As soon as they boarded, Yun Qi saw Wei Wei lying inside, facing away. A flicker crossed her beautiful eyes as she glanced at Zhong Yun, who was starting up the aircraft, her expression thoughtful.

Su Xing watched coldly, a slight, secret schadenfreude bubbling up inside: two girlfriends colliding—let's see how you handle this mess. Zhong Yun seemed completely oblivious.

Once the aircraft lifted off, he sat beside Yun Qi and solicitously asked about her experiences during their separation. Su Xing felt deeply indignant at Zhong Yun's casual manner, believing Wei Wei was utterly wronged.

Wei Wei looked so much like her; she’d been genuinely startled the first time she saw Yun Qi’s true face. She had always been supremely confident in her own appearance.

In Yetang City, she was a renowned beauty, certain she was in no way inferior to those so-called stars. But the moment she saw Yun Qi, she was profoundly shaken.

Even if another woman were more beautiful than Yun Qi, it wouldn't have evoked this feeling in her. Because Yun Qi resembled her so closely, yet possessed a beauty so transcendent, she seemed like a flawless version of Su Xing herself.

Seeing Yun Qi brought not just shock, but also a strange sense of kinship. As an only child, she had no siblings.

The first moment she saw Yun Qi, she felt an affinity, as if she were looking at a sister. She couldn't help but develop a favorable impression of her.

If it weren't for this feeling, she wouldn't have ignored the danger to shelter Yun Qi. She believed Yun Qi felt the same way; otherwise, she wouldn't have felt divinely compelled to seek refuge with Su Xing when she had nowhere else to turn.

Their bond had deepened significantly during the days they spent together. Su Xing was furious that Yun Qi’s boyfriend dared to be indecisive about his affections.

What infuriated her even more was this: finding someone nearly Yun Qi's equal would have been one thing. But that other woman was utterly ordinary—a comparison between her and Yun Qi was like one being on the earth and the other in the heavens.

How could she not be angry? Even if it was just casual dalliance, he should have chosen someone closer in caliber.

However, deterred by the killing intent radiating from Zhong Yun, she dared not speak her rage. She could only hope Yun Qi would give him a severe lesson.

In her view, Zhong Yun must have cultivated for generations to be blessed with a girlfriend like Yun Qi. Yet the reality before her nearly made her nostrils flare with anger.

Yun Qi hadn't even mentioned the woman lying there, treating her as if she were invisible. Instead, she nestled in Zhong Yun’s arms, murmuring sweet nothings.

The intimate tenderness of the scene filled Su Xing with resentment—resentment that Yun Qi was so compliant, so thoroughly subdued. Out of sight, out of mind.

Su Xing simply closed her eyes. After a moment, the faint, recurring music from before started up again.

Her thoughts immediately grew hazy, and she quickly drifted into sleep. On the other side, Zhong Yun and Wei Wei had endless sweet nothings to exchange after their long separation.

Simultaneously, in a secret base on Ketong Star, an instrument suddenly lit up. The technician monitoring it jolted and quickly reported the anomaly up the chain.

Wei Wei recounted her experiences since they parted. After secretly leaving Qiyun Star, she arrived at a nearby Free Star and boarded a vessel heading to another Free Star.

Because it was far from the Mins Kingdom, that Free Star had no direct flights to the Mins Kingdom. After changing ships several times, Wei Wei changed her appearance and acquired a legitimate identity on the black market of a Free Star—that of a national from the first stage of an Intermediate Civilization.

She also obtained a pass to enter the Mins Kingdom. Transitioning from a Low-level Civilization to a higher one was no simple feat.

Without a valid pass issued by that nation, entry was impossible. Naturally, moving from a higher civilization to a lower one faced far fewer restrictions.

This was also a method to prevent the populations of lower civilizations from flooding into the advanced nations. To earn such a pass, one had to pass a skill assessment, proving they had achieved a standard commensurate with the destination nation’s civilization in at least one area; only then could one receive a pass for free.

It was important to remember that one full stage of civilization difference often equated to nearly a thousand years; the overall standards of quality were simply incomparable. Even a master from a lower nation might fail to match the technical skills of a civilization one stage higher.

