Listening to Fu Hua Tell Stories of the Past / Your Unease Stems from Weakness

Fu Hua replied, a hint of melancholy on her face.

Immortality is not a good thing. At least for Fu Hua, it is just endless torment. Even with incomplete memories, she can still feel the lingering loneliness and pain.

Ji Lin suddenly crashed into him.

"Welcome home, Crimson Kite!"

She kissed Fu Hua on the cheek without any hesitation.

Anqi immediately turned her head, her eyes widening in surprise.

Fu Hua blushed and tried hard to push Ji Lin away, but she couldn't budge him. She could only watch Ji Lin rub against her, and then—she instantly forgot the sad emotions she had just recalled.

"Ji Lin, don't be like this."

"What does it matter? We're all home now!"

"I know your era was more open-minded, but things are different now, especially with children here!"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Little Anqi Yao, we haven't officially met yet. I'm Ji Lin, one of Crimson Kite's best friends. We met last time. According to custom, you can call me Master's Wife!"

Ji Lin proudly puffed out his chest, but still held Fu Hua's waist and kept rubbing against her chest.

'Shameless! That's my master!'

"She's also my lover, so there's no conflict!"

'Damn it, I'm so envious! I want to try Master's lips too, but I already have Himeko.'

"I haven't even mentioned you yet! Aside from that jerk Tachibana Yuki, you're the happiest one among us, hanging out with so many beautiful girls every day. As for me, this is the only time I can hug Crimson Kite and ease my loneliness."

The two stared at each other, one with her mouth agape in a daze, the other with a bright and radiant smile, silently exchanging their feelings.

"Alright, what are you dawdling about at the door? Come inside, it's almost time for breakfast."

Cang Xiaoxuan floated by the wooden door and said with a smile.

Yes, I'm home.

Fu Hua looked at the wooden house that resembled a Daoist temple, and then glanced around at Ji Lin, Anqi, and Cang Xiaoxuan. A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside her.

For years, coming here had been just a habit for her. The clean, ancient courtyard and buildings only gave her a cold, lifeless feeling, empty and devoid of human presence, like a wide, inescapable cage.

But now, things seem different.

Fu Hua took Anqi's hand.

"Come on, Anqi, your master will show you my home. From now on, this will be your new home!"

Fu Hua extended an invitation to her beloved disciple, and a clear, lotus-like smile bloomed on her usually indifferent and calm face.

Cang Xiaoxuan's eyes flickered, a relieved smile appearing in them—after she left, the blockhead had gone through a lot, but now it seemed that things weren't so bad after all. For Cang Xiaoxuan, this was already enough.

Anqi was also moved by that beautiful smile and silently tightened her grip on Fu Hua's hand.

' Ji Lin, our coming into this world was indeed meaningful, wasn't it?'

I think so too.

Anqi and Ji Lin exchanged a smile, then each took Fu Hua's small hand and walked into the Daoist temple together.

Chapter 171 Listening to Fu Hua Tell Stories of the Past

Cang Xiaoxuan reunites with Crimson Kite, and Great Void Mountain is blessed with a new baby.

These are all great things, so the house was especially lively tonight.

Cang Xiaoxuan, Fu Hua, and the Ji Lin sisters circled the exquisitely carved dragon tofu on the table, marveling at it as they looked at it.

"My goodness, Little Anqi, your skills are amazing! I just casually mentioned it, and you actually carved it. There's no way people can compare."

Cang Xiaoxuan floated onto Anqi's head, reached out her little hand to touch it, and at the same time glanced at Fu Hua and Ji Lin.

Ji Lin's character is that of a hero and a rough country girl; she can split mountains and seas without a problem, but cooking is pure explosion. Fu Hua is the type who can cook, but only to a mediocre degree.

"... Xiaoxuan, you can speak your mind directly."

"No, no, I never thought that the mighty Immortal Crimson Heron and Emperor Xuanyuan were far inferior to our little Anqi in terms of self-care ability!"

Cang Xiaoxuan had a smiling expression, her small face radiating a lovable gentleness and sweetness, and there was not a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

Then Ji Lin shyly and bashfully touched her head, while A-Lin behind her fiddled with his fingers, blushing and lowering his head.

The two silently moved behind Fu Hua, avoiding Cang Xiaoxuan's gaze.

