Ancheng.

A small villa near the tree nest was bustling with activity.

A maid brought down a basin of hot water with a robot, and gently shook her head at a nurse who was carrying medicine and preparing to go upstairs.

After glancing around, the maid pulled the nurse aside and whispered, "He just fell asleep, go up a bit later."

Nurse: "It's a needleless syringe, they won't feel a thing."

The maid glanced upstairs again, thought for a moment, and shook her head again, "He's been a light sleeper these past few days, let's just forget about it."

She paused, then lowered her voice again, almost inaudibly, and said, "He doesn’t have much time left, so let's try to make him as comfortable as possible."

Yes, all the medical staff and servants in the house knew that the patient they were caring for didn't have much time left.

This is how Blue Star people are: once their spiritual sea dries up, their bodies will naturally weaken and die within two to three years.

This medical team has cared for many Blue Star people whose spiritual seas have dried up. Under the guise of searching for a cure, they also use the most cutting-edge medical technology in this field, but... without exception, every Blue Star person they have treated has passed away after their spiritual seas dried up.

It seems like an unstoppable trend.

A year ago, Shi Xing's physical functions began to decline. For the past six months, he often slept for entire days at a time. A few days ago, he felt a little better and chatted with his maid. During their conversation, the maid discovered that his memory was still stuck a month in the past…

He’d been sleeping so much, and his senses could no longer accurately measure the passage of time.

For example, Shi Xing felt that Lu Lu hadn't come to see him for two or three months, which wasn't an unacceptable period. In fact, in the eyes of the maids, it had been half a year since his ex-husband had come.

The team recently switched to a new medication, and although they always say it will be effective, in reality, in the long run, his condition was only getting worse.

Shi Xing woke up at noon, ate lunch, and at his request, received an injection and took medicine. Then, a maid pushed him to the courtyard to bask in the sun.

Shi Xing hadn't been out for a long time, and when he finally stepped outside, he realized the temperature was already quite low.

Shi Xing asked in confusion, "Did I get the time mixed up again? Is it winter already?"

The maid couldn't bear to say it directly, afraid of hurting his feelings, and only said, "The temperature dropped quickly this year, and autumn came quickly too."

That's the truth, but it happened two months ago.

Shi Xing nodded and subconsciously glanced outside the courtyard. His current residence was quiet, and usually no one would pass by. His attempt to discern the weather from the clothing of passersby was futile..

He sighed, basked in the sun for a while, and suddenly said, "Do I not have much time left?"

This startled the maid, who was about to try to find a way to smooth things over, when Shi Xing continued.

"Did Lu Lu say when he'll be coming next time?"

The maid choked back a sob.

After a moment, the maid said, "I'll call him later."

That implied he hadn’t said anything.

Shi Xing sighed inwardly.

Standing before the house, he whispered, "I want to see him one last time before I leave."

There was a hint of sadness in his voice. The maid changed the subject, but it seemed... Shi Xing understood everything.

Shi Xing was indeed aware of everything. Precisely because he knew that his problem was unsolvable, he didn't want Lu Lu to cause any more trouble.

It wasn’t worth it.

Shi Xing didn't know how many conditions Lu Lu had agreed to with Tan Shao in order to change the medical teams, but he could guess that there were definitely quite a few.

Since he was beyond saving, Shi Xing felt there was no need for Lu Lu to make any more trouble.

Sometimes, one should live for themselves.

For example, he no longer thinks about restoring his mental state and becoming a medical therapist.

His wish was simple:to live with Lu Lu for a while longer before his final slumber, just like when they were first matched.

After all, he was a human from Blue Star, and he had no relatives.

Aside from his wish to pass away near the mother tree, he probably just wanted to leave this world surrounded by familiar people.

Shi Xing disliked this unfamiliar house, and aside from the maid who had been taking care of him since he returned to the Empire, he also disliked the medical team that changed every few months.

He thought he might really be nearing the end of his life, and had begun to reject everything unfamiliar.

That evening, the maid sent a message to Lu Lu.

Attached was Shi Xing's request.

