Perhaps fate was looking down on her, for the thing Jingliu feared most never came to pass.
Her Master remained well, living peacefully until the year 7277 of the star calendar.
No... more accurately, it was an unbelievable miracle; never in the history of the Xianzhou had there been a retired Cloud Knight of such an advanced age.
Excluding a very few special prisoners in the Shackling Prison, the longest-lived people currently on the Alliance's public records were Marshal Hua, followed by General Huaiyan of the Zhuming Xianzhou, neither of whom had ever stepped down from their posts.
The third person was Qi Zhimu.
His appearance always remained that of a young man in his twenties, and his bearing lacked even a hint of world-weariness.
Yet his advanced age of over 1,580 years was an undeniable fact.
Generally speaking, the Alliance would increase surveillance on Xianzhou natives over a thousand years old, with the Messengers and Judges of the Ten Lords Tribunal exerting the most scrutiny.
Jingliu noticed that even she was occasionally observed by gazes from the shadows.
After all, she also belonged to the elderly population.
Then there were the seniors, Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold, whose age difference was barely ten... seniors who had retired in the year 6976 of the star calendar.
Besides them, there was one more: Teng Xiao, over 1,260 years old.
Yet her Master seemed to be under no surveillance at all, which was somewhat strange.
Over a thousand years had passed since the fall of Azure City, and they were the only five survivors of that catastrophe remaining to this day.
The core upper echelons of the Alchemy Commission and the Ten Lords Tribunal had long engaged in countless private discussions about this.
These five were not only survivors and witnesses of the crash of a Xianzhou flagship, but they had also spent many years thereafter practicing the path of The Hunt, hunting Abominations and protecting the Xianzhou.
Typically, once a Xianzhou native exceeds seven hundred years of age, the probability of falling into mara affliction climbs year by year.
For retired Cloud Knights, this moment often arrived even sooner.
But looking at Qi Zhimu and the other four?
Three had retired and two had carried their responsibilities for many years; despite stacking all sorts of dangerous conditions, they had made it to this day.
Considering the case of General Huaiyan of the Zhuming, as well as a few long-lived existences known only to the high-ranking officials of the Alchemy Commission and the Ten Lords Tribunal, no one dared to speak out of turn or discuss it publicly... It was the height of winter, early morning.
Outside the Qingxin Residence, everything was wrapped in silver and fine snow fluttered down. Jingliu pushed open the door, gazing at the fluffy white expanse outside.
The snowy path remains unswept, the mountain window waits for the moon to rise.
"Master, I am setting out."
"Wait." Qi Zhimu called out to his disciple, who was about to board the starship.
Confused, Jingliu hid the fleeting obsession in her eyes and turned around as if nothing were wrong, only to see her Master gently tossing a sword toward her.
She caught it instinctively, the unexpected weight causing her waist and arms to sink. As her gaze fell upon the blade, she couldn't help but freeze.
"Master... this..."
This sword was familiar to her very bones.
It was the sword that had accompanied her Master for over a thousand years, the sword that had ended the lives of countless Abominations, and had put to rest dear relatives and comrades who had fallen into mara affliction.
"I had someone re-forge it; it now weighs a thousand catties." Qi Zhimu's expression was unruffled, his tone indifferent.
Jingliu's palm unconsciously tightened around the scabbard, her fingertips gently stroking the blade as a trace of blurred longing flickered in her crimson eyes.
It was as if she were stroking not a sword, but her Master's warm body... "Master, I still do not know its name."
"It has never had a name. If you have an idea, name it yourself. The Borisin have been dormant for centuries under Hoolay's rule, and their power is growing ever stronger. From now on, use this sword to slay the enemy, carrying my will with you."
"Then... how about calling it gazing radiance?"
Zhan meant to gaze upon or admire, and Hui was her Master's radiance.
The sword condensed this radiance as if bathed in her Master's grace; where the sword gazed, her heart would follow.
"That works."
