Backyard, starship Docking Area.
Three starships rested quietly in their respective areas: Qi Zhimu's, Clear Cold's, and finally, Jingliu's.
The rotation stopped, but Jingliu did not leave the pilot's seat, not even unbuckling her seatbelt, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the jade message in her hand.
She was asking one of the many intelligent AIs in the Yaoqing network:
"When parting with someone, I miss them. I can't wait to see them, and when I do, I feel at ease, even wanting to stay by their side forever. May I ask: What is wrong with me?"
She pressed send, and a reply came in seconds.
[This user's question is too simple, meow~ Simply put, you like him, you like him a lot.]
Staring at the answer with the cat avatar, Jingliu continued to ask.
"But when I see him being gentle with others but never with me, it feels like something is blocking my windpipe, I can't breathe smoothly, and I feel bad. May I ask: Why is this?"
[Even simpler! Because that person doesn't like you, and you're jealous, meow, seeing the person you like being good to others!]
"..."
Jingliu's slender hand touched her chest, feeling her heart beat.
So this is what liking someone feels like.
She actually fell for her Master... but Master's gentleness never included her.
So... Master doesn't like her, he just sees her as a disciple, a pure disciple.
"If I like that person, how can I make him like me back?"
[This kitty can't answer that question, meow. There are many ways to pursue someone, and the user needs to decide based on their own situation, meow~]
"We are master and disciple."
[Wow~~ A timeless classic setting in various literatures, meow. Is the user the master or the disciple?]
"Disciple, so what should I do?"
[Referring to Xianzhou big data, the proportion of those who accompanied each other for a hundred years and eventually became lovers is 37%, ranking first, meow!]
[As the saying goes, companionship is the most enduring confession that moistens things silently. You need to leave your shadow everywhere in his life~]
[After a long time, if you suddenly disappear for a while, he will look back and find traces of you everywhere in his life.]
[Humans are not plants; how can they be emotionless? If the user is a Long-lived Species, you can try the method of feelings developing over time, meow~]
[You are master and disciple, the early bird catches the worm!]
[If you are a Short-Lived Species, seize the day and enjoy life. Life is fleeting, why not speak frankly?]
Jingliu closed the interface and put away her jade message, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
The time she had spent with Master... strictly speaking, was almost none.
When Azure City was still around, Master's identity was her father's old friend.
Only after Azure City was gone did he become her Master. In other words, Master had accompanied her for a longer time.
That's right... because her life was full of Master's shadow, that's why she fell for him.
Senior Clear Cold had accompanied Master for longer than she had, which was only natural.
Therefore—
She couldn't stop her expeditions!
She had to participate in more battles and return alive.
As long as she fulfilled Master's requirements, she could rightfully stay by his side and engrave her presence in his life.
Understanding this, Jingliu felt a sudden enlightenment.
The crimson hue in her eyes quietly faded, and the vexation in her heart quickly dissipated.
Master had always given to her, but she had never given anything to Master, not even companionship.
It was normal, even expected, that Master didn't like her now.
Jingliu felt she understood, stepped down from the starship, and walked towards the house.
Then... she saw Qi Zhimu carrying Clear Cold, wrapped in a bath towel, emerging from the bathroom.
Jingliu's smile froze for a second, then returned to normal.
"Master, I'm back."
"Hmm, Sleeping Snow will be back from the barracks later tonight. You make dinner first; Master and Clear Cold have important matters to attend to."
"..."
Jingliu really wanted to say, 'Yes, Master...'
But her lips felt glued shut; she couldn't open them no matter what, so she could only nod silently, turn around, lift her feet, and walk towards the kitchen in the opposite direction.
Qi Zhimu's steps didn't stop as he spoke, only glancing at her.
Clear Cold, lying in his arms, didn't notice Jingliu's unnatural expression either.
Similarly, Jingliu didn't notice Clear Cold's unnaturalness.
Entering the room, Qi Zhimu placed Clear Cold on the bed to sit down and took out the silver needles again.
"Barring any accidents, this will be the last acupuncture session. There will be risks, but not many."
"I trust you."
"Then, let's begin."
Qi Zhimu took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over those extremely familiar legs, his eyes quickly becoming focused.
After the acupuncture in the afternoon, he had Clear Cold perform high-intensity training to force the stubborn residual power of Rahu as much as possible into her legs, precisely for this moment.
Frequent wars in recent years and prolonged delays had caused this power, which didn't belong to her yet couldn't be expelled, to grow strong again.
It was like a volcano blocked for thousands of years, not only failing to subside but accumulating even more terrifying destructive power.
Clear Cold was in a similar situation, which was also why she couldn't walk temporarily and had to rely on him for mobility and care.
In about half an hour, these remnants from Rahu would completely disappear.
As for how they would disappear, Clear Cold didn't need to know the truth.
Soon, the final treatment began.
The power that her body instinctively rejected surged into his body along the silver needles. Qi Zhimu remained expressionless, dealing with it in an even more unreasonable manner.
There were also differences in the level of blessings.
The power of Rahu indeed originated from the Emanator of Abundance.
But the power of the Xianzhou people came from the strongest divine miracle bestowed by the Aeon of Abundance, coveted even by Emanators.
As if sensing danger, the chaotic power within Clear Cold rapidly rioted, attempting to seize her consciousness and prevent her from cooperating with Qi Zhimu.
Clear Cold was prepared; she concentrated on driving away the escaping forces in her meridians.
Different forces contended, one fleeing, one pursuing.
Clear Cold's body temperature rapidly rose, her skin surface turning red again, exuding fine beads of sweat.
It seemed the previous bath was for naught.
Clear Cold's attention was completely unable to focus on the outside world; she only knew that with her diligent cooperation, the thing that had troubled her for over ten years was continuously leaving her body.
Half an hour later, her body let out a silent cheer, as if celebrating the final recovery from a chronic illness.
At the same time, Qi Zhimu's voice entered her ears.
"Next, I will perform a comprehensive examination for you, including inside your elixir organ, to confirm whether that power has been completely removed."
"Mm."
Just as she nodded, she felt a warm current merge into her body, spreading throughout.
One stream followed her meridians into her elixir organ, bringing a strange sense of comfort that almost made her let out a soft moan.
What exactly was this warm current entering her body... so special.
It wasn't Abundance power, yet her body instinctively craved it.
Clear Cold completely relaxed, her expression softening.
A few minutes passed, and the warm current withdrew from her body, leaving a strange emptiness.
"...Eh?"
She suddenly heard Qi Zhimu's slightly surprised voice.
"What's wrong, Lord Zhimu?"
Qi Zhimu remained silent, frowning in deep thought, and re-examined Clear Cold thoroughly, but that previous anomaly did not reappear.
It was probably just an illusion.
"...Nothing. Congratulations, the sequelae that troubled you for many years are now gone forever."