It was afternoon.
Kiana, having eaten and drunk to her heart's content and received a pile of offerings, was currently lying on a chaise longue inside the dojo—specifically, the "Little Grandmaster's Exclusive Chaise Longue" that Cheng Lingshuang had specially presented.
Her current appearance was just like a cat sunbathing, her eyes squinted in bliss.
Just as Su Yu twisted open the cap of his Happy Water, that improper red pop-up window jumped into his field of vision again, carrying a thick scent of fishing for credit.
[System Notification: Detected that the Host has successfully hoodwinked... cough, successfully won over the entire Inch Heart Dojo.]
*[Achievement Unlocked: "Friend of Tai Xu".]
[Evaluation: As expected of you, my Host. You not only hoodwinked that stubborn Fu Hua, but you've even hoodwinked her disciples until they're crippled. For this wave of Cyber Traditional Martial Arts, I, the System, am willing to call you the Strongest Hoodwink King!]
Su Yu's mouth twitched. I transitioned from a salted fish to a Hoodwink King; guess whose "credit" was the biggest factor in that? Hmm?
[Rewards Settlement in progress...]
[1. Fu Hua Bond Level Increased: Lv.2 (Trusted Partner). In her eyes now, you are not just an old classmate, but the "Savior" of the Tai Xu Sect.]
[2. Special Buff "Martial Arts Wizard (Pseudo)" Loaded: During the motion capture recording period, all participants' martial arts comprehension speed increases by 200%. Note: Working makes you stronger; capitalists would weep upon seeing this.]
Su Yu raised an eyebrow when he saw this entry.
This Buff was something else.
Originally, he was worried that long-term recording would make the dojo disciples feel bored. Now, it was perfect; this was equivalent to giving them a "Double XP Card."
He estimated that when the time came, he wouldn't be able to chase them away even if he tried. They might even hug Su Yu's thigh and beg, "Eldest Senior Brother, let me practice for another hour! Just one hour, Onegai! I'll do anything!!"
Su Yu raised an eyebrow again.
Before he could look closer, the noisy System text changed to a new line, bolded, and even accompanied by a flashing effect.
[Reward Three (Core): Home System Upgrade!]
[Detected that [Inch Heart Dojo] is deeply bound to the Host. Now designating it as the Host's "Second Territory".]
[Territory Permissions Explanation:]
[1. Character [Kiana Kaslana] within the territory limits: Distance restriction lifted.]
[2. Prerequisite: The Host himself must be within the territory range (Inch Heart Dojo). As long as you are inside the dojo, even if you are squatting on the toilet and she is doing parkour on the roof, it is no problem.]
[3. Note: Once the Host leaves the dojo's range, the restriction will immediately revert to 1.5 meters. Please do not frantically test the edges, or face the consequences.]
Seeing this last item, Su Yu felt every pore on his body open up in relief.
This was the legendary... Epic-level buff!
Although there was still the major prerequisite that "Su Yu must be present," compared to his current predicament, this was a qualitative leap.
If there hadn't been this Home System upgrade, he would have had to stick behind Kiana like a haunting spirit during motion capture recording; if he got even slightly far away, the System would sound an alarm.
When Kiana was punching earlier and saying something like "beat Old Ma down in three punches," she was actually concerned about the limited time.
Under the original conditions, not only would Kiana be unable to fully display her skills, but that visual would also be too easy to misunderstand—those who didn't know better would think he had some perverted desire to control his Little Junior Sister.
Although, perhaps a certain older single woman across the hall who liked hangovers already had the seeds of that misunderstanding. After all, in Himeko's eyes, this Little Junior Sister Kiana really did stick behind him like a little tail.
While he could technically do motion capture in his small rental apartment, the problem was that the place was too small to stretch out in.
Now, it was perfect.
The entire Inch Heart Dojo, a large courtyard of several thousand square meters, was hers to toss about in however she pleased.
It had to be said, although this System really made Su Yu eat a lot of bitterness and liked to mouth off at him like a bad friend when it had nothing to do, when it came to giving cheats, it really delivered!
Now that the biggest BUG of close-proximity motion capture was solved, it also incidentally turned "letting disciples work for free" into "giving disciples welfare."
