When the spaceship reached the preset coordinates and the hatch opened, Ruan i stood at the top of the ramp, overlooking the snowy scene below, and suddenly froze.
Returning to her old ho after several amber eras, she had thought her house would no longer exist.
Ordinary buildings that were uninhabited and unmaintained simply could not withstand the erosion of ti.
But now, the ho was still there.
It stood quietly in the wind and snow, clearly discernible from the height.
Not far away, a Bamboo House had been built.
After re-checking the latitude and longitude written on the delivery address, Ruan i was certain that the Bamboo House was Qi Zhimu's current residence.
He didn't move into her ho... Hmm?
That is... Through the fluttering curtain of snow, Ruan i's gaze locked onto a moving figure in the courtyard from afar.
Although they hadn't seen each other in six hundred years, and from this distance, the person was just a small black dot.
But she recognized him at a glance, her student, Qi Zhimu.
The spaceship began its steady descent.
The lower the altitude, the more things could be seen clearly.
She discovered that the mountain path extending from the banks of the Duyue River to her ho was quite prominent, even though it was covered in ice and snow.
On the way, the cross-sections of the branches of those tall trees still bore obvious traces of pruning.
Was it pruned by AMu?
The spaceship finally stopped in the open space not far from the front of the house.
As her feet stepped onto her native soil once again, a ripple finally flickered across Ruan i's always indifferent and exquisite face.
Unknowingly, several amber eras had passed just like that.
Unfortunately, she still hadn't achieved the goal she had set back then—to let the family who loved her, and the family she loved, 'return'.
Ruan i stopped in front of the house.
"An energy lock?"
She sensed a special barrier enveloping the entire residence, which was currently in a closed state.
Without even thinking, she knew it must be her student's handiwork.
Stepping over the threshold and looking around at the familiar layout of the house, those Rembrance that had long been blurred by the erosion of ti gradually beca clear again.
She heard the sound of snow being swept in the backyard.
Ruan i did not call out; she walked naturally through the sandalwood corridor and saw that familiar back.
"A..."
Before the word "Mu" could leave her lips, a look of doubt crossed her face.
That was not her student, Qi Zhimu.
The reason she felt a sense of familiarity was that during those nearly six hundred years, there had also been such a figure accompanying her day and night, looking after her daily life in place of the student who had left.
At the sa ti, as Ruan i spoke, the chanical automaton had already turned around.
Their eyes t, but their gazes were completely different.
"Hello, Ms. Ruan i. Hundreds of years have passed, and you have finally returned."
Ruan i didn't see any traces of scanning in the automaton's eyes; did it complete the identity verification the mont it saw her?
"I am a creation of Qi Zhimu. I am a chanical automaton powered by his Rembrance and acting according to ta-instructions."
"Mhm."
Ruan i was not surprised.
Although she hadn't taught Qi Zhimu how to make chanical automatons, he had seen the original design blueprints back then, so it wasn't strange that he could make one.
Having an automaton by one's side could save a lot of unnecessary ti.
"Where is AMu?"
Just like Yu Qintu back then, Ruan i hadn't realized anything yet.
She asked about her student's whereabouts with a normal expression, never imagining—
The automaton's next words would instantly shatter the indifference she had maintained for hundreds of years.
"Ms. Ruan i, Qi Zhimu has passed away; it will soon be 489 years."
"..."
What did it just say?
Ruan i stood frozen in the courtyard, an emotion she had never felt before gradually welling up in her eyes.
It said... AMu is dead?
...Impossible!
Passed away for nearly 489 years... 489... Thinking of a certain possibility, Ruan i suddenly lost her composure.
Qi Zhimu was 64 when he finished his apprenticeship. She had confird his lifespan back then; he could live to be 175.
The day his lifespan ended was exactly 111 years after he finished his apprenticeship. Adding the number 489... 600.
In other words, he didn't use any thod to extend his life!
"Why... why must you fail too..."
Ruan i murmured softly, a shadow cast over her face.
"I told you we would et again after the research ended. Why didn't you listen...?"
Ruan i unconsciously looked for a reason to explain it for Qi Zhimu.
Maybe... it was an accident?
Her heart, which was about to beco a ss, still held onto a final, faint glimr of hope.
"AMu died in an accident, right? Tell , who did it?"
Ruan i stared fixedly at the automaton.
The automaton was not equipped with an emotion simulation system. When Ruan i asked, it answered in an emotionless tone.
"Qi Zhimu did not die in an accident; he passed away naturally when his lifespan reached its end. Based on emotional readings, the conclusion is: he left peacefully and calmly."
"..."
Ruan i instinctively backed away, her steps even a bit staggered.
Just then, the automaton stepped forward and perford an action almost identical to when it t Yu Qintu years ago.
It opened its chest cavity, reached into the folded space within, and took out a preservation box.
"This is the only item Qi Zhimu left for you before he died. Unfortunately, its shelf life is only 150 years."
Ruan i's gaze fell on the opened preservation box.
There was only a plate of familiar-looking pastries.
From the appearance, there were no signs of spoilage.
She took the box and picked up a piece, bringing it close to her nose.
The unique, crisp fragrance of plum blossoms was still strong, not at all like it had spoiled.
But at this mont, she had no heart to taste it, let alone further examine it.
"What else did AMu say...?"
"He said nothing."
Hearing this, Ruan i instinctively pursed her lower lip, a look of disappointnt flashing across her face that she hadn't even noticed herself.
She wanted to demand why he didn't even leave a word for his teacher before leaving.
But then she rembered that she was the one who told AMu not to disturb her again.
After finishing his apprenticeship, except for the plum blossom brew sent every year, he hadn't even written a single letter.
The remarks column on the shipping slip was also always blank.
From what angle could she criticize AMu?
...Wait—
That's right, the plum blossom brew!!!
Ruan i rembered that the plum blossom brew was still being sent on ti even this year, its flavor the sa as always.
If AMu had been dead for many years, where did these wines co from?
Several possibilities quickly surfaced in her mind.
The first was naturally that Qi Zhimu wasn't dead yet.
And the truth that she dared not think too deeply about was related to the chanical automaton in front of her... "Tell , what are the ta-instructions AMu set in your core?"
The automaton replied:
"1. Periodically cultivate the plum grove, pick plum blossoms, brew wine according to the preset program, and finally send a three-year supply of the finished product to you."
"2. Periodically maintain your ho and the Bamboo House, performing daily cleaning."
"3. Periodically prune the vegetation on both sides of the mountain path starting from the banks of the Duyue River and leading directly to your front door."
"4. Aside from the specified schedules above, I will stay in front of your ho and activate sentry mode to prevent any situation that might cause damage to the residence."
Hearing the emotionless answers one by one, Ruan i's heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
The possibility she was most unwilling to believe had, in the end, co true.
"Why did AMu do this?"
"No relevant Rembrance in the database, unable to answer."
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