Chapter 96

Gu Zhi had a very hard life in the first half of her life, and her body had long been worn out. Even though she was later taken in by Gu's father to live out her old age, she did not last many years before she died of illness.

"Actually, I've had a feeling for a long time. Your Grandfather Qi always looked at me with regret and apology. I asked him about it, but he didn't admit it. He just said he regretted not meeting me sooner. It wasn't until after I died, when he personally prayed for my soul, that I realized he was actually a Heavenly Master."

"He apologized to me, saying that my fate wasn't meant to be this way, that it was all his fault. Back then, he was young and impetuous, and didn't want to die alone, so he changed his fate, hoping to find a wife and live a happy life together. He had profound skills, and the Qi family had done countless good deeds, so he was deeply favored by the Heavenly Dao. At that time, only he and his cousin were left in the Qi family. His cousin hadn't married or had children yet, and perhaps the Heavenly Dao didn't want the Qi family bloodline to end like this, so he made his fate change incredibly smooth, and even fulfilled his wish. According to him, I was the wife that the Heavenly Dao had originally arranged for him.

"It turns out he happened to be passing by and saved me when I first escaped. After learning about my situation, he generously helped me resolve my family issues and marriage, and later even enthusiastically supported my studies. I'm very grateful to him and keep in touch with him. Our personalities complement each other, and we get along very well. It's only a matter of time before we fall in love and end up together, married, and living happily together forever. But before he met me, he fell in love with his ex-wife.

"After they started dating, he couldn't help but calculate his marriage destiny and discovered that his ex-wife wasn't his true love, but just a sideshow, and that the relationship would soon end in failure."

Gu Zhi still remembered Old Man Qi standing before her, his usually straight back slightly hunched, as if bearing a weight that could bend him. His eyes were full of vicissitudes, his face bitter, and he said self-deprecatingly, "Young people always have lofty ambitions and are full of courage, firmly believing that their fate is in their own hands. At that time, I was deeply in love, so naturally I didn't want to be at the mercy of fate. Without much hesitation, I decided to change my fate once again. However, fate is not so easily changed."

He calculated the approximate time and place of his first encounter with his true love and deliberately avoided it. After avoiding this critical turning point, he changed the fate of himself and his ex-wife.

However, no matter how conceited he was, he knew that fate could not be easily changed and that there was always a price to pay. The first price he paid was mostly repaid by the merits accumulated by generations of the Qi family. In the end, it only eliminated most of the wealth of him and his future wife. Although they would not be extremely wealthy in the future, they would still have enough food and clothing.

The price to pay for changing his fate for the second time is even greater, and the merits of the Qi family can no longer help him. All the costs can only be borne by him and the wife he chooses.

Before changing his fate, he solemnly asked his ex-wife whether she would be willing to live in poverty for the rest of her life in order to be with him?

My ex-wife was young at that time and was deeply in love. She naively believed that love could overcome all difficulties. She also thought that his questions were just like asking for sweet words or church vows. She did not take it seriously and agreed without thinking.

Mr. Qi asked the question twice more and got the same answer each time. He then happily went to change his fate.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered the hardships his ex-wife would endure after following him, but rather that he was too conceited to believe that even if she lived in poverty, he could guarantee that his wife would have enough to eat and wear, and that she would be able to overcome any difficulties without any danger. However, he had never experienced poverty and didn't know how terrible it was. Not everyone could be content with poverty, and the woman he loved was just an ordinary person.

After successfully changing their fate, the two quickly got married. From that time on, they became increasingly poor. First, his ex-wife inexplicably lost her job and could never find a good one again. Then, they were plagued by various unexpected debts. Friends and family tried to lend them money, but they were like possessed by the god of poverty. Any money they handled, over a certain amount, would inevitably be lost in various accidents.

The couple soon became destitute and had no place to live, so they had to squeeze into a very simple one-room rented house. However, he did manage to ensure that his wife had enough food and warm clothes.

At the beginning, his ex-wife was able to be with him without complaint, and the two of them could even taste a different kind of emotion of relying on each other.

But when people become poor, there are still greater tests waiting for them.

Although my wife's family was not very rich, they did their best to support her as a student at a prestigious university. She was the school belle and was pursued by many young men from wealthy and advantaged families.

The Qi family members are good-looking. When Mr. Qi was young, he was tall and very handsome. He also had a mysterious temperament that most young men could not match. He was extraordinary and generous. Everyone who saw him thought he was the carefully cultivated heir of a super wealthy family, and in fact, it was indeed the case.