The difficulty of obtaining a pass could thus be imagined. For Wei Wei, achieving a pass for the third stage of an Intermediate Civilization while holding the identity of the first stage was an exceptional feat.

Thus, Wei Wei arrived in the Mins Kingdom, settling directly on Ketong Star because Zhong Yun had once mentioned that what he sought was located there. A planet is vast, and Ketong Star had just suffered a major catastrophe, leading to very strict planetary monitoring.

As an arrival from another world, Wei Wei was naturally a primary focus of surveillance. Unfamiliar with the area, her search proved exceedingly difficult.

A year passed with no results. Fortunately, order on Ketong Star gradually recovered, allowing her more avenues for action.

Finally, she managed to track down Ketong Academy, locating Zhong Yun’s tutor, and even Odin and Liu Ming. "You looked for Odin and the others?" Zhong Yun was momentarily stunned.

"Why didn't Fourth Brother mention it?" "That was half a year ago; they’ve likely forgotten by now. I certainly wasn't presenting as I do now when I met him," Yun Qi replied softly.

Seeing Zhong Yun nod, she continued. Just as she finally found a lead on Zhong Yun, trouble arose: a group of unidentified individuals approached her, intent on kidnapping her.

Hearing this, Zhong Yun’s heart tightened, and his pupils contracted. So, Yun Qi had run into trouble precisely because she was searching for him.

He had few enemies; who could it be? The Ketong family?

Wei Wei's father? Or the Zeng family?

It had to be one of those three. Yun Qi’s ability was primarily supportive; though her level was high, her nature disliked direct confrontation, and given her background, she rarely needed to engage physically.

Her actual combat strength was quite low. However, circumstances on Qiyun Star were different; being hunted by the Ge'an Empire meant she could encounter real danger at any moment.

Given Zhong Yun’s cautious nature, he wouldn't allow Yun Qi to waste such excellent potential. Yun Qi also knew things had changed.

Even for Zhong Yun’s sake, she needed the strength to protect herself so as not to distract him. It must be said that her innate talent made even Zhong Yun feel a touch of envy.

Yun Qi grasped everything instantly. Her progress in both combat and mecha piloting was meteoric.

By the time Zhong Yun left, her proficiency was rapidly catching up to his. More astonishingly, with the aid of World Tree sap, her physical arts level soared from Level Twelve to Level Nineteen in just two years—a pace of improvement that left Zhong Yun stunned and feeling inadequate.

This was true genius. Zhong Yun couldn't help but sigh; there truly were monstrous talents in this world, born to crush human confidence.

Yun Qi’s focus had never been on such things before; she had never consciously trained. Otherwise, she wouldn't have remained at the Level Twelve plateau.

Now, three or four more years had passed, and she had likely broken past Level Twenty, approaching Level Thirty. With her strength, coupled with years spent in "Practical Combat Simulation Training," her real-world experience would rival anyone else's.

The fact that she fled severely wounded indicated the terrifying strength of her adversaries. These thoughts flashed by as he heard Yun Qi continue.

After fighting off those assailants, Yun Qi became even more vigilant, moving with extreme caution. She intended to continue her investigation, but unexpectedly, another group appeared the next day, attacking without prelude.

After breaking through the siege, Yun Qi sensed something was terribly wrong and began to flee. She considered capturing one or two to interrogate who they were.

Though naturally reserved, her heart wasn't truly hard. She couldn't stomach torture.

Without extracting any answers, she continued running. Unbeknownst to her, the pursuers had rigged something.

No matter where Yun Qi went, they found her. The operatives sent grew in number and strength.

The final confrontation involved a master even more powerful than Yun Qi, who struck her down, inflicting grievous injuries in a single move. If not for the sufficient supply of small weapons Zhong Yun had left her, she might not have escaped that time.

It was then that Yun Qi discovered a tracker implanted inside her body—nanoscopic, lodged in her stomach—which she could not expel no matter how hard she tried. Only by activating her Yuan energy could she shield it; otherwise, her location would be instantly revealed, and they would track her down.

But a person's Yuan energy was finite, especially while severely injured. She feared she couldn't sustain it for much longer.

