Fu Hua Turns the Tables

The girl looked back at the boy as he slurped himself up in the lake, and found it somewhat adorable. Her serene, deep blue eyes, as still as a forest, blinked, their surface shimmering and rippling.

From here, one can see the person's skin clearly reflected in the clear water, their slender lines and collarbone partially concealed by a sheer garment, slowly sinking into the depths of the eyes—a rare sight indeed.

Thinking back, it seems that I rarely have any close contact with it in my memory, and even observing the skin of half of my body and the vaguely outlined lines is a first-time experience for me.

The immortal still harbors many human desires and emotions towards Su Qing'an, or rather, the memories and emotions inherited from different timelines are all related to the other person.

Therefore, only in front of a young man is she a complete human being with all the emotions and desires.

As for the others, whether it's Jiang Rongyue, Li Shishi, or Cang Xiaoxuan.

Although she can exhibit emotional fluctuations and behavioral logic that would be unlikely in the past, she still cannot be considered a living human being. Instead, she is like a statue that has now acquired emotions and warmth. Even though she seems gentle and affectionate, there is a barrier between her and her heart that prevents her from reaching it.

This inescapable sense of alienation and indifference is a natural quality honed over thousands of years.

The girl strolled along the edge of the lake, her bare feet lightly touching the soft soil and brushing against the cool grass and trees. As the wooden hairpin was removed, her silky hair fell like soft snowflakes.

Fu Hua sat by the misty lake, her light and thin dress outlining her slender curves. Under the light and heavy makeup of the mist, she seemed like a god or Buddha frozen in time.

Her cool, aloof features resembled the distant moon, yet as she slowly dipped her ankles into the clear water, an inexplicable air of childlike innocence appeared. Her pale lips parted, uttering a soft whisper:

"You can't see, so why close your eyes?"

Su Qing'an opened her eyes and said without any guilt:

I think you'll be shy.

The immortal's tone was indifferent:

"I won't."

Amidst the roaring spray and white mist of the cascading waterfall, a subtle and ambiguous silence was filled with the sounds of water splashing at different frequencies, which, according to the Manas consciousness, sounded exceptionally delicate and unique.

Su Qing'an's physical abilities were limited to those of a normal child; his eyesight was unable to penetrate the thick fog and dampness to see the truth behind it all.

With this thought in mind, in order not to be noticed for his abnormality, the boy obediently opened his eyes. He kept his eyes closed and remained silent, but the coldness of the lake water could not stop the roar and warmth caused by the accelerated blood circulation.

What happened?

Hua and I are already married, aren't we?

Why are we so unfamiliar with and bewildered by this scene?

Could this also be a kind of incompleteness that can only be gradually restored in the future, requiring the complete recovery of memories about the other person before this part of the experience fills the gap, allowing one to regain ease and control?

Su Qing'an tried to analyze the experience that didn't exist at all, imagining what kind of attitude the version of herself who used to be calm and composed in the face of such scenes and situations would adopt.

You can't let anyone see that you're nervous, or even ashamed.

This is a stubborn belief that the boy is persistently striving for, for reasons he doesn't understand.

As you look straight ahead, the true form of the source of the sound slowly comes into view.

The girl's toes skimmed the water's surface, creating delicate ripples. Her fair skin and the sudden appearance of silvery spray intertwined to form a picture. For a moment, it was as if one had glimpsed a fish twitching its tail on the lake's surface, but in an instant, one couldn't help but notice the extremely delicate shape of her feet.

Her toes were narrow and smooth like tofu, and her toes were like tender lotus root sprouts. They were quite cute when she unconsciously stretched them out. Her body was well-proportioned, slender yet strong, and her shape was a slightly upturned, smooth arch. Under the half-hidden water and mist, she looked like warm jade.

For some reason, Su Qing'an suddenly remembered useless knowledge at this moment.

The ancients had an almost obsessive pursuit of bound feet, which had to be light, even, neat, and with a slightly upturned, beautiful curve.

While it may not currently fit the size criteria of this aesthetic, it is excellent in all other aspects.

