Picking up the memory liquid on the desk, Yin Ling's eyes were full of confusion.
Marriage alliance? A good beginning?
Feng Qi's words left her completely puzzled. She had no idea what he meant.
Still filled with doubt, she removed the protective cap from the memory liquid's needle. Then she looked at Feng Qi standing in front of her and asked:
"You said this memory doesn't belong to you. So does the owner of this memory also have the ability to foresee the future? Otherwise, how would they have acquired such a memory?"
Feng Qi nodded calmly in response.
"Just consider it as me being able to share my ability to see the future."
"So you really do have a Miracle item on you. Otherwise, how could a talent be shared? This has to be a function granted by a Miracle. As long as you possess it, you can use it, right?"
"Just take it that way," Feng Qi said, unwilling to explain further.
Yin Ling nodded, then pierced the needle into her neck. The piston inside pushed the liquid quickly into her bloodstream.
The chill spread instantly through her body.
Already experienced with this, Yin Ling closed her eyes right away and waited for the blurry images in her mind to become clear.
Her vision twisted, trembled, shifted... When the scene finally cleared, a new segment of memory began.
The owner of this memory was Lin Ran.
Lin Ran's relationship with Yin Ling had originally been a setup in Feng Qi's plan.
To extract intel from the Silver Moon Clan, Feng Qi arranged for Lin Ran to approach Yin Ling under the guise of romance. The goal was very clear—obtain the contact method with the Silver Moon Clan's main force, their spatial coordinates, and other crucial data.
That's how it started for Lin Ran.
But then things began to deviate from the script.
Lin Ran and Yin Ling had too much in common. In their interactions, they found shared topics and, gradually, a resonance at the soul level.
From initial resistance, Lin Ran began to genuinely enjoy his time with Yin Ling. He even started looking forward to their meetings.
The amusement park, movie theaters, the zoo—there were joyful traces of them everywhere in Star City.
Their emotional connection began and was affirmed through games of Spiritual Chess.
Feng Qi always believed Lin Ran and Yin Ling were the same kind of people.
Both had unwavering devotion to their races' greater good, a devotion that overruled personal feelings.
So their relationship was doomed—a tragic fate no matter how beautiful it began.
Feng Qi once regretted this, thinking it impossible for their feelings to continue.
After all, the Silver Moon Clan was an enemy of the human race.
Even though the Silver Moon Clan had never harmed humans on the current timeline—and had even contributed greatly to Star City's development while in control of the energy sector—their future path would inevitably lead them to become enemies.
That day would come, and the Silver Moon Clan would slaughter humans.
Lin Ran's dream was to fulfill his grandfather's legacy by creating a god-level cultivation technique that would help humanity rise.
Yin Ling was no different. Her desire for her clan's rise was deeply rooted.
Their opposing positions meant they could only be enemies. There was no way they'd betray their beliefs for each other.
But after everything he had experienced, Feng Qi's perspective had changed.
Domain creatures weren't necessarily enemies.
From the Mist Lord to Zhang Daowen, and later people like Xiao You with Armor Breaker, he had met many domain beings who shone with human-like compassion.
Especially during the god ascension challenge in the Demon Blade timeline, Feng Qi had seen too many examples of domain beings showing noble qualities.
So, domain factions didn't have to be enemies.
He turned his gaze toward Yin Ling. She sat with her eyes closed, immersed in the memory projection.
She saw how it began—Feng Qi seeking out Lin Ran and explaining the plan to approach Yin Ling under the pretense of romance.
The plan never demanded that Lin Ran genuinely fall in love with her.
Romance was just a tactic, a convenient excuse to give Lin Ran a reason to get close to her. Feng Qi even arranged blind dates to help facilitate more contact.
As each scene flashed through her mind, Yin Ling's fists clenched tight.
Rage surged from within.
This memory made it painfully clear that the root cause of their failed plan was Lin Ran.
