Fujun (夫君) comes from the "Book of Rites - The Pattern of the Family." It can mean sovereign, dear friend, or husband.
Among its many meanings, it is most often used between a married couple, as a respectful and affectionate term from a wife to her husband.
---o---
"You can call me 'Husband'."
Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, the words struck the ears of Miss Stargazer, who was clutching her teacup, causing her to freeze completely.
From the perspective of the relationship between you and me, you can call me 'Husband'?
What the hell is that?!
Before today, I had never even seen this person's face!!
"It probably sounds a little strange, right?" the youth said, uttering what could only be described as a massive understatement. He reached up and scratched his cheek.
It was a certainty that Miss Fu Hua was very displeased with Miss Stargazer.
After all, Miss Stargazer was someone for whom Fu Hua would cast aside both a date and her duty of guarding Shenzhou just to mess with her. If there wasn't some story behind that, something was definitely fishy.
Fu Hua's life had been active in three periods of the Honkai world: fifty thousand years ago, five thousand years ago, and the present day.
In the modern era, she and Miss Stargazer had never crossed paths.
Excluding the present, it wasn't difficult to deduce that Fu Hua's torment of Miss Stargazer was due to some event that occurred fifty thousand or five thousand years ago.
And in the entire Honkai world, there was only one person capable of and fond of dragging people around the upper reaches of the timeline.
Yes, Li Zihan.
"But, some things are destined," the man, who would only take those closest to him on trips to the past, said with great earnestness as he looked at the clearly stunned girl.
Destined?
The girl, completely unable to comprehend what he was talking about, began to tremble.
She was furious.
Truly, absolutely furious.
"Don't go too far! Your surname is Li, isn't it!"
The girl, who had learned his name during their earlier conversation, slammed her hand on the table—BAM!—and glared at him, resembling a furious little white cat, baring her fangs and claws.
"What 'destined'?! If you like someone, then pursue them properly! What's the point of spouting all this nonsense about fate?"
Clearly, she did not believe a word of his so-called "destined connection."
Looks like her affection rating just dropped.
Seeing the girl who was now obviously angry, Li Zihan sighed inwardly.
The youth, who hadn't been spouting nonsense at all, looked at the incensed girl with a troubled expression.
She really has a short fuse.
Alright, I'll take a step back for now.
"My apologies. I shouldn't have spouted nonsense," the youth chose to apologize, as if he had genuinely been making things up.
Then, he smiled, a bright and sunny grin.
How infuriating.
The girl, whose heart had nearly leaped out of her throat when she heard "You can call me 'Husband'," shot him a glare, feeling utterly vexed.
How can this guy smile so brilliantly without a care in the world after telling such a lie?
If I weren't so sure I'd lose, I would definitely punch him right in the face!! the girl thought resentfully, her fists already clenched.
But, it was just a thought.
Putting aside the massive gap in their power, she currently needed a favor from him. Even if she had the upper hand, she'd have to swallow her pride and play the meek one.
"Using the Starry Chalice as a throne, from the treetop and the abyss of the sea, emanate one's own Law, extinguish the old rules, revolutionize the world—reverse all of creation."
This was the method the Immortal had told her could reverse the future and allow a world that had been judged as "dead" to flourish once more.
And in this entire world, the only person who understood the meaning of the terms in that sentence was the infuriating bastard sitting right in front of her.
At this thought, Miss Stargazer couldn't help but slump in defeat.
She couldn't beat him, and she needed his help. Her current situation was truly suffocating.
"Alright, no more joking around," the youth, who claimed to have been joking, said with a light laugh. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip.
"I imagine that if you went to the trouble of getting my address from Fu Hua, you must have something you want to ask me."
The youth watched the pretty girl with his golden eyes, asking casually.
"...Yes."
Although she really didn't want to deal with him, the matter she was about to discuss concerned the very survival of her world.
Miss Stargazer's expression gradually grew serious.
"The Immortal once told me that the way to save a world abandoned by the 'Tree' is to 'Use the Starry Chalice as a throne, from the treetop and the abyss of the sea, emanate one's own Law, extinguish the old rules, revolutionize the world—reverse all of creation'."
"Sir, can you explain to me what the 'Tree', the 'Sea', the 'Starry Chalice', and the 'Law' are?"
"The method she told you about... was it the art of Demon-Man Forging—Eternal Destruction?" the youth asked, directly stating the official name of the salvation method Fu Hua had described.
"Yes!"
As if a flame of hope had been ignited in her heart, a genuinely lovely smile bloomed on the girl's face out of sheer joy.
That's right. As long as I can understand this, I'll have a goal. Then I can save my world.
"The path of Eternal Destruction is not an easy one to walk."
Looking at the hopeful girl, the youth couldn't help but shake his head.
Only two kinds of people could walk this path to its absolute conclusion—to extinguish the laws of the universe with their own Law and make the multiverse submit to them.
The first was a "god" born in the domain of Emanation whose desire was to "change the world."
The second was an ultimate madman, whose insanity had reached such an extreme that their "self" could warp all of creation.
Li Zihan considered himself quite insane, but even he didn't think he could compare to those freaks who twisted reality through sheer obsession. That was why he had decided to take the first path by strengthening his soul through external forces.
"But I want to try."
The girl, who loved her people and was willing to sacrifice everything for them, spoke with a voice of unprecedented determination.
"Trying" this path could all too easily become "dying" on it.¹
The youth sighed. If not for the fact that most of the girls connected to him were deeply attached to their own worlds, he probably wouldn't be walking this dangerous path himself.
Well, if she wants to try this path, I might as well let her.
The youth thought to himself, knowing that with his power to dominate timelines, he could, to a certain extent, act like the Mercury Snake and snuff out any accidents before they could even occur.
And then—
His expression suddenly shifted.
"But speaking of which, if I teach you the art of Demon-Man Forging, how will you thank me?"
Quite directly, the youth smiled at the girl and demanded payment.
Translator's Note: The author uses a pun here. The words for "to try" (试试 - shìshi) and "to pass away/die" (逝世 - shìshì) are homophones in Chinese.]