The fact that Fu Hua was terrible at raising children was already proven by those seven traitors disciples of hers.
Let's be honest: even if she had raised seven puppies, not one of them would've bitten the hand that fed them—unless they were drugged.
Compared to Cheng Lixue, those seven really had far too much expectation for Fu Hua.
Fu Hua had left nothing behind for Cheng Lixue.
The training she received was the same as what the seven had gotten—actually, in some areas, she was treated worse than them.
And yet, Cheng Lixue had grown into a thoughtful, loyal disciple, while those seven… turned into snakes that bit their master.
On the other hand, perhaps Fu Hua's "death" hadn't been such a bad thing.
After that ordeal, the immortal Chi Yuan forgot much of her past. But fortunately, what she found instead… was her humanity again.
From a detached immortal whose only purpose was to fight the Honkai—she became a "girl" named Fu Hua.
"Wait a second… I just realized something."
Nagami's eyes suddenly widened as fragments of Cheng Lixue's profile replayed in his mind, his expression turning awkward.
If the Herrscher of Consciousness called him "Dad"… then, considering her relationship with Fu Hua, didn't that make his relationship with Fu Hua basically… husband and wife?
And that meant the child Fu Hua had raised since childhood—Cheng Lixue—was technically… their kid?
A bit of a stretch, sure. But if you forced it, the logic kind of held up.
A violent hiss tore through the air—the sound of water surging into a whirling maelstrom, crashing toward him like a tsunami.
Nagami summoned a fireball into his palm, flames bursting forth like a raging pillar.
Fire against water: the clash of elements naturally produced steam.
But the reaction lasted only a moment.
Even if he was holding back, an A-rank Valkyrie was still no match for him—no matter how strong the A-rank.
"Well then…"
Nagami wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
As a born mischief-maker, he always preferred to fight in whatever way amused him most, as long as it didn't disrupt the bigger picture.
Slowly descending from the sky, he smiled brightly.
At this moment, his form was that of a genderbent Diluc (Lucina).
Aside from the armor plating and the glint in his eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to Himeko about seventy to eighty percent, in fact.
Cheng Lixue gripped her sword tightly and assumed a defensive stance, her frown deepening as the Herrscher approached with that unsettlingly calm smile.
'Lucina' didn't speak.
She simply clenched her fist and shifted into a fighting pose, her aura pressing outward.
And in that instant, Cheng Lixue's eyes widened in disbelief.
For the first time since stepping onto this battlefield, her composure shattered.
Because that stance—
It was the opening move of her master's Taixuan Fist.
'Impossible!'
She was a Herrscher! How could she—?!
The girl known as the "Frostsword Valkyrie" exploded into motion, her sword slicing through the air like lightning.
Water surged behind the strike in a crashing vortex.
"Taixuan: Mountain Collapse."
But the water meant nothing.
By exciting the very molecules around her, 'Lucina' evaporated the torrent on contact.
Her sword met her fist, and though her frame looked slim, the blow carried mountain-shattering force.
The ground cracked beneath her as the impact blasted debris outward in a storm.
"Taixuan: Cloud Mist."
'Lucina''s fist flared with invisible energy, releasing a visible shockwave on impact.
The strike sent Cheng Lixue's azure blade flying.
"No way… That really is Taixuan Fist!"
Her earlier doubts had been rational—after all, surely Fu Hua wasn't the only one in the world who knew it.
Maybe it had just looked similar at first.
But then she heard this woman soft muttering.
And then she saw, with her own eyes, moves that were undeniably Fu Hua's.
It could only be her master's technique.
Could she be… a former disciple of Fu Hua?
But the women before her didn't look like she was from Shenzhou at all!
"Who… who are you really?"
Disarmed but undaunted, Cheng Lixue set her stance again—Taixuan Fist this time, not her sword.
Her eyes locked on the smiling Herrscher before her.
"You want to know?" 'Lucina' tilted his head, still smiling. "Beat me, and I'll tell you."
'Lucina' tucked her left hand behind her back, curled the fingers of her right hand, and made a beckoning gesture.
She could already sense a familiar consciousness racing closer from the distance.
Her grin widened.
