Merit cannot be completely equated with doing good deeds. It does not mean that doing good deeds will definitely lead to merit. If you save someone you don't want to save, then not only will you not get any merit, but you will also suffer some kind of retribution. For example, if someone is repaid with kindness, isn't it because he saved someone he shouldn't have saved? Isn't this a kind of retribution
Countless bloody lessons have taught the ascetics of this world that doing things with the intention of deliberately gaining merit will often backfire in the end. Since the more you do, the more you will make mistakes, and the less you will do, the less you will make mistakes, so you simply don’t covet merit and virtue, so you have this habit of practicing Taoism that is separated from the secular world.
However, if you can be sure that doing something will gain merit, it is still quite attractive to ascetics. After all, this merit has some mysterious uses in cultivating the Tao. For example, it can improve one's own luck, reduce the difficulty of catastrophes, and make it easier to find opportunities for breakthroughs when encountering bottlenecks.
Therefore, regarding the changes in Yuqing Sect in the past two years, Ye Zan's guesses about merit and luck sounded relatively reliable to Zhenjun Ziyang and others. After all, the changes in Yuqing Sect are there. How could such a third-rate sect, which was once in extremely decline, suddenly become what it is now? What other explanation is there besides this
Of course, Zhenjun Ziyang and others only thought that this possibility was possible. After all, it was either the powerful Yuan Shen or the ancestor of Yuanying. How could they believe it without reservation when they heard what others said. However, since they think it is possible, they can't help but be a little tempted. If the Yuqing Sect can use merit to improve the sect's luck, can't the sect like themselves and others also be able to do the same
Originally, Zhenjun Ziyang and others came here to use what Yu Qing Zong was doing to give Yu Qing Zong some eye drops. At the same time, this matter will also be used as a handle for the Yuqing Sect to negotiate some conditions with the Yuqing Sect, such as the scope of recruiting disciples.
Logically speaking, the more important this matter is to Yuqing Sect, the easier it will be for Ziyang Zhenjun and others to negotiate those conditions. However, now Ye Zan's words have indeed admitted the importance of this matter, but Zhenjun Ziyang does not dare to use this matter to negotiate terms. Although they did not completely believe what Ye Zan said, if what Ye Zan said was true and the Yuqing Sect matter was really about merit, then hindering this matter would be an act of "defying heaven". .
If you don't covet merit and virtue, and adhere to the principle of doing more and making fewer mistakes, and staying away from the secular world, there is no problem at all. Heaven will not force anyone to do something virtuous, and it will not punish you because you don't do it, at least most of the time. However, if you hinder others and destroy their merits, you will definitely pay a price.
Therefore, even if the authenticity of what Ye Zan said is only possible, Zhenjun Ziyang and others have to think about it carefully.
Moreover, as mentioned before, Ziyang Zhenjun and others are also very moved by this merit. If the reason of Yuqing Sect is true and they can really obtain merit, then can their sect do the same? What to do? However, the risk of this kind of thing is still quite high. Only when the methods of the real Yuqing Sect have been verified and they are sure that they can gain merit through it, will they dare to let their own sect get involved.
Although, what is certain is that even if this matter can really gain a lot of merit, the people and sects who will participate later will only be able to get a very small part of the merit. However, this merit is so useful after all, even if you only get a small part of it, it is better than getting none at all.
“So that’s how it is. Could it be that your sect dares to risk the wrath of the world and allow the Nascent Soul elders in the sect to participate in the affairs of mortals?” After hearing Ye Zan’s words, True Lord Zi Yang had so many thoughts flashing through his mind, and finally nodded, as if he understood Yu Qing Sect a little.
However, Master Shanghe was obviously still a little unhappy in his heart, and said coldly: "Hmph, who knows whether what you said is true or false, and whether it is an excuse made up out of thin air to cover up an ulterior purpose!"
Faced with the doubt, Ye Zan didn't mean to be angry at all, and said casually: "Haha, Master Shanghe, our sect really can't prove this matter. After all, I just said it, this is just me waiting for you. It's just a guess. As for whether you believe it or not, that's your business. Our sect has no obligation to prove anything to you. However, if anyone wants to make a fuss about this matter, then my sect, too. I can only do my best to stay with him until the end.”
