Ruan Mei did not shrink away; her face was filled with a heartbreaking gloom.
This was not something she deliberately showed to Jingliu, nor to Black Swan or Yu Qintu.
Rather, she was remembering the past—how she had committed a grave error yet pushed all the consequences onto AMu.
Holding her sword for a long time, Jingliu ultimately did not strike... The Zhanhui Sword her Master left her was already broken; it could not be broken again... especially not because of another woman!
It wasn't worth it!
She didn't want to admit that it was because Qi Zhimu's childhood experiences in his previous life were so similar to her own that she finally forced herself to suppress the resentment in her heart.
But the fact that Ruan Mei had saved her Master was indisputable, just as her Master's family had saved her.
"Memokeeper, whether the memories you provide are real or not no longer matters. Leave quickly, and do not disturb my peace."
"But I wish to know some things, and I must ask for Miss Jingliu's help." Black Swan tilted her head slightly.
"If that truly was Master's previous life, it has nothing to do with me, therefore—"
Jingliu completely withdrew all visible emotion, her face returning to its cold indifference.
"The Master I know also has no connection with any of you; after all, he never mentioned those things to me."
Even if it were true, Master wouldn't say it, much less pour out those past events to her.
But she was actually more pleased that Master had done so.
Why should past wounds be reopened? There was no need to pursue them.
Master saying it would only make her sad, and she... how could she bear to let Master be sad because of her?
It was enough for Master to have only her, and for her to have only him... "Is that so...?"
Black Swan neither agreed nor disagreed, asking back in a calm tone.
"Do you think that when a person reincarnates and changes their identity, they can easily sever all ties to their past lives?"
"If Mr. Qi's death in this life is not the end, if he has a next life and encounters different women, experiencing new loves and hates, yet forgets only you..."
Black Swan paused for a moment before saying word for word:
"Even so, does Miss Jingliu still believe it has nothing to do with you?"
"..."
Jingliu's eyes instantly became dark, brewing a terrifying storm.
Imagining Master reincarnating like the Vidyadhara, yet forgetting everything and standing before her as a pair with a strange woman... No... it was unacceptable!
She closed her eyes and concentrated for a long time before she could forcibly suppress her surging emotions and reopen her eyes to look at Black Swan.
Toward this Memokeeper, she felt no hatred, only a faint hostility born of jealousy.
Black Swan had once received Master's tenderness.
But she could find no angle from which to attack, much less mock her.
Only this woman... After thinking of something, Jingliu gave the silent Ruan Mei a cold sweep of her gaze.
But should she really draw her sword and riddle this woman with holes?
In a chaotic world, human life is worth less than that of dogs or chickens.
Wherever soldiers pass, human presence is severed; thorns and brambles cover the fields, and thousands of miles of fertile land become a wasteland of exposed white bones.
Soldiers plundering is the norm; the common people are walking provisions, women are abducted, men are conscripted, and the elderly, weak, and children are explicitly priced.
Dog meat for three coins, human meat for one... breaking bones for fuel and exchanging children for food.
None of the above are extreme cases, but scenes that can be seen everywhere.
Civilians have nowhere to flee and nowhere to hide; being born into a chaotic world is being born as bait.
One either dies by weapons, famine, or the pollution born of the flames of war; even seeking a whole corpse is an extravagant hope.
The Master of the first life was born into such a world, one a hundred times, ten thousand times darker than being plundered and slaughtered by the Borisin.
The person who rescued him from that darkness became the light of his life.
Without that rescue, he would have long ago died in that eternal darkness, and there would have been none of the later karma.
Jingliu felt she should—and ought to—fall into madness, so that she could recklessly destroy, kill, vent, and pursue Master's traces... but she did not become a madwoman.
Why, even after all this, has the mara affliction still not found her?
Jingliu's expression shifted uncertainly, which Black Swan saw. Instead of being afraid, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
It was good that she cared.
So she struck while the iron was hot, leading her on with persuasion.
"In the past, we all lived in this world with the knowledge that Mr. Qi had left forever."
"But now, a second life has appeared in our world; how can we confidently assert that he won't have a third?"
"As long as such a future exists, we all have the possibility to make up for our regrets, don't we?"
"Are you sure you want to give up on such a future, Miss Jingliu?"
Jingliu admitted she was moved by Clarice's words.
"What do you want to know, Clarice?"
"Just call me Black Swan... the name Clarice belongs exclusively to Mr. Qi."
"I didn't ask you that." Jingliu's gaze was ice-cold.
"Don't be angry. Assuming Mr. Qi has a next life, cooperation is the best choice before finding him; there is strength in numbers."
Black Swan didn't mind and looked around at the others.
"Of course, if anyone present plans to rely on themselves, I won't force you."
Geniuses have their own methods, but geniuses are not geniuses in every field.
She had the backing of the Garden of Recollection, an organization with countless Memokeepers active throughout the galaxy collecting memories.
The probability of happening upon the third life of Qi Zhimu was no different from finding a needle in a haystack, but at least it was better than searching the entire galaxy alone.
The women remained silent; no one spoke to reject Black Swan's proposal.
Very good.
Black Swan narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
"Miss Jingliu, I need Mr. Qi's relics—the longer they were with him, the better—to collect all memories related to him from them."
"Can you find his approximate location through these memories?"
"Maybe, maybe not, but any possibility is worth trying."
"Give me some time."
Jingliu threw out those few words and left the three women with only her back... Just after descending the mountain, Jingliu saw someone who seemed to be waiting for her.
"Greetings, Marshal," she said calmly.
There was no talk of respect, yet no obvious resentment either.
She understood that the Marshal's duty was to preserve the entire Alliance, and many times, she was not her own master.
But understanding did not equal approval.
Hua sighed inwardly.
It wasn't that she didn't know Jingliu held a grudge because she had arrived late.
But that Shuhu, who had obtained the Power of Jianmu—or rather, the person who had inherited everything from Shuhu—
Perhaps only the Lux Arrow of the Reignbow could have slain him.
After learning everything Qi Zhimu had done over the past thousand years, she became increasingly certain of this guess.
And this was also why she was looking for Jingliu.
Jingliu deserved to know the whole truth, whether or not she had already guessed some of it.
After all, after this bloody battle ended, she was the one most deeply wounded; among the four people Qi Zhimu cared for, she was the only one who remained unscathed, the one he had exhausted everything to protect.
Hua handed three different jade messages to Jingliu.
"Inside are records recovered by the Ten Lords Tribunal through special means, as well as the important events Mian Xue and Qing Han experienced together with Qi Zhimu over the years."
"And finally... the process of Qi Zhimu arriving at the Xuling Xianzhou to see me in the star calendar year 6321, 1057 years ago, and then rushing to the Luofu Shackling Prison to find the Originator of Longevity."
"6321?"
Jingliu's emotions fluctuated rapidly, her hands trembling as she tightly gripped the three jade messages.
Wasn't that the time she had fallen into a coma due to illness... "Thank you, Marshal."
"Once you have composed yourself, if you have anything to say... come find me. For the time being, I will remain on the Luofu."