Ruffling Young Hua

Honkai Infection.

As someone who has experienced this symptom multiple times, no one in the world understands better than Su Qing'an how desperate Honkai Infection can be.

In short, this is a situation that is almost unsolvable.

The Fu Xiuran is still alive only means that the Honkai Energy in his body is extremely scarce.

He may have only been exposed to a tiny amount of Honkai Energy, like a speck of dust, but that was enough to destroy his tempered body.

Honkai Energy is a brutal dimensional reduction attack for humans who do not have the corresponding resistance. No matter how high your martial arts level is, or how vast your wisdom and accumulated knowledge are, as long as you do not meet this "selection mechanism", you will die without exception.

They either die as inhuman monsters or are completely annihilated, leaving no normal remains.

The only difference is the form of death.

This is an era destined to be one where [Ashes] fall like a torrential downpour, and death, like a gust of wind, indifferently harvests the beauty of the world.

In Fu Hua's original understanding, Fu Xiuran death was due to the inevitable large-scale Honkai, where male Honkai Energy resistance could only be annihilated into zombies or [Ashes] by the Honkai Energy brought about by the Honkai outbreak.

At that time, [Ashes] will be scattered throughout every corner of the city, a magnificent sight of countless corpses piled up one after another. Even if Fu Xiuran were not among them, given the city's level of development and backwardness, it would not receive the rapid support of the Moth to Fire.

Reinforcements arrived in Canghai City only after two weeks of intervals, so the treatment of Fu Hua's hometown was even more predictable. It was most likely that the organization would decide that there was no value in rescuing them and abandon them decisively.

But looking at it now, Fu Xiuran's death was something that was destined long ago. The rest of his life was nothing but an empty dream, which he eventually had to face reality and Awakened with a sense of loss.

Su Qing'an has ways to make this dream longer, but it's difficult to keep this dream beautiful forever.

That's right.

Just before leaving, the boy used his [Stigmata] ability to drain the remaining Honkai Energy from Fu Xiuran's body, and the Grim Reaper's scythe was forcibly dissipated into nothingness using the power he had awakened through numerous death experiences.

If nothing unexpected happens, Fu Xiuran will be able to be discharged from the hospital soon, given his physical condition.

Even though his organs have shown subtle signs of erosion, making it difficult for him to perform at his original level in martial arts, returning to a normal life is still not a big problem.

He had already extracted the main Honkai Energy, and what remained was more subtle Honkai Energy dust entangled deep within the organs. Su Qing'an had the ability to forcibly extract it all, but he couldn't guarantee that any human could withstand the process.

Such pulling damage and the Honkai Energy infection that can increase in an instant mean that the [Stigmata]'s abilities have limited scope for use.

Therefore, he needs to regularly help Fu Xiuran remove the ever-growing Honkai Energy in order to ensure that he will not be entangled and eroded to death by the subsequent Honkai energy. In the intervals between these intervals, the erosion of Honkai Energy will still be omnipresent, shortening his lifespan.

But perhaps, just like Su Qing'an herself, the power of the [Stigmata] is already gentle enough.

Assuming Su Qing'an possessed this ability back in Kambara Village, combined with Satou Yunona's powers, saving Kambara Shuichi might not have been an impossible task.

Without this ability, he could neither defeat Ji Xuanyuan nor save Himeko.

There was no way to allow Fu Hua to spend more time with her father in the future.

But... that's all there is to it.

Dreams end, Su Qing'an couldn't save Fu Xiuran.

That inevitable Honkai eruption has already sealed the fate of humanity in this era.

How should he react to the expression on the girl's face then?

How much suffering, separation, despair, and repeated defeat must she endure in this era before she can transform into that ethereal being in the distant future?

Soon, Su Qing'an will understand.

No matter how hard he tries, many things are difficult to avoid that outcome.

But at least for now, things are still relatively peaceful.

The boy glanced at the girl's current appearance.

Her father's strange words undoubtedly left her somewhat bewildered. Her fair, snow-white cheeks couldn't help but blush with a light pink hue. Her lips were slightly pursed, and the lipstick she used to moisturize now resembled fine rouge, highlighting its beautiful color.

Of course, the little girl's moist lips looked even more fragrant when she was eating soup dumplings. However, due to her own personality and the gaze of the man next to her, Su Qing'an only glanced at her before earnestly continuing to help peel the apple.