When they first got together, everyone thought they were a perfect match and were very envious of his wife for marrying such a man. However, in order to be with her, Mr. Qi had to hide his identity as a member of the Qi family, and not only would he be poor all his life, he would also have to continue to accumulate merit.

Therefore, in the eyes of his wife and her relatives, friends, classmates and colleagues, the once mysterious young man from a super family finally revealed his true colors after marriage. He was not a rich young man at all, but just a liar who had no job, was idle all day long, and used feudal superstition to cheat people. He was even too lazy to find a proper job to support his wife and family.

Everyone thought his wife had been cheated on, and their envy turned to sympathy and ridicule. Her parents were heartbroken and disappointed, and everyone urged her to divorce. At first, she persisted for the sake of love, expressing her willingness to trust him. But as time went on, the conflicts in her life intensified, and the resentment she felt accumulated.

They started to quarrel, but Mr. Qi always gave in to her. However, this did not make her calm down. Instead, she felt that her husband was a coward and had accomplished nothing. The leisurely and free-spirited attitude that once moved her so much had become a heinous crime.

Mr. Qi naively believed that this was a test of their love given by God, and that they could just get through it, until his mother-in-law suddenly fell ill and needed a large sum of money for surgery.

His wife was begging people for money while she was pregnant, and Mr. Qi couldn't even get involved because it would only make things worse if he tried to help her borrow money.

The wife lost all her dignity and finally borrowed enough money for the surgery, but when she went to pay, all the money was stolen. She finally fainted and almost had a miscarriage.

But Mr. Qi is now so broke he can't even afford the medical expenses to save his child. He knows his wife's unborn child is a member of the Qi family, and that he'll eventually find peace. But he never imagined that the solution would be his love rival, who would come to him and pay for the surgery, including his mother-in-law's surgery. And this rival is his wife's true love.

Faced with the cold and disgusted look in his wife's eyes after she woke up, Mr. Qi's pride was finally shattered.

The bubble of fantasy happiness was completely shattered, and he finally saw the reality clearly. He was too self-righteous, owed his wife a lot, and dragged her into the quagmire. He shouldn't have forced it.

He took the initiative to file for divorce, and his ex-wife signed the divorce agreement without hesitation, leaving nothing behind and without looking back. The once passionate love was reduced to a mess, a past that was most unbearable to look back on.

Although divorced, he still had to bear the cost of changing his fate alone and continued to live in poverty. He no longer had his previous arrogance and pride, and vowed never to touch fortune-telling again.

He thought the only woman he owed the most in his life was his ex-wife. It wasn't until he met Gu Zhi that he realized that his willful name change had let down two innocent women.

After divorcing him, his ex-wife was able to reunite with her former lover and live happily ever after with children and grandchildren. But what about Gu Zhi? Her whole life was ruined!

Old Master Qi kept crying with regret in front of Gu Zhi. He was obviously old and had experienced all kinds of ups and downs, but at this moment he was crying like a child who had made a mistake.

Gu Zhi didn't blame him. Instead, she said, "You don't have to feel sorry for me. Even if you hadn't changed my fate, I would still have been sold by my parents, imprisoned, and forced to have children. This is my destiny, isn't it? If you came to save me, you were being righteous. If you didn't come, it's just my fate."

"It's different," Old Man Qi shook his head and wiped his tears. "If I hadn't changed your fate, you might have escaped successfully, or you might have failed and been caught. Fate has a fixed number, but it's not fixed and unchanging. It's full of variables. Especially at a turning point in your fate, if you had escaped successfully, your original fate would have been completely different. But after being affected by my fate change, your fate is fixed. Only I can bring about a turning point in your fate. If I come, you can be saved. If I don't come, you are doomed to have no chance of escaping successfully."

However, he prided himself on being loyal and affectionate. After figuring out that destiny had assigned him another woman, he decided not to betray his love, only calculating the approximate time and place of their encounter. Later, to avoid meeting her, he resolutely headed for that place, completely blocking Gu Zhi's escape route.

So he thought Gu Zhi should hate him. But after spending all these years with Gu Zhi, he realized that she was indeed the type of person he admired the most. Even after so many hardships, she was still as tenacious as a blade of grass. As long as there was a little living space, water and sunshine, she would continue to grow vigorously. After the storm, she would straighten her spine that was bent by hardships again.

