They all want to change my future.

Chapter 6 I Want to Hear Your Story

"We've finished asking, let's go."

Lin Yueyin's voice was calm, but the meaning behind her words was as heavy as iron.

In her view, Ji Baizhi had already agreed to let Li Zhigui be himself.

But Li Zhi didn't move.

It's not that it didn't move, it just took a step back.

This step back was subtle; it wasn't a retreat towards Lin Yueyin, but rather a retreat behind Ji Baizhi.

He shielded her in front of him, and the silent Ji Baizhi became a not-so-strong but clearly defined barrier in front of Li Zhi.

Lin Yueyin turned around, looking at Ji Baizhi and Li Zhi behind her.

Her eyes were a fiery red, and now that red was even deeper, as deep as blood that was about to congeal.

"What do you mean?"

"Miss Lin," Li Zhi smiled, a very sincere smile, "I don't think I said I wanted to go with you."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

The wind stopped, the plum branches ceased trembling, and even the sunlight seemed to freeze.

There were only the sounds of three people breathing—Li Zhi's steady breathing, Ji Baizhi's soft breathing, and Lin Yueyin's breathing filled with suppressed anger.

"Whether you leave or not," Lin Yueyin said slowly, enunciating each word clearly, "is not up to you."

She stepped forward.

The black leather boots clattered softly on the bluestone pavement, yet the sound seemed to pound on one's heart.

Li Zhi didn't move, but turned his head and gently nudged Ji Baizhi in front of him with his shoulder.

The movement was very light, as light as a feather brushing against the skin, like a playful interaction between friends.

"Miss Ji," he said, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for all three to hear, "it's your turn. Do you really want me to go with her?"

Ji Baizhi had her head down, her red hair falling across her cheeks, covering most of her face.

From behind, Li Zhi could only see her fair neck and slightly pursed lips.

But after saying that, she looked up, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Didn't you want to leave, young master?" Her voice was very soft, almost like a sigh. "Why come looking for me again?"

Li Zhi shook his head.

"I didn't intend to leave," he said frankly. "I wanted her to name her price, but Miss Lin's offer was too low, not as good as yours, Miss Ji."

He paused, then added:

"Besides, Miss Ji, you seem much more interesting than Miss Lin."

"That must be the reason why you intend to stay, young master," Ji Baizhi said, smiling as she looked at him.

The smile was faint, as faint as ripples on the surface of water, easily dispersed.

After she finished laughing, her entire demeanor changed—the previous weakness and forbearance receded like the tide, revealing the hard rock beneath.

She stepped forward, completely blocking Li Zhi's view.

"I'm sorry," Ji Baizhi looked at Lin Yueyin, her voice calm yet resolute, "I can't let you take him away."

Lin Yueyin raised an eyebrow.

Her eyebrows were thick and long, like two swords drawn half an inch from their sheaths; now that they were raised, the blades were revealed.

"You can't stop me."

She spoke with such certainty, as if stating a fact.

As soon as she finished speaking, the sword at her waist was drawn three inches from its sheath.

No sound.

A sword should make a sound when it is drawn from its sheath—the soft hum of metal rubbing against the scabbard, or a crisp "clang."

But when this sword is drawn, it is still.

It was as still as nightfall sweeping across the land, as death descending upon life.

The sword is three inches long and as black as ink.

Ji Baizhi raised her hand and made a very simple movement—her right hand was loosely clenched, with her thumb tucked into her palm and the other four fingers naturally extended, and then she slowly raised it to her chest.

That's not the posture for holding a sword, nor is it the starting gesture for casting a spell.

It's more like an invitation.

Invite the other party to enter a certain field.

"Are you sure you want to fight me here?" she asked, her tone still calm.

Lin Yueyin's hand stopped.

The sword was drawn only three inches before it stopped.

Her fingers gripped the hilt of the sword, her knuckles turning white, but she hesitated to draw the sword.

The courtyard fell silent again.

After a long while, Lin Yueyin suddenly smiled.

She withdrew her hand, and the sword slid back into its sheath with a "click".

"You chose to remain silent just now." She looked at Ji Baizhi with sharp eyes. "But now you've stepped forward. Why?"

Ji Baizhi remained silent.

"Is your silence due to guilt?" Lin Yueyin pressed, her tone almost dripping with sarcasm. "You feel guilty towards me, so you want to make amends? You chose to let him come with me, and you're still putting up with it?"

Ji Baizhi remained silent.

But her lips pressed even tighter.

"That's right," she finally spoke, her voice soft but each word clear, "I hesitated just now, but now—"

She paused, then turned to look at Li Zhi.

Li Zhizheng stood behind her, watching the two of them with great interest, like a spectator watching a play.