Think about it: these martial arts fanatics usually had to squat in horse stance bitterly to train. Now, as long as they put on the mocap suit and gestured a few times under Su Yu's command, they could obtain an "Epiphany" Buff. Who could resist that?
This wasn't looking for free labor; this was simply opening a Cyber Cram School!
[System Warm Reminder: How is it? Do you feel your breathing is smoother? Who was muttering in their heart earlier that Godfather wasn't pulling his weight? do you still think Godfather can't do it?]
[However, one's mouth is soft when eating others' food. Since I've given you such great convenience, you have to do the next job beautifully for me.]
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it."
Su Yu replied in his heart and casually closed the noisy System panel.
He didn't retort to the System this time. After all, this wave was indeed helpful, even though Su Yu suspected it had taken too many kickbacks from him in the early stages and only now thought of giving a carrot to make him, the donkey, pull the mill.
Whatever, the rewards were in hand. Time to tease the cat first.
"Su Yu, your smile is so weird."
Kiana opened her eyes, looking at Su Yu who was revealing a wicked smile on the side, feeling that this guy was up to some trick again.
"Are you plotting something bad again?"
"What do you mean 'bad idea'? I call this a win-win."
Su Yu stood up, clapped his hands, and called over Ma Feima and Cheng Lingshuang, who were still studying the equipment over there.
"Everyone, in order to guarantee the authenticity of the motion capture data, this set of equipment I have is equipped with the latest [Neural Feedback System]."
He began to spout nonsense with a straight face, his heart not beating fast and his face not turning red.
"During the recording process, the equipment will stimulate your muscle groups through micro-currents, helping you better understand the Little Grandmaster's force exertion. Simply put... help me work, and you can also become stronger."
"Really?" Ma Feima paused. It wasn't that he didn't trust Su Yu—after all, those god-like means just now had made him truly submit to this so-called Eldest Senior Brother of the Outer Sect.
But this matter sounded a bit too beyond common sense; subconsciously, he would want to ask one more question.
"Won't you know if you try?"
Su Yu pointed to the center of the field and had Ma Feima put on a pair of wrist guards—in reality, these things had no effect and were purely to provide a cover for the System's black technology.
And the next ten minutes became a large-scale "Vindication" scene.
Ma Feima simply performed a set of basic Tai Xu Long Fist, and the sense of stagnation in force exertion that had plagued him for years miraculously disappeared.
He felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened; every punch was thrown with hearty satisfaction.
"Godly! Truly godly!"
This strong man was so excited his face turned red. His gaze looking at Su Yu had changed from "this Eldest Senior Brother has something" to "this is practically my reborn parent."
Even Cheng Lingshuang, who only wanted to lie flat, had a change in her eyes.
She discovered that this "AFK leveling" mode was simply tailor-made for her. She didn't have to use her brain, yet could gain experience—it was simply perfect.
"Eldest Senior Brother."
Cheng Lingshuang silently rolled her bedding over to the motion capture area.
"I'm living here for the next few days. Whoever chases me away, I'll get desperate with them."
Ma Feima shouted at the top of his lungs, calling Lin Zhaoyu and the others, who were washing dishes and cleaning up in the kitchen, over as well.
"Godly, truly godly!"
The more Su Mei looked at Su Yu, the more she felt this "Eldest Senior Brother" was unfathomable. As expected of someone who could speak with that Dr. Mei.
"I say, Eldest Senior Brother Su, our Tai Xu Sword Sect wasn't actually practicing immortal cultivation in the past, right? Is this equipment actually infused with spiritual energy or something by you?"
Su Mei's teasing earned an eye-roll from Su Yu.
"Sister Mei, you have to believe in science."
Fu Hua, hearing this from the side, found it a bit hard to keep a straight face. Believe in science? Do you want to listen to what you're saying?
With Kiana's combat power like a Humanoid Tyrannosaurus, if you said she was cultivating immortality, Fu Hua wouldn't doubt it in the slightest.
However, this thing really depended on how you understood it. After all, Kiana being called an immortal cultivator in her original world wasn't wrong either; the Shenzhou Immortal in Honkai Impact 3rd used Honkai energy.
If you said Honkai energy was True Qi, was Immortal Power, that would also make sense.
Of course, Su Yu saying it was science wasn't wrong either. A bio-soldier, after all—calling it science was also very reasonable!