However, the few kittens he finally slicing out with his sharp and precise knife skills went uneaten, leaving the boy with a slight sense of regret.

Leaving aside Su Qing'an, who didn't even glance at the Fu Xiuran, the girl beside him, though her expression was indifferent, had eyes that seemed to sparkle with stars as she couldn't help but glance at the fruit plate from time to time.

For those who know her well, she is all too easy to understand.

But that was out of admiration for exquisite appearances. Judging from her expression, she didn't end up eating one with a toothpick, leaving Su Qing'an, who was looking forward to Fu Hua eating, somewhat disappointed.

My mind was racing with all sorts of trivial things. I was already halfway home, and no one had spoken a word the whole time.

For Su Qing'an, this was her usual way of getting along with Fu Hua, but this way of getting along wouldn't be suitable for girls nowadays.

Clearly, for Fu Hua, who is still young and somewhat naive, remaining silent with her "friends" after such an awkward incident is a bad sign.

Just like before, it wasn't that no girls asked her to hang out; after all, good looks easily make you popular in an all-girls school.

However, other people's topics and preferences were a series of unsolvable puzzles for Young Hua, causing her to habitually remain silent and give dry answers, which made the atmosphere somewhat awkward, and as a result, her experience of going out for fun was often diminished.

In the end, she chose to stop accepting invitations from others.

Because the girl felt that she easily made others unhappy, she thought it wouldn't be a big deal to continue being lonely. Forcing herself to change wasn't something that could be done overnight, so she strangely ended up in a state of complete isolation.

This is essentially a form of escapism.

Whether it's pleasing the other person or changing yourself, both are forms of progress. A decisive refusal, on the other hand, is a decision to wallow in your comfort zone, even if that comfort zone may not be very comfortable. The fact that you are avoiding the situation will not change.

But now the girl has stepped out of her comfort zone. Whether this stems from her affection for the boy or is a sign of growing maturity, we don't know, but the result is that she started talking to him in a very serious manner.

"Dad isn't usually like this; something's probably wrong with him today."

Her tone was indifferent, her voice calm. Probably no one could imagine how many twists and turns it took for those words to finally escape her lips.

Su Qing'an responded earnestly, seemingly oblivious to the situation:

"It's alright, I was being presumptuous."

Meeting the parents the day after the first meeting, and in a manner resembling a hospital visit, is certainly not a normal pace.

Su Qing'an felt that she was also at fault. It was perfectly normal to be unwelcome when visiting someone you didn't know well, especially since she might have feelings for his daughter.

As for the reason behind Fu Hua's question, the two of them actually already knew, but for various reasons, they chose to keep it a secret.

Su Qing'an naturally felt there was nothing to say. Getting so close to marriage after only knowing each other for a day was too immature. This was not something he would do. He had never even considered this path before coming here.

Even the possibility of falling in love was extinguished in the soil before it even sprouted, in order to prevent the impending Honkai.

The boy's first reaction upon seeing Fu Hua was simply happiness; the future was fraught with uncertainty, and his mind was mostly preoccupied with the twists and turns ahead.

Fu Hua is very simple-minded; her reason for not talking about it is naturally shyness.

Su Qing'an thought for a moment and asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time:

"Hua, when are you going to school? It's holiday time now, right?"

Su Qing'an certainly couldn't ask directly when the girl would go to study in Canghai City; he didn't want to explain the source of this information.

Because the other party simply won't believe it.

The girl felt a little worried upon hearing this, and she replied:

"Yes, it's the holidays now. There'll probably be another month or so before I go to study in Canghai City."

Su Qing'an thought for a moment and asked:

Is Canghai City far from here?

Fu Hua nodded, then counted on her fingers and said:

"It takes several hours by plane, so it must be quite far."

"Where will Su Qing'an stay then?"

Upon hearing this, he did not directly answer the question:

Who knows?

"Perhaps at a major intersection? Or on a park bench?"

Anyway, Su Qing'an wouldn't say directly that she would go to Canghai City with him right now; that would be too obvious and impossible to say directly.

Fu Hua took a liking to the boy's joke and objected:

"With Master Su's skills, supporting himself in a month won't be a problem at all."

