They all want to change my future.

Chapter 70 Qu Hongxiao Sees the Future

Qu Hongxiao originally only wanted to turn the blade inward, clean out the internal parasites, and also take a look at who else was behind the Lu family.

Unexpectedly, they caught a big fish that had been planted by the enemy: a seventh-realm grandmaster who had been placed in the capital by a sect.

A seventh-realm grandmaster is a top-tier force capable of guarding a region and influencing the situation, no matter where they are placed.

How could the sect be willing to secretly protect someone like that by Li Zhi's side?

Was it merely to protect this disciple, or was there a deeper meaning?

Li Zhi's actual status and importance within the sect are probably far greater than they appear on the surface.

These matters all needed to be investigated, so Qu Hongxiao returned to the Star Gazing Tower and, without even having a sip of tea, plunged headlong into the sea of ​​intelligence files.

She needed to find out who the master was who had suddenly appeared in the courtroom of the Jingzhao Prefecture today, who had shocked everyone with his thunderous force, and who had even destroyed Lu Qi with a single spear thrust.

As orders were passed down, the vast intelligence network of the Star Gazing Tower began to operate efficiently.

Reports came from spies all over the capital, and the "pawns" planted within the major sects and aristocratic families were also carefully activated and questioned.

Even several important strongholds in the south received urgent investigation orders.

Countless fragments of information converged from all directions.

Time passed slowly, the sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the stars began to shine.

Late at night, a piece of intelligence from the south arrived on Qu Hongxiao's desk.

This intelligence was urgently delivered by southern spies at great cost, using a one-time communication jade disc. It is said that several deeply buried agents were lost in the process of obtaining this information.

The secrets hidden within are quite profound.

Looking at this hard-won intelligence, Qu Hongxiao's suspicions about Li Zhi's identity deepened. Who exactly was he, that he had such a young grandmaster protecting him?

I don't think I should just give up on him like this.

However, being with this person is still not to my liking, so I might as well give up.

As a grandmaster, Qu Hongxiao certainly had this much decisiveness.

"After reading this intelligence, our next meeting will be a fight to the death."

Qu Hongxiao spoke in a low voice, as if she had made up her mind.

So she broke the seal and her consciousness sank into it.

The preceding content concerned the recent unusual mobilization of several sects in the south, as well as some border frictions. Although important, these were not her primary concerns at the moment.

She quickly scanned through it until the last section, based on the appearance and features she had provided.

The identity of that mysterious master was eventually discovered.

Lin Yueyin, a seventh-realm grandmaster, is the inheritor of the Sword Sect's Chengying lineage.

His background is suspected to be related to the old case of the Duke of He.

Upon seeing these lines, Qu Hongxiao understood immediately. It seemed to be her. It was the Lu family who had reported the Duke of He, and it was reasonable for her to take action to disable Lu Qi.

From this perspective, it seems that Li Zhi only protected him incidentally, and he wasn't that important.

With this thought flashing through her mind, Qu Hongxiao felt much more relaxed and continued reading.

After the New Year, Lin Yueyin disappeared without a trace, and was told to the outside world that she was in seclusion for spiritual cultivation.

According to the investigation, Lin Yueyin received a prophecy from the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect and secretly went to the capital.

Upon hearing this, Qu Hongxiao lightly tapped the table with her fingertips. She had also heard of the Heavenly Sect Saintess's prophecy, and it was very accurate.

So, Lin Yueyin has come to the capital for something important. What could it be?

Qu Hongxiao answered without hesitation: "The Empress. After all, the entire Southern Sect is suppressed by the Empress."

So what is this prophecy?

Qu Hongxiao anxiously looked down, but unfortunately there wasn't a single word. Clearly, this prophecy was beyond the reach of the arranged disc. It was still too difficult to explore the core content of the saintess's prophecy.

This is a top-level secret of the sect.

But in the end, the intelligence still led to the discovery of something.

This is why such a precious jade disc was used for transmission.

That's a pattern.

A milky white halo that appears to flow slowly, as if it were alive.

The surface is engraved with some extremely strange and distorted patterns. At first glance, they seem to have no pattern, but if you look closely, you can vaguely feel that the direction of the lines follows a certain rhythm, somewhat like the Taoist Yin and Yang Bagua, but even more complicated and mysterious.

"What is this?" Qu Hongxiao frowned, subconsciously increasing her spiritual awareness, trying to observe the pattern clearly.

As she became more absorbed in the task, the white pattern began to spin faster, as if something was about to appear.

In the blink of an eye, a strange change occurred!

Those distorted patterns seemed to come alive, starting to rotate, disassemble, and recombine on their own!

The speed increased, and the jade disc began to emit a white light!

Qu Hongxiao was startled: "What the hell?!"

Is it a trap, or a sneak attack?

Just as she was about to throw away the jade disc.

The swirling light reached its peak in an instant, not by exploding, but by spreading out silently like mercury spilling onto the ground, filling her entire field of vision in a moment!

All that remained before my eyes was a pure, dazzling, and incandescent white that robbed all other senses of its light!

There was no pain, no impact.

Qu Hongxiao felt a slight jolt in her consciousness, as if she had fallen into a bizarre and fantastical vortex.

It wasn't fainting, but rather a strange feeling of detachment.

Immediately afterward, the intense white light faded, and a clear image forced its way into the depths of her consciousness.

That was a scene where Qu Hongxiao saw herself.

A version of myself that was extremely disheveled, even pathetic.

Her red clothes were torn in many places, covered with dust and dark bloodstains, her hair was disheveled, and a few strands of wet hair clung to her pale, bloodless forehead and cheeks.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained fierce, arrogant, and even tinged with a hint of madness as she stubbornly stood there.

Is the backdrop a building engulfed in flames?

Those familiar eaves and brackets, those towering flames and thick smoke... it's the Star Gazing Tower.

Qu Hongxiao recognized the building—the building she wanted to protect for the Empress—which was now burning and being destroyed.

What exactly happened?

Qu Hongxiao tried to open her eyes wide to see clearly, but found that there seemed to be someone standing opposite the disheveled "her" in the picture.

But the person's face and figure were shrouded in a blurry halo or mist, making them completely indistinct; only a tall, upright silhouette could be vaguely discerned.

Then, she heard the conversation.

It was his own disheveled self speaking, his voice hoarse, filled with deep-seated hatred and a near-self-destructive provocation:

"Just kill me, okay?"

After those words, there was a chilling silence.

Then, another voice rang out.

The voice was clear and calm, without much emotional fluctuation, yet it was like a cold spring under the moonlight.

The voice asked, "Shall we kill him?"

This was clearly not a question directed at her, but rather a request for someone else's opinion.

After a brief pause, she heard news that made Qu Hongxiao's blood almost freeze instantly.

"Spare her life for the sake of our past friendship; after all, the Empress is already dead."

The scene abruptly ends there, followed by another burst of intense white light that quickly fades away.

Qu Hongxiao shuddered suddenly, her consciousness returning to her body.

That voice.

She could tell.

That was Li Zhi's voice.