When Qiqi asked the question, her face was still expressionless.
But Lin Mo knew.
If she were capable of showing emotion, she would probably be longing for a reassuring answer.
Lin Mo smiled, gently brushing Qiqi's cheek as he said, "Qiqi, I'm back."
Qiqi didn't respond.
She simply kept staring at Lin Mo, silent for a long while.
After what felt like ages, Qiqi finally spoke. "Lord Lin Mo once said… I'm still small, so I shouldn't easily trust strangers…"
"Yes, yes~"
Lin Mo couldn't help but smile wryly.
If he wanted her to confirm that he was the Lin Mo engraved deep in her memories, that really wasn't easy.
"So, Qiqi, do you still remember the mnemonic for the flexibility exercises?" Lin Mo asked with a smile.
"Of course… of course I remember."
As she spoke, Qiqi raised her small arms.
"Seven two three four… seven two three four…"
"Five six seven seven… five six seven seven…"
With the short chant, Qiqi finished the first segment of her flexibility routine.
"You got it wrong again~"
Lin Mo sighed with a helpless smile. "It's one two three four, two two three four, three two three four, and so on. Remember now?"
"Ah…"
Qiqi's mouth opened slightly in surprise.
This was already the closest she could get to a normal person's expression.
The next moment, she hugged Lin Mo's leg without hesitation.
"So warm…"
"Just as I thought…"
"Only Lord Lin Mo's body temperature… doesn't feel unpleasant…"
"Lord Lin Mo… you finally… finally came back…"
Qiqi spoke slowly, without obvious emotion.
Yet from the way she immediately clung to him, Lin Mo could clearly feel the joy in her heart.
"I'm back," Lin Mo replied softly, stroking the back of her icy-cold head, his heart aching.
If it weren't for his death back then, Qiqi might not have lost control of her adeptal power… and wouldn't have been sealed in amber for over a thousand years.
At that moment, Lin Mo glanced back at Yae Miko, his gaze firm.
"Miko, I need thirty minutes."
"You're not thinking of performing… a super heart transplant on this child, are you?"
Yae Miko seemed to read his mind instantly.
"Yes. I want to try," Lin Mo nodded.
"Although Qiqi's heart has almost stopped beating, she's been diligently doing her flexibility exercises, keeping her organs and blood vessels active."
"So… she's not completely a zombie. She can still be saved."
"Saved?"
Qiqi looked up at Lin Mo, her eyes wide.
Though her expression didn't change, her voice carried confusion.
"Yes."
Lin Mo smiled gently.
"Once you get a super heart, your body's page of life will restart."
"Thousands of years of unhealed injuries will rapidly recover."
"You won't fear heat anymore."
"You'll regain your sense of taste."
"You'll be able to feel pain again."
"Your physical strength will far surpass before, and you won't have to do flexibility exercises every so often just to hold yourself together."
…
"Then… Qiqi… can really be like a normal person?"
Her voice brimmed with anticipation.
"Not like a normal person," Lin Mo corrected with a smile.
"Far stronger than one."
"And besides, once Hu Tao from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor finds out you've regained vitality, she'll probably stop shouting about burying you all day long."
"Qiqi…"
"I want to do the heart surgery…"
She hugged Lin Mo's leg even tighter.
From that alone, Lin Mo could see how much she longed for it.
"Then let's not waste any time. We'll do it now."
Lin Mo nodded, then turned to the others.
"Please guard the office door. Don't let anyone disturb me."
"Mm. Leave it to me," Rosalyne nodded.
Her gaze swept over everyone—especially Yae Miko—carrying a faint but unmistakable hint of "seeing guests out."
"Go, Diplomatic Envoy!"
Paimon said excitedly. "You'll definitely succeed!"
Clearly, Qiqi's suffering had moved her deeply. She truly hoped Qiqi could live in this world like a normal person.
When everyone left the office and stood guard outside, Lin Mo lowered his head and picked Qiqi up in his arms, smiling.
"Qiqi, shall we begin?"
"Lord Lin Mo… do your best…"
…
Half an hour later.
The surgery was a complete success.
The pure ley line energy originally prepared for Lisa turned out to be perfect for Qiqi's super heart.
Now dressed again, Qiqi was feeling the changes in her body.
"Ah… so… so cold…"
She immediately jumped into Lin Mo's arms, trembling all over, clearly freezing.
Lin Mo laughed helplessly.
"You've already revived, you know. Don't keep using your Vision out of habit to lower your body temperature."
"Qiqi understands…"
She nodded blankly.
Sure enough, once she stopped channeling her Vision, she could feel Lin Mo's warmth, and her body slowly began to heat up.
"I hear you chatting out there~"
"Diplomatic Envoy, is the surgery done?"
Paimon's curious voice came from outside the door.
Lin Mo smiled and replied, "The surgery was a success. Everyone, you can come in."
As the door opened, all eyes immediately fell on Qiqi in Lin Mo's arms.
The bandages were gone.
There wasn't a single wound on her body.
Her once icy, deathly pale skin now carried a faint, healthy flush.
"Wow! She's obviously different from before!"
Paimon exclaimed in amazement. "So… what about her expressions and her memory?"
"Well… that might be difficult," Lin Mo said with a wry smile.
"The damage to her brain was permanent, left behind when she lost control back then."
"As for whether she'll ever have rich expressions like a normal person, I can't be sure."
"But her memory can gradually recover through the rehabilitation exercises she's been doing all this time."
"It might take years… maybe even decades."
"But eventually, she should have a memory no different from a normal person's."
At that moment, Qiqi, sitting on Lin Mo's arm, looked up at him and said earnestly,
"Lord Lin Mo… you saved me again… thank you…"
"It was nothing," Lin Mo replied with a light smile.
Then he asked, "So how do you feel now?"
Qiqi's eyes seemed a little lost, but she answered seriously.
"From the very first time we met…"
"Lord Lin Mo… you gave me a very warm feeling…"
"Not like uncomfortable heat…"
"It made my heart, which had stopped beating… feel warmth again…"
"Thank you… Lord Lin Mo…"
Lin Mo looked at her earnest expression and gently tapped her forehead.
The words "Silly girl, I was asking how your body feels, not how you feel about me" never made it out of his mouth.
Everyone present felt the same way.
They were all quietly melted by Qiqi's adorableness, smiling with relief and happiness at her rebirth.
"Alright, the surgery's done," Lin Mo said with a smile.
"So now, Qiqi, can you tell me who asked you to bring me that gift?"
"It was… the Adeptus of Dust and Song," Qiqi replied slowly.
"The Adeptus of Dust and Song?"
Paimon looked confused. "Is there really an adeptus in Liyue with that title?"
"Yes… there is," Lin Mo said softly.
At last, he had confirmed the identity of his first love.
From a chronological perspective, the Adeptus of Dust and Song truly was his first love.
In present-day Liyue, many people—like Lumine and Paimon—were unfamiliar with that name.
But she had always been there.
Watching over Liyue.
Protecting everyone in silence.
Lin Mo turned to Paimon with a smile.
"You've already met the Adeptus of Dust and Song. She's Granny Ping from Yujing Terrace."
"What… how can that be?"
Paimon was utterly baffled.
Granny Ping's kind, elderly appearance was so far removed from Lin Mo's youthful, handsome face that it was hard to imagine they once shared a past.
Just then, Qiqi took out a Serenitea Pot and handed it to Lin Mo.
At the same time, she passed him a letter.
"Lord Lin Mo…"
"This is the letter the Adeptus of Dust and Song asked me to deliver to you along with the gift…"
"She said… once you read it… you'll understand…"
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T/N:
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