Chapter 641 - 644: Coincidence

Chapter 641: Chapter 644: Coincidence

After a fierce battle, the ground was strewn with the corpses of wild wolves. The survivors, seeing the tide had turned, all fled with their tails between their legs.

Although Li Ji and his party were victorious, several of them had been injured.

Fortunately, the injuries were only flesh wounds and not life-threatening.

Li Ji said gravely, "The stench of blood here is too strong. It will easily attract other predators. We need to leave at once."

No one objected.

They cleaned up the aftermath, covered their tracks, and methodically withdrew from the area.

The night was dim and the mountain path rugged. Hua Manman stumbled along, her footing unsteady. It was an arduous walk, and she nearly fell several times.

But to avoid falling behind, she kept her head down and pushed onward, not uttering a single complaint.

Suddenly, Li Ji crouched down in front of her.

"Get on. I’ll carry you."

Hua Manman started, "You don’t have to, I—"

Li Ji cut her off. "Hurry."

Hua Manman saw that the others had all stopped. If she continued to dawdle, she would be holding everyone up.

Left with no choice, she bent down and climbed onto Li Ji’s back.

She turned her head to see Yue Niang and found that Bian Ziming was already carrying her on his back as well.

These men had extensive experience on the march. Even in the pitch-black night, they moved through the mountains as if on level ground, their pace swift.

Hua Manman wrapped her arms around Li Ji’s neck and rested her chin on his shoulder, whispering.

"I’m sorry."

Without breaking stride, he replied in a low voice, "What is it?"

Hua Manman said, "It’s my fault. I’m so useless, just holding you all back at a time like this."

But Li Ji said, "Who says you’re useless? As long as I’m carrying you, no matter how treacherous the path ahead, my heart is filled with hope."

Hua Manman pressed her lips together, a quiet smile gracing them.

The group traveled through the mountain forest, finally spotting a town just before dawn.

But they didn’t dare enter, fearing they would attract the attention of the government.

Bian Ziming took a few men, and they slipped into town in disguise to purchase provisions and medicine for their injuries.

Hua Manman and the others waited in a small grove near the town.

Having traveled all night, everyone was exhausted. This was especially true for the wounded men, whose injuries had begun to reopen. They now sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Yue Niang kept craning her neck to look out, muttering under her breath.

"Why aren’t they back yet? I hope nothing’s happened."

Hua Manman reassured her, "General Bian is sharp and resourceful. With him there, they’ll be fine."

The calico cat, which had been licking its paws, suddenly let out a meow.

Meeeow~

"Don’t speak in such absolutes. You’re just asking to be jinxed."

Hua Manman grabbed the little calico cat by the scruff of its neck, her eyes narrowing.

"Shut up."

The little cat pressed its front paws together. Its eyes grew wide and watery, and even its meow was soft and weak. It looked utterly pathetic.

But to Hua Manman’s ears, the meow automatically translated into the system’s electronic voice.

"Haven’t you noticed yet?

You’ve been constantly hunted these past few days.

First, you ran into mountain bandits disguised as monks. Then you were cornered by the government, and last night you were attacked by a pack of wolves...

If it happened once or twice, you could call it a coincidence.

But three times in a row? Calling that a coincidence is a bit of a stretch."

Hua Manman’s heart clenched. She quickly pressed for more.

"You know something, don’t you? Spit it out!"

The little cat flicked its tail. "Put me down first."

Hua Manman immediately set it back on the ground, urging it to hurry up and talk.

By now, quite a few people were watching her.

To an outsider, Hua Manman’s behavior—talking to a small cat—was bizarre. If it weren’t for her close relationship with the Regent King, someone would surely have come over to ask if she needed to visit a physician to have her head examined.

Not wanting to be stared at any longer, Hua Manman picked up the little cat, found a secluded spot, and shimmied up a tree trunk to sit on a branch.

The little cat perched on the branch, its long tail hanging down and swaying lazily in the air.

"Do you still remember the ending of *Palace Intrigue*?"

Hua Manman nodded without hesitation.

"Of course I do!"

In the original novel, Li Ji used his power to help the young Crown Prince, Li Qiong, ascend the throne.

Unfortunately, the poison in Li Ji’s system was too advanced, and his health deteriorated.

He only enjoyed a few years of power before the poison flared up and killed him.

The female protagonist, Hua Qingqing, then ruled as regent in her capacity as Empress Dowager, assisting the Little Emperor in governing the nation.

It wasn’t until Li Qiong came of age to rule in his own right that Hua Qingqing retired to the inner palace, content to live out her days as the Empress Dowager.

And that was the grand finale of *Palace Intrigue*.

The little cat said, "According to the original novel’s timeline, the Regent King, Li Ji, should have been afflicted with a deadly poison by now, and could have died at any moment.

But you used a Life Reviving Pill to cure Li Ji of the poison.

Now, Li Ji is alive and kicking. He certainly won’t be dying anytime soon.

If things continue like this, the Crown Prince won’t be able to ascend the throne, and the female protagonist can’t become the Empress Dowager.

The story’s grand finale can’t be reached."

Hua Manman picked it up and said in a low voice.

"But we never intended to stop the Crown Prince from taking the throne.

We just want to find Gou Dan.

Once our family of three is reunited, we’ll leave Shangjing immediately.

We’ll find a place where no one knows us and live in seclusion, peacefully enjoying our own little life."

As for who becomes the Emperor or Empress Dowager in the future, that has nothing to do with us.

But the little cat poured cold water on her hopes. "That’s just wishful thinking."

Hua Manman asked, "What’s that supposed to mean?"

The little cat said, "Have you forgotten Li Liao?

If he hadn’t shown up, Li Ji probably would have given up his life of wealth and power for you, taking you and Gou Dan to live in seclusion.

But things are different now.

Li Ji knows the truth of his birth. His parents both met violent ends.

As their son, is he not duty-bound to uncover the truth of their deaths and then exact revenge on those responsible?"

Hua Manman was stunned.

’If I were in his shoes,’ she thought, ’if I knew my own parents had been framed and killed, I would do everything in my power to clear their names and avenge their deaths.’

The little cat said, "Even if you have no intention of opposing the main characters, the plot will still push you into opposition with them. That is the power of the plot."

Hua Manman frowned in thought.

"Are you saying that the dangers we’ve faced these past few days are also the work of the plot’s power?"

But the little cat said, "Not entirely. The effects of the plot are always logically consistent. The dangers you’ve encountered recently, however, are far too coincidental."

Hua Manman was lost in thought.

"It is too much of a coincidence. So coincidental it’s as if someone arranged it all on purpose."

As she thought of this, an idea struck her. Combining the plot of the original *Palace Intrigue* with the information the system had provided, she arrived at a bold conjecture.

"Perhaps someone is intentionally creating these ’coincidences’ for the sole purpose of killing Li Ji, to ensure the main storyline proceeds smoothly to its intended conclusion."

The little cat looked up at her. "Who do you suspect?"

Hua Manman let out a cold laugh.

"Is there any doubt? There’s only one being single-mindedly focused on pushing the plot to its finale: your big boss, the Main God."

The little cat corrected her, "Former boss. I’ve switched jobs."