"In-in-in—after that? What happened after that? I'm old, my memory isn't good anymore…" Jing Yuan started humming and hawing to change the subject. "Miss Ruan Mei, Stelle! Help me!"
"Tell Jingliu what the current situation really is!"
Stelle scratched her head, but her heart softened. She stepped forward and explained, "Sister Jingliu, please wait a moment. I can testify for Old Jing on this point…"
The three of them spent quite a while talking, and finally managed to make Jingliu accept the fact that it was already several hundred years later.
"So, I was originally going to die, and you helped extract part of my memory, cleared my brain's storage, and delayed the Mara-Struck State?"
Ruan Mei nodded. "If you still have doubts, I can show you evidence of our interactions over the years—photos, videos, and traces from daily life."
Jingliu remained silent for a long while. "…So that's how it is."
While Jingliu was trying hard to accept the current situation, someone nearby had already quietly crept to the door of the preparation room, preparing to slip away…
Whoosh—
Jing Yuan almost reflexively turned around, brought his palms together, and caught an ice sword radiating cold air between them.
"Hmph… Jing Yuan, you didn't think that after a few hundred years, all your past sins could be written off, did you?"
"Of five people, three must pay a price. You are one of them."
"Don't say I'm bullying the weak. I'll give you a chance to repent. I can consider letting you off. Otherwise…"
Jing Yuan slowly dripped a bead of cold sweat. "O-okay… fine…"
...
Star Calendar xxxx, Jingliu's final days were approaching.
Daytime.
"Jing Yuan, I'm hungry."
Jingliu sat on the bed in a duck-like posture. Her ruby-like eyes were filled with innocence and clarity, like a child who knew nothing of the world. There was even a trace of grievance in her gaze. "I-I haven't eaten for so long. Jing Yuan, you weren't like this before…"
In front of the bed, Jing Yuan weighed the hammer in his hand and remained unmoved. "Oh? What wasn't I like before? Master, back then when you and Baiheng blew air at me together, did you ever think about today? Every night when you tormented me, did you ever think about today?"
"Now it's finally my turn to pull out your oxygen tube, right? Oh hehehehe~"
Jingliu grabbed one of Jing Yuan's hands and hurriedly explained, "No, no, it's not like that! I really, really couldn't control myself!"
"You know, right? At night I can't control myself at all. I-I really didn't mean to bully you!"
Jing Yuan: "So why don't you cook for yourself?"
Jingliu declared righteously, "I can't do anything! You've supported me for so many years—my survival skills are gone!"
Jing Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh~ I almost forgot. It's daytime right now."
Jingliu nodded hurriedly.
"Alright. Since it's Master during the day, this disciple will show some old affection and give you a bite to eat."
Like magic, Jing Yuan took out a portion of tomato beef rice. He poured the fragrant, steaming broth over the rice, mixed the beef and rice together, then scooped up a huge spoonful. "Master, let me ask you—do you want to eat?"
Jingliu's eyes sparkled. "Yes, yes!"
Jing Yuan chuckled. "If you want to eat, you have to shout 'Thank you, Jing Yuan' three times."
Since it was Jingliu in her daytime state, she barely hesitated and shouted loudly, "Thank you, Jing Yuan!"
"One time."
"Thank you, Jing Yuan!"
"Two times."
"Thank you, Jing Yuan!"
"Two times."
"?"
Jingliu tilted her head in confusion. "W-wasn't that three times already?"
Jing Yuan shook his head. "Master, did you not eat? Your voice is so small—how can I hear it? Louder."
Jingliu took a deep breath and shouted, "Thank you, Jing Yuan!!"
"Two times, can't hear it!"
"Thank you! Jing Yuan!!"
"Can't hear it!!"
"Thank—cough cough cough, cough cough cough—!"
"..."
She shouted more than a dozen times in a row, yet Jing Yuan still stared and said he couldn't hear. By now, even the slow-witted daytime Jingliu realized what was happening. Her cheeks puffed up in anger. "Jing Yuan! You jerk! You're messing with me!"
Hearing this, Jing Yuan's face instantly turned cold. "What? You actually cursed at me?"
Jingliu blinked: ?
"Oh dear, I kindly offered to feed you, and I was even going to let you eat it. Yet you cursed at me. I'm not feeding you anymore. You can go survive in the wilderness at home by yourself."
With that, Jing Yuan turned around and prepared to leave.
"Onegai! Jing Yuan, don't go!"
Jingliu pitifully grabbed the corner of Jing Yuan's clothes. "Onegai, as long as you cook for me for the rest of my life, I'll do anything."
Jing Yuan looked down at Jingliu. "Master, your head is only full of yourself, huh."
"But I've never felt any joy in being your disciple."
"From a hundred years ago, I've been your personal nanny, housekeeper, manager, punching bag… You're already over a thousand years old. You need to learn to fend for yourself, understand?"
Jing Yuan sat back down and brought the spoon to Jingliu's mouth. "Master, this is… the last meal."
Seeing Jing Yuan's sudden change in attitude, Jingliu immediately brightened. Her daytime intelligence wasn't enough to catch the hidden meaning in his words. No matter what, she should eat first.
Jingliu opened her mouth wide and bit down hard toward the spoon—
Jing Yuan suddenly pulled back. Jingliu bit empty air.
Jingliu: ...?
"Master, eat quickly." Jing Yuan looked innocent. "Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste good when it gets cold."
Jingliu tried to bite again but failed.
"Master, why aren't you focused when eating?" Jing Yuan said seriously. "Why aren't you eating? Don't you want to? If you don't want to, I'll leave."
Jingliu glared fiercely at Jing Yuan and reached out to grab the spoon—
Whoosh—
Jing Yuan moved as fast as lightning and dodged her grasp in the blink of an eye.
Jingliu panicked and used both hands.
Jing Yuan smiled. Jingliu was currently in a weakened state; her speed naturally couldn't compare to his as a general. Moreover, he had deliberately worn speed shoes today. The old thing was no match for him at all.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
After a bout of struggling, Jingliu's chest heaved slightly, and her eyes looked like they could cry at any moment.
"Sigh, Master, what will you do without me in the future?" Jing Yuan shook his head helplessly and sighed.
"…Hmph, I understand."
Jingliu wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Jing Yuan, you deserve a beating!"
Jingliu suddenly struck. This time, instead of trying to snatch the bowl and chopsticks from Jing Yuan's hands, she threw a fierce punch straight at his handsome face!
Bang!
With a solid collision sound, Jing Yuan fell to the ground. Jingliu deftly caught the bowl and chopsticks and began eating heartily.
But at this moment, Jingliu did not notice that when Jing Yuan fell, a gratified smile finally appeared on his face.