Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Let's rewind a little.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Ruan Mei, I've dragged you into this unknown and confusing situation as well."

Tingyun looked around, her face full of apology.

"It's alright." Ruan Mei's tone and emotions remained unchanged as she calmly said, "There will always be an exit. Perhaps, your memories will still remain here."

Seeing Ruan Mei so optimistic, Tingyun felt even more guilty.

Upon returning to Luofu, she did not immediately go back to Tianbo Company or visit her former friends. Instead, with the help of Ruan Mei, she began searching for her lost memories.

Back when she was still in Ruan Mei's laboratory, Ruan Mei had already concluded that her memory was incomplete and could not be recovered for the time being.

The culprit was none other than Huanlong, who not only took away her identity and life, but also her memories.

According to Ms. Ruan Mei, a friend who also suffers from memory loss revealed some methods for memory recovery.

To retrieve the lost memories, one must set foot on one's homeland and search for the places where Huanlong once lingered.

Aside from these missing memories, there is another special memory—the future that should have belonged to her.

Suiyuan is the third stop.

I never imagined that this place would be occupied by Suiyang and that he would create such a vast labyrinth.

Tingyun's large pink tail swayed gently as she walked straight toward the bronze mirror not far away, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

However, it was filled with anger.

"Tingyun! What are you standing there for? Get out of this godforsaken place and go back to the Tianbo Company. Don't you realize how long you've been absent from work?"

"Master Yukong...?"

Tingyun froze, but recovered in less than two seconds, her brows furrowing slightly.

"No... it's not Lord Yu Kong, it must be Sui Yang causing trouble."

Tingyun turned her head to look at the distance and found Ruan Mei standing in front of a mirror, her face... huh?

Tingyun blinked hard and looked at Ruan Mei again, who still had the same expression.

The shadows on his face made him look quite unsightly.

This……

What exactly did Ms. Ruan Mei hear? I've never seen her look like that before.

Half a minute ago—

Ruan Mei had just stopped in front of the bronze mirror when a voice full of resentment followed, each word piercing to the heart.

"Teacher, why are you doing this to me...why—???"

"You taught me how to fall in love with you, made me get used to a world with you in it, got used to your presence, and even let me taste your flavor..."

"But why did you turn your back on me and kick me out in the end?!"

"I've waited for you all these years, all alone, why... why haven't you come looking for me?!"

"How could you so heartlessly abandon me? If that's the case, why did you save me in the first place? Why didn't you let me die?"

"I hate you, Ruan Mei... I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!!"

At this point, Qi Zhimu's resentful voice abruptly stopped.

Ruan Mei's fingernails pierced the skin of her palms, and her thoughts drifted back thousands of years to that day that filled her with remorse and anguish.

On that day, Amu deleted her research data.

On that day, Amu left her, forever...

On that day, she made a condition that Amu forget her, and in the end, Amu complied...

Although they knew the voice in the bronze mirror was fake, these were indeed obsessions that had imprisoned their hearts for thousands of years.

How she wished that Amu would hate her like that and question her.

But no.

Even as she died peacefully in the embrace of the black swan, Amu harbored not the slightest resentment towards her teacher.

In this life, even hatred is a luxury.

"Ms. Ruan Mei, are you... alright...?" Tingyun's eyes flashed with worry.

Ruan Mei remained silent.

Tingyun had no idea what had happened or what she had heard, so she could only wait.

Judging from the emotional atmosphere, Ms. Ruan Mei may have heard something that made her sad.

Even if you know some things are false, you still can't help but feel bad when you hear them.

More than two minutes passed, and Ruan Mei did not make a sound.

Just as Tingyun couldn't help but continue to speculate, a blurry figure suddenly rushed out from the bronze mirror in front of Ruan Mei.

Just as they were about to collide, the afterimage abruptly turned ninety degrees and shot into the sky.

Ruan Mei finally snapped out of her daze after the sudden turn of events, pressed down on the strands of hair that were being blown by the strong wind, and subconsciously looked up.

It's fine if you don't look at it, but once you do, you'll be stunned.

The scepter floated in mid-air.

Like the broom of a wizard in many fantasy stories, a person was sitting on the scepter.

She knew him very well, to the core of her being.

Black Tower and Qi Zhimu.

"Xiao Mu...?"

A trembling murmur escaped Ruan Mei's lips, her gaze fixed intently on the Black Tower...

Do not--

To be precise, it was the boy embraced by the Black Tower.

A scene deep in her memory was stirred, and a small face that she remembered so vividly perfectly overlapped with that of the boy.

This is what he looked like when he was 14 years old after the virus was removed from Qi Zhimu's body and he recovered.

Although he was thin, he didn't look like a typical 14-year-old; he looked more like he was two or three years younger.

But... they look almost exactly the same!

What exactly happened?

Amu is clearly over 110 years old in this life, so how could he turn back into a teenager?

Qi Zhimu was also momentarily stunned when he spotted Ruan Mei.

However, she quickly regained her composure and controlled her emotions and facial expressions.

Seeing his unremarkable reaction, like that of someone you know but don't know well when you meet them in another city, Ruan Mei's eyes dimmed slightly.

Black Tower's mood was different.

Stunned, confused, pondering, and then mocking...

Suddenly, Hei Ta smiled, jumped to the ground with the boy Qi Zhimu in his arms, and took his hand.

"I never expected to run into you in such a godforsaken place. It's been 'a long time,' haven't you said, Ruan Mei?"

Hei Ta emphasized the words "for a long time".

Seeing that Ruan Mei was still in a daze, Hei Ta almost burst out laughing.

Are you trying to appear profound by not saying anything?

walk slowly.

I'll unleash my ultimate move and see if you can still pretend.

"Xiao Mu~ quickly call her Sister Ruan Mei~~"

Qi Zhimu: "..."

Black Tower is probably experiencing a personality shift, always eager to stir up trouble, relentlessly provoking Ruan Mei.

Seeing him like this, well... never mind, it's better not to mention Ruan Mei's thoughts.

Although the teacher-student relationship has ended, there is no enmity between them in this life; their relationship is merely that of acquaintances.

Regardless of the circumstances, Ruan Mei was Black Tower's partner and Yu Qingtu's friend.

What she was thinking was none of Qi Zhimu's business. At least when people who knew each other met in different places, exchanging pleasantries was the most basic etiquette.

"Hello, Ms. Ruan Mei. It's been several weeks since we last met. I never expected to run into you on the Luofu Immortal Ship. May I ask what kind of lady this is...?"

At this point, Qi Zhimu looked at the fox-woman beside Ruan Mei.

Despite asking the question, I already had the answer in my mind.

Clearly, the clouds have stopped.

Aside from the color of its tail, all other characteristics correspond one by one with the information provided by Yu Kong.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tingyun. May I ask your honorable name?"

……