Chapter 37: The Girl Grows Up
In the days that followed,
little Fu Xuan came to your academy more and more often to listen to stories.
However, you noticed that the smile on the ten-year-old girl's face was less frequent than before.
You understood in your heart that Diviner Jing Tian must have told the child—earlier than he told you—about the future he had deduced.
His thinking…
Most likely was that fate could not be changed and must not be treated lightly, so Fu Xuan should develop this awareness from a young age.
Fate cannot be resisted or defied; it can only be followed.
This was undoubtedly extremely cruel to little Fu Xuan.
Looking at the worried expression on your junior sister's bun-shaped face,
you decided to do something.
So, one afternoon,
you decided to have another heart-to-heart conversation with the girl.
After all, bottling things up in her heart all day would certainly not be good for her future growth.
"Junior Sister."
After telling her the myth of "Da Yu Taming the Flood," she lay dazed on the stone table, and you called out to her softly.
"Senior Brother, I really like this story…"
"Could it be that Senior Brother made this story up himself?"
Little Fu Xuan came back to her senses, looked at you, and asked what she had been wondering all along.
"Hehe, these are just some stories that circulate in Senior Brother's hometown…"
You waved your hand.
"Then the people in Senior Brother's hometown must be very brave."
"Well… some people are indeed very brave, and others… are actually very timid—like your Senior Brother…"
"Pfft…"
Your half-finished sentence made Fu Xuan unable to hold back her laughter. Her cute face relaxed for a moment, but then tensed again as she thought of something.
"Junior Sister, if there's something on your mind, you can tell your Senior Brother."
Your gentle voice entered the girl's ears along with the slow afternoon breeze.
She froze, and her eyes reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Then she cried out with a "Wah."
In this life, what you cannot bear the most are the tears of the women you care about.
Your mother on Blue Star…
And Herta's mother, little Herta…
The moment you see their tears, you feel intense discomfort in your heart and want to comfort them and solve their problems.
Looking at the originally cute face in front of you suddenly bursting into tears,
that feeling surged back into your heart.
A very uncomfortable feeling—extremely uncomfortable…
You took out a handkerchief, moved closer to the girl, and from above gently wiped away her tears.
Little Fu Xuan cried even harder and threw herself into your arms.
You softly patted her back.
"Junior Sister, everything… you have Senior Brother."
Your steady, reassuring voice made Fu Xuan freeze in your arms. She stopped crying, but because of her shy nature, she could not look up at you immediately.
"Senior Brother's clothes are going to get wet. If the kids ask tomorrow, I'll say it's the snot bubbles of the future Great Diviner…"
"Mmm…"
The girl smiled through her tears and lifted her head.
"Senior Brother… Master said the reason he took me as a disciple… is because…"
"It's because… Master will die because of me…"
"I…"
Her smile lasted only a moment. Then the two short sentences she finished seemed to place an enormous weight upon you.
"I… would rather not be this Great Diviner than bear the name of having killed my master."
Her firm words left you stunned.
You knew this was true.
And that it was the kind of situation that could neither be escaped nor changed.
You fell silent.
"Senior Brother, shouldn't I… shouldn't I have become a disciple… shouldn't I have learned divination…?"
"If that were the case, Master wouldn't have to die."
In Xianzhou culture, the meaning of master and disciple is as solid as gold and stone.
Aside from you—an outsider who does not follow the rules—once one becomes a disciple, a master for a day is a father for life…
Bearing the name of killing one's master is like killing one's father. In this lifetime, one could never forgive oneself.
You closed your eyes. Diviner Jing Tian's death in battle was something that would still occur decades later.
You could not deny that your relationship with this junior sister—who occasionally shared her favorite Immortal Taro Bobo with you—had deepened greatly over the years.
So, after closing your eyes and thinking for a while…
You made a decision.
"Junior Sister, when you first entered the school, Master said that I am your senior brother and that I might help you in the future."
"In other words, my cultivation in divination has been acknowledged by him."
What Master said is not impossible to change. He… he just wanted you to face fate…
You lied again. You did not want Fu Xuan, at this age—when children her age were still playing and running about everywhere—
to already carry something so heavy in her heart. The life of the current Great Diviner…
was far too heavy for her right now.
"Ah? Senior Brother? Really? Truly?"
Fu Xuan's tear-filled eyes widened, and her joy was palpable…
She trusted you greatly and did not need you to prove what you said.
She believed it…
"Of course…"
You gently wiped her eyes with your thumb, drying her tears, and spoke firmly.
"It's just that Master strictly warned me not to tell you the truth. Now that I've told you…"
You lied again.
Fu Xuan froze.
She quickly raised her small hand solemnly.
"Senior Brother, I swear I definitely won't ask Master about this matter."
You nodded. That was good.
For now, this was all you could do to help her.
"Senior Brother, you're so kind…"
She even thought you were very gentle, willing to risk being punished by Diviner Jing Tian to tell her this.
You smiled faintly. It was nothing—after all, Diviner Jing Tian couldn't beat you.
And so…
This "lie" accompanied the girl as she grew up…
Time flew by, years passed…
As a teacher, you paid great attention to maintaining your outward image.
Probably when you were nearly forty, one morning you discovered a very noticeable white hair among your hair…
You pulled it out and sighed softly in your heart.
This is the problem with short-lived species.
Time leaves its marks on you.
You… are old…
You are a middle-aged man.
You took out the plant you had collected in the Sea of Stars and consumed it.
It was a gift from [Abundance].
After taking it, you felt a tremendous change in your body. Inexplicably, you felt that the way your cells metabolized had changed.
Thus, your appearance was fixed at around forty years old.
However, you did not feel the existence of Danfu. In other words, you had not achieved true immortality.
At that time, you did not know that the reason that alien Ganoderma-like species from the Sea of Stars had triggered your [Fortunate] reaction was because the extension of your lifespan was limited.
This limit merely allowed you to avoid the torment of being struck by Mara.
That is to say, you could live until the moment when your memories were enough to overwhelm you with Mara.
"Senior Brother?"
As you frowned and pondered, the girl—now nearly eighteen—Fu Xuan,
came to your academy as usual.
You smoothed your expression and opened the door.
Looking at the girl who had already grown into a beautiful and charming young woman:
She wore a long dress of deep purple adorned with auspicious cloud patterns; the light gauze skirt rippled in waves as she walked…
Snow-white lotus-leaf trims decorating the cuffs and collar accentuated her skin, making it appear radiant and translucent. A jade-tasseled belt cinched her waist, making her look even more slender.
Her cheeks were as delicate as carved pink jade, naturally tinged with a blush like peach petals, as if the morning glow had fallen upon fresh snow.
She still lacked the eye mark between the brows, and compared to that Great Diviner, she was a bit less majestic and had more liveliness and gentleness.
"Senior Brother! I'm here. I'm really hungry. Is the food ready, Senior Brother?"
The moment the girl spoke, you distinguished her from "Fu, the Great Diviner."
You smiled, lamenting the scarcity of dishes in Xianzhou. You often cooked some according to your Blue Star habits, and she had been amazed when she tasted them by chance.
She always pestered you to cook for her in private…