Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Qi Zhimu glanced at Ruan Mei, nodded in greeting, and then focused his attention on the other two.

At this moment, the four women had just finished their game.

"My lord, let Rong Jingliu introduce you—"

Jingliu stood up, spread his slender hands, and faced the white-haired woman beside him who had coiled her long hair into a peacock tail shape and was wearing a fitted cheongsam.

"Jade Palace Immortal Boat, General Rongtao, Yaoguang."

Then she reached out to the white-gray-haired fox-woman opposite her, whose long hair was tied in a high ponytail and who was wearing a trench coat.

"Azure Immortal Boat, Heavenly Strike General, Soaring Sky."

At this point, Jing Liu took light steps and walked to Qi Zhimu's side, taking his arm in hers.

"Two heavenly generals, this is my husband, Zhimu."

"He is currently traveling on the Star Train with an anonymous passenger, and will soon arrive in Luofu."

"And just then, the Jianmu disaster struck, and together with the nameless guest, I lent a helping hand to my disciple, helping him shatter the illusory conspiracy and save Luofu from collapse."

"Once the chaos subsided and the train crew stopped in Luofu for a temporary rest, my husband and I were finally able to have our schedules aligned."

Both Yao Guang and Fei Xiao ignored Jing Liu's words.

But they had no reason or angle to expose this play.

"A perfect match, a match made in heaven. It is truly enviable that someone could find such a wonderful husband as Mr. Zhi Mu."

Yao Guang rose gracefully, took a few steps, and stopped at the optimal distance for communication in front of Qi Zhimu, extending her fair hand.

"Hello, Mr. Zhi Mu, I am Yao Guang."

"Jingliu and I hit it off immediately, so there's no need for formalities. If you don't mind, you can call me Boss Yao, just like the people of the Immortal Ship do."

"A pleasure to meet you, General Yao Guang."

He grasped the outstretched hand generously, then habitually let go after touching it.

Seeing Feixiao approach, he proactively changed his target.

Unexpectedly, my hand felt as if it were bound by a pair of pliers, unable to be pulled away.

It didn't hurt, but the probing was obvious.

Before Jingliu could realize what was happening, Feixiao promptly let go and apologized.

"Mr. Zhi Mu, I am a martial man and I couldn't help myself for a moment. I hope you will forgive me for my offense."

"Where is he? His might soars to the heavens and his spirit surpasses the firmament. I have long heard of General Yao Qingtian's name, and now that I see him, his reputation is well-deserved."

Qi Zhimu wore a casual and appropriate smile.

"Oh? Where did you hear that, Mr. Zhimu?" Feixiao asked with great interest.

"That's what my wife said."

"This is what the mirror flow tells us."

Qi Zhimu and Jing Liu spoke in unison.

Caught off guard by a mouthful of food, Fei Xiao appeared calm on the surface, but his lips twitched inwardly.

These two are really in sync... no wonder they're master and apprentice.

Hmm...it seems like the couple is really together...

"How can we stand and talk when our distinguished guests are here? Please, this way—"

Qi Zhimu knew that these two people might not have good intentions, and he also knew that they could see that he and Jingliu were pretending to be confused.

But so what?

Everyone knew the unspoken agreement.

As the saying goes, one shouldn't hit a smiling face.

As long as the things done behind the scenes haven't been brought to the forefront, the outward appearances must be maintained.

Jing Liu released Qi Zhimu's arm and led the way to the reception table.

As the three women walked away, Ruan Mei, who had been standing to the side for a while without speaking to anyone, dimmed her eyes slightly.

"Ms. Ruan Mei, please."

Qi Zhimu's polite voice reached my ears.

The gloom in Ruan Mei's eyes vanished in an instant, and a gentle, watery smile appeared on her lips.

He didn't even say something like "You too," which sounds like a side note.

Sure enough... even if he forgot her, Amu's nature remained gentle and considerate, and he knew how to think of others.

