They all want to change my future.

Chapter 28 Disturbing the Heart

The crisis was thus averted, and Ji Baizhi calmed down.

Darkness vanishes, light recedes.

Her whole demeanor became gentle and delicate again.

She looked at Li Zhi, sighed softly, and her tone carried a hint of helplessness and a reminder:

"Young master, please refrain from teasing Miss Lin like that in the future, and be more careful with your words."

Li Zhi shrugged innocently: "How can you blame me for this? But then again..."

He changed the subject, a mischievous smile in his eyes, "I think this matter is probably related to you, Miss Ji."

Ji Baizhi asked somewhat irritably, "What...what does this have to do with me?"

"Isn't it because you are too beautiful and charming that you inadvertently stir the hearts of others?"

Li Zhi began to analyze the matter with great seriousness.

"So much so that Miss Lin unknowingly fell for you while spending so much time together. So, shouldn't you also reflect on this and tone down your charm a bit?"

"I... what charm do I have?" Ji Baizhi was both amused and exasperated by his absurd reasoning, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Weren't you quite charming when you were being authoritative just now?" Li Zhi laughed, his gaze frank. "Even I felt a little flutter in my heart."

"Young Master is saying such nonsensical nice things again." Ji Baizhi turned her face away, but her ears turned red.

She didn't dwell on the topic, but instead worried about the important matter at hand: "However, now that Miss Lin has left, what will you do if something really happens tonight? Perhaps... you should stay in my little courtyard."

"No need," Li Zhi shook his head.

Why?

"She didn't leave," Li Zhi said confidently. "She's still following us nearby, she just doesn't want to show herself."

"Huh?" Ji Baizhi was somewhat surprised. "You even know that?"

"Miss Lin is just a bit thin-skinned; after what I just said, she definitely won't show up."

Li Zhi slowly said, "The blood feud and the Holy Maiden's mission are still quite important. These are much more important than her personal emotions. She will endure it in order to avenge herself against the Demon Queen. So, she's probably watching me from somewhere right now, and..."

"Young Master, please stop talking." Ji Baizhi knew very well that what followed was definitely not a good thing, so she quickly stopped him.

"Alright, then I won't say anything more." Li Zhi walked towards Ji Baizhi's courtyard. "However, I have gained a deeper understanding of the importance of cultivation."

"Young Master has finally decided to work hard." Ji Baizhi followed in his footsteps, somewhat relieved.

"Probably. We'll practice a bit more this afternoon," Li Zhi said casually. "However, I didn't expect that the two of you could actually hold your own, even though you're only at the sixth realm."

"No wonder he is the reincarnation of a phoenix."

"Young master, you flatter me. Miss Lin wasn't serious."

Ji Baizhi wasn't particularly proud. She had done something that would be remarkable in the eyes of outsiders: to fight against a seventh-realm grandmaster while only at the sixth realm. This was something that could be considered impossible.

You need to know what a grandmaster is: unparalleled in the world, able to roam freely, a great figure in the eyes of the world.

……

Night fell.

In a secluded courtyard of Zhaoyang Prefecture, Li Zhi was practicing the Gentleman's Sword Technique according to plan.

His swordplay was still far from standard, even somewhat casual. In the quiet night, his movements revealed a sense of loneliness and desolation.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long and thin, making it appear somewhat heavy.

As night deepened, all was quiet except for the occasional soft sound of a sword slicing through the air.

At that moment, a dark light tore through the night without warning, shooting towards Li Zhi's back like a venomous snake's tongue!

The speed was astonishing; the sound of the wind breaking through the air arrived almost simultaneously with the arrow.

Li Zhi seemed unaware, or rather, with his current cultivation level, even if he were aware, he wouldn't have time to react at all.

Hidden arrows are hard to guard against.

But darkness is everywhere, and the tiny arrow quickly came to a halt in the shadows.

Then, a slender, fair hand emerged from the darkness and grasped the arrow.

With just a slight twist of the wrist, the arrow returned to its original position at a speed faster than the bowstring had released.

The arrow shaft was now enveloped in a layer of darkness that seemed to come alive.

When the arrow, tainted by darkness, reached the area where the shooter was hiding, the darkness attached to it suddenly erupted, instantly engulfing the area completely.

Light and sound seemed to have been swallowed up by the darkness.

"It's... a Grandmaster!"

A short, horrified gasp escaped before the darkness completely closed in, and then all was silent.

When Li Zhi came to his senses and looked up, he saw three dark figures lying silently at the base of the wall not far away, their postures twisted and lifeless.

"I really didn't expect that." Li Zhi blinked, his tone filled with genuine surprise and admiration. "Miss Lin, you're so efficient."

Silence reigned, and no one answered.

Lin Yueyin's figure did not appear, and even the strange darkness disappeared without a trace, as if the interception and counterattack that happened in the blink of an eye were just an illusion under the moon.

Li Zhi stood still, patting off non-existent dust from his body, but his gaze turned to the other side of Zhaoyang Mansion, towards Ji Baizhi's courtyard, his eyebrows slightly raised, as if deep in thought.

"However, why is there no movement from Miss Ji's side? Logically speaking, she should have noticed it earlier than me and should have arrived by now."

He guessed right.

At this moment, Ji Baizhi is trapped in her own courtyard.

Because she had guessed that someone would come, Ji Baizhi kept her divine sense focused on the entire Zhaoyang Prefecture.

But she didn't expect the person who came would be so strong.

He was actually a grandmaster.

Ji Baizhi's divine sense only vaguely caught a figure moving so fast it was almost blurry, which rushed to the outer edge of her courtyard at an incredible speed and threw something down.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that she couldn't even see the other person's figure clearly.

When Ji Baizhi tried to leave, an invisible yet incredibly strong barrier, like an inverted transparent bowl, firmly enveloped her and the entire courtyard.

"Trapped in a formation?"

Ji Baizhi stood in the courtyard, realizing that her divine sense could not penetrate, her delicate brows furrowed, and a wisp of golden-red phoenix true fire flickered uncertainly at her fingertips.

"They'd even use something like this just to trap me for a moment? That's quite a feat."

Just as Ji Baizhi was about to unleash her full power, the array barrier vanished silently.

This astonishing scene left Ji Baizhi no time to think; her first reaction was that something had happened to Li Zhi.

With a flash, he transformed into a streak of light and swiftly sped toward the courtyard where Li Zhi was.

Ji Baizhi, anxious and preoccupied, was unaware that a figure outside Zhaoyang Mansion murmured, "This phoenix is ​​quite beautiful."

If Ji Baizhi knew that someone had used a precious formation just to catch a glimpse of her.

I wonder what the evaluation will be, but it does confirm Li Zhi's words: "The charm is too great, it's captivating."

When Ji Baizhi arrived and saw that Li Zhi was safe and sound, she was relieved.

"Young master, are you alright?" She hurried forward, her voice filled with lingering fear and concern.

"It's nothing, not a single hair is missing." Li Zhi smiled and pointed to the wall. "See, I guessed right, didn't I? They really will send someone."

"Yes," Ji Baizhi sighed, "I didn't expect they would send a grandmaster to hold me back."

"Grandmaster?" Li Zhi frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Ji Baizhi didn't think much of it.

Upon hearing this accurate answer, Li Zhi frowned: "This shouldn't be right, it can't be, can it?"

"Young master, what do you mean by that?"