"Nuwa, because you... your identity is rather special..." Hongjun said. "Anyone else might face nine parts danger, but if you went, you would probably face only three."
"Ah? Why?" Nuwa was astonished.
"All right, Nuwa, I won't hide it from you anymore... The truth is, your and Fuxi's father is Yang Mei... Back then, he specifically asked me to look after you both..."
After a moment's hesitation, Hongjun actually revealed a secret. "So if you go, and it really is Yang Mei, he probably won't hurt you."
"Hmm?"
A question mark appeared in the eyes of all the Six Great Saints.
Had Hongjun just made that excuse up?
"What?"
"Th-this... how is that possible?" Nuwa was utterly stunned.
Hadn't she been born from Great God Pangu? How had she and Fuxi become Yang Mei's descendants in the blink of an eye?
"Nuwa, I know this is difficult for you to accept... But that is the truth. Back when we joined forces against Luo Hou, Yang Mei was gravely wounded, so he went deep into Chaos to recuperate. Before leaving, he asked me to look after you both. At the time, you were still cultivating inside the innate formation he had set up, unaware of the truth behind it."
"I don't know why Yang Mei would be stirring up trouble behind the scenes, either. Perhaps there really is some misunderstanding here."
Hongjun looked earnestly at Nuwa. "That is why no one could be better suited to this trip to Hongmeng than you. If it really is him, once he sees you, the misunderstanding between us can be cleared up immediately."
"No, Master, th-this can't be true, can it? H-how could I have a father?"
Hongjun sounded sincere, but Nuwa still felt a bewildering sense of absurdity. She refused to believe him.