"He doesn't want to," Ji Baizhi said, her tone carrying a hint of relief. "If he doesn't want to, you can't take him away."

Lin Yueyin snorted coldly.

"hypocritical."

"Perhaps," Ji Baizhi readily admitted.

Li Zhi peeked out from behind Ji Baizhi again.

"It seems there's still room for negotiation," he said with a smile. "Can I continue asking questions?"

Lin Yueyin glared at him.

"Why do you have so many questions?"

She genuinely didn't want to take action.

In the capital, in Zhaoyang Prefecture, a fight with Ji Baizhi, the reincarnation of a phoenix, would certainly cause a great stir.

That would attract outsiders, experts from the palace, or even the empress's people.

This is not suitable, nor is it suitable for what she is about to do.

Ji Baizhi also returned to her usual demeanor, turning to look at Li Zhi, her eyes once again filled with that familiar resentment:

"Young master, please continue asking. Even if she doesn't tell you, I will."

"You," Li Zhi shook his head, "that's no fun. How can you be sure she won't tell, that you know everything?"

Ji Baizhi fell silent again, but Li Zhi didn't seem to care. He looked at Lin Yueyin and asked, "Why do you want to take me away?"

Lin Yueyin did not answer.

She crossed her arms, turned her face away, and looked at the plum tree in the yard.

The red plum blossoms burned brightly in her red pupils.

"Fine, I won't say then." Li Zhi didn't seem to care, turning to Ji Baizhi: "Do you know this?"

Ji Baizhi shook her head.

"If you don't know and she won't tell me, then I'll just have to guess." Li Zhi's tone became playful: "The two of you have something in common; you both want me to cultivate to the ninth realm and then kill the Demon Queen. Since you're both going to deal with the Demon Queen, why don't you cooperate?"

Lin Yueyin turned her head sharply and glared at him: "I will not cooperate with her."

"I didn't realize there was such a deep grudge between you two." Li Zhi shrugged.

Lin Yueyin glanced at Ji Baizhi, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "I didn't expect you to actually give up."

Ji Baizhi lowered her head and remained silent.

Lin Yueyin shook her head, her tone filled with deep disappointment: "I never thought you would really become a fallen phoenix. They all thought highly of you, and even said that you were the only one who could stand up to the Demon Queen."

"I do lack confidence," Ji Baizhi said softly. "I have let them down."

She lowered her head again.

Li Zhi looked at the two of them, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

The things hidden behind this are getting more and more interesting.

"So," he began, his voice laced with coaxing, "could you tell me more about them? Who are you talking about?"

Ji Baizhi shook her head: "I'm sorry, young master, I don't want to talk about it."

"If you won't tell me, I will."

Lin Yueyin suddenly spoke, looking at Ji Baizhi, the mockery in her eyes returning:

"So many people paid the price of their lives so that she could cultivate in peace, and what was the result? After all these years, she has only reached the sixth realm. She is truly shameless."

"That's not right," Li Zhi interjected. "Why should she bear the burden of someone else's wishful thinking?"

He looked at Ji Baizhi: "It seems you have a heavy responsibility, which is why you wanted to give this to me."

Ji Baizhi remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Li Zhi then looked at Lin Yueyin: "And what about you? Aren't you the same? You came to me wanting me to become stronger, wanting me to deal with the Demon Queen."

Lin Yueyin's eyes flashed, and she also fell silent.

Li Zhi smiled. "Looks like I guessed right."

Lin Yueyin turned her face away and refused to look at him again.

"Now here's the problem: I'm not going with you," Li Zhi continued. "What are you planning to do?"

Lin Yueyin frowned.

She hadn't really thought that much about it, or rather, she had, but not that deeply.

"So," Li Zhi said again, making the request, "let's cooperate."

"What's there to cooperate on?" Lin Yueyin said coldly. "Our goals may be the same, but our methods are different. What's the point of talking about cooperation?"

"If we share the same goal, there is a basis for cooperation," Li Zhi said. "As for the methods, we can discuss them."

He looked at Ji Baizhi: "Miss Ji, what do you think?"

Ji Baizhi smiled gently: "I have no objection, it's entirely up to you, young master."

Her weak and submissive demeanor made Lin Yueyin even more annoyed.

"Stop pretending," Lin Yueyin sneered, "I will not cooperate with you."

She turned around, her black cloak billowing out.

"I'm gone."

As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared at the gate of the courtyard.

It's not that they left, it's that they disappeared.

Like a shadow being erased by light.

Without a sound of wind, without a lingering shadow, it simply vanished into thin air.

Li Zhi looked at the empty courtyard gate and smiled: "You left so decisively. It would have been so much more interesting for the two of you to work together."

