The torrential rain was wild and boundless, lightning in the sky illuminated the earth, and in this cold and cruel night, Superior Reverends was the only sun.
My foster father bowed and cupped his fists, "May I ask who you are?"
Huan Xin, however, wasn't scared at all. With a face full of pleasant surprise, she shouted, "You must be a Fairy! Fairy Sister is so beautiful!"
"Xin'er, don't be rude!"
Sun Lichai's stern face showed a gentle smile, "It's alright, I came specifically to find this little girl."
My foster father's heart sank. He straightened his back, adopting a defensive posture.
Sun Lichai saw his hostility towards her and felt quite troubled. Her personality was rebellious and aloof; she disliked speaking long, drawn-out sentences. Asking her to explain the entire cause and effect of her time travel was simply too much to ask. Now, she could only show goodwill, hoping this old man would be reasonable.
"I'm looking for this child to save her from a deadly calamity."
Huan Xin looked at Sun Lichai's graceful figure with a face full of adoration, completely oblivious to what she was saying, while her foster father frowned, showing an anxious expression.
"Your words, sir, are unclear. Even for trivial neighborhood matters, daily necessities, or petty gains, debates are necessary because life cannot exist without them. How much more so when it concerns a human life? You say you want to save Xin'er from a deadly calamity, but I must ask for a clear explanation."
"Sigh, what do you want to know?" Sun Lichai was helpless; too many words always meant trouble.
"Where exactly do you come from? How do you know Xin'er is in mortal danger?"
"..." Sun Lichai lightly stepped, leaping from the rooftop to stand before the father and daughter.
My foster father moved to block Huan Xin, but the little girl still peeked out, secretly observing Superior Reverends.
Sun Lichai was completely unaware of the father and daughter's predicament, but as the Taiwu Successor, she was now intimately familiar with the Fu Yu Divine Sword. The girl had a perfectly intact Fu Yu Divine Sword hanging at her waist.
"This is a long story. You only need to know that I bear no ill will towards this little girl."
My foster father was very stubborn. "Empty words are no proof. Please, leave."
Sun Lichai pondered how to take the girl away.
She was the Divine Sword's spirit, and she had to have her.
However, the old man opposite was not easy to deal with; Sun Lichai admitted she couldn't gauge his depth.
A standoff.
Silence.
Who knows how long.
The colorful clouds in the sky dissipated, the brocade clouds dimmed, the thunder faded, the wind and rain ceased. Silent air dominated the deep valley, insects beneath the grass began to chirp softly, and cold, damp mist diffused into fog, swirling around Sun Lichai.
In this relaxed post-rain moment, the tense hostility still lingered at its edge.
My foster father turned his head to tell Huan Xin to hide, then assumed an ancient, rustic boxing stance, like a crane, like a pine, simple and elegant.
Sun Lichai chuckled, "Wudang School?"
"Profound Divine Fist, I'm ready to learn."
Huan Xin pursed her lips and ran to the side. In her heart, she deeply adored this Fairy Sister who had descended from the sky. Now, seeing her foster father, at his age, seemingly bullying a woman, she felt quite indignant. So, her eyes darted around, and she spoke, "As the saying goes, 'Diminish and diminish, until one reaches non-action.' The more one cultivates the Profound Divine Fist, the fewer its moves become. No moves surpass having moves, and the empty force merges with all techniques. It is truly a rare and unique art."
She seemed to be boosting her foster father's morale, but in reality, she was revealing all of her old man's secrets.
My foster father's mouth twitched with anger. This ungrateful little brat, did I teach you these martial arts principles so you could blab them everywhere?
Sun Lichai looked at Huan Xin and smiled gently, enchanting the little girl, who couldn't help but want to continue explaining how to counter the Profound Divine Fist. At this moment, her foster father roared and punched at Sun Lichai.
Though the punch was slow, a pure Yang inner energy surged like a vast ocean, mighty and boundless.
Sun Lichai also threw a punch, her formidable energy scattering like Giant Spirit swinging a hammer, ready to retaliate.