Su Mei was speechless for a moment. "What's the difference between you and the Old Heavenly Master who says to believe in science and then flies down the mountain on a sword?"
While the group was bantering with each other, the System that had gone silent popped up again.
[System Notification: Side Mission "Tai Xu Cornerstone" Triggered.]
[Mission Objective: Establish a standard "Holographic Motion Capture Venue" within the Inch Heart Dojo.]
[Mission Funds: 500,000.00 Shenzhou Currency (Received, restricted to renovation use only).]
[Remark: The money is for you, but every cent must be spent on the blade's edge. Don't think about taking it to buy Unmodeled Kitty Sets, Host.]
[Important Reminder: Don't forget the Main Mission!!]
[Main Mission Part One: The Valkyrie's Heroic Posture.]
[Remark: You have the equipment, you have the free coolie labor. Once the venue is ready, capture those motions fiercely for me! Otherwise, are you going to make this game until the year 2077?]
[Mission Target 1: Complete the motion capture for Kiana's [Domain Unit: White Comet], [Valkyrie Ranger], [Divine Prayer], and [White Knight: Moonbeam]—these four basic armors!]
[Mission Target 2: Monster Bestiary. Have Kiana recount the combat logic of Zombies and Honkai Beasts, and guide the dojo disciples to perform motion capture for the monster side. After all, red flowers need green leaves to complement them; how can it work with only Valkyries and no monsters to fight?]
[Time Limit: The faster the better. Our game is still waiting to go online and rake in mon... cough, spread love and hope, OK?]
Su Yu looked at the string of delightful zeros on his retina and wondered if his vision was blurred.
One had to know, this System was usually chatty and stingy. It had never given cash before, yet today it was frantically exploding with gold coins. Su Yu wondered if the big hand behind the scenes felt this System was too stingy and was directly choking it to make it spit out more.
Although it was restricted to renovation use, this counted as an unexpected surprise.
Five hundred thousand. In the old district of Arc City where land was inch-gold, while he couldn't afford to buy a house, renovating a warehouse was more than enough.
"Cough, cough. Anyway, since the cooperation has been agreed upon, let's go see the territory first."
Su Yu put away the System panel, put on the airs of a Party A client, and pointed to the tightly closed iron door deep in the dojo.
"I also need to know just how thick the family assets of our Number One Dojo are."
Fu Hua pushed up her glasses, a trace of undetectable embarrassment flashing across her expression.
She glanced at her eldest apprentice, Lin Zhaoyu, beside her. The latter sighed softly and took out a bunch of jingling keys.
"Mr. Su, and... Little Grandmaster, this way, please."
As the rusty iron door emitted a tooth-aching creeeaaak, the other side of Inch Heart Dojo was revealed to everyone.
If the front hall was an antique martial arts holy land, then this backyard was simply... a battle-damaged Syria style.
Weeds stubbornly drilled out from the cement cracks, and abandoned training stakes stood crookedly like tombstones.
The most eye-catching thing was that huge red brick factory building. Half the window glass was broken, a large patch of the wall skin had fallen off, and only that soaring high-ceiling structure could vaguely show the grandeur of the past.
"This..."
Kiana's eyes went wide, half a bag of unfinished potato chips still clutched in her hand, clearly shocked by the scene before her.
"Squad—uh, you guys usually practice here? This looks like it was gnawed on by Honkai Beasts in my world..."
"Cough."
Fu Hua stood somewhat awkwardly in front of Kiana, trying to use her thin frame to block the desolation behind her.
"Teaching is mainly done in the front hall usually. Here... because it's been in disrepair for years, it's been abandoned for a long time."
"Mr. Su, since we are already people on the same boat, I won't hide it from you."
Lin Zhaoyu stepped forward. Her tone was calm, yet it revealed a helpless shrewdness.
She pointed to the leaky roof overhead.
"Don't look at how big this place is, occupying three thousand square meters, sounding like we're landlords or old money."
"But this house is on a long-term lease signed by the older generation. We have no property rights, so it can't be liquidated. And because it's a historical building, the repair standards are extremely high. Just the maintenance fees alone eat up seventy percent of the dojo's profits every year."
"Plus, the Old Master... that is, Ah Hua's father, has always been in poor health. With the Mistress taking care of him full-time in the sanatorium, that expense..."