After finally escaping the clutches of the devil, despite her age and broken health, she picked up books again and absorbed knowledge eagerly. Knowledge made her more open-minded and wise.

They were both past the age of being easily moved, but that didn't stop him from admiring and appreciating Gu Zhi. The more he admired her, the more guilty he felt. He often thought that if he had gone to see her and saved her, even if his love for her hadn't changed, it wouldn't have prevented him and Gu Zhi from becoming good friends.

***

The Special Management Bureau quickly followed the clues provided by Gu's father and found out a lot about Grandma Gu. Qi Yue combined the information he learned from Grandpa Qi's old friends with Grandma Gu's experience and guessed the details of their grudge.

No wonder, although Mr. Qi was best at fortune-telling, he never mentioned it again and even forbade Qi Yue to learn it. He also warned Qi Yue: fate is unpredictable. Anyone who thinks he can see through fate and control it will only be played by fate in the end.

Qi Yue felt like a huge stone was blocking his heart, making him feel very uncomfortable. He thought about the destined marriage between Gu Yunshuang and Xue Tinghe. What about him? Was he just a passing peach blossom in Gu Yunshuang's fate?

Qi Yue smiled bitterly. At this moment, he understood Mr. Qi's feelings very well. If he were not a degenerate, he would definitely try to change his fate.

***

"Is fate really unchangeable?" Gu Yunshuang asked.

Seeing the reluctance and stubbornness in his eyes, Gu Zhi raised her hand to rub his head, but stopped mid-air and immediately retracted it. She was a ghost, while Gu Yunshuang was still a living soul. Too much contact between them would not be good for Gu Yunshuang. "At that time, I asked your grandfather Qi if he regretted changing his fate. But he told me that his mistake was not in changing his fate, but in being too conceited.

"If I gave him another chance, he would still do it, but he wouldn't be so self-righteous. Instead, he would be more thorough and considerate. He wouldn't deliberately avoid anything about me anymore. He would take the initiative to find me, eliminate the impact of his first fate-changing attempt on me, and confess everything to my lover, making her believe that he is a Heavenly Master and can really change fates. He would also make her understand the price to be paid after changing fates. Only when she is truly willing to bear the consequences with him will he continue to change fates."

"Shuangshuang, fate isn't impossible to change, nor can it only be altered by fortune-tellers. It's in our own hands, and every choice we make is a turning point in our destiny. So there's no need to know what the future holds, just grasp the present."

Gu Yunshuang suddenly understood, and his wildly fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down. He also became more determined in his choice. What was fate? If it was his original fate, Qi Yue would not have come back, and he would not have become a couple with Xue Tinghe. The one who was with Xue Tinghe should be Jiang Mingshuang, who had successfully stolen his fate. What did it have to do with him?

At the same time, the thought of letting go and letting Gu Yunshuang and Xue Tinghe be together made Qi Yue feel more sick than eating a pot of flies. Even if he and Gu Yunshuang couldn't be together, it couldn't be because of Xue Tinghe, a good-for-nothing scumbag.

Thinking further, isn't the so-called predetermined fate the plot of the book? Ever since he returned from the ghost world, the plot has collapsed to the point where he can't even recognize it.

After thinking about it, Qi Yue came to an answer: It’s not that fate cannot be changed, but that Old Man Qi is not capable enough.

He is different. He has already successfully changed the fate of many people around him. At least Gu Yunshuang's fate, which he changed, is developing in a good direction.

Now that his destiny has been altered, who can predict the future? Since the future is unknown and full of possibilities, perhaps the issue of his and Shuangshuang's separate paths as human and ghost can be resolved in the future?

Mr. Qi was able to change his fate twice for love. He is more talented and capable than Mr. Qi. He is better than his teacher, so he should not give up before doing anything.

Qi Yue suddenly felt enlightened. All his previous doubts and entanglements disappeared. His mind became clear and he wanted to see Gu Yunshuang as soon as possible.

He already knew the reason why the mastermind wanted the Ghost King and Grandma Gu to have a ghost marriage, and he also naturally guessed the current whereabouts of Gu Yunshuang and Grandma Gu.

The key is still in the ancestral hall. Fortunately, although he did not find anything unusual last night, he still left a mark in the ancestral hall out of caution, which comes in handy now.

This proves that he is indeed more capable than Mr. Qi.