"It's nothing serious, just superficial wounds. We're still haggling over liability with someone."
Yu Huai's face was full of worry. He grabbed Qi Zhimu's shoulders and urgently said:
"You have a good relationship with the Qingyun School's School Head. Can you vouch for me and sign off on this batch of equipment first?"
The School Head is a common title used in Xianzhou Academies, essentially meaning the school's principal.
"The School Head isn't here?" Qi Zhimu asked.
"The starship was delayed; they won't be back for another two quarters of an hour."
"Alright, give me the documents."
Yu Huai quickly took out the handover documents.
Qi Zhimu signed his name on it and received a spatial jade message from Yu Huai.
"Thanks, brother!" Yu Huai, worried about his wife and daughter, rushed into the rain.
In principle, as an Academy teacher, Qi Zhimu did not have the authority to sign for teaching equipment on behalf of the School Head.
However, he had once saved the Qingyun School Head's life, so for an emergency, the latter wouldn't say anything.
More than half an hour later, the School Head finally returned to Qingyun.
Upon learning that Qi Zhimu had signed on their behalf, they expressed their sincere gratitude.
After transferring the spatial jade message, Qi Zhimu walked into the rain with an umbrella and went to the starship parking area, taking his private starship home.
"Zhimu, you're back."
"Yeah, I'll make dinner." Qi Zhimu took off his shoes and placed the wet umbrella into the stand in the entryway.
"No need, General Teng Xiao came by a while ago and brought some signature dishes from Zhiwei Shengyuan," Qiu Zhiyan waved her hand.
Qi Zhimu paused, looking at his mother with a strange expression.
"The General didn't say anything," Qiu Zhiyan knew what he was thinking.
"Understood."
At the dining table, mother and son ate in silence, as usual.
It's just that... just as there is no mother who doesn't understand her child, there is no child who doesn't understand their mother.
"Mother, just say what you want to say."
Ever since he came home, his mother's hesitant gaze hadn't disappeared.
Qi Zhimu knew what she wanted to say.
Qiu Zhiyan gradually stopped chewing her food, put down her bowl and chopsticks, and remained silent.
After a long while, she finally raised her gaze to meet Qi Zhimu's eyes.
"...Child, have you resented me all these years?"
Xianzhou people are Long-lived Species and do not age.
Qi Zhimu looked at his mother's face, which had remained the same for hundreds of years, and shook his head without hesitation.
"Never."
"…"
Reading the respect and sincerity in Qi Zhimu's eyes, Qiu Zhiyan felt even more bitter, with a myriad of words stuck in her throat.
The more sensible her child was, the more guilty she felt.
"Mother is also doing this for my own good. I deeply understand this, so there's no need to overthink it."
"But Mother broke your wings. You could have achieved greater suc—"
"It's alright, Mother."
Qi Zhimu got up and went to his mother, gently embracing her.
"I wasn't without a rebellious phase. If I had insisted on my path back then, I wouldn't have listened to you."
Feeling the warmth from her son's embrace, Qiu Zhiyan closed her eyes and let out a silent sigh.
"The Qi Family has been like this for generations, but my selfish desires led you down another path. I have failed the Qi Family ancestors."
"You're overthinking again. The meaning and future of the living should never be defined by the dead."
Qi Zhimu hugged his mother tighter and said gently:
"Let the past remain in the past. We never lived for past glory. My sister taught me this more than once when she was alive."
"Your sister also cared for you..." Qiu Zhiyan's eyes were slightly red.
Back then, Qi Zhimu worked himself so hard that not only his mother, but even his sister worried about him.
Recently, Qiu Zhiyan frequently recalled past events.
Those deeply etched memories replayed in her mind like a phantom show.
All of it was the true past.
The generational blood war between the Xianzhou people and the brutal Followers of Abundance had always been one-sided.
To kill a Borisin often required the combined efforts of two or even three people.
Only the Cloud Knight Vanguard, and even Sword Master and Generals, possessed the ability to fight a hundred alone, to be an army of one.
But even so, facing an endless tide of Abominations more exaggerated than a tsunami, no one could keep going indefinitely.
Humans are human because they have limits.
She saw all her comrades die tragically, with no one returning home.