As their fists met, the powerful force in the foster father's hand suddenly vanished. He subtly shifted his body to evade the punch. Superior Reverends's right fist, like a jade pestle, sliced three inches past the old man's nose. The force surged like a vibrating bell, hitting his protective true qi. Although well-guarded, it still made his nose tingle.
Sun Lichai's external force was exhausted, precisely when her inner energy was surging. At this moment, her opponent's misdirected punch struck Superior Reverends's right wrist, then twisted her arm, returning the force of her own punch back to Sun Lichai.
Sun Lichai saw her own fist coming back towards her waist and abdomen, but she remained unhurried. She turned to dissipate the force and clenched her left hand into a fist, striking out just the same.
The old foster father tried to repeat his trick, but unexpectedly, this punch was like a drill. No matter how dense and thick his inner energy was, it still came with fierce momentum. When his palm struck her wrist, the turbulent true qi actually cut his skin, and blood seeped out.
Sun Lichai stopped just in time, retreating two steps.
My foster father stared blankly at the wound on his palm, somewhat dazed.
Huan Xin ran to her foster father's side, took his injured hand, and said with concern, "Oh dear, don't fight anymore, getting hurt is painful. Wouldn't it be better if everyone sat down and talked?" She turned to look at Sun Lichai, "Fairy Sister, my foster father hasn't seen much of the world and doesn't know you're from the heavens. He offended you, please don't hold it against him, okay? Xin'er will definitely apologize to you!"
Her eyes were bright, and her loud shouts made her seem like a lost bird.
Sun Lichai's expression was calm, but in her heart, she recalled some past events.
It was a long time before my foster father finally regained his senses.
"With my current cultivation, even if I were caught in a mountain flood, I wouldn't suffer the slightest injury. Your cultivation's purity is truly astonishing."
Sun Lichai was quite weary of such words. "This humble nun indeed has no ill will; I merely need to borrow this child for a while."
"But I wonder who sent you to hunt down us, father and daughter?"
"I'll say it again, this humble nun has no ill will."
"Then do you know that my little girl cannot step out of this valley, otherwise great disaster will befall her?"
Sun Lichai frowned.
This was truly difficult now.
If she was not mistaken, that deadly calamity was Xiangsui, a truly unimaginable powerful enemy.
She must take this little girl to The Ends of the Earth so that she can summon the Buddha-child to communicate through space and time and bring them to the future.
Now it seems this little girl cannot step out of the valley.
If her Divine Foot Technique was still active, she would simply cross it in one step. But now, she had no choice but to remain here.
Sun Lichai pondered for a moment and decided to temporarily settle in the deep valley. Once she thought of a good method, she would make further plans.
"What you are worried about, this humble nun knows. It is indeed the most difficult matter in the world. Very well, this humble nun will find another place in this valley to build a house. In the future, we will inevitably become good neighbors." Sun Lichai nodded at Huan Xin, "Little girl, you can come find this humble nun when you have time. I can also teach you some martial arts." After speaking, without waiting for the old man's reply, she flashed and left.
Huan Xin watched Sun Lichai's ethereal back, lost in thought.
My foster father, with a stern face, patted her little head, "Silly girl, stop staring, go home and bandage me up."
"Oh... Foster father, what do you think, what is the background of this Fairy Sister?"
"What? So eager to go find her? Aren't you afraid she'll tie you up and take you out of the valley?"
"Oh, I was just asking, how could Xin'er abandon her dear foster father to go find this... this sister?"
My foster father looked at the shadows of the deep forest and sighed, "No peace, no peace. Good things always require more tempering."
"Hehe, when Xin'er grows up, foster father won't have to worry anymore!"
"You, you'll never grow up like this!"
"If I don't grow up, I'll stay by foster father's side forever!"
"Hahahaha, you little rascal!"
I am willing to be a big tree that shelters you from wind and rain, but I still hope you can bloom the most beautiful flowers.
I am willing to stay by your feet like a blade of grass, simply because there is no other home as warm as you in this world.
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