"...Thank you, Master."
Jingliu gave Qi Zhimu a deep look, tucked the sword into her arms, and turned to board the starship.
Qi Zhimu did not know that the moment his disciple turned away, the curve of her lips could not be suppressed no matter what, revealing a nearly childish sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Even after boarding the starship, that smile did not fade.
She pressed the sword gently against her cheek, feeling her Master's lingering warmth, her face flushing with deep intoxication.
Seniors Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold... had never used Master's sword.
Or rather, they had never even touched this sword... After losing for centuries, she had finally won once.
Master finally had a place for her in his heart; he just hadn't fully acknowledged her yet due to certain reasons.
And those reasons were, naturally, military merit and strength.
As long as she captured Hoolay and slew more leaders of the Abomination clans, her achievements would surpass her Master's.
At that time... "Master... you must wait for your disciple..."
Winter came and went, but Jingliu did not stop her Hunt expeditions, nor would she.
During the long wars, through deployments and various encounters, she gradually gained two comrades with whom she crossed paths.
One was a Foxian Trailblazer born on the Yaoqing, who had flown across the sea of stars and possessed vast knowledge.
The other was the High Elder of the Luofu, as aloof and proud as the moon, who could command lightning and rain, and frequently joined the army on expeditions.
On the way back from a Hunt expedition, she received a temporary rescue mission and saved a descendant of a noble family that had served the Department of Terrestrial Surveys for generations.
The boy was still young, but his face was full of cleverness and cunning. After witnessing her brilliant swordsmanship, he claimed to know who she was and wanted to take her as his master and apply for the Cloud Knights.
Jingliu refused.
She had to constantly slay Abominations and hunt the Borisin war leader; her expeditions were frequent.
She didn't need a disciple, nor did she have time to teach one.
Unexpectedly, the boy actually sought her out.
For three consecutive days, every morning before the Qingxin Residence opened for business, a small figure stood in the snowy path outside the door.
Jingliu remained unmoved and ignored him.
It wasn't until the third day that Qi Zhimu learned from the gossip of guests who had come for a vacation that a boy had been standing outside for a long time, seemingly waiting for someone.
Some guests even jokingly asked if he was waiting for him.
After asking about the boy's appearance and characteristics, Qi Zhimu was certain he had never crossed paths with him.
Out of a bit of curiosity, he intended to ask about the boy's purpose.
To his surprise, the boy froze for a moment upon seeing him, then his eyes lit up brilliantly as he spoke in a youthful voice.
"Excuse me, are you Qi Zhimu?"
"If you mean the owner of the Qingxin Residence, I am."
"No, no, no, this junior means the legendary retired Cloud Knight Vanguard of the Yaoqing, Lord Qi Zhimu!"
The boy's smile was bright, his white teeth gleaming, and his tone was sincere.
"This junior is named Jing Yuan. My family elders serve the Department of Terrestrial Surveys. I occasionally heard old stories related to you and have seen your portrait, so I have a deep impression."
Qi Zhimu realized and nodded slightly.
It wasn't strange for the children of the noble families of the Xianzhou's Six Commissions to know of him.
"I am no legend. What is your business here?"
"This junior originally wanted to take Senior Jingliu as my master and become a Cloud Knight to protect the Xianzhou..."
Speaking of this, Jing Yuan scratched his head in some embarrassment.
"But Senior Jingliu has no intention of taking a disciple. I wanted to emulate the 'three visits to the thatched cottage' to show my sincerity, but it has had no effect so far..."
"Continuing to be a nuisance would easily invite dislike. Meeting Lord Qi Zhimu by accident is a blessing I've earned over several lifetimes. If I could take you as my master..."
"Fine, I agree to take you as my disciple."
"..."
Qi Zhimu turned his head in surprise, looking at Jingliu who had appeared behind him at some unknown time.
The agreement to take him as a disciple was spoken by her.
She had remained unmoved by the boy's sincere three visits; why was she willing now?