Finally, he added the doctor's diagnosis from today, "Young Master Lu, the doctor said Shi Xing has at most two or three months left. Perhaps... you could come back and stay for a while?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the communicator, then the maid heard a hoarse voice say something.

"I understand. I'm contacting the medical team at the alliance. Next time... I'll bring a new doctor."

The maid, unusually talkative, said, "But I don't think Shi Xing wants these."

She only received irrelevant instructions..

"Take good care of him."

The maid asked: "Are you afraid to face him?"

She had acted impulsively, her mind reeling.

She regretted it immediately after saying it. She had been hired by Lu Lu and was receiving two salaries; she shouldn't have said such a thing.

Fortunately, the moment she asked the question, Lu Lu hung up the call. In her heart-pounding fear, the silent beeping of the disconnection call offered her a quiet comfort.

The maid was unsure whether she felt more relieved or disappointed that her words hadn't been heard.

She secretly felt that Lu Lu was afraid to face Shi Xing.

Especially after the Shixings situation worsened...

However, the direction in which he sought out medical staff and their efforts... The maid felt that Shi Xing didn't need them.

However, these are things beyond her control.

Instead of receiving news of Lu Lu setting a date to visit, the maid saw a report of Lu Lu's wedding on television.

Upon seeing it, the maid felt an indescribable surge of emotions.

She knew the princess consort's efforts always come at a cost, but... they're already divorced. It doesn't have to be this rushed.

Shi Xing will be gone soon. Can't the Prince's Mansion wait a few more months?

Even Princess Tan can't wait any longer?

The maid stood in front of the television for a long time, feeling very cold.

The Prince's household gave her an utterly terrifying feeling.

  *

Lu Li saw the news of the wedding on TV and immediately called home.

Tan Shao answered.

The entire conversation was extremely unpleasant.

Then Lu Li made a call to Lu Lu.

Lu Lu's voice was tired, "It's okay, Xingxing won't know, brother."

If all the final attempts fail to cure him, Lu Lu has decided that he will not tell the other person until his death.

This point was also discussed and agreed upon with Tan Shao and Bi Shu.

Lu Li, with his fiery temper, retorted, "Is that what the hell I asked you?"

After yelling, Lu Lu asked him in return, "So, brother, what do you want me to do?"

Lu Li had a headache.

After a long pause, he gave up and said bluntly, "Shi Xing's spiritual sea can never be cured. I hope that even after he dies, you won't regret what you've sacrificed for this illusory hope over the past two years."

"Oh, right, and..."

"You've been matched. The tree nest falls under royal jurisdiction. Prepare for His Majesty's personal attendance at the remarriage ceremony."

*Snap.* The phone slammed down, decisive and furious.

Lu Lu looked at the communicator, his lips moved, but in the end he didn't call back.

He had no way out.

He wanted Shi Xing to recover again, even at the cost of everything.

Is it worth it...?

He forced a bitter smile; after repeatedly compromising with Tan Shao, he had stopped thinking about it.

He inherited Tan Shao's stubbornness. Although Lu Guangyu commanded the Third Legion, his influence was mainly concentrated within the legion. Similarly, his elder brother Lu Li and his second sister Lu Man, in this family, the only way to have connections with the civil service in the capital and the best medical teams, even the Alliance's medical teams, was through Tan Shao and the Tan family.

Tan Shao was just as stubborn as he was, so the two of them—mother and son—could only keep trading back and forth.

They tested each other's bottom line time and time again.

Light shone on Lu Lu's profile, yet he felt a chill.

  *

The doctor in Ancheng issued another critical condition notice.

This time, Shi Xing was no longer easy to talk to and insisted on making a call to Lu Lu.

On this day, Lu Lu had already told his maid not to look for him in Ancheng, as he was going to visit the Bi family.

Ultimately, despite the the maid’s reluctance, Shi Xing learned of the remarriage.

Upon learning this, Shi Xing remained silent for a long time.

The maid began: "Young Master Lu has actually been secretly trying to find someone from the Alliance for you..."