Lin Zhaoyu paused and sighed lightly.
"Although Junior Sisters subsidize a lot every year, everyone's money doesn't come from the wind, and everyone has their own difficulties. Although the Junior Sisters all help out, Master's personality... you know it too."
She didn't continue, but Su Yu knew what the second half of the sentence was.
Su Yu looked at the young girl before him wearing red-framed glasses and a discounted hoodie—that Tang suit had already been changed out, replaced by the hoodie Su Yu was familiar with.
In this world, she was a top student at Arc City University, the respected Master of a martial arts dojo, a teenage Grandmaster, and the backbone for seven disciples.
But beneath these halos, she was just an ordinary girl who would run ten kilometers to save two dollars on bus fare, who worked late nights at a convenience store, and who shouldered the heavy burden of an entire family.
The so-called "Part-time Warrior" wasn't just a meme nickname.
Su Yu looked at Fu Hua's straight spine. That wasn't the arrogance of a Grandmaster, but a stubbornness that refused to bend under the heavy pressure of life.
She was a true warrior.
Perhaps some would say Ah Hua was too silly; as long as she was willing to ask, Eden would definitely help her. For that lady, money was long since just a string of numbers.
But Su Yu felt this wasn't silliness.
Everyone has their own life principles and creeds.
If Fu Hua really just simply opened her mouth to Eden like that, then she wouldn't be Fu Hua.
A person's character is their destiny.
Previously, Su Yu didn't have such a deep understanding of this phrase, but too many things had happened during this time.
If he were a cold-blooded and heartless person who wouldn't save someone in danger, there wouldn't have been the encounter with Kiana.
By the same logic.
If Ah Hua weren't this kind of person, everything would be out of the question.
Kiana, who had been silently following by the side, couldn't help but clench her fists at this moment.
She looked at the Squad Monitor of this world, her gaze complicated to the extreme.
So... is this what Fu Hua looks like in a world without Honkai?
Valuing emotion and righteousness, willing to retract her sharpness and roll in the dust for the sake of family and responsibility.
The Squad Monitor of that world... that Squad Monitor who betrayed me... did she also have something she had to shoulder? Was there also someone waiting for her to protect?
Kiana hadn't expected that the dead knot in her heart, which she thought couldn't be untied, would actually begin to loosen gradually because of this encounter with Fu Hua's experiences.
—This was probably also her destiny, a result of her character.
After all, Kiana Kaslana was just such an emotional creature. If she weren't, she wouldn't have obtained the power to rewrite imperfect stories from those emotions.
"Alright, don't make it look like a memorial service."
Su Yu suddenly spoke, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere.
"The ceiling is high enough, the space is big enough. As long as we tidy it up a bit, it'll be a top-tier mocap shed!"
After saying that, he directly took out that System-bound black card and waved it in front of the shocked gazes of Fu Hua and Lin Zhaoyu.
"There is five hundred thousand here, as the initial venue construction funds for the Honkai Impact 3rd project."
"Five hundred thousand?!"
Fu Hua was so scared her glasses went askew, and she waved her hands hurriedly. "No, that's too much! We can't..."
"This isn't for you; it's for my game."
Su Yu spouted nonsense with a straight face.
"Think about it. I need to set up holographic projections here, lay down green screens, and install a constant temperature system. This is all so that Kiana—oh no, so that the Little Grandmaster can better cooperate with the work. You're just benefiting incidentally, helping me watch over the renovation."
"Exactly, exactly!"
Su Mei, who hadn't spoken the whole time, suddenly popped out from the side, her eyes frighteningly bright.
"Master, Eldest Senior Brother Su is right! And I've also decided to add investment! We not only need to build a mocap shed, but we also need to properly renovate this broken courtyard!"
Su Mei excitedly took out her phone, tapping away on the calculator.
"Look, we can make an influencer check-in spot here, and set up a holographic combat experience zone there. Eldest Senior Brother, this five hundred thousand is just the start. We can build this place into the Cyberpunk Martial Arts Holy Land of Arc City!"
"Great minds think alike!"
Su Yu also got high on the idea, pointing at the broken factory building and giving directions like a general.