It was then that she realized she was in Yetang City. Clutching at a sliver of hope, she inexplicably found Su Xing, who ultimately saved her.

Consequently, Yun Qi was placed in that isolation room to allow her body to recover. Fearing Yun Qi would be bored, Su Xing installed media access in the room so she could watch things if she had nothing else to do.

But Yun Qi was inherently detached and uninterested in virtual media. She nearly missed the advertisement, but fortunately, a few days prior, while establishing contact with Su Xing, she entered the virtual network and immediately saw it.

She instantly recognized it as the coded message Zhong Yun had left for her. She had intended to find Zhong Yun herself, but first, her body was not fully healed, and second, she still carried the tracker, fearing her enemies would discover her location.

This prompted her to ask Su Xing to go instead. Yun Qi recounted the events lightly, but Zhong Yun felt a chill down his spine, especially during the part about being hunted.

Yun Qi had faced five separate pursuits, sustaining injuries each time, with the last one leaving her critically wounded. If Su Xing hadn't rescued her, he might never have seen her again.

Zhong Yun’s teeth nearly ground to dust; the killing intent churning within him was uncontrollable. He had already condemned the force pursuing Yun Qi to death; he would spare no cost to hunt down and kill every participant in that attack.

"What about you? Did you encounter any accidents?" Yun Qi held close to him, unable not to sense his distress, intentionally trying to divert his focus.

Hearing this, Zhong Yun suppressed his killing intent and began to narrate the events of the past four years. His journey was even more convoluted and bizarre than Yun Qi’s.

His year plus at Ketong Academy was summarized quickly; the focus was on his experiences in the Death Domain. After listening, Yun Qi’s face was a mask of astonishment.

She hadn't expected Zhong Yun to stumble into the Death Domain, where the peril was even greater than what she had faced. The thought brought a wave of retroactive fear; it was a great fortune that Zhong Yun had managed to leave the Death Domain safely.

After recounting their separate histories, the two held each other tightly, silent for a long time, savoring the warmth of their long-awaited reunion. After an unknown period, Yun Qi finally spoke, "What about Su Xing?" Zhong Yun knew what she meant.

Sooner or later, they would have to leave Ketong Star and return to Qiyun Star. Their enemies knew Su Xing was involved with them and certainly wouldn't let her off easily.

Su Xing had saved Yun Qi’s life; Zhong Yun would never leave her in jeopardy. "If she agrees, let's bring her back to Qiyun Star," Zhong Yun suggested.

"What about her daughter?" Yun Qi neither agreed nor objected, merely asking. "Bring her too," Zhong Yun paused.

"I investigated Su Xing's background. Her parents are deceased, and her husband also passed away.

Both she and her husband were only children. Apart from her daughter, she has no remaining relatives." Yun Qi nodded.

"We just don't know if she will agree." "She will agree," Zhong Yun said with confident assurance. Seeing his certainty, Yun Qi asked no further questions.

The aircraft fell silent again, disturbed only by the long breaths of three people and one short one. "She...

she is Wei Wei, right? Is she very beautiful?" Yun Qi’s sudden voice caused a jolt in Zhong Yun’s heart.

Zhong Yun’s body froze involuntarily. The moment had finally arrived.

He sighed inwardly; the matter of Wei Wei was extremely thorny, potentially the greatest crisis they had faced together. "She isn't more beautiful than you." This statement was not insincere.

In appearance and temperament, both Wei Wei and Yun Qi possessed unique charms; both were figures capable of inciting ruinous beauty. But for Zhong Yun personally, he preferred the deep Eastern resonance emanating from Yun Qi.

Since Yun Qi already knew Wei Wei’s name, Zhong Yun had nothing to hide. He recounted in detail how he met Wei Wei and the complicated entanglement that followed.

As Yun Qi listened, her face remained impassive, which only made Zhong Yun feel more anxious. The calmer she appeared, the more it signaled how deeply she cared.

Yun Qi's entire being felt twisted inside, a mix of bittersweet emotions she couldn't name. If what Zhong Yun said was true, he couldn't entirely be blamed for the situation.

It wasn't that Zhong Yun had actively pursued Wei Wei; he had rejected her attempts more than once. But Wei Wei’s love for him had reached an extreme depth.