The boy didn't care for this cloying painting. He was just slightly stunned. From the depths of his memory, it was as if some barrier was collapsing, and he heard the fragmented sounds of glass and rocks breaking. Suddenly, a broken and chaotic scene flashed in his memory.

Amidst the smoke and roar of the banquet, the blood and energy surged like an engine being fueled, while the State of Still Water the mind regulated the breath, calming the strength and speed of the entire body. Adrenaline and heightened emotions burned silently amidst the cold rationality.

The surroundings were filled with noise and clamor, but at that moment Su Qing'an could only feel the touch of his arms encircling the soft back and legs of that person. He dragged up the tattered silver-gray skirt, placed the person in his arms on the chair, and knelt down, dragging the soft soles of her feet.

Finally, a tissue was used to wipe away the blood that had seeped from the other person's lips, and a strip of cloth was used to wrap the person's bare feet.

My memory ends here.

Only the rage of that moment warmed my chest and then slowly subsided.

Su Qing'an could confirm that his memories of Fu Hua had not yet returned, but the chain of events in the background gradually pieced together past illusions and old dreams, making him obsessed with them.

Even if he couldn't see the person's face clearly, he was still certain that it was Hua.

So... why haven't you recovered your memories of the wedding yet?

The boy was troubled by when this void experience, which would never return even after full recovery, would arrive, and he withdrew his gaze.

The girl frowned slightly, feeling the coldness as if a slender white snake was coiling around her toes, giving her skin a strange sensation.

I was careless.

Su Qing'an currently has the physical condition of an ordinary person. Using the Heaven and Earth Qi to isolate himself while bathing would be putting the cart before the horse. If he were to stay in the cold pool for too long, it wouldn't be surprising if he caught a cold or even developed a fever.

Thankfully, it only lasted a few minutes.

She said softly:

"Su Qing'an, I'm going to reverse the weather here."

Upon hearing this, the boy reached out and cupped a fish about the size of a thumb in his palm.

The creatures in this lake have a different structure than those outside. Most of their bodies are translucent and smooth like jade. This makes him suspect that Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan modified and interfered with the genes of the species here so that they could soak in the hot springs at Cloud Dragon Waterfall without any psychological barriers.

His intuition told him that the fish wouldn't be harmed by the temperature change, and his slender frame indicated a preference for hot spring baths. After realizing that the task of obscuring the view would be accomplished by rising steam instead of humidity, he innocently nodded.

"OK."

Fuyun Temple.

After washing her hair briefly and drying it slightly with a towel, Li Shishi sat down in a spot overlooking the mountains and the sea, tilted her head, and began reading an ancient book.

The abode of the Immortal Chi Yuan is so ancient that it spans the entire history and culture of Shenzhou.

Any simple, unadorned item you pick from here has accumulated a rich sense of history.

Books, clearly the most difficult items to preserve due to the constraints of materials, could be found in the storage room where one was allowed to look at them, containing various classics from the pre-Qin period and even the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, as well as the works of various schools of thought.

These are invaluable spiritual and cultural treasures for later generations and even today. They were placed in the abode of immortals by some unknown technology or means, and have been there through the long passage of time.

The girl could sense a profound sense of grandeur and emotion from it, and it was this weight that transcended time that made her realize, in a daze, what it meant to be an immortal.

But the girl couldn't indulge in these emotions for long before she was forced to break free.

Xiao Xuan stared intently at her and whispered:

"Doesn't Shishi want to spy on us?"

Li Shishi frowned slightly, suddenly finding the priceless book in her hands suddenly unappealing. She said with a serious expression:

"In no mood."

"Xiao Xuan, do you really want to go?"

A tiny, Armed Puppet sat on the table. She picked up her teacup, took a sip of fragrant tea, and honestly faced her desires, tilting her head back as she said:

"Yeah, don't you think something really interesting will happen if Chi Yuan and Su Su go to Cloud Dragon Waterfall together?"

"It would be such a shame to miss out!"

Li Shishi spoke with righteous indignation:

What if I see something I shouldn't see?

