Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Unbeknownst to her, Ruan Mei gradually lost herself in thought, her mind drifting back to the untouchable past.

Until a cold wind swept across the branches, blowing the snow off the branches.

The coolness that landed on my arm penetrated the fabric, bringing me back to my senses.

Take your time, there's no rush.

We've endured it for thousands of years, so what if it takes thousands more...?

Even without her, Hei Ta and Yu Qingtu would not allow Amu to enter the cycle of reincarnation again.

Suppressing her thoughts, Ruan Mei quickly composed herself and began picking plum blossoms carefully.

She taught Qi Zhimu how to distinguish high-quality plum blossoms.

Over the years of searching for Qi Zhimu, she has also been picking plum blossoms herself to make pastries, and her efficiency is no less than his.

This plum grove is located in the suburbs and covers a large enough area that it is not just for Qi Zhimu and Ruan Mei.

During their plum-picking process, the two occasionally encountered other people.

A small portion of the visitors are tourists, while the majority are locals who come here to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery.

Seeing Qi Zhimu carrying a large bamboo basket, with a graceful and elegant beauty beside him who could captivate even just by looking at her back, their faces couldn't help but flash with envy.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with their picking of plum blossoms.

Picking plum blossoms is permitted here, and as long as the branches are not damaged excessively, no one will care.

Qi Zhimu and Ruan Mei both noticed the occasional glances they received, each with a different emotion.

Regardless of what those people were thinking at the time, they were largely in agreement on one thing.

They were mistaken for a married couple.

Ruan Mei just wished it were true, just as those strangers thought...

If they hadn't driven Amu away back then, there might have been a good chance... no, they definitely would have gotten married!

Unfortunately, he did something he later regretted.

Yu Qingtu can make countless potions with different effects. Although she is not as good as the former in this respect, she can still make quite a few potions.

But—none of them are capable of allowing themselves to regret or change the past.

Above, the clouds gradually drifted into the distance, revealing the warm sun that had been hidden within for so long.

Golden light filtered through the plum tree branches, casting a dreamlike glow on the two people below.

Ruan Mei focused her attention on the branches above her head, gently tugging at them, intending to use a bamboo knife to remove the last plum blossom.

The snow was shaken off by the tugging and was about to fall on her head.

Qi Zhimu, who was standing next to her, subconsciously moved closer and raised his hand to shield her from the falling snow.

Ruan Mei quickly noticed the shadow that had suddenly appeared above her head and the movement beside her. She looked over instinctively and was stunned.

The young man's upright profile blocked the sunlight, his right arm stretched across her head.

This scene evoked certain memories.

How familiar it is...

As Amu grew up, every December, she would accompany her to pick the best plum blossoms.

Almost every year, there are scenes of people shielding her from the snow.

You can use your arm or an umbrella.

"However, there's no need to worry about the snow accumulation."

"It's alright, teacher. It's what a student should do to shield you from the snow, and I like doing it too."

"like?"

"When I was little, not long after I was able to leave the sanatorium, my teacher took me to pick plums for the first time, and she also shielded me from the snow like this."

"...Is that so?"

"It's a trivial matter for the teacher, and you don't need to remember it, but the students will remember the teacher's kindness and repay the teacher."

…Amu must have been 19 years old during that conversation…

At that time, he had already erased some of his memories from when he was 16 to 18 years old, and was a good student who was not a cause for concern and was quite satisfactory in all aspects.

His action of shielding himself from the snow back then was almost identical to how he does it now.

As memories from thousands of years ago overlapped with reality, Ruan Mei's eyes reddened slightly, and she quickly looked away.

Only one phrase remained, involuntarily bursting from her tightly closed lips.

"However, there's no need to worry about the snow accumulation."

The words had barely left her mouth when Ruan Mei's body stiffened instantly.

She wanted to see Qi Zhimu's expression, but she was also afraid to see certain emotions she didn't want to see...

It was her hesitation that caused her to miss the fleeting blank expression on Qi Zhimu's face.

Clearly, Qi Zhimu knew the origin of this statement.

Should we remain silent, or reply with something irrelevant?

But the last thing that came out of my mouth was like a dream come true.

"It's no trouble at all... Ms. Ruan Mei, it was just a small favor."

Ruan Mei once again fell into a state of absentmindedness for several seconds.

Even if heeds the teacher's heartless words and forgets everything about his past with the teacher, Amu's underlying nature remains unchanged.

The only difference is that the motivation changed from thinking that shielding the teacher from the snow was something he should do and something he enjoyed doing, to thinking that shielding the lady from the snow was just a small favor.

"Thanks."

Many people think they are facing the present and the future, but few realize that most people are actually moving towards the past.

Unless, of course, this person has no memory.

Ruan Mei certainly has memories.

Since arriving at this plum grove, the time spent picking plum blossoms with Qi Zhimu, inseparable from him, has brought back countless similar memories of the past.

If it were during a period of confusion after reuniting with Qi Zhimu, she might feel sad and long for him to immediately remember everything.

But for now, it's best to just bear it silently.

If Qi Zhimu remembered, it would only make her fear that a certain possibility might become a reality.

During the snowy season, the days are shorter, and before you know it, the warm sun has set behind the western mountains, and the sky turns dark.

Qi Zhimu's bamboo basket was filled with high-quality plum blossoms, a very fruitful harvest.

After further processing, it was enough to brew dozens of jars of plum blossom wine.

"Thank you for your help today, Ms. Ruan Mei."

Ruan Mei shook her head slightly, indicating that there was no need for formalities. She glanced at the time and said softly, "It's getting late, let's go back."

Qi Zhimu put away the bamboo basket and returned with Ruan Mei by the same route, entering the parking area of ​​the public raft yard and finding their private star raft.

As soon as the hatch opened, Qi Zhimu's expression turned puzzled.

He clearly sensed that Ruan Mei's body was tilting to the side.

Looking to the side, I saw that she was about to hit the ground headfirst—

Qi Zhimu hesitated for a moment, then bent down and reached out with lightning speed, grabbing Ruan Mei's wrist and pulling her along, while his other hand naturally wrapped around her shoulders.

"Ms. Ruan Mei?"

His eyes were closed, and he did not respond.

Has she fallen into a coma...?

Ruan Mei's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and an unnatural dark red hue gradually appeared on the surface of her skin.

Qi Zhimu placed two fingers on her wrist; her pulse was erratic, like a jumbled musical score.

Having been a physician in almost every lifetime, he found the pulse diagnosis utterly unfamiliar.

Poisoning?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Qi Zhimu rejected it.

Not like.

If it is poisoning, the respiratory rate is unlikely to remain normal.

After hesitating for a moment, Qi Zhimu took out a silver needle and pierced Ruan Mei's skin, gradually deepening the penetration.

After rotating it for a few seconds, I pulled out the silver needle. Seeing that the needle tip was of normal color, I immediately felt a sense of unease.

It really wasn't poison.

In the seconds after discovering Ruan Mei was unconscious, Qi Zhimu couldn't help but suspect something in a certain direction.

He suspected that she might have ulterior motives and wanted to use some means to deliberately pretend to faint for no reason in order to get closer to him.

However, in less than a second, Qi Zhimu shook off his unrealistic doubts.

That's impossible.

Back in his first life, when Ruan Mei was far from being a genius, he dared to introduce the virus into his body in order to cure him, personally serving as a clinical trial field.

Most of the time, they were experimenting on their own bodies, which led to unknown consequences.

If it were truly a genius's experimental project, he wouldn't be able to solve a single problem.

"well……"

Qi Zhimu sighed softly, slipped his arms under Ruan Mei's knees, and lifted her steadily onto the star raft.