Fu Hua glanced at the two petite and pitiful sisters behind her, her expression stiffening for a moment. Then, with a hint of helplessness, and as if she were already used to it, she shook her head and defended her best friend:

"Everyone has their own expertise, and everyone is good at different things. You can't expect them to be good at everything. Ji Lin and the others' talent isn't in cooking, but that doesn't stop them from being admirable guardians. Of course, Anqi is also very caring, which is commendable."

Fu Hua praised both sides, doing her best to consider the feelings of her friends and disciples, which was, of course, a genuine expression of her true feelings.

"Crimson Kite (*^▽^*)!" ×2

Behind her, the two blushing sisters grabbed Fu Hua's arms on either side, looking at her with starry eyes, like a newlywed wife seeing her admired husband defending her in front of his mother-in-law—or like a child being cared for by a stepmother seeing his biological mother.

Cang Xiaoxuan pouted and spread her little hands, saying:

"Oh right, you're always spouting platitudes like that, whatever you say is right."

"Alright! Anyway, let's eat."

Fu Hua coughed lightly, looked around at the charming young women around her, gestured towards the dazzling array of dishes on the table, and revealed a hearty smile that only she herself did not realize.

Dinner was exquisite and plentiful, but not extravagant; it consisted of common ingredients, silently proclaiming a simple and unpretentious style. This style originated from Fu Hua, and although it was merely a personality trait that she herself didn't need to elaborate on, Cang Xiaoxuan regarded it as a tradition of Great Void Mountain, deeply remembering and adhering to it.

Perhaps, for truly noble people, ordinary material things are enough.

After dinner, in the quiet and cool mountain courtyard, Anqi, Ji Lin, and A-Lin sat in a row, listening to Fu Hua tell stories of the past.

"... Um, does it have to be so formal?"

Fu Hua scratched her face blankly. Telling stories was one thing, but the three earnest and expectant little faces in front of her gave her a subtle sense of déjà vu, like she was standing on a stage telling a story.

Cang Xiaoxuan carried a teapot bigger than herself and poured tea for everyone. She fully understood Fu Hua's embarrassment, but made no attempt to help her out.

Looking at the eager eyes of his apprentices and close friends, Fu Hua shook his head helplessly, put aside his restraint, and began to think about where to begin.

"If I had to start from the beginning, it would be a very long story. I don't know if I've ever told anyone about it before, but even if I have, it must have been very, very little. But since you want to know, there's no need to hide it from me."

Fu Hua lowered her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Then, many things that surfaced in her memories turned that innocent smile into bitterness, and her eyes, which had been filled with a gentle smile, dimmed.

Fu Hua spoke, her voice tinged with a wistful and lost quality, as she slowly said:

"I once suffered immense mental stress due to hyperthymesia, so I chose to periodically clear out unimportant memories and only keep the experiences that mattered most in my heart. Later, some things happened, and I lost many memories, either passively or actively, in accidents and battles. Now, it seems that there is not much I can tell you."

"But the cause of it all, that darkness and despair from fifty thousand years ago, remains my clearest memory..."

To make up for the concealment from Anqi, and to respond to Ji Lin and A-Lin's expectations, Fu Hua described the past that is still imprinted in people's hearts on this night.

The Previous Civilization, the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, the Finality, the Stigmata Project, the Seed of Civilization Project.

It was just a general overview, not a very detailed introduction. Fu Hua herself couldn't tell whether she simply couldn't remember or hadn't known the details in the first place.

Nevertheless, the straightforward words have already outlined a history that is hard to forget, and also revealed Fu Hua's extraordinary character hidden in her ordinariness.

Cang Xiaoxuan sat on Fu Hua's shoulder, holding her miniature but warm teacup, sipping tea. Although she already knew all of this, even more clearly than Fu Hua who had lost her memory, hearing Fu Hua calmly recount these things, Cang Xiaoxuan gradually sighed, closed her eyes, and silently pressed her face against Fu Hua's.

"Xiaoxuan, I'm fine. It's all in the past."

"We're all family here. You can fool others, but you don't need to pretend in front of me. You know best whether you've been through it or not."

Cang Xiaoxuan gently pinched Fu Hua's cheek, a hint of tenderness in her calm eyes. She couldn't truly empathize with Fu Hua, but through their long time together, she had come to deeply understand that unresolved pain.

"Xiaoxuan..."

Fu Hua was deeply moved.

Understanding gazes, and unspoken, gentle companionship.

What Cang Xiaoxuan brought was extremely familiar to Fu Hua, so she easily became enamored with it.

Pain is something that is completely different when shared with others versus when borne alone.

