The true heiress of metaphysics travels back to the 1970s and recognizes her father, a high-ranking

Jiang Chuyao nodded vigorously, her eyes reddening even more. She leaned closer to Old Madam Jiang, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Grandma, you still love me the most. I promise I will be good and obedient from now on, and I will never make you angry again."

As Jiang Chuyao spoke, a hint of smugness flashed quickly in her lowered eyes. As long as she held on tightly to her grandmother as her backer, as long as Jiang Muyan could never set foot in Beijing or return to the Jiang family, she would still be the envied heiress of the Jiang family, and everything would still be hers.

Thinking of this, a determined glint appeared in her eyes again. But... how things were going with her biological mother?

When I wrote the letter, I didn't dare leave a specific address, and she didn't know their phone number. It seems I have to write another letter to a different address and have them send it first, while also asking for their contact information so I can stay in touch later.

However, the purpose of this biological mother is only to stop Jiang Muyan's progress. Once Jiang Muyan is completely dealt with and all possibilities of her returning to the Jiang family are cut off, she will naturally sever all ties with her biological mother and never have any contact with her again.

This biological mother is incredibly foolish. Since she dared to risk switching children back then, why didn't she eliminate Jiang Muyan completely while she was still an infant? That way, she wouldn't have suffered so much injustice in her past life, and Jiang Muyan wouldn't have taken everything from her.

"Good child, hurry up and eat, or the food will get cold!" Looking at her reddened eyes, Old Madam Jiang patted the back of her hand with heartache, her tone full of love.

Jiang Chuyao nodded obediently and even picked up her chopsticks to serve Old Madam Jiang a piece of tender fish meat with the bones removed, maintaining her sensible and obedient demeanor throughout.

------------

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains on the outskirts of Beijing, in a secluded mountain villa.

Several men dressed in Taoist robes sat around in the hall, their expressions solemn and heavy. A heavy silence filled the air, and even their breathing seemed unusually slow.

After a long silence, a young Taoist priest finally couldn't hold back any longer. His brows furrowed, he spoke, his tone tinged with confusion:

"Why did Master suddenly summon us here?"

"I suppose it's still about the fate of the nation." The older Taoist priest stroked his long beard and replied in a slow, deliberate tone, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"What does the fate of the nation have to do with us?" The young Taoist priest immediately raised his voice, his tone full of dissatisfaction and resentment. "We've already been forced into seclusion to avoid disaster, hiding in these deep mountains, afraid to show our faces. Why should we bother with worldly affairs?"

"Junior Brother Qingwu, stop talking nonsense!" Another middle-aged Taoist priest reprimanded him in a deep voice, gently shaking his head. "Protecting the nation's lifeline is the sacred duty of our Tianyun Sect. Now that the nation's lifeline is in danger, protecting it is our inescapable responsibility. If Master hears you say this, he will punish you by making you meditate in seclusion again."

The Taoist priest named Qingwu shut his mouth in embarrassment upon hearing this, but there was still a hint of resentment in his eyes.

The hall fell silent once more. Just then, someone whispered, "Master is here!" Everyone's eyes immediately turned towards the doorway.

Outside the door, an elderly man dressed in a plain Taoist robe walked slowly in. His hair and beard were all white, but his complexion was ruddy, his posture was upright, and his eyes were as deep as ancient wells, as if they could see through the rise and fall of all things in the world. This man was none other than the current sect leader of Tianyun Sect, and also the master of all Taoists—Master Xuanxing.

The Taoist priests immediately bowed and greeted their master, saying in unison, "Disciples pay respects to our master!"

Master Xuanxing raised his hand in a gesture of support, his voice steady yet penetrating:

"Please sit down!"

After everyone had taken their seats, Master Xuanxing slowly walked to the main seat and sat down, his gaze calmly sweeping over the disciples below.

"Master, what are your instructions for summoning us here today?" Qingwu finally couldn't hold back and asked again, his tone much more subdued than before.

"Qingwu," Master Xuanxing looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of admonition, "For those who cultivate, the most important thing is to calm the mind and settle the breath. At no time should one be so impatient."

