At that moment, the dazed look on Mei Ran's face pierced straight into the depths of her mind.
Then,
memories and thoughts intertwined in the depths of her eyes.
At last,
when she looked at Liu Dongqing, her gaze was filled with complicated emotion and surprise.
"Since I failed in the struggle for power, you're the first to think that Mei Ran shouldn't be just a name, and the first to think that I'm still a person..."
As she spoke, Mei Ran shook her head again.
"Even before you said those words, I didn't think I still counted as a real person."
"My true name..."
Mei Ran slowly breathed out a mouthful of stale air, as if she had already made some kind of decision.
"There's no point in telling you my true name now. If you think the old name Jiang Xiuran gave me is no good, just call me Meinu from now on, Master."
"If I someday gain a true future on the Dao Path, perhaps that will be the right time for you to learn my real name."
Not only did she refrain from speaking frankly to Liu Dongqing,
she also abandoned the name Mei Ran she had used before, lowering herself once more into the dust with a new form of address.
At that, Liu Dongqing smiled.
"Either use your true name or call yourself a slave. You'd rather be exalted or debased, but you won't use a name that doesn't sound like a person's name, and you don't want to be treated as provisions or playthings anymore.
"With a spirit like that, surviving your past defeat in the struggle for power took more than just knowing which way the wind was blowing.
"Protect that spirit, and you'll surely have a future on the Dao Path!"