Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Thank you to [沐璃魈] for the expert certification!

……

When Yu Qingtu saw Ruan Mei's distraught appearance, he knew that she was on the verge of a breakdown.

Even more so, one foot stepped off the edge of a cliff called madness.

Yu Qingtu had reached this conclusion many years ago.

If Ruan Mei has no feelings for Qi Zhimu, then so be it.

If there is affection, then—

Everything Qi Zhimu left for Ruan Mei was the most terrible revenge for her.

…No, it can't be described as revenge.

To be precise: it was fate's punishment for what Nguyen Mai had done.

Seeing her expression now, Yu Qingtu finally felt a little relieved of the anger that had been building up inside her for hundreds of years.

But I couldn't feel any joy or pleasure.

In the matter of Qi Zhimu letting go of worldly affairs and departing peacefully, all three people present were losers.

Right and wrong, mistakes and faults, have long lost their meaning at this point.

Even if you know you're wrong, even if you're filled with remorse, can you really bring Qi Zhimu back?

No.

For hundreds of years, Yu Qingtu had thought that he could rely on time to smooth over all regrets, just like before.

But in the end, that person's face remained as clear as yesterday.

Living in this world, there are some people and some things that are destined to be unforgettable and impossible to let go of.

Ruan Mei slowly got up and walked past the two people towards the direction of the mountain.

"What do you want to do?"

Yu Qingtu's expression changed slightly as she caught a glimpse of something on her face.

"...I promised to take responsibility for Amu, but I broke my promise...I'm going to find him..."

Ruan Mei's lips curled up in an unusual way, carrying an unsettling and eerie quality.

She's willing to pay any price!

Upon hearing this, the other two immediately guessed her intention without even thinking.

The black swan merely frowned deeply, its reaction relatively restrained.

Yu Qingtu was not as restrained as her, and her expression changed almost instantly.

"Do you want to keep going crazy?!"

"What you wanted to do before was your own family matter, and I, as an outsider, have no right to interfere."

"But the little guy respects me as a senior, so I absolutely will not stand by and watch, nor can I tolerate you messing around with him. You'd better give up on that idea as soon as possible."

"..." Ruan Mei paused in her steps.

She didn't turn around or respond; her drooping shoulders and lonely silhouette exuded desolation.

Yu Qingtu's voice was cold and hard: "When a person dies, they're dead. That's reality."

"I don't know what you're really thinking, but don't you know what the little one is thinking?"

"A life form compiled from numbers, data, and sequences, even if it possesses all the memories of the deceased, or is a perfect replica without any difference—"

"That's just an empty shell without a soul, why don't you understand?"

"Why do the creations left behind by the little guy look exactly like him, yet refer to themselves as 'I' and even call out the name of their creator?"

At this point, Yu Qingtu raised his hand and pointed to the plum tree in the distance.

There, a doll was still picking plum blossoms.

"That's all for you to see. He wants to tell you: no matter how similar the appearance is, it's not the same person you used to be."

"Your attempt to find your parents and Qi Zhimu using the methods you're currently researching is destined to be an impossible task."

"Even if we eventually reach the end of this path, what we'll get will always be a counterfeit. In essence, it's nothing more than a pathetic electronic pet!"

"The dead souls will not return unless time is reversed at the end of the world, unless Qi Zhimu has an afterlife."

Each word was like a sharp thorn, mercilessly piercing into the depths of Ruan Mei's heart.

She remained silent for a long time, and finally tilted her head slightly to look at the sky.

The winter sun was unusually bright, but she felt no warmth at all.

Ah Mu must have felt the same way back then...

Ruan Mei turned around again.

"What?" Yu Qingtu stared at her face, as if trying to confirm something.

"As member #55 of the Genius Club, can you answer one question for me?" Ruan Mei asked in a hoarse voice.

"you say."

"What is the original essence of life, and what is the essence of birth?"

"There are many answers, but none of them are universally accepted. If I knew the answer, I wouldn't be a mere genius; perhaps only a learned scholar could answer it."

"…Yeah."

Ruan Mei nodded silently, said nothing more, and strode toward the puppets that were working.

The black swan narrowed its eyes and remained silent.

Yu Qingtu's words just now resonated with her.

Now, as the Memory Master of the Flowing Light Memory Court, and having grown over hundreds of years, she could easily 'revive' Qi Zhimu using his memories if she wanted.

If Mr. Qi is resurrected through this method, will he still be Mr. Qi?

Her inner answer has always been firm—

No.

No, it isn't.

That is nothing but selfish and foolish delusion, a desecration of Mr. Qi.

Yu Qingtu had many guesses in his mind, but he did not stop Ruan Mei. He just followed a few steps behind her.

The doll noticed the movement, turned its head to look, but its face remained expressionless.

"Ms. Ruan Mei, what are your instructions?"

Ruan Mei understood that Yu Qingtu was right.

No matter how similar it looks, it's still just a fake.

It doesn't call her teacher.

Even if I shouted it out, I would only feel disgusted.

Now, Yu Qingtu finally understands how he felt when he first saw the fake she made.

"How much instruction privilege do I have in your meta-instructions?" Ruan Mei asked.

"The highest level," the doll replied.

Three simple words evoked different feelings in three women.

The black swan has Qi Zhimu's entire life's memories and knows everything about this, which is good.

Yu Qingtu sighed.

As for Nguyen Mai… it's no different than having her heart stabbed again.

"Abort the instructions left by Qi Zhimu and shut down the machine immediately."

"Understood. Protocol modification command approved. Execution to commence."

The doll put down all the items in its hands, the light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and it maintained a standard standing posture, remaining motionless.

Seeing this, Yu Qingtu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Have you figured it out?"

"It's not him," Ruan Mei said softly.

"It's good that you've figured it out. Keep it, even though I don't want to give it to you."

Yu Qingtu had to admit that Qi Zhimu made this doll mainly for Ruan Mei.

The identity of the person with the highest level of authority has already explained everything.

But now, she no longer feels unhappy about it.

The more Qi Zhimu cared for Ruan Mei, treating her as the light in his life and respecting her with his actions, the more Ruan Mei regrets her past self now.

Today's bitter fruit is both punishment and retribution for her.

Ruan Mei put the doll away and slowly looked around the plum grove, as if she wanted to engrave all the traces that Qi Zhimu had left here over the past hundred years into her eyes.

This feeling can only be cherished in retrospect, for at the time it was already a regret.

Her Amu is no longer here...

There will never be another one.

Before leaving, Ruan Mei's gaze fell on Black Swan and Yu Qingtu.

"I won't try to get him back that way, but I won't give up."

The black swan remained noncommittal, only asking a question in return.

"What if Mr. Qi has already forgotten you?"

That's my problem.

A tear of blood slid down her cheek. Ruan Mei smiled slightly, this time without any eeriness, only desolation.