"I think that roof can be torn down and replaced with a fully transparent one so we can see the stars at night. Dig three floors underground, make a rest lounge in the style of a secret base..."
"Yes! And we have to install those cool neon signs, writing the words [Inch Heart], the kind in cyberpunk glitch style!"
Su Mei got more excited the more she spoke, even starting to gesture about digging a swimming pool in the courtyard.
The two chatted more and more speculatively, as if in the next second they were going to tear down this century-old shop and build a Burj Al Arab.
Fu Hua stood to the side, unable to get a word in, and could only weakly raise her hand. "Um... actually, we just need to fix the places that leak rain..."
Just as the two were planning to build a helipad in the backyard—
"STOP!!"
An angry shout, like thunder on flat ground.
Cheng Lingshuang, who was originally trying to sneak away in the corner, stiffened all over, stopping in place while maintaining a Golden Rooster Independent Stance.
Su Yu and Su Mei were also silenced instantly by this roar.
They saw Lin Zhaoyu standing in the center of the courtyard, arms crossed.
She took a deep breath, her gaze like a knife, sweeping over everyone present.
"Is money meant to be spent like that?"
Lin Zhaoyu took out a small notebook she carried with her and started outputting frantically.
"Factory roof reinforcement and waterproofing, quoted at 120,000. Re-laying electrical circuits, 50,000. Ground leveling and anti-slip treatment, 80,000."
"Supports and soundproofing layers for mocap equipment, 150,000. More than half of the 500,000 is gone just like that!"
She turned her head to look at Su Mei, her eyes sharp.
"And a fully transparent roof? And a swimming pool? Number Two, we are running a martial arts dojo, not a nightclub!"
Su Mei shrank her neck, the imposing manner of giving directions just now vanishing instantly. "Eldest Senior Sister, isn't this for long-term development..."
"Long term? Fix the drafty windows first before talking about long term!"
Lin Zhaoyu turned to Su Yu again. Although facing the financial backer, at this moment, the dignity of the Head Steward overwhelmed everything.
"Mr. Su, since we are all 'own people' of the Tai Xu Sword Sect, I have to make some words clear. Money must be spent on the blade's edge. Your money didn't come from the wind either; every sum must be calculated carefully!"
Finally, she glared at Cheng Lingshuang, who was preparing to quietly put her foot down.
"Old Five, if you dare to run, don't eat dinner tonight."
Cheng Lingshuang: "..."
At this moment, a wondrous scene appeared in the backyard of the Inch Heart Dojo.
Su Yu as the financial backer, Su Mei as the investor, and Cheng Lingshuang as the genius salted fish girl.
The three of them were lined up neatly like elementary school students who had done something wrong, bowing their heads, honestly listening to Lin Zhaoyu's lecture.
"Every sum of money must be verified! Must be entered into the accounts! Increasing income and reducing expenditure is the way to manage a household!"
Lin Zhaoyu held the small notebook, tapping her palm with it one time after another, making crisp pa-pa sounds.
"Do you understand?"
"Understood!" x3
Kiana hid behind Su Yu, covering her mouth with both hands, her shoulders shaking up and down, her face turning red from holding back laughter.
She looked at Su Yu, who usually could hoodwink people until they were crippled and liked to tease her at the drop of a hat, now nodding like a garlic-pounding pestle with a well-behaved face. She just felt that this world was truly too marvelous.
Was this the so-called... everything has its vanquisher?
Su Yu secretly raised his eyes to look at Lin Zhaoyu, whose aura was 2.8 meters tall, then looked at Fu Hua beside her who had a face saying "The child is ignorant and has caused you trouble."
He couldn't help but roast frantically in his heart:
This isn't an Eldest Senior Sister; this is simply the Matriarch of the Tai Xu Sect!
I am clearly the Client, the Papa; why does it feel like I'm an elementary schooler caught by the class teacher wasting allowance? What is this?!
Fu Hua was also very helpless. "Zhaoyu, this child... sometimes she really acts more like the Sect Leader than I do."
Su Yu sighed and exchanged a glance with Su Mei, who also had a bitter gourd face.
Confirmed by the look in their eyes: they were both people dominated by Eldest Senior Sister.
Fine.
In this family, Lin Zhaoyu was the woman standing at the top of the food chain.
This five hundred thousand... it seemed there was no way to squander it casually.
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