'Damn, this is absolutely insane!'
Nagami had indeed been pulling expressions and gestures to deliberately mislead Cheng Lixue, just for fun.
But he never expected her to actually weave such a perfectly logical backstory out of it.
The logic was airtight—so airtight that, honestly, if he weren't the protagonist himself, even Nagami might have ended up believing it.
"Grandmaster, please stop! I'll take you back to see Master!"
Cheng Lixue didn't understand what the Herrscher meant with her strange gesture, but that didn't stop her from trying to bring her supposed "grandmaster" back onto the right path.
'Lucina' casually stepped back, dodging her reaching hand, mind racing with how best to steer this impromptu script she'd conjured up.
She wanted the outcome that amused her the most.
But when she actually addressed her as "Master's of Master"—and in such an earnest tone someone who had been waiting to make an entrance finally lost her patience.
"Don't believe her words. She's deceiving you."
That ethereal voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible strangeness.
Wreathed in burning crimson flames, the white-haired, red-eyed beauty descended like a blazing comet tearing through the heavens.
Her slender figure exuded a dustless, otherworldly aura, like an untouchable immortal—so dazzling it silenced the battlefield.
The Crimson Celestial herself fixed 'Lucina' with a gaze both stern and uncertain.
She didn't understand what was happening.
That this Herrscher had just used her Taixuan—and with impressive mastery—was something even she couldn't ignore.
"I didn't lie, Red Kite Immortal."
'Lucina''s face was the very picture of righteousness, like someone who firmly believed her own nonsense.
"Immortal… Grandmaster?"
Cheng Lixue's eyes widened at the descending figure.
To clarify, Fu Hua had never told Cheng Lixue that she was the Immortal.
She had always presented herself merely as a disciple of the Immortal.
The reasoning was simple: an immortal should, of course, remain aloof from the mortal world.
Getting too close to ordinary folk would only cause trouble.
Fu Hua herself never thought that deeply about it—this was actually an idea the Book of Fuxi had drilled into her whenever its power ran low.
Insisting on separating the identity of the Red Kite Immortal from "Fu Hua" so the latter could live a little more like a normal girl.
"If the Immortal doesn't believe me, I can demonstrate the Taixu Sword God. Fu Hua also taught me that. It should be proof enough of our… connection, right?"
'Lucina''s smiling words struck directly at the core, rattling even the normally composed Red Kite Immortal.
Cheng Lixue, too, looked at the Herrscher with wide eyes—then slowly nodded to herself.
The Taixuan Sword was the ultimate secret of Taixu Sword Qi.
Even A-rank Valkyries could barely glimpse its threshold.
But if this Herrscher really was her Master's Master, someone who had long received Fu Hua's teachings… then it wasn't impossible.
In fact, it made perfect sense as evidence.
"In all my memories, you have never appeared."
For the first time, the Fu Hua's expression grew heavy, her brows furrowed.
This Herrscher's situation was beyond anything she had anticipated, and Otto's intel had certainly not mentioned it.
'Did Otto trick me again?'
'Lucina' shrugged, her voice laced with mock-regret.
"Hah, so you never told Cheng Lixue the truth about being the Immortal. What a shame. That ruins all the fun."
"Immortal… Master is actually…"
Cheng Lixue's sharp mind quickly pieced it together.
From the exchange just now, it was obvious—Fu Hua and the Red Kite Immortal were one and the same.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Her Master's ash-grey hair and green eyes looked nothing like the Immortal's white hair and crimson gaze.
And though it might sound disrespectful, the statues, records, and even the figurines of the Immortal that had survived through Shenzhou's history depicted her very differently.
According to legend, the Immortal protector of Shenzhou possessed a truly grand figure—not the "flat" appearance her Master presented.
But when she thought back to her Master's chest… hmm…
Wait. Hold on.
Her gaze shifted almost instinctively toward the Immortal's chest, and she froze.
The difference was undeniable—the so-called "majesty" of the Immortal's figure didn't match either.
'History has lied to me!'
No—actually, it was Fuxi that had misled them all.
'Lucina''s eyes were half-lidded, dead-fish-like, as she calmly read the flow of Cheng Lixue's thoughts.
She glanced at Fu Hua, whose eye twitched when she noticed Lixue's wandering gaze.
'Lucina' couldn't resist a jab.
'Good thing she only looked once, and just thought about it silently…' 'Lucina' mused.
'If she'd said that nonsense out loud, I swear history would've rewritten itself: "Cause of death — disciple exterminated by her own master."'
'Still, since you've already called me Grandmaster, I guess it's only fair I help you through this crisis.'
With a flick of her power as the Herrscher of Sentience, she sent a pulse into Cheng Lixue's mind.
Caught between the contradictions of history and reality, the poor girl staggered as if someone had whacked her over the head with a club.
A second later, she collapsed unconscious.
"Lixue!" Fu Hua flashed to her disciple's side, catching her before she hit the ground.
Her crimson eyes narrowed in disbelief at the scarlet feathers drifting behind the Herrscher.
So much for going back to Mount Taixu after this incident to give her disciple some remedial training.
That plan was dead in the water now.
"Who exactly… are you?" Fu Hua asked coldly.
"Alright, alright, no more games." 'Lucina' lifted her gaze, meeting those jewel-like crimson eyes.
"On the surface, yes, I'm a Herrscher. Actually… well, I am still a Herrscher. But that's not the point."
Her usual playful tone softened into something almost sincere.
"I'm the captain of Fire Moth's squad—the Herrscher of Reason. And I'm from the future." She snapped her fingers lightly. "Explaining everything in words would take forever, so… I'll just show you."
With the authority of Sentience, Nagami transmitted his purpose for coming to this era, glimpses of future events, and even fragments of his time with Fu Hua into the Immortal's mind.
"As for proof, you'll find enough of it in those memories. But if you need more, I don't mind giving you something extra."
Fu Hua froze the instant the influx hit her, as if someone had pressed a pause button.
Even her expression went still.
Then, as the torrent of information surged through her, her face shifted—blankness, confusion, shock—until finally it smoothed back into her usual impassive calm.
"So," The Herrscher in front of her tilted her head. "Do you believe me now?"
"…" Fu Hua's brows drew together slightly.
Her voice was grave. "I will… tentatively believe part of it."
Given what she'd just seen, and this Herrscher's bizarre actions since this whole Honkai eruption began, the explanation was at least plausible.
"That's enough." 'Lucina' smiled faintly. "As long as you cooperate with me for now, you'll eventually believe it all."
Nagami wasn't naïve enough to think Fu Hua would swallow everything at once.
But lowering her guard and believing even partially was good enough.
The rest could be proven with action.
And when the time came for Nagami to leave this era, he will erase Fu Hua's memories anyway.
Fu Hua's eyes lingered on the Herrscher in front of her.
Then, with unusual hesitation, she asked:
"One question. In this future… what is our relationship?"
Nagami in 'Lucina' had deliberately filtered the images he sent, enough to confirm her identity but too fragmented to show the full picture.
"Our relationship is… a bit complicated." She rubbed her chin, thinking for a moment.
"Let's put it this way: I can barely count as Fu Hua's father. But since 'Senti' was also born from Fu Hua herself, that makes Fu Hua her own mother. Which, by extension, makes me… Fu Hua's husband."
"..."
Fu Hua understood every individual word, yet somehow felt she'd just lost her grasp of language.
"In summary," 'Lucina' concluded with absolute seriousness, "Fu Hua and I together gave birth to another Fu Hua. Got it?"
"…Got it."
'Like hell I did!'
There was no way in the world anyone could "get" that!