Ling Shuang, Aren't You Going to Pay Your Respects to the Grandmaster? (Continued)

Lin Chaoyu was somewhat curious as to why her master had returned so quickly this time.

However, she soon realized that her question was somewhat redundant for her master—after all, given her master's personality, he would probably only answer with something like "go out for a walk."

To us, our master's sudden disappearance without a word might seem like a big deal, but to our master himself, it might be a trivial matter.

So Lin Chaoyu turned to ask Otto, who was following behind Fu Hua.

"They look like visitors from the Western Regions?"

"Friend."

Fu Hua said indifferently.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't know how to respond to Fu Hua's attitude, but fortunately, Lin Chaoyu had served Fu Hua for many years and was already used to this attitude.

But...

Master's friend?

This word is really new.

No, it's astonishing in every sense of the word.

(I suddenly feel that the Lord God's concerns are justified... Isn't this attitude a bit too cold?) Otto thought to himself.

(Ah... because this person isn't very good at socializing, and maybe they've been spending too much time alone, so they're having relationship problems?)

Imaginary Archive also wants to complain about this aspect.

Meanwhile, Fu Hua looked at his eldest disciple and suddenly felt a pang of emotion. "Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, Chao Yu, you're already..."

Fu Hua paused halfway through her sentence, a look of recollection and contemplation on her face.

Looking at his master who had stopped halfway through his journey, Lin Chaoyu couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I am thirty-three years old this year... and I have been serving my master for twenty-seven years now."

She thought her master had forgotten her age—and thinking about it, it made sense; what did the years of a mortal have to do with those of an immortal?

"Thirty-three...twenty-seven..." Fu Hua nodded. "That's right."

She hadn't forgotten her eldest apprentice's age.

The Fusion Warrior's brain allowed her to remember most things in her life, let alone something that "only" happened twenty-seven years ago.

Her momentary pause was simply because she suddenly remembered something else.

"Chaoyu, go prepare guest rooms for these two guests." Fu Hua pointed to Kallen and Elinor next to Otto.

"Yes, Master."

Lin Chaoyu nodded, then gestured for the two of them to join in.

"Please come with me, gentlemen."

Kallen, Elinor, and Otto exchanged glances before following Lin Chaoyu.

Otto, meanwhile, stared at Lin Chaoyu's retreating figure, deep in thought.

Thirty-three years old... In Shenzhou, that's considered middle-aged.

But now it's still...

(Hey, you can see the whole picture from a small part. Although the immortal has only been taking on disciples for less than thirty years, there are already some deep-seated problems that are hard to change.)

Otto thought to Imaginary Archive, half amused, and his tone was quite mocking.

But she probably didn't get enough of the joke.

After all, this was no laughing matter for their own Lord God.

Lin Chaoyu... Although she still seems to be filial and respectful to the immortal, if there is a trigger, Lin Chaoyu, who is most familiar with the immortal, will definitely be the sharpest knife.

She had heard along the way that when the fairy lady beside her traveled around slaying demons, she was almost always accompanied by Lin Chaoyu.

Hey!

Watching Lin Chaoyu lead the two away, Otto asked Fu Hua with some curiosity, "Did the immortal ask me... or rather, did he ask the Lord God to do something?"

Otto was well aware of her own limitations. She knew that she was only able to catch the other party's eye thanks to the Lord God, and she didn't think she deserved to be specially kept by the other party.

"Yes, I just remembered that there are some old items in the warehouse of Fuyun Temple. I hope Master can take a look at them."

"An old object?" Liu Bai was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "I think it's something left behind by Danzhu Cangxuan that you can't repair, right?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Fu Hua showed an unusually embarrassed expression.

"... In recent years, I have indeed neglected my studies."

Otto's expression turned somewhat strange upon hearing this.

So, Your Lord God, you taught this immortal not only martial arts, but also knowledge?

Otto felt a little envious.

"No, I've always taught academic knowledge—martial arts are Hua's own talent," Liu Bai corrected, as if he had seen through Otto's thoughts.

Just kidding, his martial arts talent skill was taken from Fu Hua.

"..."

Otto blinked, and his mind immediately calmed down.

Oh, I see. So it seems like she's a bit better?

—At least she never regressed.

Well, although she neglected some subjects, it wasn't a regression, just a lack of progress.

"Let's go, Hua. You can show me around Fuyun Temple and introduce me to my good grand-disciples."

"That's natural."

Fu Hua nodded, then led Otto and Liu Bai to the backyard of Fuyun Temple.

However, Otto and Liu Bai didn't see a single person along the way until they arrived at the warehouse, where they finally saw a white-haired girl.

Cheng Lingshuang.

"Master."

