#47Will goAI Model: moonshotai/kimi-k2-instruct-0905
Chapter 20 – About to Depart
"Sister Qiao Qiao, Brother Qianming, wake up."
"It's all over; we can leave."
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A gentle, weary voice sounded beside their ears.
Zhu Qiaoqiao and Wu Qianming struggled awake to see a rather disheveled, handsome youth gasping for breath.
"Liuyun~"
Zhu Qiaoqiao's eyes stung; tears slid down silently.
"Captain, the captain and the others…"
Brainwashing was only the first step; the real key lay in what followed—judgment.
After three rounds of brainwashing, Zhao Liuyun had already used the dream's self-evolution for the first assessment.
Now, he willingly used himself as bait to test whether the two harbored any abnormal thoughts.
Fortunately, the results were comforting.
They looked exhausted, their emotions natural, with no trace of pretense—
the lethargy of minds repeatedly plunged into dreams, too drained to hide their true selves; they hadn't the strength to fake.
Otherwise, Zhao Liuyun would have shown them what "the me of a moment ago isn't the me of now" meant, and how flexible one's morals could be.
"The Illusory Shadow Heart-Eater twisted their cognition, turning us into mortal enemies. I crushed the Spirit Beast, but I couldn't save them~" His voice was heavy with grief, his expression dim.
He'd originally planned to use a precious herb like a thousand-year lingzhi as the pretext for conflict.
But after weighing options, only a Spirit Bone could drive people to betrayal.
A ten-thousand-year ginseng king was too implausible; the Star Dou Great Forest might pass, but the Soul Hunting Forest… still invited greed—better a Spirit Bone!
Zhao Liuyun simply let a Spirit Beast play the villain.
The Illusory Shadow Heart-Eater was a legendary evil Spirit Beastformed from pure malice; he casually named it as the scapegoat.
Now the beast was dead without proof, and Zhao Liuyun had planted post-hypnotic suggestions with Hypnosis; they would bury it deep in their hearts.
"It's not your fault, Liuyun; don't blame yourself." Wu Qianming sighed, struggling to sit up.
Their minds nearly stalled; Zhao Liuyun attributed it to his psychic clash with the Illusory Shadow Heart-Eater.
A perfect explanation.
Zhu Qiaoqiao choked out,
"If Captain and Arui can see us from the heavens, they'd never want their minds enslaved by evil… This isn't your fault, Liuyun; the Spirit Beast was cunning."
"By ending them, you actually set them free."
Gazing at the beheaded corpses, Zhao Liuyun's eyes stayed calm, no ripples in his heart.
Betrayal deserved no memory, let alone remorse.
He would only use it to remind himself never to trust blindly again!
"Let's bury them." Wu Qianming suddenly spoke, voice low and hoarse.
Zhao Liuyun and Zhu Qiaoqiao turned to him.
Wu Qianming had already collected the emblematic items that could identify the fallen.
"Sleeping forever in the Spirit Beast forest is the fate of Soul-Hunting Mercenaries."
"None of us have kin; mercenaries live for the moment, leaving little to inherit—an empty tomb back home is enough."
Seeing the two sway on their feet, faces drained, Zhao Liuyun offered, "Why not rest first? I'll handle it."
Fresh from absorbing his spirit ring, he brimmed with strength.
The pair wavered, minds spent, eyes dull, ready to collapse—hardly fit for digging graves.
Wu Qianming didn't refuse; eyes closed, he murmured, "Let's hold on till we're out."
Using the terrain, Zhao Liuyun quickly buried the five bodies and escorted the pair out of the Soul Hunting Forest.
After seeing them home, he turned to leave when Wu Qianming called, "Liuyun… you're leaving?"
"I leave tomorrow—how did you know, Brother Qianming?" Zhao Liuyunpaused, surprised.
He'd never told anyone he'd depart once he became a Spirit Grandmaster.
Wu Qianming smiled. "You're a genius; this was only a waystation. A small Mercenary Group can't hold you."
"Sister Qiao Qiao and I can't keep the group afloat either…"
"Stay the day after; come tomorrow for one last gathering—to send you off."
"All right." Zhao Liuyun nodded gently.
Wu Qianming showed no emotional spike; his mind remained drained.
The words came from the heart, sincere, without perfunctory note.
"Rest well."
"You too."
Back at the apothecary, Huang Xin was busy behind the counter as usual.
"Uncle-Master." Zhao Liuyun greeted softly.
"You're back!" Huang Xin beamed. "How did it go?"
"Success—the spirit ring suits me perfectly." Wistfulness flickered in Zhao Liuyun's eyes. "Sadly, only Brother Qianming, Sister Qiao Qiao, and I are left."
"The group exists in name only."
The fact that Tian Wenlong and Fang Rui had betrayed could stay buried in the dust of history.
"You're safe—that's enough." Huang Xin sighed, then brushed it aside. "What now?"
"I plan to keep finding ways to improve my physique."
Zhao Liuyun asked hopefully, "The dragon blood tree Medicinal Bathhas lost effect; do you have any other bath formulas?"
Huang Xin replied, "Six more, but all have side-effects. With your talent, you surely know better than to force growth."
The first half lit Zhao Liuyun's eyes.
The second doused his budding excitement like cold water.
Zhao Liuyun turned solemn. "Uncle-Master, Soul Hunting Town is small—I'm leaving."
"Where to?"
"Heaven Dou City—Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It's run directly by the imperial house, richest in resources, my best choice."
Anticipation shimmered in Zhao Liuyun's eyes, though hesitation crept in:
"But talent alone might not secure admission…"
"Didn't Grand-Teacher once study with the Nine-Hearted Begonia Ye family? Any contacts who could help?"
Huang Xin said leisurely, "He only went to study; the Ye family welcomes all, turning no one away."
"But Father's aptitude was limited—he never advanced past the third ring, Spirit Elder, and wasn't taken as a formal disciple."
"…"
The air froze in awkward silence.
"If not, then I'll—" Zhao Liuyun was ready to go ask the Ye family himself.
"Yet a contact does exist." Huang Xin shifted tone, producing a finished recommendation letter.
"Take this and head to Star-Dou Soul Hunting Town."
"A collateral of the Ye family, direct disciple of the last patriarch, senior of the current head—Ye Wenxi—resides there; Father knew him well."
A trace of regret flashed in his eyes.
"Support-Type Soul Masters cultivate wide goodwill; Uncle Ye looked past me, but with your gift and Father's old ties, he'll help."
Uncle-Master, you're pushing fifty and still call him uncle—this senior Ye must be nearing seventy… Realizing this, Zhao Liuyun happily took the letter, then asked,
"Which Star-Dou Soul Hunting Town?"
The Star Dou Great Forest is vast; Soul Hunting Towns ring it on every side.
"The one near the Balak Kingdom."
"Thanks, Uncle-Master."
"No need for thanks between us."
Huang Xin laughed, stood, and planted a broad hand on Zhao Liuyun's head, mussing his hair into a mess.
Having absorbed the Ghost Eye Demon Dragon Spider spirit ring, Zhao Liuyun had grown to one-and-a-half meters.
Yet before the two-meter-tall Huang Xin, he still looked like an undergrown dwarf.
"It's not politeness—you've helped me without asking return; I'll remember the debt." Zhao Liuyun shook his head, utterly sincere.
Seeing the calm resolve in his eyes, Huang Xin nodded. "When do you leave?"
"The day after tomorrow… Tomorrow I'll dine with my teammates one last time, a farewell."