Ye Zan said these "cruel words" very casually, but Zhenjun Ziyang and others couldn't help but tremble in their hearts when they heard it. Today's Yuqing Sect is no longer the small third-rate sect it used to be. Even if the five sects unite, if they really break up with the Yuqing Sect, it will be a lose-lose outcome. What's more, behind the Yuqing Sect, there is also a top sect, the Arctic Sword Sect, and these sects simply cannot afford the outcome of losing both sides.
Zhenjun Ziyang quickly smoothed things over and said with a smile: "What are you talking about, Elder Ye? I am an orthodox sect. Your sect can sweep away the previous decline. With such changes now, it is also a good thing for me, the orthodox sect." Good thing."
"Haha, what Zhenjun said is very true. Among our righteous sects, we are all prosperous and devastated. How can we be like the demonic sect, which makes some people angry and laughs at others all day long?" Ye Zan responded with a smile. road.
"However, if your sect's change comes at the cost of crushing the Taoist sect like me, I'm afraid it can't be called a good thing for my righteous way." Master Fuyun said quietly beside him.
"What Master Fuyun said is still about the issue of recruiting disciples. As I said before, this matter was not done intentionally by our Yuqing Sect. It's just that the disciples who want to join are completely their own choices. We You can't push them out," Ye Zan said, shaking his head helplessly.
Ziyang Zhenjun and others, this time they came to ask questions. They wanted to take advantage of the Yuqing Sect's incident. To put it bluntly, they wanted to "blackmail" the Yuqing Sect and make the Yuqing Sect make some concessions in this regard. . However, after listening to Ye Zan's reasons, even if he is not 100% sure that it is true, after all, it involves "merits" that are difficult to fathom. Who would dare to use this matter to "blackmail" Yu Qingzong again? .
However, just because there is no "blackmail" does not mean that there is nothing to talk about, nor does it mean that there is no capital to negotiate terms. In fact, by replacing "threat" with "cooperation", you can also negotiate terms and provide some capital for several cases.
In other words, if the original statement is, "If you do not agree to these conditions, we will prevent you from doing this", it becomes "If you agree to these conditions, we will cooperate with you to do this".
Therefore, Zhenjun Ziyang looked embarrassed and said: "Elder Ye and Headmaster Wu, although the matter is just as Elder Ye said, your sect should also consider our difficulties. Of course, we also know, Simply asking your sect to pay is inappropriate both emotionally and rationally.”
"Oh, what does Zhenjun mean?" Ye Zan showed a bit of interest. In fact, he could already guess what the other party wanted to negotiate. In fact, by saying these things, he was guiding the opponent in the direction he needed.
Why did Ye Zan tell the story about merit? On the one hand, it was to make the other party afraid, and on the other hand, it was also to seduce the other party. This can be regarded as the way he has always dealt with things, which is to bring more people on board. Even if he has to share some interests, when someone wants to infringe on this interest, more people will stand on his side. aside.
Of course, Ye Zan did this because he knew that even if others participated, they would not share too much merit. It's like a person opening a company. Although he has to pay salaries to recruit employees, the majority of the company's profits still belong to him. In terms of heavenly law and merit, Ye Zan was the initiator of the whole thing, just like those leaders who were the first to make great aspirations to establish a religion and preach. If anyone else later wanted to establish a religion and preach, it would be difficult to get so much. of merit.
Sure enough, a smile appeared on Zhenjun Ziyang's face, he stroked his beard and said: "Although we don't know whether what Elder Ye said is completely true, we can also see that your sect attaches great importance to this matter. We and others What I mean is that if your sect can make some concessions in recruiting disciples, if your sect wants to extend this matter to several countries where our sect is located in the future, we will also provide certain conveniences for your sect, and even Can help Guizong in some ways."
Zhenjun Ziyang's calculation was also good. On the one hand, he could use this to make the Yuqing Sect make concessions in recruiting disciples. On the other hand, he could also take the opportunity to participate in this matter, and maybe get some merit from it. Of course, the matter of merit is still uncertain, so the first issue is still the issue of recruiting disciples. After all, this is related to the inheritance of a sect.
