Reborn Heiress: Seeking Revenge

Chapter 385: Pawn of Fate (1)_1

"Since you could guess I would come tonight, I believe you’ve also guessed my purpose," Shangguan You said calmly. She didn’t know how much a Physiognomist like him could see. However, since Old Man Qi had not only predicted her arrival but had also known about her dilemma half a year ago, she believed he must also know her current objective."Miss Shangguan, you wish to go to Hidden World Village. I can accompany you and help you," Old Man Qi said.

"Huh? What?" Shangguan You looked at Old Man Qi in surprise. He figured out half a year ago that I would go to Hidden World Village? I only decided to go after Zhuge Feng disappeared. Did Old Man Qi know all along? Is it really that mystical? Can a Physiognomist truly see the future?

Has Old Man Qi seen through my rebirth as well?

"Miss Shangguan, you intend to rescue that young man, Zhuge Feng. When the time comes, I can lend you a hand," Old Man Qi said, a hint of mystery in his voice, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he looked at her.

"How will you help me?" Shangguan You leaned back slightly and asked Old Man Qi calmly. Her purpose in seeking him out wasn’t for him to accompany her to Hidden World Village. Besides, even if he knew she was reborn, she wasn’t afraid.

"I do indeed know how to get to Hidden World Village. And I also know where Zhuge Feng is."

"What do you want from me?" Shangguan You asked lightly. It seems there really is no such thing as a free lunch. That’s a famous saying, after all.

"I’ve said it before: you saved Zhuo Chen, so I owe you a favor. Zhuo Chen’s life plate was supposed to have vanished in that incident. However, your sudden appearance changed Zhuo Chen’s destiny. His life plate, which should have ended, was reactivated, and now it includes you."

Old Man Qi sighed, looking at Qi Zhuochen with affectionate eyes. He wasn’t afraid of Shangguan You knowing these things; in fact, he wanted her to understand. Her appearance had already altered the destinies of many people, to the point where her fate and theirs were now inextricably linked.

"Your appearance changed Zhuo Chen, and it also caused your own life plate to change."

"So what if it did? I saved Zhuo Chen, and he needs to live well. Your goal has been achieved; he can grow up healthy. Why would you want to accompany me to Hidden World Village?" A thought flickered through Shangguan You’s mind. Is it because of my rebirth that I not only changed the fate of this body but also the destinies of those around me? I still don’t understand what this means.

"Miss Shangguan, the people whose lives you’ve changed are not just Zhuo Chen, but also Zhuge Feng and those around you. These individuals have deviated from their original life paths and are now inextricably linked to you," Old Man Qi explained. "In other words, your existence has altered many things. It has caused those who initially had no connection to you to become closely intertwined with your life."

"Zhuge Feng being captured and taken back to his clan—that too is a consequence of your appearance."

Shangguan You’s brow furrowed. She still didn’t understand. Even if she had changed their original destinies, so what? What did that have to do with her now?

Old Man Qi sighed deeply again, his voice low. "Miss Shangguan, originally, Hidden World Village, the Li Family, the Fang Family, the Ye Family, and even the Inferno Sect—none of these Hidden World Families should have had any dealings with you. Yet, because of the changes you brought about, or perhaps due to certain things that happened to you, this balance was shattered. It has caused those who should have remained secluded to emerge into the mortal world."

Old Man Qi spoke again. "I once visited the Shangguan Family and had dealings with Elder Master Shangguan. I also divined your fate. You were plotted against, causing your entire being to transform. That’s why Elder Master Shangguan sent you to B City, far from the vortex of Beijing. Yet, in B City, your abrupt change once more shifted the course of destiny."

"I don’t know what happened to you in B City; with my current abilities, I cannot divine it. I also cannot say whether this transformation of yours is for better or worse. However, you alone have changed the fates of countless people," Old Man Qi said, his voice heavy.

"I don’t understand what you mean. And you divined my fate? How come I never knew?" Shangguan You asked lightly, a chill running down her spine. Is this some kind of butterfly effect from my rebirth? Is it because I was reborn that I’ve changed the destinies of so many people?

But even if I did change their destinies, what does that have to do with me? They live their lives, I live mine. Is there truly no connection?

"Your destiny is inextricably linked with theirs. Indeed, because of you, their original life trajectories have changed. Zhuo Chen’s life plate—I can no longer see it clearly, and yours is the same. That’s why, for this trip to Hidden World Village, I want to go with you. I want to see if all this is due to your sudden transformation, or if this was the destiny intended all along."

Old Man Qi spoke gravely. He admitted he only had a partial understanding; he could no longer penetrate the fates of Shangguan You or those connected to her. He didn’t know what might transpire in Hidden World Village, but he was willing to accompany her.

"So what? I saved them, pulled them back from the Ghost Gate. Their original destinies would naturally change. Even if they changed because of me, isn’t that a good thing?"

Shangguan You’s brow furrowed, and she spoke lightly. Life plates? She knew nothing about them. Everything she was doing now was simply to ensure that she and her family could live better. As for anything else, whether it involved altering destinies or not, it had nothing to do with her.

In her past life, she had resigned herself to fate. But in this life, she would never do so again. No matter who it was, if they crossed her bottom line, she would eliminate them without a second thought.

"It’s true they changed because of you. However, at the same time, your own destiny will also affect every one of them," Old Man Qi stated.

"What do you mean?" Shangguan You’s brow tightened.

"If something happens to you, then everyone connected to you will share your fate." Old Man Qi continued gravely, "If you, Shangguan You, were to disappear, then all those whose destinies were altered by you would meet the same end as you. All traces of their existence, their life paths, would be forever erased."

He didn’t want his grandson to vanish. Therefore, he had to accompany her and lend a hand when she needed it.