They all want to change my future.

Chapter 74 Should We Kill?

The darkness completely dissipated, and the courtyard was bathed in the cool moonlight.

Qu Hongxiao's current miserable state was exposed to Li Zhi.

The mask on his face, bestowed upon him by the Empress, had been neatly split in two and hung askew on either side of his ear.

It revealed her face, which was now as pale as paper due to blood loss, yet still undeniably beautiful.

His clothes were tattered and torn.

Cheng Ying is formless and intangible, yet its sharpness is unparalleled, leaving behind fine and precise sword marks.

The fabric was torn, revealing the snow-white skin beneath.

Her once delicate skin was now covered with crisscrossing bloodstains, some so deep that the bone was visible, and fresh blood kept seeping out, filling the air with a heavy stench of blood.

The tattered Qu Hongxiao was so wretched and fragile, yet possessed a poignant and beautiful quality, as if it were on the verge of despair.

However, this appearance was even more tragic than the future fragments she had seen.

As the darkness dissipated, Lin Yueyin stood before Qu Hongxiao. Her black dress remained clean, without a single bloodstain.

It is clear that Qu Hongxiao was utterly defeated, with no room for maneuver.

The victor didn't even glance at the defeated man at his feet, but looked directly at Li Zhi:

"Should we kill him?"

It was the same as before, the same words as in the prophecy.

This made Qu Hongxiao feel extremely humiliated, but she was helpless. She had no true essence left in her body, and her divine sense was also entangled and suppressed.

His body was also badly damaged.

She has been captured alive.

They were powerless to resist.

They became Lin Yueyin's spoils of war, their lives and deaths in her hands.

Wait, Qu Hongxiao realized, why did he ask Li Zhi? Was he trying to humiliate me, or...?

Li Zhi was somewhat surprised to hear this question: "Do you really want me to decide?"

"That's right."

Lin Yueyin nodded: "Her life or death is up to you."

Upon hearing this, Qu Hongxiao forced a cold laugh: "You... never dared to... kill me in the first place, why bother putting on this show?"

Before he could finish speaking, he coughed violently again, and more blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Her wounds were bleeding profusely, and her breath was visibly weakening. If she didn't receive treatment soon, she would probably die from blood loss alone, without anyone else even having to lift a finger.

Li Zhi didn't take Qu Hongxiao's sarcasm to heart. He looked at Lin Yueyin with interest and asked as if to confirm:

"If I said kill, would you really do it?"

"Um."

Lin Yueyin nodded without hesitation, her expression silent. "The Holy Maiden has decreed that you may make all decisions regarding this trip."

As she spoke, the Cheng Ying sword, entirely black, appeared, its blade still clean and unstained by any blood.

The sword tip rose, steadily pointing at Qu Hongxiao's long, snow-white neck, exposed outside her tattered collar.

That swan-like neck appeared incredibly fragile under the sword's edge.

It seemed that in the next instant, a flash of sword light would separate this beautiful head from her alluring body, and blood would stain the courtyard red tonight.

Such direct, undisguised murderous intent, pure and cold.

Li Zhi sensed this murderous intent, as if he had thought of something:

"You didn't do this on purpose, did you? Did you deliberately bring this up to make me decide to kill her?"

As he spoke, he pointed at Qu Hongxiao: "Look, the way Qu Hongxiao looks at me is different now."

Indeed, at this moment, Qu Hongxiao's gaze toward Li Zhi was filled with surprise, scrutiny, and a hint of barely concealed shock.

She originally thought Li Zhi was just a pawn with some talent and good luck, pushed out by the sect.

But Lin Yueyin's attitude was almost one of following Li Zhi's lead, handing over the power of life and death to him.

The amount is completely different!

He is far more than just a pawn!

My previous assessment of him was probably wildly wrong!

This discovery was even more alarming to her than her defeat and capture.

This message must be spread!

Your Majesty must be careful.

But... how do I send it?

I am now no different from a useless person.

unless……

"You couldn't have committed suicide without his consent."

Lin Yueyin seemed to see through her thoughts, said something lightly, but her gaze remained on Li Zhi as she asked again.

"Should we kill him or not?"

Li Zhi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he squatted down, looked directly into Qu Hongxiao's eyes—eyes that remained stubbornly sharp even in her severely injured and disheveled state—and asked directly:

"So, Miss Qu, do you want to die?"

Qu Hongxiao struggled to lift her eyelids, glanced at Li Zhi, and then closed her eyes again.

Do you want to die?

Of course, I didn't want to; I wanted to keep my body so I could repay the Empress's great kindness.

Besides, nobody wants to die.

However, if it's for the Empress, I'd be willing to die.

However, a reminder must be left for the Empress.

"Kill me if you want! Enough with the nonsense! Anyway...you won't be smug for long...I'll be waiting for you underground!"

Qu Hongxiao's words were ruthless, and her blood-stained fingers twitched slightly.

"laugh!"

A faint, almost invisible black sword light flashed and precisely embedded itself in the stone slab in front of her fingers, penetrating three inches deep!

The chill was biting, and the warning was palpable.

"Don't worry, after I kill you, you won't leave anything behind."

Lin Yueyin's cold voice rang out, extinguishing all of Qu Hongxiao's hopes.

Seeing this, Li Zhi shook his head: "After killing her, what are your subsequent arrangements?"

"Of course, we'll leave."

Lin Yueyin nodded, her tone still calm and even, "Killing her will surely enrage the Empress, so I will take you away from the capital tonight."

Leaving the capital, the natural next step is to head south.

This also means leaving Ji Baizhi.

However, it seems like we can take her with us.

So, is Ji Baizhi willing to leave?

Li Zhi looked at Ji Baizhi, but found that she remained silent and did not say anything.

Noticing Li Zhi's gaze, Ji Baizhi said calmly, "Young Master, you don't need to consider me. I've said it before, we're on the same side."

Such trust... Before Li Zhi could speak, Lin Yueyin spoke up:

"We can't take Phoenix with us, but she'll be fine. The Empress isn't about to break ties and offend Ji Baizhi, and besides, she didn't even make a move."

This somewhat abrupt rejection made Li Zhi raise an eyebrow: "I'm a little confused, Miss Lin, what exactly are you thinking?"

If she really wanted to kill Qu Hongxiao and take Li Zhi away, she shouldn't have said those words just now; she could have at least lied a little.

"I don't like lying."

Lin Yueyin was very frank, then she looked at Qu Hongxiao on the ground: "Also, she seems to know a lot now, are you really not going to kill her?"

Qu Hongxiao, lying on the ground, knew very well that things would move quickly. She was already somewhat disregarding her injuries, as she genuinely hadn't expected Ji Baizhi to have such a close relationship with Li Zhi.

It's unbelievable that these words would come from the mouth of that proud phoenix.

Who exactly is Li Zhi?

Li Zhi naturally saw Qu Hongxiao's shocked expression, and he said with some understanding:

"You dislike lying, yet you deliberately leaked information to her. Are you trying to lead me down a different path, Miss Lin? You're quite something."

Lin Yueyin did not answer, but remained silent.