The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

The wind and snow hovered in mid-air, and every snowflake slowed down.

The old city vanished completely, leaving only this frost-covered stone ground deep in the icy sea. The door, the bone well, the murals on the wall, and even the figure that had just been kneeling by the well, had all disappeared with the illusion.

But the person standing in the snow is still there.

He was wearing an old cloak, with all seven snap buttons on the front intact.

When the wind blew, the edge of the cloak lifted slightly, revealing a dark long coat underneath.

That face still showed glimpses of its former appearance, but the childishness of youth had faded. The features remained slender, but the depths of time were unfathomable in the eyes.

This was the first time Chen Guan had seen Bei Dou's face; he usually appeared as a dark-skinned boy.

Guan Jinyue gripped his sword, remaining motionless.

Chen Guan remained motionless, keeping silent.

The Big Dipper in front of me... doesn't seem like something out of a fantasy.

Real person?

Beidou spoke first.

"Black Tortoise".

"Beidou".

Chen Guan greeted him, and sure enough, the person in front of him was the real person in the account, not a fictional phantom.

Guan Jinyue scrutinized the man before her. She could tell that the man's aura was strange; though he was standing right in front of her, he seemed to exist outside of this world.

That sense of alienation stemmed from the fact that he had lived for too long and had long since become different from everyone around him.

Chen Guan looked up at Beidou. Since Beidou himself was here, it meant that the experience session was over and it was time to answer his questions.

"The child in the mural is you."

Beidou fell silent for a moment, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

"it's me."

"Seven buckles is also you."

"That's me too."

"So you brought us in here just to see what you used to look like?"

Beidou slowly took half a step closer, without making a sound on the frost beneath its feet.

I'm waiting for someone.

Chen Guan looked up at Bei Dou, who was approaching: "The person you're waiting for, is he related to me?"

He doesn't consider himself to be one of Beidou's people. It's simple: who would think they are impersonating their grandfather?

No, this is even more outrageous than that. This story dates back to the time of our ancestors. Moreover, he wasn't even from this world; his arrival here was just a cruel twist of fate.

Beidou looked at him for a moment before saying, "Your face looks so much like your teacher's."

Chen Guan raised his hand and pressed it between his eyebrows: "You've mistaken me for someone else."

How did he become such a generic face?

Beidou didn't respond to that, her gaze falling on the coffin behind him, then back to his face.

"I didn't make a mistake," he insisted. "It was the same coffin, the same location, and the same choice back then."

After listening, Chen Guan remained silent for a moment.

Then he turned his head and looked directly at Beidou, his tone very serious.

"Are you having a memory problem?"

Beidou's fingertips gently tucked into his sleeve, and the wind and snow fell on his shoulders, but couldn't stop.

Chen Guan continued, "I am eighteen years old. I have never seen you before, nor have I stood with you under any city gate. You have mistaken me for someone from a thousand years ago. Either you are senile, or you have mistaken someone else for me."

Guan Jinyue turned her head and glanced at him.

These words, coming from Chen Guan's mouth, sounded perfectly natural.

Beidou remained silent for a moment, as if trying to discern whether he truly disbelieved or was merely feigning disbelief. After a brief pause, he suddenly smiled.

"Even the tone of your voice is just like his."

"That means you don't know many people," Chen Guan said, knowing he wouldn't admit to things that weren't his business.

this is too scary.

Beidou was not angered by this. His gaze passed over the coffin and landed on the scattered bones on the ground, then looked at the remnants of the old city that had long since lost its strength.

"You fixed the door."

"Just doing it on the spur of the moment," Chen Guan said.

"You even brought a child out of the well."

"He shouldn't have died."

Beidou's gaze lingered on Chen Guan's face for a moment.

"That person said the same things and did the same things back then."

Chen Guan raised his hand and brushed the snow off his shoulder.

"If you're going to rely on this to recognize people, I suggest you see a doctor. There are so many summoned beasts in the White Tiger Clan, isn't there one with this special ability?"

Beidou looked at him, a glance that spanned a long period of time, confirming that a certain figure had finally returned.

"They look so alike..."

Chen Guan's eyelids twitched.

"You really should get your brain checked."

Even when facing the team leader of the neighboring project, whom he couldn't beat, Chen Guan wasn't intimidated at all. He wanted to use this method to make Beidou give up.

I'm really not an old monster.

Beidou didn't respond to that, and finally shifted his gaze to Guan Jinyue.

Guan Jinyue stood very straight, her silver hair blowing to her shoulders in the wind. Her dark eyes showed no extra emotion. She hadn't interrupted at all; she had just been listening.

Beidou looked at her for a while and then asked.

"Are you looking for me?"

Guan Jinyue did not evade the question and answered readily.

"Yes."

Beidou then asked, "Are you looking for me, or for the Guiyuan Group?"

"Yes, we have them all."

"Why seek out the Guiyuan Group?"

Guan Jinyue said frankly, "I think an organization that can lead the world to change must have some unique abilities."

After saying that, Chen Guan turned his head and glanced at her.

Judging from Guan Jinyue's words... she wants to be my colleague?

Hmm, maybe there really is a chance, because the position of Azure Dragon has always been vacant, and it seems there isn't even a backup option.

Guan Jinyue continued, "I want to find an opportunity to wake up my sister, and I also want to find a place where I can stand firm."

She spoke without the slightest hesitation, as if she had already mentally rehearsed those words countless times.

"I have nowhere to go," she said. "Rather than wait to die in endless pursuit, we should find someone who can protect us."

Beidou listened quietly without interrupting.

After a while, he said, "You're quite direct. Isn't having Baal protecting you enough?"

"Demons are absolutely untrustworthy."

"Interesting." Beidou chuckled lightly: "The devil's contractor is actually the one who least trusts the devil's promises."

He had seen many people who had made pacts with the devil, and most of them believed the devil's lies. It was indeed rare to see someone as clear-headed as Guan Jinyue in using the devil.

Fortunately, she had a contract with Baal. If it were another demon god, he might not have been so kind, or at least he wouldn't have tolerated her undisguised wariness. Only Baal didn't care.

However, on the other hand, he knew that this girl had approached Baal herself. So, did Baal choose her, or did she choose the uninhibited Baal?

Regardless of which one it is, this little girl is extraordinary. It is commendable that she can negotiate with a powerful opponent with her limited strength and grow through repeated deception and maneuvering.

Chen Guan stood aside without interrupting.

He could tell that Guan Jinyue's words were not entirely untrue; she genuinely wanted to forge a new path. For so long, she had been going through various channels to maximize her own interests.

Judging Guan Jinyue by good and evil is too narrow-minded.

Beidou looked at her for a while, then suddenly took a step forward.

The snow was silent, and he took each step with utmost lightness.