which was considered as approval.

Receiving affirmation, Lü Yang perked up again:

"Then, Immortal Master, what about the karma you mentioned earlier? You said that you caused the fox demon's karma, so you want to settle it?"

Ye Qingfeng remained silent for a moment.

"I killed those two tiger demons."

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary:

"I killed them, thus sowing the seed of death. That old fox was their subordinate, and its desire for revenge is the fruit of that seed. Logically, I should be the one to bear this fruit."

He paused:

"But its revenge wasn't on me, it was on the people of this town."

"If that old fox takes revenge on them, it will be the result of my own actions, and they will be reaping the consequences. That's not right."

Lü Yang listened intently and couldn't help but ask:

"So the immortal master planted that peach tree to block the fruit?"

Ye Qingfeng nodded:

"The peach tree was planted there to bear the fruit for me. The old fox came looking for the tree, not the people."

If it defeats that tree, it is the result of the cause I planted; if it loses, it is because its own cultivation is insufficient, and it has no one else to blame.

He looked at Lü Yang:

"This is cause and effect."

Lu Yang stood there, stunned, and didn't say anything for a long time.

He recalled the strange and unusual books he had read before, which also talked about cause and effect, retribution, and that good and evil would eventually be rewarded.

But those are just stories, very far removed from him.

Hearing Ye Qingfeng say this, he suddenly understood...

Cause and effect are not a story.

Cause and effect apply to everything, everyone, and every choice.

The immortal master killed the tiger demon; this is the reason.

The old fox wanted revenge; this is the consequence.

The immortal master, not wanting the people to suffer this fate, planted peach trees and took over the fruit.

This series of events is interconnected, and no one can escape it.

He suddenly asked:

"Immortal Master, now that you've planted the peach tree, does that absolve you of this karmic debt?"

Ye Qingfeng shook his head:

"No, cause and effect are not so easily resolved."

Lü Yang was taken aback:

"That……"

Ye Qingfeng:

"If that old fox dies under the peach tree, it is its own karma. I planted the peach tree, that is the cause; the peach tree killing it is the effect. This effect has nothing to do with the town, but it has to do with me."

He paused:

"But I planted the peach tree. If it kills that old fox, the blame for that killing will fall on my head."

Lü Yang's eyes widened:

"Then...then wouldn't you have wasted your time?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him:

"You just said that tree is a sacred tree?"

Lü Yang nodded:

"Yes, disciple has already said so."

Ye Qingfeng:

"If the divine tree kills someone, who's to blame?"

Lü Yang was stunned.

Ye Qingfeng continued walking forward:

"I planted that tree, but it has already developed a spirit. It killed people; that was its own choice. It's related to me, but it's not my karma."

Lü Yang followed behind, his mind still reeling:

"Then...whose is it?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer.

Shen Zhaoyue suddenly spoke up from the side:

"That old fox keeps it himself."

Lü Yang looked at her.

Shen Zhaoyue:

"If it hadn't sought revenge, it wouldn't have died. But if it did, it was courting death. Ultimately, cause and effect depend on one's own choices."

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood:

"So, the immortal master planted that tree not to kill that old fox, but to give those people a chance?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Upon seeing that barely perceptible arc, Lü Yang became instantly excited:

"Disciple understands! Disciple understands!"

He followed behind Ye Qingfeng, chattering on and on:

"The tree that the immortal master planted will remain a sacred tree as long as the people don't provoke it. When the old fox comes, it will naturally deal with him."

The people know nothing, do nothing, and remain safe and sound. This is true protection for them!

Shen Zhaoyue listened from the side and couldn't help but glance at Ye Qingfeng.

This Taoist priest calculates ten steps ahead for every one he takes.

While those people were kneeling and thanking him, he had already thought about what would happen three months later.

While those people were marveling at the peach tree, he had already figured out the cause and effect clearly.

Such brilliant strategies are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like her.

Despite her amazement, she did not forget what the other party had said.

Everyone has their own path to walk. It's not about which path is wider or who is more capable, but about who goes further!

She doesn't know any tricks or fortune-telling, but she has a knife in her hand, and no matter what conspiracy or trickery there is, she can cut it down with a single stroke!