Chapter 778: Predicting Destiny Patterns

Seeing the string of rage points in the backend, Zu An was startled. He wondered where he had offended the Crown Princess and if she was still angry with him back in the Eastern Palace. Could some busybody have spoken ill of him to her? Hmm, next time he'd have to ask the brothers Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun; he wouldn't want to be unknowingly framed.

He certainly wouldn't have imagined that the Crown Princess would coincidentally be here at this very moment.

Just then, a cheerful voice came from ahead: "This road I open, this tree I plant; if you wish to pass, leave a toll behind."

Zu An's mind was filled with questions. Bandits in the backyard of the esteemed National Academy, near the Dean's residence?

He looked up and saw a girl sitting on the branch of a pine tree ahead, her two slender legs swinging in the air like a neighbor's little girl on a swing. She certainly didn't look like a bandit.

However, her attire was peculiar. She wore a dark blue dress densely adorned with various white and pale yellow star-shaped symbols. The patterns on her clothes looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen them. Additionally, she wore a pointed hat, much like the Western witch hats seen in old films and TV shows.

Yet, there was no trace of evil about this girl. On the contrary, she was very sweet-looking, her eyes as deep and clear as the starry sky. Perhaps due to her prolonged lack of sunlight, her skin had an unnatural pallor. However, this pallor wasn't sickly; instead, it added to her overall delicate charm. Beneath her elegant, slender eyebrows, her bright eyes captivated with every glance, and two charming dimples could intoxicate before she even smiled.

She was indeed a very pretty young girl, but the prominent dark circles under her eyes and her occasional yawns somewhat detracted from her image.

However, Zu An did not lower his guard because of her appearance. Anyone who could block a road and rob here was definitely not an easy target. He tensed up, quietly preparing for a fight.

"Junior Sister, what are you doing here?" Just then, Jiang Luofu approached her with a mix of surprise and delight.

"Junior Sister?" Zu An recalled that the Junior Sister Jiang Luofu had mentioned earlier studied Ziwei Doushu and had the ability to foresee heavenly secrets. He had originally thought she would be an old witch-like figure—after all, the ranking of disciples didn't depend on age but on the order of their entry into the sect, so it was quite possible for a lower-ranked disciple to be much older than Jiang Luofu. He never expected her to be such a beautiful young girl. Only then did he realize what the patterns on her robe were: cosmic star charts, showing the positions of the stars in the night sky.

The star positions in this world were different from those on Earth in his previous life, which was why he hadn't recognized them immediately. But then again, even if the star positions were the same as on Earth, as a mere keyboard warrior, he wouldn't have recognized them anyway.

Seeing the youthful appearance of the girl before him, Zu An found it truly hard to imagine that she could peer into heavenly secrets. Shouldn't those who glimpse heavenly secrets be old crones or white-haired figures like Zhuge Liang?

"Hello, Eighth Senior Sister." The girl jumped down from the tree, and a star compass suddenly appeared beneath her feet, supporting her weight as it slowly lowered her to the ground.

A smile also appeared on Jiang Luofu's face as she said to Zu An, "Ah Zu, let me introduce you: This is my Junior Sister, Qi Yaoguang; Junior Sister, this is my friend, Zu An."

"Qi Yaoguang?" Zu An thought the name was indeed lovely, but he wondered if there was really a surname "Qi" (Seven) in the world. The world truly was full of wonders.

Jiang Luofu said with a smile, "Does the name sound familiar? The Yaoguang Secret Realm in Bright Moon Mountain's backyard shares her name. I've always found it too coincidental."

Qi Yaoguang replied, "I've always wanted to see it, but unfortunately, I've missed it every time due to various reasons."

"Oh, by the way, why are you here?" Jiang Luofu asked curiously.

Qi Yaoguang replied, "I just had a sudden impulse to tell my own fortune and learned that Master would call me here to stop you two. So I came early to avoid his nagging."

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that the youngest was always favored, no matter where. This junior sister's tone clearly showed she was pampered by the Dean on a daily basis. "Hmm, wait a minute... she predicted that the Dean would call her to stop them?"