She saw her loved ones and family die in a bloody hell, with mountains of corpses piled at their feet.
On that day, she also saw the future—
Her last child would also follow the path of their predecessors, dying in a foreign land.
"Zhimu, do you remember what you grabbed during the 'trial of the child' custom when you were little?"
"...A sword." Qi Zhimu pursed his lips.
"Yes, among a dozen different objects and toys, you precisely grabbed the only sword."
Qiu Zhiyan's face showed nostalgia.
"Your father was overjoyed then, throwing a three-day banquet to celebrate."
"Both sons and daughters of the Qi Family have served in the military for generations. No matter what they grasp in the 'trial of the child' custom, they will rise to the Cloud Knight Vanguard in the future, living up to the glory of their ancestors."
"But since the Qi Family's first ancestor, no one has been elected Xianzhou General again."
"You showed extraordinary martial talent from a young age. Your father, and I, too, once placed great hopes on you..."
"But wars in this era are no longer like those of thousands of years ago; their cruelty and devastation far exceed the past."
"I have already lost—"
"Don't say it, Mother..."
Qi Zhimu interrupted his mother's words, which were about to turn into a sob, with a gentle tone.
"You never broke my wings; I chose to leave the sky, that's all."
"If I wanted to fly back to the sky, I could at any time, but..."
"Parents shouldn't watch their children leave. I understand, I understand everything."
After many years, Qiu Zhiyan's eyes became moist.
From childhood, her Zhimu had never angered his parents. He was well-behaved, sensible, and extraordinarily talented, a typical good role model from next door.
Children always owed their parents, but she felt that she owed Qi Zhimu too much.
One must know that back then, Qi Zhimu, barely ten years old, wielding a wooden sword, defeated dozens of Cloud Knight Vanguard of the Azure City Star Skiff under special conditions.
His future was truly limitless.
It's just a pity that 451 years ago, during the Second Abundance Plague War... "Tomorrow is Father and Sister's death anniversary. I've adjusted tomorrow's lessons to accompany you in the morning. Please rest early."
Qi Zhimu patted his mother's shoulder and said softly.
Qiu Zhiyan nodded: "Hmm, by your tone, are you going out tonight?"
"To see the General."
"...Be careful on the way."
"Of course. Love you, Mother."
"You rascal, you're hundreds of years old and still so mushy..."
...PS: Content without explicit timelines is always difficult to verify.
The game seems to have lore stating that Jing Yuan is the longest-serving Luofu General, yet during the Azure City Star Skiff era, the previous Luofu General Teng Xiao already existed.
Teng Xiao was still around until the Shuhu Rebellion, a period spanning a thousand years.
If the in-game texts aren't contradicting each other, then it means the General of Azure City was likely Teng Xiao, and he was also one of the survivors.
After all... there's no description of the Azure City General in that bloody battle, but rather of the former Luofu General Teng Xiao, which is inherently a bit strange.
And the original leader of Luofu is speculated to be Marshal Hua.
The game text also never mentions the 'Eight Emissaries of the Reignbow,' and the timeline when Azure City was still around leaves exactly seven Xianzhou.
Yuanqiao and Daiyu crashed before Lan was even born, so I personally lean towards there only being seven Emanators from the beginning.
There's also a theory that the Seven Luminaries of the Imperial Bow initially didn't include the Marshal, but that seems unlikely.
Those interested can check the lore for Hanya, Snow Garment, and Imbibitor Lunae. Also, Snow Garment's voice lines about Imbibitor Lunae present a somewhat contradictory timeline.
In short, any differences from the original work should be considered as fan-made settings.
These fan-made settings include character real names, such as 'Lao E.' The game has no description of her real name, and she certainly wasn't called Black Swan initially.
Anyway, Haji Huan has been backstabbed multiple times in previous books, so a few more won't hurt. If the developers have the guts, they can fill in the plot holes and backstab again.
Also, I've received some reader feedback, so a brief explanation:
This book is not a traditional simulator-style novel. The protagonist's life in each incarnation is a real experience.
He will have different experiences and insights, which in turn determine his network of relationships, emotions, personality, and style of action.
If you occasionally feel that he deviates from his previous incarnation's character and style, don't worry too much.
After all, each life experience is different; it's impossible to live the same way.