Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The backyard, the docking area.

The three starships rested quietly in their respective areas: Qi Zhimu's, Qing Han's, and finally Jing Liu's.

The jade wheel stopped turning, but Jing Liu did not leave the driver's seat, nor did he even unbuckle his seatbelt. His eyes were unfocused as he stared at the jade tablet in his hand.

She is asking one of Yaoqing Network's many intelligent AIs a question:

When I'm apart from someone, I miss them, I can't wait to see them, seeing them makes me feel at ease, and I even want to stay by their side forever. What's wrong with me?

Press send, get a reply in seconds.

[This user's question is too simple, meow~ Simply put, you like him, you like him to death.]

Staring at the answer with the cat avatar, Jingliu continued to ask.

[When I see him being very gentle with others but never gentle with himself, it's like something is blocking his airway, making it hard to breathe and causing him to feel down. Why is that?]

[Even simpler! Because that person doesn't like you, and you see the person you like being nice to someone else, so you get jealous!]

"..."

Jing Liushuang placed his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating.

So this is what liking someone is like.

She actually fell in love with her master...

But she was never a part of the tenderness in her master's heart.

So... her master didn't like her; he only treated her as a disciple, a purely platonic disciple.

If I like someone, how can I make them like me back?

[This cat can't answer that question. There are many ways to pursue someone, and you need to decide based on your own situation, cat~]

We are master and apprentice.

[Wow~~ A timeless classic trope in various literary genres, meow! Is the user the master or the apprentice?]

[Apprentice, what should I do?]

[Based on Xianzhou's big data, among cats that have been together for over a century, 37% eventually become lovers, ranking first!]

As the saying goes, companionship is the most enduring expression of love, leaving your mark in every aspect of his life.

[After a while, if you suddenly disappear for a period of time, he will look back and find traces of you everywhere in his life.]

[Humans aren't plants or trees, how can they be without feelings? If the user is an immortal being, they could try the method of developing feelings over time, meow~]

[You two are master and disciple; being in close proximity gives you an advantage!]

[If it's a short-lived species, one should enjoy life to the fullest while it lasts; life is fleeting, so why not speak frankly and honestly?]

Jingliu closed the interface and put away the jade tablet, his eyes thoughtful.

The time she spent with her master...

Strictly speaking, there are basically none.

When Cangcheng was still alive, his master was an old friend of his father.

She only became a master after Cangcheng was gone; in other words, her master spent more time with her.

That's right... because her life is filled with her master's shadow, that's why she fell in love with him.

It's only natural that Senior Qinghan spent more time with her master than she did.

and so--

The expedition cannot be stopped!

To participate in more battles and come back alive.

As long as I fulfill my master's requirements, I can rightfully stay by his side and leave my mark on his life.

Once he understood this, Jing Liu suddenly saw the light.

The crimson hue in his eyes faded away, and the unease in his heart quickly dissipated.

Her master always did everything for her, but she never did anything for him, not even spending time with him.

It's normal, even understandable, that Master doesn't like her now.

Jingliu felt he understood, stepped off the star raft, and headed towards his home.

then……

Qi Zhimu saw Qinghan, wrapped in a bath towel, walking out of the bathroom.

Jingliu's lips twitched for a moment, then returned to normal in the next second.

"Master, I'm back."

"Yes, Mianxue won't be back from the military camp until later tonight. You should prepare dinner first, as Master and Qinghan have important matters to attend to."

"..."

Jingliu really wanted to say, "Yes, Master..."

But her lips seemed glued shut, and she couldn't open them no matter what she did. She could only nod silently, turn around, lift her foot, and walk towards the kitchen in the opposite direction.

Qi Zhimu didn't stop walking while speaking, only glancing at her once.

Qinghan, lying in his arms, was completely unaware of Jingliu's unnatural expression.

Similarly, Jingliu didn't notice Qinghan's unnatural behavior.

Upon entering the room, Qi Zhimu placed Qinghan on the bed and sat her down, then took out the silver needles again.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be the last acupuncture treatment. There will be risks, but not many."

"I believe you."

"Alright, let's begin."

Qi Zhimu took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over those extremely familiar legs, his eyes quickly focusing.

After the acupuncture treatment in the afternoon, Qinghan underwent high-intensity training to force as much of Luo Hou's remaining stubborn strength as possible into his legs, all for this very moment.

Frequent and prolonged warfare in recent years has allowed this force, which is not hers but cannot be eradicated, to grow stronger again.

Just like a volcano that has been blocked for thousands of years, it not only fails to quell the fire, but instead accumulates even more terrifying destructive power.

Qinghan is in a similar situation, which is why she is currently unable to walk and can only be transported and cared for by him.

In about half an hour, these remnants originating from Rahu will completely disappear.

As for how he disappeared, Qinghan didn't need to know the truth.

Soon, the final treatment began.

The body's instinctive rejection surged into its body through the silver needles, but Qi Zhimu remained expressionless and dealt with it in an even more unreasonable way.

There are also differences in the levels of blessings bestowed.

It is true that Rahu's power originates from the Envoy of Abundance.

The power of the Immortal Ship people comes from the most powerful divine miracle bestowed by the Abundant Star God, which even the Commander covets.

Seemingly sensing the crisis, the chaotic power within Qinghan's body surged rapidly, attempting to seize control of her consciousness and prevent her from cooperating with Qi Zhimu.

Qinghan was prepared and focused her mind to drive away the forces that were escaping through her meridians.

Different forces clashed, one side fled while the other pursued.

Qinghan's body temperature rose rapidly, her skin turned red again, and fine beads of sweat appeared.

It seems that the bath I took earlier was for nothing.

Qinghan had no time to pay attention to the outside world; she only knew that with her cooperation, the thing that had been bothering her for more than ten years was gradually leaving her body.

Half an hour later, the body emitted a silent cheer, as if celebrating the fact that the chronic illness had finally been cured.

At the same time, Qi Zhimu's voice entered his ears.

"Next, I will give you a full examination, including inside your internal organs, to confirm whether that force has been completely eliminated."

"Um."

As soon as I nodded, I felt a warm current flow into my body and spread throughout my entire body.

One of the tendrils traveled along the meridians into her dantian, bringing a strange sense of comfort that almost made her let out a soft moan.

What exactly is that warm current entering my body...? It's so warm.

It is not abundant power, but the body instinctively craves it.

Qinghan completely relaxed, her expression softening.

A few minutes later, the warm current withdrew from my body, leaving behind a strange emptiness.

"...Huh?"

She suddenly heard Qi Zhimu's slightly surprised voice.

"What is it, Lord Zhimu?"

Qi Zhimu remained silent, frowning in deep thought, and conducted another comprehensive examination on Qinghan, but the previous abnormality did not reappear.

It's probably just an illusion.

"...It's nothing. Congratulations, the aftereffects that have plagued you for years are gone forever."