Hua, Udu-dust

In life, one will always encounter many choices.

And perhaps at some random turn in the road, the choices you make will have a profound impact, even enough to change your destiny.

Fu Hua herself did not understand whether what she was facing was a minor incident that could be laughed off, or an extremely important decision.

She quietly entered the ward after everyone else had finished visiting the boy.

The girl was still wearing the same black trench coat she wore in Norway; even a hurried and rushed journey hadn't made her look travel-worn.

She maintained an impeccable elegance, as if she had just returned from a trip to the Maldives rather than from a battle.

But in that small island nation with its clear waters and white sand, what she brought back was not the warm and pleasant sunshine.

Rather, it is like the Seawater that is expected to gradually swallow the entire island within a century—a silent yet relentlessly eroding force, like an abyss.

The complex emotions were not reflected on the immortal's face. Even though his Martial Intent was as difficult to control as Su Qing'an had once discovered, his control over his emotions remained strong.

Otherwise, the constant loneliness would have been enough to break her back.

But the fact that she came here at this time proves that her heart is not as calm as it appears on the surface.

Fu Hua gazed at the boy's profile, its shadow blurred by the sunlight, and suddenly spoke:

"Su Qing'an?"

The three words fell softly, as if sinking into the endless depths of the sea, without any response.

This was to be expected; she had already seen Su Qing'an's physical report and data, and the boy must have done even more outrageous things in the Stigmata Space.

The result was the current predicament.

St. Freya Academy was safe and sound, and he was unconscious.

The girl's face was hidden in the backlight, and her pupils, as blue as the swaying blue sea, reflected the boy's slightly upturned lips, as if he were smiling.

The immortal repeated the name again.

"Su Qing'an ..."

Seeing his battered body gradually repaired by the Pseudo-Herrscher, a slight sense of pleasure genuinely arose within him.

After seeing the physical data from Theresa and understanding the situation, the chill that welled up in my Mind Lake was indescribable.

The strange, throbbing feeling that now stirs in my heart when I see the boy sleeping is an undeniable fact.

"This is really reckless."

Fu Hua let out a helpless sigh, and with her icy hand, she lightly tapped Su Qing'an's forehead as if blaming her.

"You even have this expression when you're asleep. What, do you think you've done a great job?"

The words were meant to be reprimanding, but when they came out of her mouth, they were gentle and comforting.

Perhaps only in moments when there is no response can a celestial being reveal such a rare side of themselves.

Fu Hua stopped talking and gently stroked the boy's hair.

As she felt the touch between her fingers, she suddenly realized that his body temperature was so cold, as if it held the wind of winter.

What exactly did you do in the Stigmata Space?

If Awakened, would you mind telling me?

Even though Yan uttered words of blame, Fu Hua understood that she didn't blame him.

It's understandable that she's been fighting for so long.

Whether they were warriors who witnessed the last moments of the previous era or immortals who had Shenzhou for five thousand years, they all possessed an unwavering conviction that they could never relinquish.

The same should apply to Su Qing'an, so Fu Hua naturally wouldn't blame him.

When it's time to fight tooth and nail, then fight tooth and nail; when it's time to give up everything, then give up everything.

You'll regret it if you don't do it this way.

It would be a pity if we didn't do it this way.

Therefore, Su Qing'an, who worked hard to the end and achieved the desired outcome, should absolutely not be blamed.

It would be more accurate to applaud this courage and choice.

People who can earnestly pursue their own path are truly outstanding.

But... my emotions were beyond my control.

It would be unpleasant if this person got injured.

It would be unpleasant if this person never Awakened again.

Are they friends? Or teacher and student? Because of that vague sense of déjà vu, my relationship with him seems strange, yet comforting.

Su Qing'an is a very strange person. He is lonely and earnest; he loves cats; he is not good at expressing his ordinary emotions, but sometimes he is also stubbornly adorable.

But overall, he is a very pure person.

She doesn't dislike people like that.

A breeze without source stirred the Mind Lake, and within my already ethereal state of mind, it seemed as if waves were quietly surging and rippling.

The girl smiled and sighed:

"Really, this is the last time."

"Su Qing'an."

Despite saying he didn't care about worldly emotions and disliked unnecessary shackles, the immortal still made his decision.

In the brief moment that words rolled down like jade beads, a feather detached itself from the illusory boundary and drifted down.

Divine Key: Udu-dust.

For immortals nowadays, each use of Udu-dust is a drain that is difficult to recover from.

But within just one day, she used it twice.

The reasons given for both instances were related to a boy he had known for less than six months.

Su Qing'an.

The feather drifted slowly to his forehead, then, as if it were intangible, fell into a more mysterious realm.

The girl's delicate and refined face had paled slightly, clearly indicating that using Udu-dust again in less than ten hours was no easy task for Fu Hua at this point.

One of the reasons is that waking up Su Qing'an now is more difficult than she initially imagined.

Furthermore, she did some things that weren't like her usual self.

The girl frowned slightly; had her body already begun to react to this level of use?

Fu Hua withdrew her hand from the boy's hair and said softly:

"You've slept all day, you've had enough rest, haven't you?"

"Time to get up and train. Martial arts is not something you can slack off on."

There was no response.

Even though she knew the chance of waking the boy was almost 100%, her fingertips still trembled slightly for a moment when she received no response.

My health is getting worse and worse; I can't even control this kind of thing anymore.

She thought to herself as she clenched her slender fingers into a fist.

But then, a hoarse voice interrupted the turmoil in my thoughts.

Good morning, Hua.

He greeted Fu Hua, who was sitting by the hospital bed, with a "Good morning."

The boy had already opened his eyes, and his dark pupils reflected the immortal's lowered face, bathed in sunlight.

It looks great.

This is the first thing I saw when Awakened. Wouldn't you consider that lucky?

The girl's cherry blossom-colored lips curved into a beautiful smile as she said:

"It's already noon, Su Qing'an."

Her clenched fist gradually loosened its grip, and her heart returned to stillness.

Su Qing'an stared at that face, his expression somewhat blank, as if he hadn't yet recovered from that near-death struggle. But upon hearing Fu Hua's words, he smiled naturally:

"Oh, I see. It feels like a very, very long time has passed."

Fu Hua said softly, as if to comfort her:

"It was just a day, just a dream."

Su Qing'an recalled everything within the Stigmata Space...

The girl shattered in the void, transforming into a fleeting light and disappearing Divine Key, and the fate of the Miko remains unknown.

All of this is no longer his concern.

Having lost its natural Stigmata, the communication between the Void Sword Qi and the outside world has become obscure and dangerous once again.

It was something that would be unusual and disappointing, but when Su Qing'an saw the girl's rare smile, Mind Lake had no time to worry about such trivial matters.

The ward was quiet for a while, then he finally managed to utter a sentence:

"Was the mission successful?"

Hearing the other person's clumsy words, the girl couldn't help but smile and reply:

"It went smoothly. Didn't I tell you? It's just a very ordinary task that can be completed in a couple of days."

Su Qing'an was stunned for a moment, recalling Fu Hua's words from that day.

That seems to be correct.

The boy's dazed expression was rather amusing, and Fu Hua's mood lightened considerably. She flicked his forehead with her finger and said:

"Let's keep the fact that I woke you up a secret between us."

"A secret?" Having understood the meaning behind Fu Hua's words, Su Qing'an murmured those two words to herself and couldn't help but smile.

Finally, the boy gave an answer.

"Good."

On this sunny afternoon, the sea breeze continues to blow, carrying on its ceaseless journey.

The initial bond between the boy and the immortal was completely severed by that Udu-dust.