Qi Zhenzhen thought about it and felt that as long as she wasn't married immediately, everything was still possible.
She smiled apologetically, "It's just that your sister is a bit jumpy. I don't know what's gotten into me. Did I scare you?"
Qi Xuanxuan shook her head, "Not at all. I'm just a bit curious, what is the Phoenix destiny like?"
Qi Zhenzhen glared at her, "It's enough that you know this in your heart, but you mustn't speak of it carelessly. If it gets out, it will cause disputes."
Qi Xuanxuan nodded seriously, "I know. If others find out, it will definitely be linked to our Great Feng's imperial family. Currently, His Majesty has not yet established a crown prince. If those with ulterior motives were to know, I would become a prize to be fought over. It might bring ruin to the Marquis's estate."
"It's good that you know," Qi Zhenzhen said with relief.
After this matter was settled, Qi Xuanxuan entered a mystical state. Besides the recipes Qi Zhenzhen taught her, she also devised many new delicacies herself.
Even Master Yuanjue wished he could set up a shed in their courtyard to live in, so he could taste the freshly made delicacies at the earliest opportunity.
"As a master, is it appropriate for you to be so fond of food? Aren't people who become monks supposed to be indifferent to worldly desires?" Qi Zhenzhen asked Master Yuanjue, who was lingering and unwilling to leave, with great helplessness.
"Most are like that, but I don't belong to that majority. You know me, I've eaten all the delicacies in the world. In such circumstances, asking me to eat only plain vegetarian meals, don't you think it's cruel?" Yuanjue said earnestly.
Indeed, in Yuanjue's own words, he had entered the mortal world many times, each time experiencing a distinct life.
After returning, he still remembered his experiences in the mortal world, and the tastes of those times were deeply etched in his memory. To ask him to eat only vegetarian meals now was indeed a tad cruel.
Qi Zhenzhen looked at Yuanjue's smug expression and suddenly blurted out:
"I'm a bit curious, Master, do you have someone you care about?"
Master Yuanjue's always smiling face froze for a moment, as if his mask had cracked.
Seeing his reaction, Qi Zhenzhen knew that he definitely had someone he cared about.
Moreover, he remembered them clearly.
"When I entered the mortal world, I was a blank slate, so everything developed according to the trajectory humans should follow. The trajectory humans follow is to study, work, get married, have children, in an orderly fashion," Yuanjue said slowly.
"So, you remember all of them."
"They are a part of my long life, leaving indelible marks on the scroll of my life," Yuanjue said.
"That's truly cruel," Qi Zhenzhen murmured.
"What?" Yuanjue asked, somewhat surprised.
"I said, it's cruel that you remember the memories of each life."
He was still alive, but those close to him were no longer there.
He had to continue to experience and accept them repeatedly until he finally forgot.
Although she didn't know what it felt like to be a Buddha's child like Yuanjue, Qi Zhenzhen had read some novels in her previous life where the protagonists were described as immortal and indestructible.
Others envied them, but they themselves wished for an end.
Yuanjue clasped his hands together, his expression solemn, "This is the Buddha's test."
"If you had the chance to escape this identity, Master, would you choose to be an ordinary person?" Qi Zhenzhen asked softly.
Yuanjue stood up, "Madam Gu, this humble monk has other classes to attend today. I bid you farewell."
For some reason, Qi Zhenzhen saw a hint of loneliness in Yuanjue's retreating back.
As Yuanjue walked away, he answered in a voice too low for Qi Zhenzhen to hear, "Yes."
Qi Xuanxuan came out with freshly baked Hundred Flower Cakes, "Where is Master?"
"He had something to attend to and left."
"What a shame. These Hundred Flower Cakes are best when they're just out of the oven. The Epiphyllum inside was given to me by Master. I read in books that Epiphyllum usually blooms at night. I wonder why Master managed to get a blooming Epiphyllum during the day," Qi Xuanxuan mumbled. "I should send some to Master. It wouldn't be right for someone to put in the effort and not get to enjoy the fruits of their labor."