Chapter 645: A Million Times for You (7)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xu Baizhi proceeded to wash the dishes. Instead of entering the elderly lady’s room immediately, she walked toward the backyard to answer a call on her mobile phone.
She leaned against the wall and placed the phone beside her ear. “Have you completed the task I told you to?” the man asked coldly over the phone.
“Not yet,” Xu Baizhi answered softly.
“Why are you so useless? Don’t forget who you are. You’ve already failed your duty by leaving the Autumn Palace without permission. The organization has decided to spare you on account of you being Military Commander Xu’s daughter, yet you can’t even accomplish the task we’ve handed you. Bai Zhi, don’t think you can ignore the organization’s instructions just because you’ve got a strong and authoritative backer now. Would you like us to hand the evidence of you setting Tuoba Danxue’s mansion on fire to the Autumn Palace? Or would you prefer that we leak the videos of you committing murder to the public? Or do you want us to expose your identity as one of the members of our organization? I’ll leave you to imagine what the consequences will be once all this information is leaked. You’ll probably be the most wanted criminal in S Nation, won’t you? By then, you’ll never lead a peaceful life…” the man hollered.
“Enough! Am I even living a peaceful life right now?” Xu Baizhi bellowed.
“I don’t wish to argue with you about this. If you don’t accomplish the task within the next six months, prepare to face the consequences!”
The man ended the call as soon as he finished speaking.
Xu Baizhi’s heart sank the moment the line was cut off.
She entered the house again with the mobile phone in hand and headed inside the elderly lady’s room after closing the door.
The room was dimly lit but bright enough for one to see clearly.
There was a high chair next to the elderly lady’s bed. The elderly lady was organizing her things when Xu Baizhi entered, after which she instructed, “Remove your shoes and lie down in the bed.”
“Alright.” Xu Baizhi did as instructed.
The elderly lady took out a long and sharp needle and poked it into Xu Baizhi’s middle finger.
Xu Baizhi felt a sudden, sharp pain in her finger but did not dare to utter a single word and instead watched as the drops of blood trickled down from the wound.
The elderly lady squeezed Xu Baizhi’s blood onto an amulet, on which the latter’s birth characters were written.
She squeezed a total of three drops of blood onto the amulet.
She then pressed a cotton ball onto Xu Baizhi’s finger and said, “Press on it yourself.”
Xu Baizhi hurriedly pressed the cotton swab onto her middle finger with another hand to stop the bleeding.
“I think the person who altered your fate is trying to control you using this method. Your fate has been altered for only a few years.”
“Old Madam, please help me change it back. Please.”
“There’s no use begging me, I’m not a hundred percent certain that I can help you either. I already said that it partially depends on your determination and willpower too. Close your eyes and stop dwelling on it,” the elderly lady answered frankly.
Xu Baizhi closed her eyes abidingly while the elderly lady proceeded to paste the amulet on her forehead. Xu Baizhi could hear the sounds of the elderly lady doing something else. As much as she was curious, she dared not open her eyes and instead continued to lay quietly in bed.
Xu Baizhi felt her eyelids growing heavy, and she was feeling a strong urge to fall asleep when she heard the elderly lady murmuring incoherently.
However, she knew that she could not fall asleep on the elderly lady’s bed. Thus, she clutched onto the bedsheets tightly and waited for the elderly lady to allow her to open her eyes.
She finally heard the command after about an hour later.
“You may open your eyes now.”
Xu Baizhi opened her eyes slowly, for the sudden light source caused her eyes to feel uncomfortable, though it was not glaring.
The elderly lady removed the amulet.
She supported herself down from the bed and put on her shoes.
“Do you feel any discomfort?”
“No.”
“Alright, go back to sleep in the Eastern room.”
Xu Baizhi nodded and left the room.
She thought that the ritual had already ended. In reality, the elderly lady proceeded to enter an altar room after Xu Baizhi left.
She stayed in the room for two hours before leaving.
The initially energized elderly lady seemed to have lost some of her vitality when she exited the altar room.
Inexperienced and lowly-skilled fortune-tellers would undoubtedly risk losing their life by helping Xu Baizhi alter her fate, just like An Xiaoning mentioned.
In fact, even veteran fortune-tellers like the elderly lady would be affected by the ritual. Besides, the elderly lady was already getting on in her years and did not have much longevity left.
——
The heater was switched on in the room while it snowed heavily outside.
It was an extremely freezing winter.
Clad in a bathroom, An Xiaoning stood by the window in the pitch-dark room and stared out at the beautiful snowflakes, which appeared mesmerizing beneath the street lamp.
The roads would definitely be covered in white the next morning.
It was already ten o’clock at night. Yet, she was not in the least bit sleepy at all.
She continued to stand there quietly to admire the snowfall.
Knock, knock!
“Who’s there?”
“It’s me. Are you asleep yet?” Lin Mingxi asked.
“No.” An Xiaoning switched on the lights and opened the door.
Lin Mingxi entered and locked the door. Noticing that she was mad with fury, An Xiaoning asked, “Who made you upset this time? You seem to be really angry.”
“Who else could it be? Your good brother did. Can I sleep in the same bed as you tonight?” Lin Mingxi asked.
“You want to sleep with me? Seems like someone is going to sleep alone tonight, then,” An Xiaoning remarked, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
“Yes. Someone else wants to sleep with you, but he’ll never get the chance to for the rest of his life,” said Lin Mingxi, crawling onto An Xiaoning’s bed to lie down.
“Who does ‘someone else’ refer to? Why do I smell jealousy coming from a green-eyed monster beside me?” An Xiaoning remarked, lying down next to her.
“Are you angry at me?” Lin Mingxi asked with a humph.
“Why would I be?”
“Because I said that in front of you on purpose.”
An Xiaoning chuckled and said, “You seem to be rather intelligent, but why do you also seem so foolish sometimes? If I really wanted to get into a relationship with him, you wouldn’t be here today.”
“That’s true… I was just kidding,” Lin Mingxi agreed.
“Why did you two have a tiff?”
“Because of the heater. The weather is so cold nowadays, but he wouldn’t allow me to switch on the heater. He then switched it off when I tried to turn it on. I asked him if he would allow the heater to be switched on if you were in the room with him instead, but he ignored my question,” Lin Mingxi complained in disgruntlement.
“You two are really something to be able to argue about something so silly,” An Xiaoning remarked, dumbfounded.
“Yeah, that’s why I came to find you. The heater is indeed switched on in your room, just like I expected.”
“I’m afraid of the cold. My body is frail to begin with, I always wrap myself up in thick clothing during winter,” An Xiaoning said candidly.
“Great, I’m afraid of the cold too. I have a love-hate relationship with you now. What do you think I should do?” Lin Mingxi asked, hugging her waist.
An Xiaoning rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t keep getting me involved in your petty quarrels. You’re already married to him, what else do you want?”
“I know…”
“You know and yet you still keep getting wild ideas. Forget it, let him sleep alone while we cuddle each other to sleep. You shall live a blissful life with me from now onwards,” An Xiaoning jested teasingly.
“Xiaoning… do you mean it? I’ll really take your words seriously,” said Lin Mingxi, staring at her intently.
“…”
They held each other’s gaze and burst into laughter. An Xiaoning flicked her forehead and said, “It’s getting late, let’s go to bed, my beloved Consort.”
Lin Mingxi was snapped out of her grumpy mood and played along, “Yes, Your Majesty.”