Xiao Xuan looked at her with a puzzled expression and muttered:

"What we want to see are the things we shouldn't see! Nothing's more interesting than watching a blockhead suddenly become enlightened."

Damn it, why are you so blunt?

How can one maintain their composure when faced with such a soul-stirring temptation?

The girl took a deep breath.

Calm down, calm down.

Udu-dust, Udu-dust.

Sister Chi Yuan is watching; this must be a terrible trap.

Li Shishi, you must hold on!

Keep going, you can do it!

The girl glanced at her reflection in the other's pupils, and was about to respond when she realized that there was no crimson light or shadow in her own pupils. The high wall in her heart slowly crumbled, and the suppressed desires began to swell.

Xiao Xuan urged:

"Chi Yuan is definitely not paying attention to you right now. Who would be distracted during a date and flirting? Even a blockhead wouldn't do something so stupid after they've finally figured it out."

Li Shishi closed the book, ignoring her blistered feet that hadn't been treated with medicine. Completely forgetting her earlier response, she revealed her true self and said softly:

Where can I take a shortcut?

Xiao Xuan's eyes lit up. She wanted someone to go with her; otherwise, what if she got dragged along and had to be trained alone?

However, given Chi Yuan's personality, even if she were discovered, it's unlikely anything would happen.

But these kinds of things are definitely more enjoyable when everyone shares the joy.

She put down her teacup, grabbed the girl's sleeve, blinked, and said:

"I know, I know. Let's hurry up, otherwise we definitely won't be able to persuade Rongyue to come back from the Chuyun Pavilion."

Just as Li Shishi was about to respond, she looked up and saw someone leaning against the edge of a pillar in front of the door.

Jiang Rongyue lowered her eyes and remained silent. A silver vessel containing a normal ointment was flipping and dancing like a butterfly between her fingertips, reflecting tiny, mottled shadows in the sunlight.

The girl was completely unaware of what the two people inside were discussing in a secretive manner.

The reason she didn't immediately hand the ointment to the other party was simply because she was moved by what her master had said earlier, which even stirred up memories of the past. So, to avoid anything seeming amiss during the conversation, she chose to pause here for a while.

Furthermore, Li Shishi's foot wound has already been disinfected and bandaged to prevent infection, and she was reading so intently that there was no rush to deliver it now.

Not long after she entered the underworld, she made a mistake that escalated a crime that would not have ended her life to the point of life and death, causing a family to lose its pillar of support.

For young, naive adventurers, this was probably nothing new.

This is especially true for a child who has slain countless demons in the mountains and whose clothes are stained with blood as soon as he enters the world.

Jiang Rongyue should not possess such a mature and gentle moral compass. Her experiences could only forge her into a cold and indifferent sword, an inanimate object that would rather break than bend and would never feel regret.

The Jalana in the chest cavity also originate from this.

But the girl instinctively knew one thing: she wanted to obtain the happiness her mother spoke of.

First, she needs to retain human emotions and a sense of self, and cannot simply be a naive sword that only knows how to kill.

Therefore, once Jiang Rongyue entered the martial arts world, she bound herself with her shallow understanding, and then improved her understanding and overcame this constraint by constantly enriching her experience and gaining knowledge.

She will try to be a chivalrous person, try to learn worldly etiquette, and try to erase the animalistic nature in her bones and integrate into society.

The reasons for this all stem from this.

That incident unintentionally broke the girl's self-imposed constraints for the first time, so even something shallow and ordinary could still become her nightmare.

Even though Jiang Rongyue was actually unmoved.

Even though she couldn't feel much guilt, sorrow, or regret about it, she still couldn't forget it.

The Jalana within my chest expands, as if speaking of the weight of life through ethereal things beyond emotions.

However, the Void Sword Qi is precisely a path to near-divinity concerning consciousness and soul. Each advancement of the Sword Heart has a huge threshold, and even mortals who abandon their Qi cultivation will find it difficult to enter the gate. The same applies to advancement after entering the gate.

Jiang Rongyue seemed to be making rapid progress, having already entered the Wuchen realm within a month. It seemed that cultivating the Void Sword Qi was not difficult for her. However, there were some profound problems in her mindset. Even if she entered the Mingjing realm again in a short time at this speed, she might still be stuck at the threshold of Taixu and unable to break through the barrier until the end of her life.

