The remaining five disciples exchanged glances.
They hadn't expected that among those who had accompanied them for so long, someone harbored murderous intentions toward their master.
Even more surprising was how decisively Hua had acted, erasing her memories of them.
"Senior Chang Yuan, we understand. We won't bring it up in front of Master."
As the eldest disciple, Lin Zhaoyu set an example.
The others nodded in agreement.
Qin Suyi now understood why Hua had told her to stay in her room the previous night, no matter what she heard.
It turned out Hua had been cleaning house at that time.
"Remember this well. Hua no longer wants to be betrayed. I hope you won't disappoint her."
In truth, Chang Yuan believed the remaining five disciples were unlikely to harbor any rebellious thoughts.
After all, they had no reason to rebel. The current Hua wasn't the deranged version but a normal young woman... or rather, a young ancestor.
"Now that this matter is settled, we'll be leaving. Don't miss us too much~."
In fact, a few days earlier, Otto had sent a letter to Chang Yuan.
Otto had successfully developed a serum that allowed MANTIS warriors to rapidly grow into their adult forms.
Now that he had regained his adult physique, his wedding with Kallen was set to proceed.
As their teacher, Chang Yuan couldn't miss such an event.
So, he had timed his departure around the recent festival, giving Su Mei a sense that this was her only chance to act.
If she wasn't a traitor at heart, she wouldn't have taken the bait.
"Eh? Senior Chang Yuan, where are you going?"
Hearing this, the twin sisters, Jiang Wanxi and Jiang Wanru, were the most reluctant to see them go.
After all, Chang Yuan had been quite kind to them.
"Back to the west. Civilization isn't limited to Shenzhou. To fight the Honkai, one nation's strength isn't enough."
With these words, Chang Yuan gave each of them a final pat on the head.
Even Cheng Lingshuang, who was usually expressionless and indifferent, showed a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Though this wasn't for Chang Yuan but for Elysia.
"Alright, a temporary farewell is for a better reunion. If nothing goes wrong, Hua might help you obtain Stigmata~?."
Elysia's words weren't empty.
After all, anyone Hua took as a disciple was bound to be talented.
In the future, they would all become formidable fighters against the Honkai.
So, Hua would never let them perish prematurely. Instead, she would find a way to help them obtain and awaken their Stigmata.
That way, their lifespans wouldn't be an issue.
After giving some final instructions, Chang Yuan and Elysia went to bid farewell to Hua.
Though Hua was reluctant to see them go, she understood that everyone had their own paths to follow.
Thus, Chang Yuan set off once more for Schicksal.
The next day...
"Teacher, you're finally back. It's been months."
The time it took for the letter to reach them and for Chang Yuan to return was considerable. The messenger didn't have the same exaggerated strength and stamina as Chang Yuan and Elysia.
So, it had taken several months for them to return.
"Why the rush? Can't wait to marry Kallen, huh? You're something else, kid."
Giving Otto a meaningful look, Chang Yuan clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Otto's face immediately turned red.
"Teacher! Can't you show me a little respect? I'm not a kid anymore!"
"Sure, sure, you've grown up. But you're not even a fraction of my age, so stop acting all mature."
"Uh..."
Chang Yuan's words left Otto speechless.
From the Previous Era to the current one, excluding the time spent in cryosleep, it had been thousands of years.
Otto probably wasn't even a fraction of Chang Yuan's age.
"Then you should at least respect your juniors, you old—"
Thud!
Before Otto could finish, Elysia's pink fist slammed into the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Otto, what were you saying just now? I didn't quite catch it~?."
"I said... uh, Teacher, you're really youthful."
Seeing the dangerous glint in Elysia's eyes, Otto wisely chose to back down.
He knew the gap between them was insurmountable. Even as a MANTIS warrior, he stood no chance against his two teachers.
So, swallowing his pride was the right—and only—choice.
"Teacher, you're back! I missed you so much!"
Bursting into Otto's home, Kallen threw herself into Elysia's arms.
Elysia, seeing the white-haired girl, couldn't help but ruffle her hair.
However, every time he saw this, Chang Yuan felt a pang of confusion.
Why couldn't he feel the sensation when Elysia interacted with others?
This had always puzzled him. He could feel the feedback when hitting or patting someone, but not when Elysia was being affectionate with others.
Chang Yuan chalked it up to a flaw in the clone and thus felt no hesitation in being affectionate with others.
"Alright, Kallen, the wedding is the day after tomorrow. Be more composed. You can't act like a child anymore."
After releasing Kallen, Elysia began to fuss over her like a mother.
It had to be said that without all the drama and with Otto's proper guidance—instead of blindly worshipping Kallen as in the original timeline—Kallen now held a deep respect for those who volunteered for human experiments.
"Got it, Teacher. Besides, I'm still a kid at heart."
"Otto, Otto, how about we make a bet?"
"Teacher, what kind of bet?"
Seeing Elysia and Kallen chatting on the side, Chang Yuan pulled Otto aside.
But Chang Yuan's sudden proposal left Otto confused.
"I bet your first child will be a girl. If I'm right, let's name her Theresa Apocalypse, okay?"
"Huh? Teacher, you can predict that?"
Otto looked at Chang Yuan in disbelief.
"So, do you take the bet or not?"
"Fine. I'll bet it's a boy. If I'm right, let's name him Kevin Kaslana."
"...."
Hearing Otto's choice of name, Chang Yuan was genuinely afraid that one day the Judgement of Shamash would come crashing down on his head.