[First Life, Concluded]
[Major Acquisitions of This Life:]
[1. Preserved Plum Soybean Cake (Curio Creation): Grants different special effects based on the creator's state of mind during production. Authorization: Only the user may create it; cannot be authorized.]
[2. worry-forget plum blossom brew (Curio Creation): No side effects if aged three years or less; one cup dissolves all worries. If aged four years or more, consuming 250mL guarantees intoxication; one drink dissolves a thousand sorrows, but memories of the period are lost upon waking. Authorized Creation Limit: 1.]
[3. Biological Mnemonics Knowledge.]
[4. Indestructible Ruan (Cannot be discarded)]
[5. Everlasting Scented Plum Blossom Sachet (Cannot be discarded)]
[The aforementioned acquisitions will be carried into the next reincarnation. Please select memories to forget; if no memories need to be forgotten, please ignore.]
Within the system's soul realm, Qi Zhimu reflected on his experiences in this life with much emotion.
Right and wrong no longer mattered.
He held no resentment toward anyone, nor toward fate.
As the revolving lantern of memories finally froze, Qi Zhimu's gaze shifted, pausing at different stages of his life.
Finally, it landed on a graceful silhouette engraved into his very marrow.
"If I have not contacted you after a hundred years, then forget me. I owe you nothing, and you no longer owe me."
"..."
As those past words echoed in his heart, Qi Zhimu fell silent for a moment before choosing to completely erase all memories related to Ruan Mei.
"Teacher, this is the last time your student will follow your instructions. I wish you well in the future and a smooth journey ahead."
Farewell forever.
[Timeline anchoring in progress. Locked: Azure City Star Skiff.]
[Beginning generation of Talent Cards and Destiny Cards. Note: Talents cannot be retained after death.]
[Talent Ranks are as follows: Prismatic, Gold, Purple, Blue, White, Black]
[Ill-Fated Beauty (White)]: Possess extraordinary appearance and temperament, but the probability of dying young is greatly increased.
[Waning Fortune (Black)]: Difficult to achieve anything in life; the trends of the times will rarely be on your side.
[Heaven's Retribution (Black)]: Unable to survive past the age of 24.
[Editor's Best Friend (Blue)]: When engaged in web novel professions, you will not be locked in the 'little dark room' for writing 18+ content.]
[Blood Rage (Purple)]: The lower your sanity, the more terrifying the destruction caused. Can be activated manually, but cannot be deactivated manually.
[heaven-deficient condition (Black)]: Born incomplete; randomly acquire innate conditions such as blindness, deafness, or dwarfism.]
[Pure Yang Body (Gold)]: Abundant blood and qi, a strong and healthy physique; immune to most diseases and toxins.
[Swordmaster (Purple)]: Twice the result with half the effort when practicing the sword; diligence will surely lead to success.
[Baji Quan Grandmaster (Prismatic)]: Upon reaching adulthood, you will master this fist technique without a teacher.]
Qi Zhimu was somewhat surprised to see the generated Talent and Destiny Cards.
He hadn't expected to see a Gold card, let alone a Prismatic one.
Humans are naturally inclined to seek gain and avoid harm; Qi Zhimu had no masochistic tendencies and certainly wouldn't choose cards with massive side effects.
[Please select three to begin your next life.]
"I choose Pure Yang Body, Swordmaster, and Baji Quan Grandmaster."
[Beginning to seal the retained memories of this life. Default unsealing at age 6. Next life countdown: 10, 9...]
[Second life beginning. Due to the large span from the current timeline, proceeding to a future node.]
Qi Zhimu's consciousness blurred rapidly. Whether he was going to the future or returning to the past, it didn't matter to him.
Future, Azure City Star Skiff, star calendar Year 5700.
A family surnamed Qi rejoiced at the birth of a son. The couple took one character from each of their names to name the child Zhimu... It had been twenty years since Qi Zhimu passed away.
It was another year of snowy scenery.
A strangely shaped spaceship descended from the sky, hovering over the snowy ground outside the Bamboo House.
The hatch slid open, and Yu Qintu stepped out, immediately spotting that familiar silhouette.
A light flickered in her eyes as she drifted toward the Bamboo House like the wind.
"Little Fellow, it's been a long time. Did you miss me terribly?"
Yu Qintu was in a very good mood.
After settling the trivial matters that had troubled her for twenty years, she had to choose between visiting her friend Ruan Mei or her friend's stiff student first.
In the end, she chose the latter.
The incident between the teacher and student back then had truly kept her curious for a long time.
She had to ask the Little Fellow in person.
Yu Qintu carried an elegant smile on her lips, but just as her toes touched the ground, she saw Qi Zhimu turn around.
The moment she saw his face clearly, the smile on her face abruptly froze.
"An automaton?!"
She immediately thought of Ruan Mei, assuming she was here too.
But why bring this thing here?
If the Little Fellow saw it, how heartbreaking would that be!
But soon, Yu Qintu realized something was wrong.
This automaton didn't have Ruan Mei's unique markings, and even the craftsmanship was significantly coarser.
She could feel the automaton's emotionless gaze sweeping over her, seemingly verifying some information.
In less than two seconds, the voice emitted by the automaton confirmed her suspicion.
"Memory bank match successful. Identity confirmed. Genius Society #55, Senior Yu Qintu, welcome."
"..."
Yu Qintu was momentarily speechless.
It possessed autonomous intelligence? She just didn't know how advanced it was.
While the automaton was identifying her, she also rapidly analyzed its construction; this Mechanical Puppet clearly came from the hands of Qi Zhimu.
"This teacher and student pair are truly something else..."
Just what had happened during these twenty years?
"Where is the Little Fellow? Notify him and say I'm back."
"Respected Senior Yu Qintu, please allow me to give a brief self-introduction: I am a Mechanical Puppet powered by Qi Zhimu's memories, acting according to meta-commands."
"I can see that. Stop talking nonsense and have him come see me, or just take me to find him," Yu Qintu said with a wave of her hand.
"Senior Yu Qintu, Qi Zhimu passed away twenty years ago."
"What did you say?!" Yu Qintu was stunned for a second.
The look of disbelief on her face grew more intense as she moved almost instantaneously to stand before the Mechanical Puppet.
The automaton's chest cavity opened, and its right hand reached into the folded space within, pulling out two items.
A vial of emerald-green potion brimming with vitality.
An object resembling a fresh-keeping box; the lid opened, revealing the exquisite Preserved Plum Soybean Cakes inside.
"These are the items Qi Zhimu left for you before his passing, with the highest level of storage permissions established. Only you can receive this portion. In addition, there is a recorded message."
Staring at the familiar emerald-green potion and the both strange and familiar pastries, Yu Qintu's heart was in a state of chaos.
The Mechanical Puppet pressed its fingers to its temple, projecting a memory image.
The young man was busy in the kitchen, meticulously crafting a new style of pastry.
After succeeding, he placed some of the pastries into a device capable of long-term preservation and freshness.
Finally, he placed them into the folded space inside the automaton.
"Senior, I'm sorry. I'm about to die of old age and cannot personally offer the pastries you like."
"Please forgive your junior for fulfilling your request in this manner. My abilities are limited; I can only keep them fresh for 150 years at most."
"I hope that when you return, Senior, they haven't expired yet. I wish you the best in all things."
"Also, Senior promised that you would unconditionally do one thing for me, right?"