The Realm of Great Void is a very mysterious level; it disintegrates the sword heart that was once accumulated to the point of being almost tangible into a deeper layer of ethereal nothingness.

But what is the true nature of Kenshin?

In fact, the accurate answer can be found in the fact that it can become the Heavenly Heart that replaces one's own heart.

Soul matter, and -- thought.

By leaving his self-imprint, Su Qing'an seemed to be watching his life over and over again, pulling out his emotions and thoughts from that time and enacting one real scene after another. This made him realize the existence of [Nian] for the first time and turn it into the final piece of the puzzle of his Soul State.

Therefore, if the young man had not been cultivating the Void Sword Qi, which was a manifestation of the soul, he should have entered the Taixu at that time.

[Nian] is self-awareness, personality, and the very source that makes a person distinct and different.

Humans are not Soul Lifeform, so they only need to achieve about one-tenth of Su Qing'an's level at that time, or even less, to enter the Great Void.

The problem is that Jiang Rongyue is not a complete human being.

Or rather, she was fully aware that there were subtle deficiencies in her self-awareness and self-identity.

The difference between an innate, clear-minded swordsmanship and one forcibly cultivated through experience is indescribable.

Jiang Rongyue understood this perfectly, but after she recognized Mount Taixu as her home, that is, when she began to cultivate the Sword Heart Technique, this problem was actually being gradually resolved.

As long as you don't let your mindset crack, you can get through the sadness smoothly and gradually approach the realm of emptiness.

That's why Fu Hua deliberately sought an excuse to give the other party the last remaining nano-medicine.

The girl leaned against the pillar and pondered for a long time before gradually realizing the meaning behind it. Her later dazed state was simply a result of basking in the sun and feeling the breeze, letting her mind wander.

This silence truly shocked Li Shishi and Cang Xiaoxuan, who had always held the upper hand over the other side.

Both were clearly feeling guilty; the former picked up a book to shield his face from any possible gaze, while the latter sat inside the scroll, floating in mid-air, pretending to be fast asleep.

The atmosphere at Fuyun Temple was unusually quiet for a moment.

Li Shishi couldn't help but wonder whether it was because Xiao Xuan had a bad mouth or because she was just unlucky. However, she was also unusually timid and dared not say anything, so she could only continue to pretend to read.

Given this delicate situation, the two naturally stopped discussing the topic of sneaking out to spy.

Jiang Rongyue unintentionally protected her master's appointment, which was in line with her respectful nature towards her teacher.

Yes, congratulations!

Glug glug.

The spring water and steam rolled around, and the boy felt a warm, comfortable sensation all over his body. This should have been a scene that would have made him feel peaceful enough to fall asleep, but the soft, smooth sensation coming from his back and the gentle breathing made it all the more subtle.

"Hua, you're standing too close."

The boy's handsome face was slightly flushed, whether from soaking in the hot spring or from feeling ashamed, it was hard to tell, but his voice remained as calm as ever.

The immortal lowered her eyes, her slender, pale fingers gently caressing the swimming fish, her lips slightly upturned, and said softly:

Is something wrong?

Su Qing'an's body instincts told him that something was clearly wrong. Even though he was only thirteen years old, his basic physiological desires still existed. However, the lie he had been told before made it seem like there was nothing wrong with this level of contact between husband and wife, leaving him speechless with frustration.

If the boy were to turn his head at this moment, he would be able to see a snow-white back.

Its spinal grooves are beautifully shaped, and water droplets roll down its icy skin and jade-like bones, only to be swallowed by the thin warmth as they touch the vibrant colors of spring, making it all the more alluring.

Even without looking back, some words that could be used for imagination still subconsciously surfaced in my mind.

Red tips, snow-white skin, and jet-black, vibrant hair.

At that moment, the boy's face grew increasingly hot.

He submerged his head underwater, letting the surface make a sound.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

Hateful.

Senior Sister Shishi, come save me!