Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

In the year 6298 of the astrological calendar, on the Cangcheng Immortal Boat, in the Qingyun Grotto Heaven.

A light rain was falling as pedestrians hurried through the bustling streets and stopped in front of the school that shared the same name as Dongtian.

Many starships also departed their routes and docked at the huge raft yard of Qingyun School.

The school bell rang precisely on time.

Qi Zhimu put down the textbook in his hand and looked around at the dozens of young faces below the podium.

"Class dismissed, students."

"Goodbye, teacher!" came the uniform, childish voices from the classroom.

Whether the students were sound asleep or attentively listening to the lecture, for teenagers, the end of get out of class and the end of school is a happy thing.

Most children left the classroom quickly, while only a few left slowly.

After most of the people had left, they gathered in front of the podium, gazing eagerly at Qi Zhimu, their young faces filled with thirst for knowledge.

Fifteen minutes later, the studious children finished their lessons and waved goodbye to Qi Zhimu.

See you tomorrow, sir~~

"See you tomorrow."

Before long, only three people remained in the classroom.

Besides Qi Zhimu, there were two other students on duty.

He didn't pay any attention and left the classroom directly, heading towards his office.

Unexpectedly, two unfamiliar figures were waiting in front of the door, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

The moment he saw Qi Zhimu, his expression transformed into one of politeness and respect.

"Sir, it's been a long time."

The newcomers were two young girls, around twenty years old, with similar features, but their pupils were completely different colors, one red and one gray.

Both of them had unusually rare silver-blue hair, one with shoulder-length hair and the other with waist-length hair, both tied in neat ponytails.

They were all holding umbrellas, and a small patch of their clothes was wet from the rain.

Observing the girls' appearances and demeanor, Qi Zhimu searched his memory for a moment and asked in a somewhat uncertain tone.

"You are... Mianxue and Qinghan?"

"Eight years have passed, and I never expected that you would still remember us, sir." A glint flashed in Mianxue's crimson eyes, and she smiled brightly.

"You've come to see me, there must be something you need. Come in and tell me."

Qi Zhimu pushed open the door and entered, gesturing for the two sisters to sit wherever they liked. He put down his lesson plan and made tea for them.

"No need to be so polite, sir, you mustn't!" Qinghan quickly waved his hand upon seeing this.

"Guests are always welcome," Qi Zhimu said with a nonchalant smile.

After serving tea, Qi Zhimu sat down in front of the two sisters, his fingers interlaced.

"Do you two sisters need my help with something? I imagine it's not your usual homework."

Mianxue and Qinghan exchanged a glance, both showing hesitation.

After a long pause, Mianxue, the older sister, finally spoke.

"...Sir, we have passed the adult examination and the Cloud Cavalry enlistment assessment, and have joined the army."

"Hmm, and then?"

"We broke the record for our assessment results, and the general happened to be in the camp. We were fortunate enough to meet him."

"..."

Upon hearing the words "General," Qi Zhimu roughly guessed the purpose of the two sisters' visit.

His smile remained unchanged, and he said calmly:

"General Teng Xiao has reviewed your files and knows that you were once my students, so he sent you a letter with a message, right?"

This……

The two sisters were both taken aback, surprised that the words had hit the nail on the head, and even more curious about the secret behind it.

At first, they did not understand General Teng Xiao's intentions.

Why should they come to a school teacher to study?

Actually, I still don't understand it now.

This kind of learning is not what you might think. The general wants them to learn martial arts from Mr. Qi Zhimu, not culture.

The letter is a letter of introduction, and the question is a question.

"Go back. The Cloud Cavalry has a comprehensive training program. I am just a teacher with only a little knowledge. How can I be qualified to teach you martial arts?"

"Furthermore—please convey my reply to General Teng Xiao: I am deeply grateful for your kind offer, but I would like to politely decline."

Upon hearing what Qi Zhimu said, the two sisters looked troubled.

Before the words were even spoken, refusing to arrive first was an extremely difficult situation.

Even though they are young, they now know that Qi Zhimu has a close relationship with the general.

"Sir, the general has given us... the highest-level mission order..." Qinghan said weakly.

"..."

Qi Zhimu fell silent at those words, his eyes lowering slightly.

The two sisters, whose attention was fixed on his face, felt a sudden tightness in their chests.

Although the teacher I remember didn't smile often, he was always gentle with his students and never scolded anyone loudly.

The air pressure in the office seemed to be subtly decreasing; regardless of whether it was snowing or chilly, no one dared to breathe too loudly.

For a fleeting moment, they sensed a brief surge of anger emanating from Qi Zhimu.

The duration was so brief, it felt like an illusion, leaving one uncertain.

But the low pressure is real.

"Write to me."

"...Huh? Oh!"

Mianxue snapped out of her daze and quickly and respectfully presented the letter with both hands.

Qi Zhimu opened the letter in front of the two of them and took it out.

"Dear Mr. Qi Zhimu, I hope this letter finds you well:"

These two soldiers are of different qualities; after a year of rigorous training, they will be of great use.

Within Cangcheng, no one surpasses you in swordsmanship. I am willing to teach two people the art for one year.

Teng Xiao thanked him.

On January 21st

Qi Zhimu shook his head helplessly.

Face-to-face communication is fine, but when it comes to writing letters, he likes not to use modern language. This guy...

"You two go back first and give General Teng Xiao a message: See you at the usual place tonight."

"Yes, sir."

Although no specific answer was received, judging from Qi Zhimu's tone, there was probably another reason that needed to be discussed with the General.

Mianxue Qinghan bowed respectfully and quickly left.

Qi Zhimu sat motionless, many past scenes flashing through his mind.

All the past events have turned into a soft sigh.

Go home first.

There were hardly any people left in the teachers' building at this time. Occasionally, when they met face to face, Qi Zhimu would respond to the other person's greeting.

It is evident that he was well-liked at Qingyun School.

The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, and occasionally you could hear people complaining about forgetting their umbrellas from not far away.

The Immortal Ship is a giant starship that sails through the universe. Its inner cave can clearly maintain the most comfortable simulated climate, so why waste Jade Fortune's computing power and big data to simulate the four seasons' climate cycle?

Hearing these complaints, Qi Zhimu chuckled to himself.

In theory, doing so could indeed garner a lot of public support.

But this is not conducive to survival, especially in this turbulent era.

Humans still need to adapt to changes in nature.

As I descended the stairs and took out my umbrella from my spatial jade, I saw a somewhat familiar figure standing in front of the steps.

He looked out at the torrential rain, scratching his head in frustration from time to time, and checking the time every now and then.

Qi Zhimu, intrigued, walked towards it.

"Why would a prominent businessman like you come to Qingyun in person to deliver teaching equipment?"

Yu Huai turned his head to look, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Old Qi! So you're still here. Do you have time to lend a hand? I'll treat you to a meal later!"

"What happened?"

"Alas, the weather at Zhenshan Cave Heaven is even worse than in Qingyun today, with strong winds and torrential rain. Huiyu was in a traffic accident while picking up her daughter from school, and the Star Chariot almost fell to the ground."

"How are your sister-in-law and Xiao Jingliu doing?"