Seeing no hostility toward humanity in this Herrscher, Cheng Lixue grit her teeth and unleashed a flurry of blows—fists flying at inhuman speed, striking from every possible angle.
And yet, every single punch was blocked.
Each counter landed precisely at critical points: nerves, joints, the body's vital flows.
What drove her mad was that, while fending off her attacks, this Herrscher was teaching her.
"No, not like that—this angle's wrong…"
"In real combat, this strike should be preceded by a setup move, storing force before you leap and crash down with greater impact."
"And here—this one should descend like a falling star, crushing the enemy beneath sheer pressure. And finally—finish with a real punch, breaking them physically, like this!"
'Lucina''s figure shot into the air, then came crashing down like a falling star straight toward Cheng Lixue.
"Taxiuan—Skybreaker."
The words left his lips in a calm, almost casual whisper.
Yet, as the fist closed in, Cheng Lixue's vision was swallowed by darkness—the shadow of death itself.
Instinct forced her back two staggering steps, her body trembling as she stared blankly at the woman.
"These techniques… surely Fu Hua taught you, didn't she?"
'Lucina' smiled faintly and gave her a light pat on the head, as if pulling her back from the edge of despair.
"You… who are you, really? Do you know Master? And why… why are you a Herrscher?"
Cheng Lixue's voice was heavy, her eyes fixed on the red-haired woman before her.
She could feel it clearly—this person hadn't intended to kill her.
Otherwise, she'd already be dead several times over.
"Well, in a sense… you could say I'm your grandmaster."
'Lucina' crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly toward the right—where another presence was lurking, ready to spring out.
That figure froze mid-movement at 'Lucina''s words.
"Huh?"
The words hit Cheng Lixue like a thunderclap.
She froze in place, her expression instantly twisting into a spectacular mess of shock and disbelief, as though she'd just heard the most scandalous revelation of her life.
"This fist style? She taught it to me. Honestly, the reason Fu Hua was always apart from you wasn't her fault—it was mine. Because… sigh…"
Her tone grew heavier, and 'Lucina' lifted her gaze to the sky.
"This…"
Cheng Lixue raised her hand, then faltered—utterly unsure what to say.
Before becoming a Valkyrie, she had wandered the martial world of Shenzhou for years.
And if there was one thing she'd learned, it was how to recognize this kind of story.
Just from this Herrscher's tone and expression, she could already piece together several possible melodramas in her head—family feuds, forbidden love, tragic separations…
The kind of plot that could fuel a 52-episode drama on Shenzhou TV.
And the one calling herself her "grandmaster" was a woman?
That only made it click harder.
In Shenzhou, same-sex love was seen differently than in Schicksal.
In some families with ancient traditions, such feelings had to be hidden away.
Could it be that Master and this "grandmaster" had been forced apart by their clans?
Meeting only in secret?
Could it be… that the times when Master left her side, she had actually been meeting with Grandmaster?
Cheng Lixue's memories flickered: her gentle, smiling teacher, eyes shadowed with unspoken sorrow.
Was that sadness… because she couldn't be with her beloved?
Yes—that explained everything.
The faint traces of warmth, the quiet moments of melancholy she had caught on her master's face… all of it suddenly made sense.
Of course, the truth was far less dramatic—Fu Hua had simply been reminiscing about the Book of Fuxi.
But to Cheng Lixue in this moment, the dots all connected perfectly.
It even explained why this Grandmaster had become a Herrscher!
She must have been driven into despair by the forces that tore her from Master's side.
Her longing, her grief, had left her vulnerable to the Honkai's corruption.
Even as a Herrscher, her feelings remained true.
That's why she spared Cheng Lixue again and again, even teaching her Fu Hua's fist techniques.
How could a normal Herrscher ever do such a thing? Impossible!
It was flawless logic. Everything fell into place.
'Reasonable, consistent, utterly convincing.'
And since Nagami himself was in direct control of this Herrscher avatar, he naturally picked up on every thought running through her mind.
For a moment, 'Lucina' just stood there in silence.
Then, under Cheng Lixue's bewildered gaze, her so-called "grandmaster" slowly raised a thumb.
When Nagami give you this sign, it means… you're truly have a creative mind.
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