But as the memory progressed, Lin Ran's behavior made her feelings grow complicated.
Thanks to the immersive nature of the memory, Yin Ling could feel Lin Ran's emotions firsthand and understood that his feelings for her weren't an act.
That deep level of immersion made her uncomfortable.
She was watching Lin Ran "woo" her from his own perspective. The sensation was... bizarre.
Through Lin Ran's eyes, Yin Ling saw the pain and inner conflict he experienced.
From anger, she began to understand—Lin Ran was just like her.
They both had strong convictions and shared goals. They were each walking toward their ideals, suppressing personal emotions because they knew this love had no future.
A conversation from the memory summed up their relationship perfectly.
Feng Qi had once asked Lin Ran:
"Ah Ran, have you ever thought of bringing her over to the human side?"
To which Lin Ran answered:
"Qi-ge, that question already has an answer. She's like me. Her convictions matter more than personal feelings. If our roles were reversed, I'd do exactly what she's doing—set emotions aside and stand by my people."
Viewing herself through Lin Ran's perspective, Yin Ling saw her own entanglement clearly.
She'd shout "you trash at chess," yet her gaze at Lin Ran was filled with emotion.
Her mother had once told her: if you feel happy being with someone, that's the only measure that matters when choosing a partner.
In the memory, Lin Ran had achieved exactly that.
Immersed so deeply, Yin Ling's emotions were pulled along with Lin Ran's.
In every corner of Star City, her smiles appeared in the memory. Every scene showed their photos together, joyful and inseparable.
The time they spent together was filled with sweetness, overflowing through the immersive scenes and flooding Yin Ling's mind.
In this memory, Feng Qi looked more like a villain boss who destroyed a budding love story.
From the start, he had set the ending of this relationship, and in the end, personally intervened to shatter it.
At the end of the memory, she saw herself too weak to even speak.
Lin Ran played a final round of spiritual chess with her, and she collapsed into his arms, whispering her farewell.
Through the memory, Yin Ling could clearly feel Lin Ran's sorrow.
Guilt, remorse, despair—countless emotions surged within him, and under the strong emotional immersion, Yin Ling's heart rippled with empathy.
Even if Lin Ran's initial motive was purely to extract intel, seeing him weep silently while holding her dead body erased the last trace of anger in Yin Ling's heart.
In the final scene of the memory, Lin Ran stood before Feng Qi, completely haggard.
The smile that once hung on his face had vanished.
He weakly pleaded to Feng Qi:
"Brother Qi, I want to keep the memories of my time with Yin Ling. Can you help me…"
As darkness swallowed her vision, tears streamed down Yin Ling's cheeks.
She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.
Her emotions still lingered in the memory, the scenes with Lin Ran replaying in her mind.
Sweetness and sorrow… countless emotions entwined, writing an ending that was never meant to be for their love story.
"Jiejie, why are you crying?"
Yin Xiao suddenly spoke, sounding anxious.
"I'm fine."
Yin Ling wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm, but her reddened eyes betrayed her inner feelings.
She looked up at Feng Qi, a trace of resentment flashing in her gaze:
"You're really insidious, using this kind of method to get intel from me."
Feng Qi rolled his eyes in response:
"That plan wasn't even mine. It was devised by some think tank group who spent a long time planning how to get intel on your Silver Moon Clan. I was just the one carrying it out… well, fine, just blame it on me."
The plan to obtain intelligence on the Silver Moon Clan had come from the Crimson think tank.
But Feng Qi couldn't be bothered to explain further.
No need to expose the Crimson Research Institute—he'd just play the bad guy this time.
Thinking this, Feng Qi looked at Yin Ling and smiled:
"Yin Ling, now that you know I understand all the details of your Silver Moon Clan's secrets, it's time you gave me your answer. Will you cooperate with us humans? I'll say it again—so long as your Silver Moon Clan does not betray us, humanity will never turn its blade against you."
