Zhang Sheng? This man? Wasn't he chased away by her at the beginning? Why are Zhang Sheng's words repeating in her mind?

Could these things be connected? Could something big happen? The more Li Xiaoxiao thought about it, the more frightened she felt.

Now I need to find Qi Wenzhu and get to know him properly. With that in mind, Li Xiaoxiao quickly found Qi Wenzhu in the courtyard before entering the palace. "Wenzhu, find someone for me."

Qi Wenzhu was practicing his spiritual arts in the courtyard. Since following Li Xiaoxiao, he had never had to worry about food or drink. He had lost interest in gambling and was now focused on cultivation, dreaming of becoming a prominent figure.

"Xiaoxiao, you're here. Is there something important that needs to be done?" Seeing that Li Xiaoxiao seemed to be bound by something, Qi Wenzhu was a little curious. His spiritual arts were becoming more and more powerful, especially since Qi Yu had brought him an ancient book today. As long as he practiced it well, he would surely achieve great things in the future.

"Investigate a person named Zhang Sheng."

Zhang Sheng? Qi Wenzhu was a little confused. He had never heard of this person before. Why did Li Xiaoxiao want to investigate this person? He had no choice but to stop cultivating, stand up and take out the ancient book. "That bastard Qi Yu brought me an ancient book. It was not easy to get this thing. Let me do a calculation for you."

"Qi Yu sent it to him?" "But didn't you hate Qi Yu so much before?" They made up so quickly? That's strange. After being asked, Qi Wenzhu paused for a few moments, then smiled awkwardly, "Yes, he is my brother after all. Although we are not related by blood, he took good care of me when I was young. It was already very kind of him not to hold a grudge against me when I was young and ignorant. As for Cai Shi, although she is my mother, she is so good to me because she put a mother-child gu in my body. Do you know what this thing is? Once it matures, Cai Shi can be reborn directly from my body and kill the original me."

"Ah, this?" Li Xiaoxiao was even more confused. What were all these things? They weren't mentioned at all in the original book.

As they talked, they walked towards a deserted corner of the wall, eventually arriving at a storage area.

Seeing that Li Xiaoxiao didn't believe him, Qi Wenzhu continued, "It's true. I am a descendant of an ancient priest family. That family was massacred by humans because they could know the future. Only one person escaped and survived, and that person was my mother. This happened a thousand years ago. She has been living ever since, finding humans to mate with, giving birth to children, and taking away their bodies to live. At the same time, she has been searching for a key. During this time, her magic was weakened one by one. In this life, she gave birth to me, knowing that I would become one of the clues to opening that door. Even though I am a man, she still planted the Mother-Child Gu on me. But this action still caused her to lose all her spiritual power and was killed by Qi Yu."

"After Cai died, the suppression etched into my soul began to crumble. I started having precognitive dreams, dreaming that Qi Yu killed her. At that time, I was very angry. Later, when I calculated these things, I no longer felt hatred. He was not an ordinary person; he was the key to opening that door."

Qi Wenzhu mentioned that door many times. Could it be a constraint imposed on this world?

You are all sinful. You should reflect on why you are here. When someone truly awakens, that door will naturally appear.

This is a phrase that is mentioned many times in the original book.

Wasn't Wu Shiyao the female protagonist in the original book?

Why isn't Wu Shiyao the key person?

"I originally wanted to help you with your calculations, but I've recently calculated several major future events, and I can't predict the future again for at least three months."

Qi Wenzhu was a little embarrassed. "Originally, you were my sister-in-law, so it was only right that I help you. But I really didn't have the ability to help you. I hope you can forgive me." Li Xiaoxiao waved her hand. It seemed that this was fate.

"Since we can't find out anything, let's just leave it at that. You can continue your cultivation."

Li Xiaowan left immediately, but Qi Wenzhu carefully memorized the name Zhang Sheng.

It was time to go to the palace to see the Empress Dowager. It had been several months since she last saw her. She wondered how that stubborn old woman was doing now. Just as Li Xiaoxiao was about to return to her room, Wu Xinyue led a group of people over, followed by several nannies.

"Xiaoxiao, I was wrong before. This time, you have to come to the palace with me. The Empress Dowager specifically wants to see you, so we can't delay." Wu Xinyue's expression was somewhat cautious, even a little ingratiating. She didn't know if she had been bewitched a few days ago or what.

“Xiaoxiao, your mother went out and bought some things on the street. When I came back, I inexplicably wanted you to go to the royal family. Your grandfather scolded me yesterday, asking if I was getting senile. I went to see Shiyao, and she said that I was bewitched while I was shopping. Your mother isn’t blind. Before, you and Qiyu were so loving. Even if I was bold and had a lot of disdain and dissatisfaction with Qiyu, you are already divorced and have a bad reputation. At most, I would only dare to find you a prince. The emperor never even considered it.”

Li Xiaoxiao took these words to heart. She originally thought that Wu Xinyue was acting willfully and treating her as a tool, but if Wu Shiyao said the same thing, then the matter was not so simple. Although Wu Shiyao had five husbands and attracted these men with her kindness throughout the book, she would not have deceived Wu Xinyue. In Wu Shiyao's heart, she always regarded Wu Xinyue as her mother.

"Mother, it was my fault for talking back to you. I shouldn't have done that." Since the way out has been presented to me, I might as well take it.

"Xiaoxiao, it's good that you can forgive your mother. Then come with me to wash up. Although you are not going to marry out, you still have to show the proper etiquette to the royal family."

After exchanging a few more words of understanding, the previous estrangement disappeared without them realizing it. Wu Xinyue once again intimately linked arms with Li Xiaoxiao and walked together into the boudoir. In the boudoir, Wu Xinyue instructed again, "Miss, your makeup should not be too bright. Make it look more mature. Your hairstyle and clothing should also refer to the attire of a married woman. Do not be too ostentatious."

"Yes, Madam." Several nannies responded and then gave Li Xiaoxiao a fresh makeover. As expected of the nannies who had worked in the Kaiguo Mansion for many years, they were skilled at makeup. Li Xiaoxiao's makeup made her look exceptionally mature, but she still retained her proper demeanor and refinement.

When Li Xiaoxiao saw this makeup, she thought it was exceptionally good.

The three then traveled together. Wu Shiyao was dressed exceptionally exquisitely, and no one would dare to refute that she was the most beautiful woman on the mainland. Although Li Xiaoxiao was not bad-looking either, she did appear dull and lackluster in comparison.

The three went directly to the Empress Dowager's Hall of Mental Cultivation. The Empress Dowager was sitting on a high seat. In just a few months, her hair had turned completely white and her face had many wrinkles. She looked extremely haggard.

"Your subject (daughter) pays respects to the Empress Dowager." After the three arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, they all knelt down.

Upon seeing Li Xiaoxiao, the Empress Dowager's eyes lit up, and she became more energetic. "Xiaoxiao, you've finally deigned to come to this palace to see this lonely widow."