Ji Baizhi remained standing there, head bowed, lost in thought.

He clearly hadn't heard Li Zhi's words, otherwise that resentful aura would have clung to him.

Only two people remained in the courtyard.

The fragrance of plum blossoms lingers, and the sun shines just right.

"Fine, I'll just keep practicing. At least this is quite interesting." Li Zhi stretched, walked to the center of the open space, and resumed his stance.

"Young Master," Ji Baizhi asked, snapping out of her thoughts, "Don't you have anything you'd like to ask me?"

Li Zhi didn't even turn his head: "You'll say it if you want to."

He paused, then added, "Besides, it's quite interesting how preoccupied you look right now. I want to see how long you can keep it to yourself."

Ji Baizhi was taken aback by his words and could only shake her head with a wry smile.

Li Zhi ignored him and began practicing the "Body Tempering Essentials".

This time, it's different.

Ji Baizhi just helped him adjust his posture and pointed out the key points.

Now when he fights, every movement exudes a natural charm; his shoulders are relaxed, his waist is stable, and his breathing is deep and continuous, perfectly matching his movements.

One move, two moves, three moves...

As Li Zhi moved his body, he began to sweat.

But he didn't feel much discomfort.

On the contrary, Li Zhi felt very comfortable, a kind of comfort that was wonderful and captivating.

With each move, his strength increased.

With each drop of sweat, the body feels a little lighter.

It's like shedding heavy shackles, like shedding a filthy shell.

After striking the blows three times, he stopped and stood still.

Soaked to the bone, gray sweat drenched his dark blue clothes, spreading large patches of dark color across the fabric.

But he didn't feel tired; on the contrary, he felt refreshed and his eyes shone like morning stars.

Ji Baizhi looked at him, her eyes filled with shock.

"Young master's talent is truly remarkable," she murmured. "He's only practiced three times, yet he's already starting to cleanse his marrow and expel impurities?"

She stepped forward and placed her hand on Li Zhi's wrist to check his pulse.

True energy probes in and circulates throughout the body.

Then, she fell silent.

After a long while, she finally let go of his hand, looked up at Li Zhi, and her eyes were extremely complicated.

"Young Master's talent is even more terrifying than I imagined," she said softly. "Ordinary people need at least three months to see initial results in body training, and even those with good talent need a month. But you, Young Master..."

She didn't finish speaking.

But the meaning is quite clear.

Li Zhi smiled and asked a profound question: "Are you saying this to make yourself feel better? The better my talent, the more at ease you feel?"

Ji Baizhi fell silent; clearly, Li Zhi was right again.

Seeing this, Li Zhi looked down at his soaked clothes and frowned.

Looks like I need to take a shower.

"I'll go boil some water for you," Ji Baizhi said.

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow: "The dignified Princess herself, boiling water?"

"There are no servants in this courtyard," Ji Baizhi said frankly. "I have always lived alone."

She turned and walked towards the side room, saying as she went, "Actually, it's convenient."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her right hand, palm up.

With a soft "poof" sound.

A flame ignited in her palm.

It wasn't an ordinary flame; it was golden, with a faint crimson tinge at its core.

The flame was small, only about the size of a fist, but it emitted a scorching heat.

Phoenix Fire.

Using her innate supernatural power, Ji Baizhi carried the cluster of fire to the woodpile in the corner of the courtyard, where chopped firewood was piled up, clearly delivered regularly by someone.

She flicked her finger, and flames shot out, landing in the woodpile.

With a loud "boom," the woodpile burst into flames.

She then brought out a large wooden tub from the side room; it was really big, big enough for an adult man to sit in.

She placed the wooden basin beside the fire, raised her hand, and the water from the well spout rose into the air, transforming into a jet of water that poured into the basin.

The flames licked the bottom of the basin, and the water quickly heated up.

The rising white steam swirled into mist in the morning light.

The hot water feels so good.

Li Zhi sat in the wooden tub, the water temperature just right, scalding his skin until it turned slightly red, but not uncomfortable.

Sweat stains dissolve in hot water, forming a thin oily film on the surface.

He leaned against the edge of the basin, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.

The fire in the courtyard was still burning, and Ji Baizhi sat on a stool not far away, with her back to him.

She sat upright with her back straight and her hands on her knees, like a student listening to a lecture.

The rising steam spread out, carrying the fresh scent of soapberry.

"Miss Ji," Li Zhi suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Ji Baizhi didn't turn around.

"Tell me about yourself," he said lazily, his voice relaxed, as if he'd just soaked in hot water. "Your story."

"Young master, do you want to hear it now?"

"It's so nice to listen to a story during such a peaceful time."