"Master called you to stop us?" Jiang Luofu was equally surprised. "Why?"

"That's right," Qi Yaoguang nodded. "Master has an important guest to see now."

Zu An smiled faintly. "I can wait." He had too many doubts he wanted to confirm with the Dean, so he didn't mind waiting a bit longer. Besides, who was this important guest worthy of a personal audience with the Dean?

Qi Yaoguang sighed. "Senior Sister, you always say my emotional intelligence is low, but how is this guy even lower than me? Master saying he has an important guest is just an excuse so you don't lose face. In reality, he just doesn't want to see you, and you keep pressing him about it."

Zu An: "..." Damn it, the truth really hurts.

At this moment, the Crown Princess in the room was also somewhat surprised. She looked curiously at the enigmatic back and asked, "Dean, why won't you see him?" She had initially thought it was because Zu An's rank was too low, which was why the Dean was unwilling to see him. But then she suddenly remembered that his direct disciple had personally brought him; surely, he wouldn't be so dismissive.

"The time is not yet ripe," came the Dean's distant voice.

The Crown Princess was bewildered. "What time?" she wondered. She wanted to ask again, but unfortunately, the Dean no longer paid her any mind, simply staring blankly at the painting on the wall.

Outside, Jiang Luofu had the same doubts. "Why won't Master see him?" she wondered. "I brought him here because I have something to report to Master."

Qi Yaoguang scratched her head and tilted it, looking at Zu An. "I also don't understand why Master gave such a strange order. Logically, if he doesn't want to see you, he just doesn't see you. There's no need to specifically call me to block you. What exactly is different about you compared to others?"

"Perhaps I'm more handsome than others?" Zu An ventured cautiously.

Qi Yaoguang looked at Jiang Luofu skeptically. "Senior Sister, is this what you call high emotional intelligence?"

Jiang Luofu looked exasperated. "Don't listen to his nonsense; he's also a prime example of low emotional intelligence."

Qi Yaoguang's eyes lit up, and her gaze towards Zu An became a bit more friendly. "So, you're one of us!"

Zu An thought to himself, "I can enter certain 'paths,' but you don't have that ability. Don't flatter yourself by thinking you're in the same league as me."

Just then, he heard Qi Yaoguang continue, "Wait, Master's unusual attitude is indeed strange. Let me check your destiny." As she spoke, a star compass appeared in her hand. She manipulated the compass for a moment, then twisted something resembling a clock's hand. Immediately afterward, a clear light emanated from her eyes as she looked at Zu An.

Zu An was startled. "What is she doing?" He had previously suffered from the Demon Eye and the Carcely Illusion, fearing it might be something similar again, so he immediately prepared to retaliate.

Jiang Luofu reassured him, "Don't worry, this is her ability. She can foresee a person's future to a certain extent. Back when I was hesitating whether to become the Crown Princess, I had her look for me. She said that my outcome would be much better if I didn't become the Crown Princess than if I did. And since I didn't want to be the Crown Princess in the first place, I simply left. Now, it's proven that her prediction was correct."

In the room, Bi Linglong's expression changed upon hearing this. After she became the Crown Princess, outsiders saw glory, but she knew the hardships herself. What seemed like a bed of roses was actually oil being cooked over a raging fire; a moment of carelessness could lead to eternal damnation.

"Was my fate truly destined for destruction? No, as long as the Crown Prince becomes Emperor in the future, I will be the Empress, and I can naturally defy fate and change my destiny!" Thinking this, her previously bewildered gaze instantly became resolute. She didn't see that the Dean, not far behind her, quietly shook his head.

Outside, Zu An relaxed after hearing Jiang Luofu's words. However, he then became a bit worried about whether his transmigration might be seen by her.

"Why is it taking so long to see? What's the result?" Jiang Luofu came to Qi Yaoguang's side, equally curious.

"How can this be?" Qi Yaoguang looked bewildered. "I can't see through his destiny; I only see peach blossoms filling the sky."