Even after learning the truth—that Zhong Yun wasn't the person she had secretly loved since childhood—she still chose him. For Zhong Yun, she would willingly die without hesitation.

Even having achieved this level of devotion, Zhong Yun ultimately gave her up. To call Zhong Yun cold-blooded, heartless, and stone-hearted would not be an exaggeration.

If such a scenario happened to someone else, she would have scorned that man. But everything Zhong Yun had done, he had done for her.

If Zhong Yun could be this ruthless toward other women for her sake, what more could she possibly demand? Then why did her own heart ache so much?

"I feel terrible," Yun Qi murmured. Zhong Yun held her tightly, consumed by self-reproach.

"It's all my fault." "I'm going to bite you," Yun Qi raised her head and sank her teeth into Zhong Yun’s shoulder. "Hiss," a sharp pain shot through Zhong Yun’s shoulder.

Yun Qi bit down with surprising force; he feared there was already blood. After a moment, Yun Qi released her teeth but didn't let go, instead licking the wound she had created.

The faint taste of blood traveled through her palate straight into his heart. "Does it hurt?" "Not at all," Zhong Yun managed a smile.

"I hurt..." Yun Qi’s voice was barely audible. The aircraft slowed to a stop again, but Zhong Yun made no move to disengage, holding Yun Qi tightly, unwilling to let go for even a second, wishing he could hold her like this forever.

"We've arrived," Yun Qi said, gently extricating herself from his embrace and standing up. No trace of her inner turmoil was visible on her face.

Zhong Yun sighed inwardly. He could sense the pain in Yun Qi’s heart.

No one could remain indifferent to sharing their beloved with another. If the roles were reversed, he knew he could never agree.

Zhong Yun woke Su Xing. "Shall we go get your daughter?" Su Xing stirred sleepily.

Hearing Zhong Yun’s words, she immediately reacted with confusion. "Get my daughter?

Why go get my daughter?" "They know you helped us; they won't let you or your family off the hook. Your daughter is likely in danger." Su Xing nearly leaped up.

Her daughter was her inviolable boundary. She shrieked, "If anything happens to my daughter, I swear I will never let you rest, even as a ghost!" With that, she rushed out.

Zhong Yun glanced back. Wei Wei was still motionless in sleep, curled slightly, as if feeling cold in her dream.

With a quiet sigh, he turned away and exited the aircraft. Su Xing’s daughter attended an elite academy situated on the opposite end of the planet.

Yetang City was only a small to medium-sized municipality without any truly superior schools. To ensure her daughter developed into an outstanding talent, Su Xing had sent her so far away for schooling.

The academy operated under a fully closed-door system. Even Su Xing, whose daughter was a student there, had to pass a series of procedures to enter and find someone.

In reality, although Su Xing inherited a substantial fortune from her husband, her social standing wasn't particularly high; she possessed no special privileges. Otherwise, the process wouldn't be so cumbersome.

Zhong Yun could sense the crisis approaching step by step; he didn't have much time to waste here. He immediately employed hypnosis, compelling the necessary personnel to open the school gates.

Entering the grounds, Zhong Yun pulled Su Xing and Yun Qi, rushing toward the direction of the main academic building. Lacking campus access passes, an alarm blared the moment the trio stepped inside.

School staff assumed intruders had broken in and urgently called the police. Security personnel also rushed to intercept them.

Zhong Yun could spare no thought for protocol now. Anyone who dared block him received a swift kick.

Anyone struck by his foot would be incapacitated, though not killed. The surrounding crowd grew, but fortunately, Zhong Yun’s speed was exceptional, and he finally burst into the academic building.

The main doors were bolted shut. Zhong Yun didn't even look, kicking the door directly.

With a resounding boom, the door buckled inward, forming a massive dent. Bystanders were nearly scared out of their wits.

That door was forged from the highest-strength alloy; even a particle cannon might not breach it, yet someone had warped it with a single kick. Zhong Yun delivered a second kick, shattering the door into fragments.

They seized the opportunity and rushed inside. Instantly, countless screams erupted—the voices of the students hiding within.