Upon seeing Fu Hua arrive, Cheng Lingshuang immediately stood obediently to the side to greet her.

"Ling Shuang? What are you doing here...?"

"Reporting to Master, Ling Shuang is looking for needle and thread. She discovered a hole in her clothes while practicing swordsmanship this morning, so she wanted to find needle and thread to sew it up."

"For needles and thread, you can ask your senior sisters. There's no need to rummage through the warehouse... Besides, even if you find these old items, they'll probably be rusted beyond recognition."

Fu Hua looked at the warehouse and shook her head.

It's been a while since I've been here, and I hardly recognize this warehouse anymore.

"My senior sisters, junior sisters, and junior brothers all ran over to join in the fun after hearing that Master had brought a friend back," Cheng Lingshuang said obediently.

Hmm... Although she's considered well-behaved, Liu Bai always felt that this girl was actually a bit cunning.

No, maybe it's naturally black.

"Nonsense."

Although her tone remained calm and collected, Fu Hua's brows furrowed noticeably.

However, she didn't need to get angry about it—by now, those who had come to join in the fun had probably been sent back by Lin Chaoyu.

Fu Hua shook her head, putting the matter out of her mind, but looking at the completely changed warehouse, Fu Hua frowned again.

"These odds and ends are useless to keep here. Let Chaoyu clean them up sometime."

As Fu Hua spoke, she waved her sleeve at the pile of clutter, and the clutter piled on top was immediately moved to another place, revealing the box underneath.

Then, Fu Hua bent down, carefully picked up the box, and opened the lid, revealing a doll shaped like a little girl.

"?"

Cheng Lingshuang, who was watching from the sidelines, was somewhat surprised.

There was no other reason than that the doll was so lifelike that Cheng Lingshuang would have thought it was a living person if it weren't completely devoid of life.

"... energy depleted."

Liu Bai didn't rely on his memory; he saw the problem at a glance.

But then I felt a bit troubled.

"This problem is really quite critical in this day and age..."

If any part breaks, we can always fix it by making do with what we have.

But this energy ran out...

Although the advanced technology and energy source in the Honkai world is Honkai Energy, it's definitely not something that can be solved by simply stuffing in a Honkai Crystal.

If it were that easy, Fu Hua wouldn't have left this puppet— the Book of Cang Xuan— to gather dust here.

Moreover, the Book of Cang Xuan has complete intelligence and technology. As for energy, the Book of Cang Xuan can handle it itself, so why would it need to be shut down?

Although Liu Bai's puppetry skills are not bad, and he also has the Imaginary Archive by his side, if this really goes on...

As you can imagine, it basically involved making dumplings just for a dish of vinegar, and then growing wheat, making a stone mill, and grinding flour just for the dumpling wrappers...

"I only said that the proper way of playing the game can't solve it."

"... And what about the less respectable ones?"

Fu Hua hesitated for a moment before asking.

Cheng Lingshuang, standing next to her, was completely stunned.

Um... did the air just talk?

And his master actually responded?

... Can this be considered a divine power of immortals?

I suppose it's because my skills are too weak that I couldn't see the person talking to my master?

Cheng Lingshuang convinced herself very quickly.

Meanwhile, Otto, standing nearby, had been observing the immortal's fifth disciple, who was... regarded by the immortal as the strongest disciple.

No, perhaps there's no need to question his abilities; his white hair is the best proof.

White hair most of the time represents extremely high Honkai Energy adaptability, or to put it more directly—talent.

And the white hair appeared later in life...

It seems they must have awakened their Stigmata?

Otto didn't pay much attention to Cheng Lingshuang's strength, but instead focused on observing her personality.

But Otto was disappointed.

I can't tell.

The other person seems indifferent to everything.

He clearly heard the voice of the Lord God, yet his expression remained completely unchanged.

Hmm... Usually, these kinds of people are either very scheming or, like Kallen, completely brainless.

But this girl's appearance can't be defined so simply...

(Don't you think this girl has at least a three-tenths of the air about the immortal next to you?)

Imaginary Archive then offered a reminder.

(She's in the world yet feels detached from it... In a sense, this person is a "patient"... What do common sense, rules, logic, rationality, and worldly affairs mean to her?)

"..."

Only after being reminded by Imaginary Archive did Otto understand.

She had little experience with such oddballs, unlike the Imaginary Archive from a third-person perspective—but Otto was quite accurate in his assessment of those who were firmly locked in worldly desires.

With the reminder from Imaginary Archive and the reference point Fu Hua nearby, Otto had a rough idea of Cheng Lingshuang.

(Although such people are mostly indifferent to worldly affairs, they do have things they care about in their hearts... For example, if the fairy lady is an old friend and Lord God, then she...)