The explanation was interrupted by Shi Xing, who said, "It's not important."

Shi Xing gazed out the window for a long time before saying, "You know, that's not what I want."

The maid choked.

She knew this, which is why she couldn't bear to tell Shi Xing.

That night, Shi Xing's condition worsened, and it took a day of emergency treatment for his vital signs to recover. After recovering, he asked about remarriage again. The maid couldn't refuse and told him everything she knew. Throughout the story, Shi Xing's excessive calmness made the maid feel very uneasy.

And her unease was justified.

On the day of the formal wedding, Shi Xing was gone.

Looking at the crystal hidden by the bedside, the maid roughly knew where Shi Xing had gone. She wanted to call Lu Lu, picked up the communicator, gritted her teeth, and put it down again.

Having taken care of Shi Xing for so long, it's impossible for her not to have any feelings for him at all.

The maid didn't want him to suffer so much before he died.

If possible, she hoped that Shi Xing could enjoy his last moments to the fullest.

  *

Lu Lu felt uneasy from the morning onwards.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Before the wedding began, he asked Tan Shao again and received a positive answer.

After the wedding, he would go to Shi Xing's residence in Ancheng to wait for the Alliance medical team to arrive. He would stay with Shi Xing until he recovered, or until he died.

Regardless of the outcome, after treatment, he will return to the capital and resume his new marital relationship.

He and Shi Xing would truly have no further connection after that.

Until Lu Lu saw the box that Shi Xing had returned.

Shi Xing had come.

This was a gift he had given to Shi Xing.

It was a gift they received when they became a couple.

Lu Lu was stunned for a moment, then began a thorough search of the Prince's mansion.

Shi Xing couldn’t handle any stimulation and had already been rescued once. How did he get here today?

Thinking of this, Lu Lu’s mind was about to explode, his heart filled with panic, desperately trying to suppress his search..

The news that Shi Xing had left through the side door, reported by the maid, and Tan Shao urging Lu Lu to begin the wedding happened at the same time.

But this time, before Tan Shao could even utter her threat, Lu Lu had already chased after Shi Xing in the direction the servant pointed, leading his own small team.

After a moment of stunned silence, Lu Li, who had heard the news, arrived, standing there silently as if he had expected it.

Tan Shao: "What are you standing there for? Everyone I know in the capital is here today. Why aren't you bringing Xiao Lu back? We can talk about this after the wedding!"

Tan Shao jumped up and down.

Lu Li retorted coldly, "So, Mom, do you want the news of the wedding being postponed because the parties involved aren't prepared, or...?"

"Has news spread that the Lu family is in turmoil, with the eldest and second sons fighting in the street?"

Tan Shao choked up, "Xiao Lu wouldn’t..."

Lu Li interrupted, "You've been threatening him with Shi Xing, and now he's about to die..."

"Mom, you've run out of bargaining chips. Do you think he'll..."

Tan Shao lost his voice.

For a moment, she dared not  to think too deeply about it.

"But...but His Majesty..."

Lu Li said to the steward, "Announce the wedding is postponed, and also inform His Majesty."

"Reason?"

“No reason needed.”

The butler stammered, "How can you not give a reason..."

Lu Li stood up straight. "Your Majesty is well-informed. WithLu Lu in this state, if he finds that person, he'll naturally return. If he doesn't, who knows what the news will say about him tomorrow? You don't need to worry about that."

Realizing something, Tan Shao was horrified, "Xiao Lu won't not come back!"

With so many people present, including His Majesty himself, Lu Lu wouldn't be so inconsiderate, nor would he disregard the Prince's Mansion.

Lu Li did not comment on this, nor did he wish to.

He simply said, "I hope so."

Meanwhile, news broke that the wedding had been postponed and Lu Lu had disappeared.

Chi Yao pointed at the armrest, thought for a moment, and slowly said, "I remember, Lu Guangyu's second son was matched before, right?"

Something flashed through his mind, and Chi Yao said, "Fu Qing, check on that blue Star person we just met."

"Find the information in the Tree Nest"