Su Qing'an didn't mind the girl's slip of the tongue; he figured if he did, she wouldn't obediently change her address anyway.

He inwardly admitted that the other person was right; even without using illegal means and without an ID card, he was capable of obtaining enough money to support himself through legitimate means.

Su Qing'an's super-fast learning ability and one of the world's top personal combat skills have already made him free from worries about these things.

But of course, he couldn't honestly admit it here.

In that case, wouldn't there be virtually no legitimate reason for staying at the other person's house?

Su Qing'an began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

"I don't have a valid ID card. To this world, I'm basically an Undocumented Resident, which makes it difficult for me to make money."

"At least they won't stay at the Hua family's house; it's perfectly normal for them to stay on a park bench for a few days."

The girl was captivated by the boy's earnest yet deceptive words, completely unaware that he only wanted to look straight ahead.

She hesitated and said:

"Then... Su Qing'an can continue to stay at my house."

The girl thought for a moment and then added guiltily.

"If Dad hadn't been discharged from the hospital."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an sighed softly:

"Hua Zhen is a kind child."

This is the truth; in some ways, the other party is quite gullible right now.

Even I, who am not good at lying to her, could easily fool her.

However, this outcome caused an overwhelming sense of guilt, leading him to let out such a sigh.

The little girl frowned and muttered in dissatisfaction:

"Master Su is only 17 years old himself, yet he bullies people just because he's two years older than me."

Su Qing'an glanced at the other person.

There was a hint of resentment in her blue eyes. She turned her face slightly away, like a cat that hadn't eaten dried fish for three days and was gradually approaching a dangerous state of bristling fur.

Very cute.

Su Qing'an's first reaction to this was, "So Hua still cares about age."

It's strangely interesting.

The boy reached out and patted her head, which was a head shorter than his, smoothing her soft gray hair. Ignoring her instantly reddened earlobes, he chuckled and said:

"Is this bullying? This is what bullying is all about."

"There's nothing wrong with being called a child, Hua."

"Perhaps a long, long time from now, you'll wish to live in this year forever, even if you'll always be the child I'm talking about."

The girl silently removed the boy's hand that had been messing up her hair, but her clear eyes held more of a strange joy than embarrassment or annoyance. She whispered:

"Taking advantage of his height and size, he patted my head. Su Qing'an, who is usually reasonable, is very mean."

"He's a bad person."

The sunlight was perfect at that moment, piercing through countless clouds and the branches of roadside trees, tirelessly shining on their naturally parallel shadows, its warmth almost cloying.

Fu Xiuran stared silently at the fruit plate on the table.

Several adorable cats create a lazy and comforting scene; some are licking their paws, some are lazing around and sleeping, and some are raising their little heads with a haughty air...

These elements combined create a scene that is pleasing to the eye.

This knife skill, this technique, this creativity—it's hard to imagine that it came from the hand of that quiet, refined young man, especially in such a short time and with such a carefree attitude.

It now seems that Su Qing'an's claim that practicing martial arts was a hobby was not nonsense. This is a judgment he made after calmly analyzing the situation after the other party left.

He even began to suspect that the other party's main skill was a highly advanced sword technique.

In fact, the swordsmanship was only one ten-thousandth of what Su Qing'an had learned.

If he wanted to, carving an entire replica of a coffee shop onto an apple using a toothpick wouldn't be difficult.

Fu Xiuran naturally didn't know about these things, but this lifelike cat dish made him think that Su Qing'an could live a life of ease as a plating artist in a restaurant, which seemed to indirectly satisfy her daughter's appetite.

Although the requirements for meeting the criteria had increased, Fu Xiuran didn't find Su Qing'an any more pleasing to the eye.

Hua is only 15 years old! Early romantic relationships are absolutely forbidden.

They actually attacked a child! I really want to call the police.

Completely ignoring the fact that Su Qing'an was also underage and might not have made a move, Fu Xiuran only felt that the boy's handsome face became increasingly repulsive.

But perhaps because of his daughter's visit, the man felt that his body had become much lighter, but he was too preoccupied to notice anything unusual.

Fu Xiuran sat up and finished eating the few cat-shaped apples, chewing them with unusually heavy force.

Hmm, he's probably venting his sadness that his little darling is gradually drifting away from him.