An extra update on the last day of the holiday... the entire galaxy experienced a massive shock.
Azure City, the most prosperous city in the Xianzhou Alliance, had been completely reduced to cosmic dust.
The Rahu that once devoured the heavens and earth also ceased to exist; that starfield was left with only suffocating silence.
The Emanator of Abundance Shuhu was slain by the Lord of the Hunt Envoy of Azure City, leaving not even ashes behind.
However, no one from any influential faction took this news seriously.
Shuhu had died many times, and each time he would make a comeback.
Facing this calamity, not only was the entire Xianzhou Alliance in a state of panic, but the attitudes of factions that had trade relations with the Xianzhou also became complicated and varied.
However, for the Alliance, the attitudes of outsiders were not within the scope of urgent matters to be resolved.
Yaoqing Xianzhou, temporary resettlement area.
There was no joy or celebration of surviving the catastrophe here.
Everywhere one looked, there was white mourning attire.
The suppressed weeping that occasionally echoed made the dark sky seem particularly heavy.
Less than twenty million people — that was the total surviving population of Azure City.
For this starship, which was once prosperous and had a population of hundreds of billions, this number was less a survival and more a dismemberment.
The air was filled with a mixture of disinfectant and blood, as well as the unique, nauseating smell of post-war aftermath.
Beyond the dark, false sky above, lay the homeland that no one could return to.
In a temporarily constructed ward, there wasn't a single empty bed.
Jingliu lay on a bed in the corner, her eyes hollow as she stared at the ceiling.
Her wounds had already been treated, and she wasn't bandaged, but she still looked like a swaying branch that could snap at any moment.
Since being rescued, she had maintained this posture, neither eating nor drinking, rarely even moving her eyeballs, no different from an automaton that had lost its soul.
Qi Zhimu walked in from outside.
At this moment, he had changed into clean casual clothes, washing away the blood and grime, but he couldn't wash away the gloom between his brows.
He walked to the bedside and looked down at Jingliu.
There were no gentle words of comfort, no inquiries about her well-being, only a cold sneer.
"Is this the person Yu Huai and Hui Yu risked their lives to protect?"
Jingliu didn't react, as if she hadn't heard.
"If she had known this, my mother would not have wasted the last moments of her life on you for nothing."
Qi Zhimu's tone was icy, each word a chilling ice pick.
He suddenly leaned down, his bloodshot eyes staring intently into Jingliu's hollow pupils.
"Saving such a walking corpse is useless even if she lives."
"I shouldn't have brought you out of that purgatory; letting you rot in Rahu's belly would have been a release for you!"
Jingliu's eyelashes trembled, and a faint ripple finally appeared in her hollow pupils.
Pain, guilt, despair... Qi Zhimu saw these, forcefully suppressing the reluctance in his heart.
Family dead, homeland turned to dust, and people dying because of me... it must be very painful, very despairing, very guilty, right... I understand all of it, and I understand your feelings at this moment even more.
If I could have returned sooner, perhaps I could have saved your parents.
But what has happened cannot be reversed.
Whether you rage or walk on with hatred, at least don't be like this now... Qi Zhimu straightened up, withdrew his gaze, and spoke coldly.
"Azure City has fallen, and not many survived. If you choose to be a useless person, drowned in fear for the rest of your life, then so be it."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
One step, two steps.
"...Wait, wait..."
A faint voice came from behind him.
Qi Zhimu paused.
"I want to..."
Jingliu struggled to get off the bed, her legs weak, falling to the ground, but she gritted her teeth and crawled towards that back, using both hands and feet.
She looked up, and in those eyes once filled with fear, a flicker of flame now burned.
A prairie fire named hatred.
"...I want to kill them all... Teach me, please... teach me how to kill them...!"
Qi Zhimu's back was to her, his tense lips relaxing almost imperceptibly.
Hiding the complex emotions in his eyes, he turned to look at the disheveled girl on the ground.
"I can teach you, but this path is more painful than death. If you decide to learn, I will not give you a chance to back down."
Jingliu gritted her teeth and struggled to get up.
"I, I'm not afraid."
"Good." Qi Zhimu lowered his eyes and nodded, his voice still indifferent... The next day, Jingliu's minor injuries were no longer an issue.
Qi Zhimu first took her to the Martyrs' Grotto-Heaven to bury his fallen mother.
Then he brought her to a Martial Arts Field and entered the armory.
There were many excellent weapons here: sabers, spears, swords, halberds, all fully stocked.
"Go pick one. I'll wait for you outside."
Qi Zhimu pointed to the many weapon racks, then left the space for her to choose freely.
Jingliu didn't hesitate, weaving through the cold machinery.
Finally, she stopped before a longsword.
It was the most basic Type II standard longsword of the Cloud Knights, with a slender blade and a chilling gleam.
She gripped the hilt with both hands, took it down, walked out of the armory, and bowed deeply to Qi Zhimu.
"Master."
The wind swept through the empty training ground, kicking up dust from the ground. With the simplest master-disciple ceremony, the two became master and apprentice... One month later.
A secluded viewing platform in the Grotto-Heaven where the Yaoqing Sky-Faring Commission was located.
A burly man in military attire gazed into the distance. starships responsible for transporting various supplies moved in and out of the busy starport like worker ants.
Hearing footsteps, Teng Xiao turned his head.
After just one month apart, the once valiant general of Azure City now had an added sharpness between his brows.
"You're here." Teng Xiao's voice was low.
Qi Zhimu nodded, standing opposite him, his expression calm.
"The statistics are out."
Teng Xiao handed over a jade message.
"Excluding you and me, the total number of survivors is 19,874,521. The Alliance has decided that all personnel will be relocated and distributed to the remaining six Xianzhou according to their free will, but... many people won't make it until then."
At this point, his gaze towards Qi Zhimu also held worry.
Qi Zhimu pretended not to notice Teng Xiao's concern, silently nodding: "Though Azure City is destroyed, its legacy is not extinguished."
Teng Xiao sighed inwardly: "The Marshal has ordered me to take over the Luofu Cloud Knights' military affairs. Will you come with me? I need a helper like you."
Qi Zhimu's gaze turned towards the dim sky.
"No." He refused very directly: "I want to stay on Yaoqing for now."
"Why?"
"Yaoqing is constantly fighting on the front lines to clear Abominations; it's more suitable for me now."
Qi Zhimu's voice subtly carried an unyielding murderous intent, and the image of the small figure tirelessly running in the Martial Arts Field appeared in his mind.
"And it's also more suitable for the disciple I just took in."
Teng Xiao looked at him deeply, then, after a long moment, let out a sigh.
He understood that Qi Zhimu harbored too much hatred in his heart.
Yaoqing was known as the Alliance's vanguard and sharpest arrow, indeed the best vessel for this hatred.
"Since that's the case, I won't force you."
Teng Xiao patted Qi Zhimu's shoulder, his touch heavy.
"Take care, don't die."
"You too."
Watching Teng Xiao board the starship bound for Luofu and disappear into the realm gate route, Qi Zhimu turned and left.
For the next period, he would be under observation after experiencing major battles.
Having taken Jingliu as his disciple, he naturally needed to be responsible for her.
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