"This..." A look of embarrassment appeared on Ye Zan's face, as if he was a little moved by Zhenjun Ziyang, but he had some concerns. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "What Zhenjun said is indeed a good suggestion, but Regarding the recruitment of disciples, as Elder Yuqing, I am really not qualified to take charge of this matter, so you need to discuss this with the headmaster of our sect."
Wu Changsheng, who was sitting in the first place, also stroked his beard with one hand and said: "Well, we are all righteous sects, and we should help each other. Regarding the matter of recruiting disciples, we did not expect how many people would be given. My fellow sect has caused trouble. Well, our sect has prepared a banquet. How about we talk about this matter in detail at the banquet with Zhenjun and a few fellow Taoists?"
Zhenjun Ziyang and others heard that Ye Zan and Wu Changsheng expressed their willingness to talk about this matter. Although they were a little happy in their hearts, they felt a little strange that they had to talk about it at a banquet. After all, ascetics are different from ordinary people. Mortals like to talk about everything at the wine table, but ascetics do not have this habit.
However, Yu Qingzong is willing to relent, which is a good sign. As for the circumstances under which the talks will take place, it can only be done casually, as long as there is a satisfactory result in the end.
Therefore, Zhenjun Ziyang and others said nothing more, and followed Wu Changsheng, Ye Zan and others to the place where the banquet was being prepared.
Why talk about it at a banquet? Of course, this was Ye Zan's idea again, in order to present another temptation that Ji Zong could not refuse, and that was Lingdao. Although, Yuqing Sect has already negotiated with Tianbao Sect and handed over the spiritual rice seeds to Tianbao Sect for sale, and Tianbao Sect has also taken away a batch of seeds. However, Tianbao Sect did not immediately start promoting spiritual rice seeds. They must have used them for research and planting themselves. Therefore, there is currently no information about spiritual rice spread in the Shenhua Realm, and naturally Lord Ziyang and others do not know about it.
Zhenjun Ziyang and others came here this time to ask the Yuqing Sect to make concessions in recruiting disciples. To put it bluntly, they wanted to stop robbing their talented disciples.
However, who doesn’t need genius, and which sect is willing to turn away talented disciples? Yu Qingzong was equally unwilling. Especially now, although the Yuqing Sect is developing well, its foundation is still a bit weak. This is when more talented disciples are needed. Therefore, even if they were talking to the Five Sects, the Yuqing Sect would not make too many concessions. At most, they would be stricter on the standards for recruiting disciples.
So, facing the Yuqing Sect's plan, would the Five Sects be willing to accept it
Therefore, Ye Zan decided to add another chip to show off this spiritual rice. Anyway, it won't be long before Tianbao Sect will start to promote spiritual rice on a large scale, so before that, it might not be a bad idea for me to let the Five Sects taste some benefits first.
So, at the banquet, Zhenjun Ziyang and others were shocked when faced with the spiritual rice that exuded spiritual energy that was placed on the table. Of course they knew that when Yu Qingzong displayed this thing, he definitely didn't intend to make too many concessions. However, this thing's attraction to them temporarily overshadowed their desire for talented disciples.
Next, things became much simpler. As the "discoverer" of this spiritual rice, Ye Zan introduced the various benefits of spiritual rice to Zhenjun Ziyang and others. This spiritual rice can help disciples get rid of their dependence on elixirs and minimize the damage caused by elixirs. At the same time, the cultivation of spiritual rice is relatively simple, with a short growth cycle and large yields, so most sects can afford it.
After listening to Ye Zan's introduction, Ziyang Zhenjun and others were even more tempted. They almost forgot the purpose of coming and only thought about what the future would be like if their sect had this spiritual rice. scene!
Seeing the performance of Zhenjun Ziyang and others, Ye Zan turned to Wu Changsheng and smiled, stood up and left the banquet. Wu Changsheng also gained confidence and began to have a long conversation with Zhenjun Ziyang and others on the issue of recruiting disciples and spiritual rice.
This banquet lasted for several hours, and the negotiations between Wu Changsheng, Zhenjun Ziyang and others gradually came to fruition as the banquet progressed.