Yin Ling was silent for a while, then said:
"I don't have the authority to decide my clan's future. I'll have to contact the clan leader for guidance."
"What about you? Do you lean toward allying with us humans?"
Looking at Feng Qi's teasing smile, a blush spread across Yin Ling's face and quickly reached her ears. She slammed the desk and snapped:
"What's it to you what I think!"
"Hahaha, I knew you'd make the right choice. I'll wait for your message."
With that, Feng Qi stood up and walked toward the door.
He already knew how things would unfold from here.
The Silver Moon Clan had no choice, and Yin Ling had already leaned toward cooperating with humanity. The alliance was inevitable.
Reaching the door, just as he was about to push it open, Feng Qi suddenly turned back to Yin Ling and asked:
"Yin Ling, what do you think of my suggestion?"
"What suggestion?"
"Strengthening our two clans' relationship through marriage."
At those words, Yin Ling's emotions surged. Her black hair instantly turned silver, and her gaze toward Feng Qi was full of rage.
"Hahaha, it's actually something worth considering. It could resolve your old regrets and also, from the perspective of clan interests, elevate the relationship between our two races. It's a win-win."
Before Yin Ling could respond, Feng Qi pushed open the door and left.
Just then, Yin Xiao's curious voice rang from inside:
"Jiejie, what's going on? I don't get it. What's a marriage alliance? Are we going to marry into the humans? Who's getting married?"
Faced with Yin Xiao's barrage of questions, soon the sound of his painful yelps and pleas for mercy echoed from inside.
…
The next day.
Feng Qi received a call from Yin Ling saying she wanted to discuss things in person.
That afternoon, Feng Qi arrived at Star City Academy and found Lin Ran studying cultivation theory in the library.
He sat by the window with a book in hand, the golden glow of dusk falling across his focused face.
Feng Qi walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Lin Ran looked up from his book and, seeing Feng Qi's familiar face, beamed brightly:
"Brother Qi, you're here! What brings you?"
"Come with me. We're going to meet someone."
"Who? What's going on?" Lin Ran scratched his head, confused.
"To discuss your life's major event. You'll know when you see her. Coming or not?"
"Is it some grandmaster of cultivation theory?" Lin Ran suddenly got excited.
At this point, Lin Ran still had no concept of romance. He misunderstood Feng Qi's "major life event" as something related to his ultimate goal—cultivation research.
"You'll know when we get there. So, are you in or not?"
"Of course I'm in!" Lin Ran nodded vigorously.
Feng Qi led Lin Ran out of the library and into the Tiger Soul special vehicle.
As the car drove away from Star City Academy, Lin Ran kept asking about their destination.
Feng Qi couldn't be bothered to explain. Once everything was resolved and the memories were returned to Lin Ran, he'd understand on his own.
By nightfall, the Tiger Soul research vehicle pulled up at the gates of the Energy Research Institute.
After verifying their identities, Feng Qi led Lin Ran to Yin Ling's office.
He knocked, and Yin Ling's pleasant voice came from inside:
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, Feng Qi and Lin Ran stepped inside.
It was Lin Ran's first time here. With curiosity written all over his face, he scanned the office before his eyes landed on Yin Ling. His expression showed a trace of surprise—it was clear her stunning beauty had caught him off guard.
They walked to the sofa by the window and sat down. Feng Qi looked at Yin Ling and asked:
"Yin Ling, can you give me a definite answer now?"
Yin Ling smiled and nodded.
"I contacted the clan leader and explained the full situation. He has already given me a response—forming an alliance isn't a problem, but we have two conditions."
"Let's hear them," Feng Qi nodded.
"First, regardless of the situation, this must be a partnership. It cannot become a relationship of subjugation. We must retain the right to choose our own future and have a say in how the resources we gain are allocated."
"Since it's an alliance, that's completely fair. I agree."
