They all want to change my future.

Chapter 2 Prophecy

Horse-drawn carriages traveled through the streets and alleys of the capital.

Li Zhi leaned against the car wall and could feel the car sometimes turning and sometimes going straight, passing through one street after another.

After about half an incense stick's time, the car gradually slowed down.

The heavy sound of a door hinge turning came from outside, followed by the crisp echo of horses' hooves on a special surface, not bluestone slabs, but more like some kind of flat stone.

The car traveled another dozen or so feet before finally stopping.

"We've arrived," Ji Baizhi said softly.

Li Zhi lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside.

Before me stood a mansion, its outline barely visible in the darkness.

High walls and deep courtyards, flying eaves and brackets, two stone lions stand silently in front of the gate in the wind and snow.

Above the gate hung a plaque with gold characters on a black background; by the light of the lanterns in front of the gate, the two characters were clearly visible—

Zhaoyang.

Before she could think further, Ji Baizhi had already gotten out of the carriage and turned to look at him: "Young master, please."

Li Zhi got out of the car and looked up at the plaque. The two characters "Zhaoyang" shone with a warm gold in the lantern light.

"Where is this?"

"My residence," Ji Baizhi replied in a way that was hardly an answer.

Seeing that he didn't want to say anything more, Li Zhi didn't press him. If he didn't want to talk, then he wouldn't.

The two walked through the gate of the mansion, one after the other.

There was no one inside, and it looked rather deserted.

The interior of the mansion appears larger than the exterior.

Passing through the front yard and around the screen wall, there is a long corridor.

Lanterns hung under the eaves, their light swaying in the wind and snow, illuminating the plum trees planted on both sides. The red plums were in full bloom, burning brightly like fire in the snowy night.

Li Zhi followed Ji Baizhi, calmly surveying their surroundings.

The mansion is grand yet not overly luxurious, exuding an understated elegance.

It was a bit deserted, with hardly anyone around.

This is not like an ordinary person's residence.

Ji Baizhi led him through a moon gate to a secluded courtyard.

An old plum tree stands in the courtyard, with a stone table and benches under it. Three side rooms surround the small courtyard, creating a quiet and elegant atmosphere.

"Young master, please stay here for now," Ji Baizhi said, stopping in front of a side room. "Although it is simple, it is quiet."

Li Zhi nodded: "Thank you."

Ji Baizhi pushed open the door and stepped aside to let him in.

The moment Li Zhi stepped into Ji Baizhi's residence, a conversation was taking place on the path he had not chosen.

It was a narrow alley, the bluestone path covered with snow, and high brick walls on both sides, covered with withered vines.

Deep in the alley, there is a small door with faded red paint and rusted door knockers, looking as if no one has knocked on it for a long time.

Two people were standing in front of the door.

One is a girl in black.

Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders, the ends almost reaching her waist.

He was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that resembled night clothes, with a black cloak over it, and a sword hanging at his waist. The scabbard was a dark ebony color and had no decorations.

She stood there like a drawn sword, its sharpness concealed, exuding a chilling aura.

She looked up at the sky.

The moon had already set in the west, and the time had passed.

"It's past 1 AM," she said, her voice cold and clear. "It seems they're not coming."

Standing opposite her was an old woman.

The old woman was hunched over, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, with a blue cloth headscarf wrapped around her head, and leaning on a cane. She looked like an ordinary old woman from an alley.

But her eyes, though cloudy, shone with a sharp light.

"Tell your Holy Maiden," the girl in black continued, "that the Heavenly Sect's prophecy has gone wrong."

The old woman didn't speak, she just watched her quietly.

"At the third quarter of midnight, snow will fall on the capital, a guest will descend from the sky and turn the tide," the girl in black recited the prophecy, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Indeed, this mystical stuff can't be trusted. I'm leaving."

She turned to leave.

"Wait," the old woman said, her voice hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against wood.

The girl in black paused, but didn't turn around.

"The saint's prophecy is not wrong," the old woman said slowly, "it has just been altered by someone."

"Can the future change?"

"able."

The girl in black finally turned around, her eyes sharp as knives: "What do you mean?"

The old woman, leaning on her cane, took two steps forward, leaving deep marks in the snow.

"I received news," she said, "that at six quarters past midnight, Princess Ji Baizhi's carriage went to a place and picked up one person."

"Who?"

"We haven't found out yet," the old woman shook her head, "but the person was picked up from West City Alley."

Xicheng Lane is right next to where they are now, so close that there is only one wall separating them.

The girl in black frowned slightly: "If he really is the person you predicted, now that he has been thwarted, that's why you say he has been changed."

The two stared at each other for a moment.

The alley was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the withered vines.

The girl in black suddenly laughed, but there was no warmth in her laughter.

"Lin Yueyin," the old woman called her name, "you don't want to get involved in this anymore?"

"Get involved? Of course I'll get involved. But I'll do it my own way," Lin Yueyin, the girl in black, said calmly. "Your roundabout methods are too complicated and troublesome. So, goodbye."

"Have you forgotten your master's instructions?" the old woman said in a low voice. "From the moment you decided to come down the mountain, you should have listened to us."

Lin Yueyin did not respond.

She looked up and gazed into the distance.

That's the direction of the palace.

This was also the most important direction for her to go down the mountain this time.

Behind the towering palace walls lay majestic halls, the center of power, the heart of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and also the location of her enemies.

"I know it's difficult to kill the Demon Queen, but revenge is never easy," she murmured. "However, it seems that the long-hidden princess is about to make a big splash and take action, and she happens to owe me something."

The old woman fell silent, seemingly understanding Lin Yueyin's thoughts.

"Do you think my plan is more suitable for the current situation?" Lin Yueyin withdrew her gaze. "So, what reason do I have to stay here and listen to you now?"

She turned around and this time she really left.

The black figure rose and fell a few times, disappearing at the end of the alley, like a drop of ink merging into the night.

The old woman stood there, motionless for a long time.

After a long while, she sighed, leaned on her cane, and slowly walked deeper into the alley.

She stopped in front of the weathered little door and knocked.

Three long and two short.

The door opened a crack, letting in a sliver of light.

The old woman slipped inside.

The door closed.

The alley returned to silence, with only snow still falling.

The Princess's Residence.

Li Zhi looked at the room in front of him and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Something's not right about this house.

The furnishings are excessively exquisite.

A carved rosewood bed, covered with brocade bedding.

On the dressing table were a bronze mirror and a makeup box, inside which were placed rouge and face powder.

There is a bookshelf by the window, filled with books.

There was even a faint fragrance in the air, not sandalwood, but some kind of floral scent, sweet but not cloying.

This doesn't look like a guest room at all; it looks more like a woman's boudoir.