Dreaming Back to the Great Void

Before Cheng Lixue stood a towering peak, its summit shrouded in mist that lent the mountain an air of celestial grace. A stone-paved path stretched ahead of her, winding upward all the way to the top. This place was one she knew all too well—Mount Taixu.

(The melody of Mount Taixu plays softly.)

She climbed the stone steps one by one, savoring the crisp mountain air. A cool, gentle breeze brushed past, stirring her hair slightly. Bathed in the bright but gentle sunlight, she felt utterly at ease.

Cheng Lixue did not slow her pace despite the pleasant surroundings. As she walked, she let her mind drift into memories. She recalled how, at the age of five, her teacher Fu Hua had taken her hand and led her up this very path to Mount Taixu.

After several hours, she spotted the quaint little cabin—the place she had called home for so many years. Here, her master had taught her to read and write. She looked toward the desk on the western side, and the images of two figures, one large and one small, seemed to reappear before her eyes.

"At the beginning of life, human nature is good. Natures are similar, habits diverge..."

"Sky is dark and earth is yellow, the universe vast and boundless. Sun and moon wax and wane, stars spread across the sky."

From the Three Character Classic to the Thousand Character Classic, countless texts of Shenzhou—her master would sit on the chair behind that desk, reading them aloud to her over and over, while she sat on her master's lap, repeating each line after her.

Cheng Lixue remembered that, like any other child her age, she was always brimming with curiosity. Every time she learned a new character, she would pester her master to explain its meaning, and her master would always patiently indulge her, this little bundle of questions.

"Sister, sister, what does this character 'xia' mean?" She remembered that her master hadn't answered that question at the time, instead saying that learning required taking things step by step, and that she should come back to ask once she understood more.

Three years later, they descended the mountain for the first time, only to run into bandits. But those dozens of bandits never realized that the moment they appeared, they had already been surrounded by Fu Hua alone.

Fu Hua told the eight-year-old Cheng Lixue to close her eyes. In the blink of an eye, only the two of them were left standing. That was the first time Cheng Lixue felt a desire to admire strength.

"Sister, will you teach me such amazing techniques too? I want to become as strong as you."

"And after you become strong, what do you plan to do?"

"If I become stronger, even if I'm alone, those people won't be able to bully me anymore."

Fu Hua casually picked up a twig and gestured for Cheng Lixue to follow. They came to a patch of soft earth. Fu Hua crouched down and wrote a character in the dirt: "侠."

Cheng Lixue looked at it—it resembled "xia," but seemed slightly different.

"Lixue, do you remember three years ago when you asked me what 'xia' meant? This character is the ancient way of writing 'xia.'"

Fu Hua pointed the twig at the character: "The radical on the left represents a person's actions. On the right, it shows a large person leading two smaller ones—one with strength helping the weak. That is 'xia.'"

Fu Hua looked at Cheng Lixue, who appeared lost in thought.

"Lixue, wanting to become stronger is not wrong in itself. But thinking clearly about what you will do after becoming stronger is far more important. Your talent far exceeds that of ordinary people. I won't force you to do anything, but if one day you become stronger than many others, I hope you will use your power to protect those weaker than yourself—not harm others for selfish desires, like those bandits."

Protecting those weaker than herself—this was precisely the important reason Cheng Lixue later voluntarily joined Schicksal and became a Valkyrie. She understood that her master had taught her to read and write, but more than that, she had taught her the principles of being a good person.

"Even my casual questions, you would remember, guiding me step by step at the right moment. But why... did you leave me back then?"

The very day after their formal teacher-student relationship was established, Fu Hua disappeared. Cheng Lixue did not see her again until she herself became a Valkyrie of Schicksal. Fu Hua, who would patiently explain every question she had, alone on this matter, showed sorrow in her expression and refused to speak of it.

Cheng Lixue understood that this was her heart's knot, and also the reason her Taixu Sword Qi could never break through to the Dustless Realm. But the more she tried to suppress the thought, the more desperately it burrowed into her mind. In severe cases, even maintaining the tranquil state of the Tranquil Water Realm became difficult.

With a heavy heart, Cheng Lixue left that cabin and went to the one behind it. She remembered this was something like a kitchen. Every year on her birthday, her master would make her a steaming bowl of wonton noodles right here.

Seeing the objects, she thought of the person. Cheng Lixue sank into memories once more. She recalled the first time her master made wonton noodles after leaving her.

She put flour into a bowl, cracked a raw egg into it, and slowly added water while kneading.

She performed the kneading with meticulous care, understanding that doing this well was no easier than mastering a martial art.

The flour scattered and gathered in her hands... In the repeated process of sticking and adjusting, it seemed to develop a will of its own, coalescing into a smooth, elastic dough.

Then came rolling, cutting, pulling the noodles, setting some aside to make wontons. She boiled them in a broth made from dried flounder and river shrimp, then fished them out. Two bowls of fragrant wonton noodles were complete.

She carefully picked up a strand, blew on it to cool it, and took a bite along with a wonton. Her dancing taste buds told her that her first attempt had been a success.

She carried both bowls of wonton noodles to the living quarters, ate one bowl, cleaned up, and left.

But when she returned that evening, the wonton noodles, long since cold, were still sitting there untouched.

Cheng Men Li Xue—that was the origin of her name. Though she disliked waiting, she had been forced to grow accustomed to it.

But this time, looking at that bowl of cold wonton noodles, she understood: the person she was waiting for would never come back.

"Time flies. I never thought even my master's first departure from me would be so long ago." Cheng Lixue walked out of the cabin, stood atop Mount Taixu, and gazed down at the beautiful scenery below, a bitter smile on her face.

If only time could have frozen forever in that moment. Now, even within this dream, all she could do was see objects and think of the person, be moved by the scene and stir up old feelings.

"I didn't expect what you wanted to see was an object, not a person." The space beside Cheng Lixue split open, and Enoshia stepped out. Perhaps due to her own special nature, she and Old Yang could observe others' dreams from the gap between reality and dreams, like watching a live broadcast, and even intervene to a certain extent.

She had originally planned to take the easy route and replicate her previous method, but the results were minimal—it seemed the dream itself was aware of her. So she decisively changed tactics, no longer eroding the entire world but concentrating her power into a single point, drilling a hole in Cheng Lixue's dream and pulling her out.

"Who do you think I should have dreamed of?"

"Your master, Fu Hua. Due to my authority, I can access not only the information recorded in Schicksal but also parts of your and her memories. So I am not entirely ignorant of what weighs on your heart."

Cheng Lixue smiled upon hearing this: "Is that so? Then it's simple. What I truly wanted most was not to see my master, but to return to Mount Taixu and recall my past with her."

"Why?"

"After joining Schicksal, I realized that my master might have a very complicated past. The reason she wouldn't answer my question was most likely because she had something she couldn't say. Not causing my master distress—that is what a disciple should do. Unless she is willing to tell me on her own, even if I saw her, I wouldn't ask that question again. I... am no longer that little girl with endless 'whys' long ago."

Enoshia sighed softly, thinking to herself: So to avoid reminding Fu Hua of painful memories, she would rather keep this knot in her heart forever. As of now, she is undoubtedly the person in this civilization who treats Fu Hua the best. May you live long enough to see the day Fu Hua is willing to tell you everything on her own.

Enoshia watched as Cheng Lixue gradually faded away, offering her heartfelt blessing.