Chapter 565: Chapter 565: The Hidden Truth (3)

"But at the time... I found it hard to believe anyone’s words, as my mind was clouded and enemies were everywhere."

Hearing this, the original Li Feng couldn’t help but look confused.

For some reason, even though they were supposed to be the same person, this future version of himself felt as if he had lived an entirely different life... one filled with heavier shadows, deeper distrust, and experiences that the current him could not yet imagine.

After a moment of silence, he turned toward the black-cloaked figure and asked quietly,

"...What exactly happened to you?"

The future Li Feng did not look at him.

His empty eyes remained fixed on the memory unfolding inside the bamboo house as he answered in a calm, distant voice.

"You don’t need to know."

There was no room for argument in his tone.

"Just focus on your present."

The original Li Feng stared at his black-cloaked counterpart for a second longer, then clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.

"Tch, Cheapskate."

If it were him, things would have been completely different.

If he ever met his own past self, he would have told him everything... his regrets, the useful information he had gathered, the opportunities worth seizing, the dangers to avoid... and even a bit of romance advice.

Yet the black-cloaked future standing beside him remained silent and distant, offering nothing more than that cold instruction to focus on the present.

The original Li Feng finally let the matter drop temporarily and shifted his attention back to the memory.

_

_

_

Inside the bamboo house, young Zi Yuanling was still standing where Peng Jianwei had pulled her in.

Rain continued to patter softly against the wooden roof as she looked up at the masked man, her pale face filled with clear surprise.

"...You found a way?" she asked, her voice carrying both disbelief and a fragile trace of hope. "A way to truly cure the dynasty of that plague?"

Peng Jianwei nodded firmly beneath the mask.

"Yes."

He steadied himself and continued in a more serious tone.

"The Dreamless Fortune Plague is already deeply rooted in the dynasty’s Fortune Providence. Ordinary methods can never remove it. But if we can sever the contaminated providence at its source and replace it with a new, pure foundation of fortune... then the plague will lose the soil it needs to survive."

Zi Yuanling’s eyes widened slightly as she listened, her frail hands unconsciously tightening against the edge of her sleeves.

"...Is that really possible?" she asked softly.

Peng Jianwei fell silent for a brief moment, then answered with quiet certainty.

"It is difficult. Extremely difficult. But it is not impossible."

Peng Jianwei continued, his voice growing heavier beneath the mask.

"To remove the Dreamless Fortune Plague, purifying the contaminated providence itself is unavoidable. Ordinary flames, arts, or formations are useless against something rooted so deeply in a dynasty’s Dragon Vein."

He paused for a moment, as if weighing how much to say, then went on.

"What we need is the Crimson Phoenix Flame... an extreme purifying fire capable of burning away corrupted fortune at its source."

"But that alone is still not enough. The plague has already fused with the dynasty’s providence. To truly eradicate it, we also need a vessel strong enough to contain that flame... and to devour the contaminated fortune along with it so that a new Fortune Providence can be born."

Zi Yuanling’s pale face remained still as she absorbed every word.

Even so, uncertainty lingered in her eyes.

A mystical flame capable of purifying corrupted providence... a vessel strong enough to contain it and devour the contaminated fortune of an entire dynasty... such things felt impossibly distant to her.

In the end, she was still just an unfortunate child who had lost her parents to the plague and now lived quietly in a remote bamboo house.

After a moment of silence, she looked up at Peng Jianwei and asked softly,

"...You must already have a way to find it, don’t you?"

Peng Jianwei nodded.

Then, for the briefest moment, a trace of hesitation appeared in his posture.

It was subtle, but it was there.

A second later, he cleared it away and smiled once more beneath the mask, his voice returning to that same mild and reassuring tone.

"Yes."

He continued with calm certainty.

"The Fen Dynasty actually has a hidden connection with the Crimson Phoenix. In due time, someone will be born within this dynasty who is fated to inherit its flame."

"As for the vessel capable of devouring all of the contaminated fortune..."

He paused only briefly before giving a small nod.

"I have a way to make that happen, so leave that part to me."

His tone remained steady, but a faint weight entered his next words.

"...But the real problem is the Crimson Phoenix Flame."

Zi Yuanling looked up at him, her pale face still and attentive.

"...What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

Peng Jianwei was silent for a moment before answering.

"The one who will inherit the Crimson Phoenix Flame will eventually be born within the Fen Dynasty... that much is certain under normal circumstances."

His voice grew heavier.

"But the fortune of the dynasty is already on the verge of collapse. As things stand now, it is nowhere near enough to give birth to that child."

He paused, then slowly looked at Zi Yuanling.

When he spoke again, his voice had softened into a quiet murmur.

"...So I looked further down the possibilities of all the futures I could see."

"And in every one of them... that child who is meant to inherit the Crimson Phoenix will never be born."

Zi Yuanling’s expression faltered.

The fragile hope that had risen in her eyes dimmed at once, leaving behind a hollow stillness on her pale face.

Peng Jianwei continued to look at her.

After a moment, he murmured softly,

"...Unless you become a concubine of the Fen Dynasty’s Emperor."

The words settled heavily between them.

"Only in that future did I see the child of the Crimson Phoenix being born... from you."

Even after saying it, Peng Jianwei could not help but feel that this was the work of fate itself.

It was as if when one truly desired something to happen, fate would always provide a path... but at a cost.

"..."

Zi Yuanling did not speak at once.

Her pale face remained still as the weight of his words slowly sank in.

Her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeves as her head lowered.

"...Is that the only future?" she finally asked, her voice low and fragile.

Peng Jianwei was silent for a moment longer before giving a small nod beneath the mask.

"Among all the futures I could see," he answered quietly, "it is the only one in which the Crimson Phoenix child is born... and the only one in which the dynasty still has a chance to be saved."

Seeing her silent, Peng Jianwei sighed lightly and tried to console her.

"...I know how cruel this sounds. Asking you to enter the imperial harem, to become one of the Emperor’s concubines, and to bear a child under such circumstances... it is not a path I would ever wish on you if there were another way."

His voice lowered further.

"But fate is rarely kind. The Crimson Phoenix Flame will not appear without the proper vessel of destiny, and that destiny is already entangled with the Fen Dynasty’s collapsing fortune. Without you walking that path... the child will never be born, the flame will never awaken, and the Dreamless Fortune Plague will continue to hollow out this dynasty until nothing remains."

He paused, then added more quietly,

"I can help guide the process. I can even help protect you from the shadows... but the first step... only you can take."

Zi Yuanling’s hand trembled slightly at those words.

For a moment, the weight of everything he had said seemed to press down on her frail shoulders.

Her pale fingers curled tightly against her sleeves as a complicated mixture of emotions passed through her eyes.

Then, softly, she murmured,

"...Dummy."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.