Gazing at Caelus, who was holding the Foxian girl and extending an arm to invite her into his embrace, Ruan Mei averted her eyes after a moment of silence.
"What an interesting power."
Murmuring this softly, Ruan Mei slowly extended her index finger, gently tapping a fluttering crimson feather.
Faint ripples spread from the point where the crimson feather and Ruan Mei's finger met.
"It affects brain signals... no, it goes deeper, to the level of consciousness. It links consciousness, intervening in her struggle against the will of Destruction..."
A brief touch was all it took for a preliminary analysis of Fenghuang Down.
This is the profound depth of Erudition... ahem, the mark of a true genius!
Ruan Mei blinked, looked at Caelus, and her red lips parted slightly.
"My dear, what is this?"
There are many abilities and items in the world that can manipulate consciousness; Ruan Mei could casually concoct a potion to do just that. But she could see past the surface to the essence.
The source of this power, the core of the Crimson Feather Lotus Caelus had produced—that, Ruan Mei could not see through.
Tingyun, resting her head against Caelus's chest, felt her smile stiffen slightly. Her narrow, fox-like eyes gradually narrowed into slits.
Where did this woman come from?
Calling her benefactor "my dear" with every other word!
Tingyun's thoughts raced as she sifted through her recovered memories, finding no friend who matched the woman before her.
A wild vixen... bah, a home-wrecker!
Like a doting wife, Tingyun gently took Caelus's arm. With every frown and smile, she perfectly embodied the tender charm and allure of a Foxian woman.
"Let me introduce you. This is Ruan Mei."
Caelus looked at the vixen by his side, whose smile was subtly alluring. He wore a gentle smile himself, but inwardly, he could barely suppress his own grin.
How could he not see why Tingyun had suddenly adopted such an intimate posture?
"Ruan Mei... Ruan Mei..."
Mulling over the familiar name, Tingyun's brow gradually furrowed.
"A ge-genius?"
"Yes, she's a member of the Genius Society."
Hearing Caelus's confirmation, the charming smile on Tingyun's face froze solid, and her expression slowly turned strange.
She hadn't fully recovered her memories yet. Sorting through them chronologically, she had probably retrieved about half of the fragments.
In those memories, there was certainly no woman with such a transcendent air, beautiful as if she had stepped out of a painting. But the name was there!
As a genius renowned throughout the galaxy, Ruan Mei's name was practically known by all.
It wasn't just her; every member of the Genius Society was famous far and wide across the universe, for they were the most outstanding geniuses and minds, with intellects that transcended mortal limits.
These geniuses, glanced upon by Nous, whether they were Emanators or not, possessed the authority to manipulate the energy of their Paths. Their influence on the galaxy and its various factions was no less than that of Emanators from other Paths.
On a cosmic scale, it was even far greater!
Emperor Rupert II, in his mortal body, achieved the computational power to destroy half the universe.
Neither the seven great Xianzhou nor the Interastral Peace Corporation dared to underestimate the stance of a true genius.
As an outstanding and well-connected envoy of the Sky-Faring Commission, who founded the Whistling Flames merchant guild and led its growth with her own social grace, eloquence, and shrewdness...
...Tingyun knew better than anyone what a genius was worth!
But-but now, why would Lady Ruan Mei call her husband, her benefactor, "my dear"?!
Tingyun's mind was buzzing; she couldn't comprehend it at all.
One had to remember, Tingyun's memory stopped at the moment she was attacked by the Lord Ravager. Her perception of herself was merely that of a somewhat thoughtful merchant who knew how to assess situations.
She was just a weak little Foxian girl!
Being targeted by a Lord Ravager was bad enough, so why did a genius have to show up and try to steal her man?!
To put it in Earth terms, it's like you're a department manager at a tech company branch, and your love rival is the CEO of a Fortune 100 company—the dictatorial kind!
Me, take on a genius?
Under Ruan Mei's gaze, her eyes patterned with pink plum blossoms, Tingyun reined in her flirtatious demeanor, becoming visibly more reserved. However, she did not let go of Caelus.
After all, her benefactor had said he was her husband, so they must be officially registered. Even if she was a genius, she couldn't just steal him away by force, right?
Amidst her worry, Tingyun also felt a little proud.
The fact that even a genius liked her benefactor was proof enough of his charm—and by extension, her own!
Even without using Fenghuang Down, Caelus could guess the reason for the change in Tingyun's expression based solely on an actor's intuition, and he couldn't help but feel even more delighted.
"By the way, didn't you say you couldn't get in here?"
Caelus asked Ruan Mei with a light chuckle.
Ruan Mei nodded slightly and said softly, "Under normal circumstances, I cannot enter her spiritual world. All I could do was wait for her to awaken and guide her through this journey."
"However, after you gathered and reassembled her shattered consciousness, my dear, I was able to come here."
Ruan Mei's main field of research is the essence of life; the realm of consciousness is just a small branch within that field. She has done some research on it, but only as a minor project.
Certain creations and technologies can influence consciousness, but in terms of flexibility, they naturally can't compare to a Divine Key that specializes in the will, like Fenghuang Down.