Hearing Feng Qi's agreement, Yin Ling continued:
"Second, we're willing to share our engineering technology. But since this is a partnership, our technology cannot be given away for free. You'll need to trade resources or other technologies in exchange. An alliance isn't a one-way contribution. I don't think that's too much to ask, right?"
Feng Qi was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I can agree to that too. But don't push your luck. An alliance means walking forward together. Any progress either of us makes is beneficial to the other. I hope you understand that."
"No problem. If you're sincere, we'll respond in kind."
Yin Ling stood up and walked over to Feng Qi, extending her hand.
Seeing this, Feng Qi also stood and reached out to shake her hand.
"Happy cooperation. I promise you won't regret today's decision."
At that moment, the alliance between the two races was sealed.
But Feng Qi knew this was only the beginning—many things still needed to be prepared, all of which would affect the alliance's progress.
For instance, receiving the arrival of the Silver Moon Clan, and seeking their help to retrieve Xiao You, Po Jia, and the others...
"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but what are you two talking about? I don't understand any of this," Lin Ran said with a blank face.
Hearing him, Yin Ling turned her gaze to Lin Ran.
Compared to the Lin Ran from the memory, this version of him seemed more youthful, with a clearer vitality in his eyes.
The memory scenes flooded Yin Ling's mind.
Lin Ran holding her bloodied body, crying with his head bowed—those images were etched deep in her memory and had kept her up all night.
A breeze outside lifted Yin Ling's dark hair. As Lin Ran looked on in disbelief, her hair turned silver in an instant.
Moonlight poured through the window, casting a silvery glow over her figure. For a moment, she looked like a celestial being untouched by the mortal world. Her beauty stunned Lin Ran.
After a while, he finally spoke:
"Holy crap, Qi-ge, she's a domain creature!"
Feng Qi glanced at the nervous Lin Ran and smiled, patting his shoulder.
"She is a domain creature, but she's not an enemy. Relax."
"Not an enemy? You expect me to believe she's a friend?!"
Lin Ran's response was filled with disbelief.
Yin Ling couldn't help but laugh in frustration.
"Clearly, he hasn't seen that memory yet."
"Yeah, I blocked it for now. It'd be too painful for him. But it's about time to unseal it."
"It is," Yin Ling nodded.
As for the matter of marriage between their races, Yin Ling had given it serious thought.
The clan leader had told her the choice was hers.
When it came to emotions, she wouldn't be coy like a human girl. She had spent the whole night seriously considering whether or not to marry into the human race.
That love had existed. She had felt its joy.
So marriage wasn't out of the question.
In the final moments of the memory Feng Qi had shown her, Lin Ran had wanted to confess. But before he could speak, her life was already slipping away.
Now, she had a chance to rewrite that ending.
The painful goodbye had passed—it was time to write the next chapter.
Yin Ling looked at Feng Qi and said:
"I agree to the marriage. But our Silver Moon Clan has different customs than humans. Among us, men marry in, and women marry out. So I'll be marrying him."
Lin Ran: …
He still didn't fully understand what was going on, but from the keywords in the conversation—"alliance," "marriage," "wedding"—and seeing the woman suddenly transform and hearing Qi-ge confirm she wasn't human…
He drew one confused conclusion:
Qi-ge seemed to be selling him off for the sake of an alliance with this woman's race.
"Wait a minute…" Lin Ran tried to protest and figure out what was going on.
But Feng Qi nodded solemnly.
"I respect your Silver Moon Clan's customs. There's nothing wrong with marrying in. But Lin Ran is my brother, so I have to respect his opinion too. You two should figure out a mutually acceptable way to settle this."
Hearing this, Yin Ling turned to Lin Ran, her beautiful eyes blinking.
"Lin Ran!"
"Uh?"
As Lin Ran stood there dazed, Yin Ling slowly leaned down, looking him straight in the eyes.
"A game of unfinished chess—are you willing to keep playing with me?"