Then, before Fu Hua could think any further, two soft, fragrant breaths rushed into her arms.

"Master!!"

"Crimson Kite!!!"

Anqi and Ji Lin hugged her with teary eyes, rubbing against Fu Hua's body so hard that she could barely maintain her sitting position. Her hands were in the air, unsure whether to push them away or hold on, or which one to hug first.

After a while, Fu Hua, both amused and flustered, comforted the two of them. The sudden intimacy completely pulled her out of those memories, leaving her no time to be sentimental anymore.

"They say after the worst comes the best. Looks like this blockhead's suffering is finally over and his luck is finally turning around? By the way, why don't you pounce on him?"

Having escaped in time, Cang Xiaoxuan sat on the Yin-Yang sphere, swinging her chubby little legs, and glanced sideways at the longing-looking A-Lin.

A-Lin scratched his head sheepishly.

"No, I missed it."

"It seems that although you are the same person, you and Ji Lin are quite different."

"Hehe, my sister is a bit more direct than me."

"She's also more likely to cause trouble than you. Remember, don't learn those bad things from her."

Cang Xiaoxuan instructed, glancing at Fu Hua's helpless smile, and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

It would be so much better if it were lively and bustling. Our Great Void Mountain has always been too quiet. However, we need her to keep an eye on things. If we rely solely on a blockhead, the Seven Masters of Mount Taixu back then would be a prime example.

What kind of idiots are these? They dare to mess with my immortal master! If only they had woken up five hundred years earlier...

Cang Xiaoxuan suppressed his anger and then seemed to be deep in thought.

"It's not good to keep refusing invitations from the current regime and the martial arts world, but I definitely can't go to Immortal Crimson Heron, Emperor Xuanyuan, or me; it would be too easy for that to be interpreted as a political signal. But what about Little Anqi..."

Chapter 172 Your Insecurity Stems from Weakness

"Xiao Hong, I'm entrusting our precious Anqi to you for now. Please take good care of her. And little Anqi, have fun, don't feel any pressure. Just think of it as visiting someone for me."

"Yes, Xiaoxuan!"

Anqi nodded earnestly, dressed in a black and red gothic Lolita dress, looking elegant, cute, and incredibly well-behaved.

Situ Qinghong's lips twitched slightly, and an awkward yet polite smile appeared on her delicate face.

As the official representative of Shenzhou, her task was indeed to invite members of the Great Void Mountain faction to visit and exchange ideas—ostensibly for exchange, but the real goal was to bring this extraordinary force, which already belonged to Shenzhou, into the official camp.

The members have indeed been invited, but what the heck is this "Immortal Crimson Heron's little apprentice"?!

This wasn't something she hadn't experienced before. Back then Cheng Lixue had even been a guest there, but the Immortal Crimson Heron never showed his face. Moreover, Cheng Lixue herself kept silent about her master's attitude, clearly stating her position as a junior and a subordinate. In the end, she went to Schicksal without saying a word and became Valkyrie.

'Good heavens, this time it's Valkyrie of Schicksal! Did they bring back another little devil who needs to be pampered?'

With a smile, Situ Jinghong could only nod helplessly in agreement, seeing Cang Xiaoxuan's knowing yet feigning ignorance.

"Well, we can't expect to achieve it all at once. As long as there's progress, that's good enough."

She comforted herself with this thought and led Anqi away from Great Void Mountain.

After that, Fu Hua, with a worried look in her eyes, came out of the house and came to Cang Xiaoxuan's side.

Is this really okay?

Are you afraid they'll dare to touch Anqi? Or are you afraid they'll deceive Anqi?

Cang Xiaoxuan turned his head and asked slowly.

Fu Hua thought for a moment and shook her head.

"Anqi's Taixu Sword Qi has already reached a high level, and she also has a divine artifact by her side, so I'm not worried about her safety. The main reason is that the current authorities are too persistent; they keep hoping that I can step in and help them."

"I understand. Your principle is to protect but not interfere with the development of Shenzhou. Being pursued by a modern regime must be a headache for you, right?"

"It's not just because of the principles of the Seed of Civilization Project, but more importantly because of the current world order. Today, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy each occupy a hemisphere, dominating everything about Honkai and the fate of civilization. Shenzhou's current independent development can be temporarily ignored by both sides, but if I were to get involved, it would be too conspicuous—not to mention, Otto's attitude is hard to fathom."

Fu Hua rubbed his temples worriedly.