Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Time is the most merciless thing.

Before we knew it, it had been 6700 years since the astrological calendar was first established.

For immortal species, several hundred years is already a long journey in life.

But for Jingliu, after so many years, the road ahead is still a long and arduous journey with no end in sight.

The flames of war ignited, then died down, then ignited again.

Her trajectory and Qi Zhimu's trajectory are like two planets orbiting the same main star, but never intersecting.

This deliberate alienation was like a dull knife, sawing away at her mental defenses day after day.

I don't know when it started, but she began to become increasingly strange, even morbid.

Whenever he returned to Yaoqing after his rotation and rest, back to that home filled with his master's presence, a morbid greed would grow in his heart.

She would sneak into the bathroom while Qi Zhimu was handling military affairs in the study.

He picked up the bath towel he had just used, which was still damp and warm.

He buried his face in it and took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale the scent mixed with his own unique fragrance into his lungs and into his bloodstream.

While eating, her gaze would be fixed on certain things.

Before throwing the dishes into the washing machine, she would tremble as if she were doing something wrong, pick up the water glass her master had used, and gently press her lips to the rim of the glass he had just touched.

In that instant, my parched heart seemed to receive a faint touch of moisture.

If Qi Zhimu went to war and did not return, Jing Liu would always hold one of his personal clothes tightly in his arms before going to sleep late at night.

It has his scent on it.

"Master...Master..."

She murmured to herself in the darkness, her cheeks rubbing gently against the fabric, her eyes unfocused and vacant.

Only when enveloped by this aura can a heart that has grown increasingly cold and numb amidst endless slaughter receive a fleeting, illusory warmth.

"I'm sorry... Master..."

Jingliu wasn't unaware that this behavior was problematic, but she felt like a traveler about to die of thirst.

If she can't regularly absorb what she needs from her master, she might go crazy.

……

And so another hundred years passed in a flash.

The protracted war, which lasted for more than three hundred years, seemed to have yielded obvious results, or perhaps it had instilled fear in the bountiful creatures.

In short, the frequency of wars has dropped to a historical low.

The master and apprentice spent more time together, and even though they still didn't fight side by side, at least they had overlapping holidays.

We can drink tea in the courtyard like ordinary people, or go out for a walk together.

The Yunqi Army had to be given a long leave after major battles, precisely so that they could return to the world and experience the ordinariness and tranquility of ordinary life.

According to years of research data, this can greatly reduce the probability of the Cloud Cavalry falling into demonic possession and delay that moment from arriving.

But for Jingliu, the ordinariness and stability that an ordinary person's life should have are almost useless to her.

Master...only Master...can give her these things.

Jingliu began to find no solace in inanimate objects.

She increasingly longed for living, breathing people.

When serving tea to my master, my fingertips might inadvertently touch his hand.

When walking side by side, your shoulder will unintentionally brush against his arm.

Each touch felt like an electric current running down my spine.

She trembled inwardly, and became secretly infatuated.

But Qi Zhimu's reactions were always so restrained, so... distant.

He seemed oblivious to anything, only taking a slight half-step back when the distance was too close.

……

It was early autumn, and the sun was shining brightly one afternoon.

Qi Zhimu and Jing Liu strolled to a scenic lakeside.

A gentle breeze rustled the willows, the water shimmered, and couples were everywhere around.

Seeing the intimate and affectionate way others were together, the impulse that had been building up for hundreds of years burst forth like a whirlwind, breaking through the repressed feelings in Jing Liu's heart.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Even if it's just once, even if it's just for a moment.

For hundreds of years, her body has been releasing a longing to be close to her master, without ever stopping.

Jingliu mustered her courage, reached out her hands, and tightly held Qi Zhimu's arms.

The body temperature was transmitted through the skin; it was a real, personal temperature belonging to the master.

Jing Liu's heart rate soared, and just as a satisfied smile was about to appear on his lips, his arm suddenly went emptied—

Qi Zhimu withdrew his arm almost immediately.

The speed of the movement carried a clear and deliberate sense of rejection.

"What are you doing?"

He stopped and turned to look at Jingliu, his brows furrowed slightly.

Jing Liu remained frozen in place, still holding hands, but all that remained in her arms was a ball of cold air.

Gradually, a tremendous sense of resentment, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly overwhelmed all her reason.

Hundreds of years...

Hundreds of years!

I desperately tried to become stronger, desperately tried to catch up, just to get a little closer to you...

Even if it's just linking arms, should we be avoided like the plague?

"Master..."

Jingliu's voice trembled, and his eyes were bloodshot.

She took a sudden step forward and, disregarding everything, grabbed Qi Zhimu's slender hand again, gripping it tightly.

The force was so great that it was as if it were the last straw.

Why?

She raised her head, and her eyes, which were usually as cold as ice, were now filled with broken tears, piercing straight into Qi Zhimu's eyes.

"Master, why do you never even glance at me?"

"Why can you dance with Senior Qinghan, but avoid my touch like the plague?"

"What did my disciple do wrong to make you hate me so much?!"

Her voice was choked with suppressed sobs, the last syllable trembling, and she was on the verge of collapse from grievance.

Qi Zhimu let her hold his hand, feeling the violent trembling from those delicate hands.

The disciple before me has grown into a graceful and beautiful young woman, no longer the ordinary girl she once was.

Through those tearful eyes, he saw a dangerous emotion growing wildly within them.

That was a fire that would burn everything.

You can't do that...

He can't right now...

Qi Zhimu remained silent for a moment, offering no explanation, no comfort, and not even a hint of emotional fluctuation.

He simply lowered his eyes and, with a calmness that was almost cruel to Jingliu, slowly uttered two words.

"Let go."

Those two simple words were like a bucket of ice water poured over someone's head.

The light in Jingliu's eyes quickly went out, and the hands that had been gripping him tightly seemed to have all their strength drained away in an instant, slowly and weakly slipping away.

Her fingertips brushed across his palm, taking away the last bit of warmth.

Just as I expected...

It's happening again...

No matter what I do, no matter how much I beg, I can never get a single bit of tenderness from you.

"You haven't done anything wrong, and you've never made Master dislike you. It's just that this kind of behavior is inappropriate," Qi Zhimu added.

Jingliu slowly lowered her head, her sideburns obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

"...What's wrong with it?"

"You are no longer a teenage or twenty-year-old girl. There is a difference between male and female teachers and students. Excessive intimacy... violates worldly morality and rules."

Qi Zhimu's tone sounded relatively calm.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a strange unease.

It seems to originate from...the words "worldly morality and rules"?

Strange, the Immortal Ship is clearly not an ancient feudal civilization, but rather a free and open one.

Why do I subconsciously feel disgusted when I say these words?

Was it because you desperately needed a reason to explain that you blurted it out...?

Qi Zhimu fell into thought.

He didn't notice at all that a few crystal tears slid down his disciple's cheek, silently disappearing into the dust and shattering into pieces.

"I understand, Master..."