"Yes, disciple knows his mistake." Qingwu lowered his head, his face showing shame, and replied softly.

Master Xuanxing then looked at everyone and slowly spoke:

"Today, I cast a divination and discovered that things have taken a turn for the better. The divination revealed a clear purple aura, carrying golden light of merit and spiritual energy fluctuations. It seems that someone capable of resolving the nation's crisis has appeared!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in chaos.

"Master, are you telling the truth?" The one who spoke was Daoist Qingchan, the eldest disciple of Daoist Xuanxing and also the Grand Elder of the Tianyun Sect. His face was full of shock, and his tone was full of disbelief.

"Just a few days ago, when you were divining, you said that the nation's fortunes were bleak and hopeless. How come such a person has suddenly appeared?"

The other Taoist priests also began to discuss among themselves:

"Could this person be one of those legendary cultivators who has just broken through to the Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, or even Nascent Soul stages?"

"How could such a miraculous thing exist? If there really were cultivators, wouldn't that mean there were truly immortals in this world?"

"Then tell me, how did this person just appear out of nowhere?"

"I believe that Heaven heard Master's prayers and specially sent a person of great ability to save the nation's future!"

.......

The Taoist priests' discussions rose and fell, but Master Xuanxing raised his hand to quiet them down, and the hall immediately returned to silence, with only the slightly rapid breathing of the crowd testifying to their excitement.

"The divination indicates that the astrological chart of this person who is helping others out of their predicament is still dim, and her fortune is not yet at its peak. It is likely that her current situation is not smooth, and she may even be in a difficult predicament. What we need to do now is to stabilize the current decline as much as possible before she grows stronger, and buy her more time to grow."

Master Qingchan frowned, looking worried, and said, "But Master, the world is extremely unfavorable for us practitioners of metaphysics these days. There is suspicion and suppression everywhere, so it's simply not convenient for us to take action!"

The young disciple, Daoist Qingwu, also said:

"Master, the world is so unfriendly to us now, and the one who can save the nation has already appeared. Is there any need for us to take action?"

As Qingwu spoke, a hint of resentment appeared in his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to save the country from its crisis, but he felt a sense of grievance and resentment.

They are people of metaphysics, who are meant to follow the will of Heaven and the people and protect the peace of their region. However, in recent years, in order to avoid the suspicion and suppression of the world, they have been forced to hide in these deep mountains and forests and cannot go out.

Now that the nation's fortunes have turned around and there are ready-made rescuers, why should they bother to show their faces and endure those unwarranted suppressions and accusations?

Qingwu's words silenced the Taoist priests for a moment. They all deeply understood the hardships and grievances he had endured in seclusion over the years, but due to the rules of their sect, they had never dared to speak of it so frankly.

Master Xuanxing looked at his disciples' silence, his eyes showing no reproach. He slowly stood up, walked to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over each disciple, his voice softening considerably:

"I know you feel wronged, and I know you dare not. Over the years, our Tianyun Sect has lived in seclusion to avoid disaster, and has suffered endless hardships."

He paused, then his tone suddenly became firm:

"But you've forgotten that the founding principle of the Tianyun Sect has never been self-interest, but rather 'to safeguard the nation's destiny and pray for the well-being of all people'! Back then, those heroes who fought against the enemy sacrificed their own families for the greater good, shedding their blood and lives to protect the peace of this land and the lives of countless people. If they were like you, filled with resentment and only concerned with their own safety, do you think they would have rushed to the battlefield without hesitation and fought the enemy to the death?"

Master Xuanxing paused briefly, his gaze growing increasingly profound, as if piercing through the walls of the manor and looking towards the distant mountains and rivers:

"Protecting the nation's vital resources has never been the responsibility of any one person, much less the responsibility of any one sect. If the nation's vital resources are destroyed, the land is shattered, and the people are displaced, do you think we can still cultivate peacefully in these deep mountains?"

Now, the nation has just stabilized from turmoil, and the lives of the people are only beginning to improve. We cannot stand idly by and watch as the land protected by our heroes with their lives is wantonly trampled upon by those petty villains! Moreover, all we can do now is to do our small part to delay for a moment, to buy time for the one who rescued us to grow stronger.