"What the hell?"
Red Snake's opening words were genuinely frightening. Lu Xin and Gecko were both bewildered.
Gecko had clearly thought a little further than Lu Xin, though. His expression shifted between confusion and excitement...
Both of them were so surprised that Master Qun was naturally even more so. Red Snake was holding both his hands, and he was completely dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at Red Snake, hesitating one moment and growing angry the next. Yet, for some reason, faced with this aggrieved-looking woman, he never managed to voice the questions and scolding on the tip of his tongue. Instead, his expression gradually became confused...
After a long, long while, he finally seemed to remember something. His lips moved. "You... you are..."
"I'm Hong Mei..."
Red Snake suddenly grew excited. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried, "Dad, you really don't remember me?"
"Hong... Hong Mei..."
Master Qun was being hugged, his expression confused, but his body trembled involuntarily. Gradually, an expression of excitement and sudden realization appeared on his face. He suddenly broke free of Red Snake's embrace, cupped her face in both hands, and widened his eyes as he examined her closely. The more he looked, the more excited he became. His eyes gradually moistened, and tears welled up. "Hong Mei, so it really is you..."
"I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"My good daughter, how did I meet you here?"
"..."
Seeing Master Qun's excitement, Red Snake grew even more excited herself.
She vigorously rubbed her eyes, which still weren't red enough, and cried, "I came to Black Marsh City a long time ago. I've been bullied every day. I wanted to acknowledge you, but I was afraid you wouldn't want me. So I found these friends and had them bring you here to meet me..."