At the tea table, Jingliu, feeling that his tea skills were lacking, thought for a moment and took out the plum blossom wine that Heita had brought for his master some time ago, which he was reluctant to drink.

The familiar aroma of wine wafted out, and Ruan Mei's gaze instantly locked onto it.

Yao Guang was slightly surprised.

Fei Xiao's eyes lit up; he could tell from the aroma alone that it must be a fine wine!

At the tea table, everyone gradually started chatting.

Ruan Mei stood alone, beautiful but silent, for there was no topic suitable for her to bring up.

In the general's eyes, she was a proud and aloof genius, especially in the eyes of Yao Guang, with whom he had reached a cooperation agreement.

In Jingliu's eyes, he is an intolerable competitor.

She applauded Qi Zhimu for forgetting her, and it was impossible for her to proactively tell him that she had once been Qi Zhimu's teacher.

As for how Ruan Mei sees herself... no explanation is needed.

She would feel uncomfortable if she repeatedly made fun of herself.

When you feel uncomfortable, you are more likely to have the urge to relieve the pain with pain.

She can't continue like that... unless Qi Zhimu treats her like that, then it doesn't matter, she'd actually be happy to see it.

After all, if he didn't suffer that kind of treatment, he would feel sorry for Amu and indebted to him.

Qi Zhimu, of course, had no idea that Ruan Mei, with her expressionless face, was harboring such dangerous thoughts.

At this moment, he was giving a forced smile, responding to Yao Guang's seemingly unintentional yet natural questions with Jing Liu.

The woman didn't mention a word about the Luofu Jianmu disaster, the Huanlong conspiracy, or the traitors of the Dan Ding Si.

His mouth is full of gossip, making him hard to judge.

Thinking about it carefully, it actually fits the character profile in a strange way.

The people of Taibu Si are all about the universe and the eight trigrams.

The Jade Palace is also the birthplace of the Grand Diviner. A person who can become a Jade Palace General would be considered a bad person if he didn't play the gossip game, even if this gossip is not the same as that gossip game.

"Kyoryu, how did you and Mr. Chimo meet, and how did you get married?"

Jingliu himself is not used to lying, nor does he like to lie.

But when faced with Yao Guang's question, a strange danger flashed involuntarily in his eyes.

She was aware of what that meant, but this time she let that emotion grow stronger.

Humph.

That cunning peacock, full of malice, is clearly mocking her for fabricating lies.

Due to concerns or the marshal's explicit prohibition, they dared not openly expose the truth, but could only resort to subtle and indirect attacks.

If someone does the first day of the lunar month, then of course she can do the fifteenth.

Jingliu's lips curled up, his tone subtly sarcastic.

"I've long heard that Boss Yao is the number one diviner in the Immortal Boat Alliance. Why not cast a divination to find out the truth?"

"Isn't that inappropriate?" Yao Guang asked in surprise.

"It's alright. I was able to marry my husband thanks to a woman who coveted him. Let's see if the fortune teller can figure it out."

"..." Ruan Mei remained silent.

She realized that the camera was pointing at her, but she had no right to speak and didn't want to.

Seeing Jing Liu's confident and unwavering demeanor, Yao Guang suddenly became genuinely curious.

Her words just now were indeed a test of Qi Zhimu's past identity, but now...

"Mr. Zhi Mu, you don't mind?"

"If you're upright and honest, why would you mind?" Qi Zhimu's smile remained unchanged, but his words carried a deeper meaning.

He's not the type to suffer in silence.

They've already come knocking on our door, so we can't just cower in fear.

Although Yao Guang knew this might be a trap, she was confident in her abilities and jumped in without hesitation.

To my utter surprise, not counting it was no big deal, but when I did calculate it, I was almost dumbfounded.

How could this happen?

That familiar, incomprehensible helplessness that I could not fathom even with all my might... I faced it again after thirty years.

……