"If we keep going and piece together Tingyun's memory fragments, her consciousness should be fine, right?"
Caelus wasn't putting on this act entirely for fun. Even with the help of Fenghuang Down, Tingyun's own will was crucial.
If Tingyun's will was extinguished and she lacked a strong enough desire to live, she couldn't be saved, even if Caelus forcibly molded her consciousness back together with Fenghuang Down.
By playing the role of her husband, building up her affection, and giving her clear hope to live, he had made the process much smoother.
"As for her physical injuries, how long will it take for them to heal?"
Caelus was contemplating the system's mission completion criteria; it probably didn't require Tingyun's full recovery to be settled, so he casually asked about the timeframe.
"I cannot be certain."
Ruan Mei shook her head slightly, her voice soft and low,
"Her body has been thoroughly corrupted by Destruction, suffering the most severe damage. This trauma runs deep into her genes; even I cannot eliminate it."
"To prevent a resurgence, or worse, for it to gain further control, I need to modify her body... hmm, optimize it."
Ruan Mei looked at Tingyun. Although she wore a smile, the depths of her breathtakingly beautiful eyes were filled with cold indifference, as if she were looking at a common animal.
"The time required for the process is incalculable. It requires Ancient Beast genes that are compatible with her. Among the materials I obtained from Herta, there are some that meet the compatibility standards, but the specific degree of compatibility will require comparative experiments."
"Ancient Beast genes?" Caelus was getting interested.
It is said that from the birth of the universe until the emergence of the Aeons, wondrous creatures called Ancient Beasts roamed the cosmos. In that era, they were the masters of the galaxy.
Later, for unknown reasons, an unprecedented war broke out between humanity and the Ancient Beasts. With the help of the Aeons, humanity won the war and annihilated the Ancient Beast race.
Today, there are no living Ancient Beasts left in the universe—at least, not openly. But the bodies of those long-dead Ancient Beasts, imbued with immense power, have resisted the erosion of time and still drift in some forgotten corner of the starry sea.
Caelus was actually quite curious about such powerful creatures.
Standing quietly by Caelus's side, Tingyun pieced together the details from their conversation, gaining a better understanding of her current condition.
At the same time, Tingyun also realized that she was alive not just thanks to her benefactor's help—or rather, that Caelus was not her only benefactor.
Ruan Mei was her savior as well.
Tingyun's feelings were complicated. What could she do?
After a brief silence, Tingyun stepped forward during a pause in their conversation and performed a graceful curtsy to Ruan Mei, lowering her head.
"Lady Ruan Mei... regardless of the circumstances, thank you for saving my life."
"No thanks are necessary. I intervened only because of a deal with my dear. It has nothing to do with you."
Ruan Mei still wore a faint smile, her tone gentle, but the words that came from her red lips felt utterly devoid of warmth, leaving Tingyun at a loss.
In an instant, her mind conjured an image: Caelus, in agony and with a heavy heart, making a deal with Ruan Mei—who lusted after his body—just to get her to save her.
Forced to become Ruan Mei's boy toy, to be groped and tragically toyed with by her.
However, in less than a second, Tingyun banished the thought from her mind. It was surely an absurd notion born from anxiety and shock.
Lady Ruan Mei... she couldn't be that kind of person.
"Eh!"
Just as Tingyun was thinking of what to say, she suddenly felt a touch on her face. It wasn't Caelus; it was a touch like silk.
Stunned, Tingyun looked up to see that Ruan Mei had appeared before her at some point.
Ruan Mei's slender, jade-like fingers tapped and slid across Tingyun's cheeks and jaw, seemingly at random.
"Lady Ruan Mei, what are you doing?" Tingyun asked cautiously.
"You."
Ruan Mei lowered her hand, her gaze fixed on the slightly uneasy Foxian girl, and her thin lips parted. "Are you willing to accept the genes of an Ancient Beast?"
With only half her memories, Tingyun's impression of Ancient Beasts was still vague. But having heard the conversation between her benefactor and Ruan Mei, her naturally sharp and intelligent mind understood the meaning behind Ruan Mei's question.
This was the only way she could survive.
"This humble girl desires... to accept her benefactor's genes!"
Tingyun answered without much hesitation. The next second, however, she blinked in astonishment.
Caelus blinked as well, looking at Tingyun. His gaze was like two paintbrushes, dyeing her pretty face red.
What did I just say?
Although she was certainly willing in her heart, she would never have said it out loud!
Noticing Tingyun's shock, Ruan Mei explained calmly:
"I find it difficult to trust anyone but myself, and I certainly don't want my research project on Ancient Beasts to be known by others. From now on, you will be unable to speak of Ancient Beasts or anything related to me. Any related questions will be answered with your true inner thoughts."
In medicinal terms, it's equivalent to an aversion agent combined with a truth serum.
True inner thoughts...
Those words made Tingyun's expression freeze. Feeling Caelus's gaze, the crimson blush on her face instantly spread to the tips of her ears, and her fox tail began to sway back and forth rapidly.
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