Sun Lichai waited in front of the house, from early morning until the afternoon.
Ever since she asked Huan Xin that question yesterday, the young girl hadn't come over.
She would ask Huan Xin that question every time she reversed time and space.
And almost every time, her reaction was the same.
This was the ninth time.
They say nine is the extreme of numbers, and Sun Lichai didn't really believe in such things, but for some reason, she felt this should be the last time.
The sun was about to set, and in the twilight glow, a charming woman walked along the forest path.
Huan Xin had come.
As expected.
Sun Lichai watched her, but the young girl's expression was no longer one of worry.
Yes, every time, Huan Xin would think that Sun Lichai's question was about herself, not Huan Xin, and every time, she would rush over the next evening to persuade Sun Lichai to live well.
Every time, she would wear that forced smile, steeped in sorrow.
But this time was different; her expression was calm and fearless.
"Fairy Sister, take me out of the valley."
Sun Lichai's face instantly paled, "You… why do you want to leave the valley?"
"Isn't this the answer you wanted?" Huan Xin pressed her left hand to her sword, her gaze drifting past Sun Lichai's slender figure, wavering as if chasing an invisible butterfly, a free butterfly she had longed for.
"Who told you?"
"What?"
Although Sun Lichai's face remained expressionless, she couldn't suppress her bewilderment, "Was it him? Did he specifically come to tell you these things, just to make you accept your fate, wasn't it?"
"I don't know who you're talking about, but, Fairy Sister, I know who I am now."
"Who are you?"
"I am the Fu Yu Divine Sword. The Divine Sword is also me."
Huan Xin gently drew the precious sword from her waist.
A fierce aura erupted from her whole body.
"The Fu Yu Divine Sword can inherit the cultivation and memories of its Sword Master. It has passed down to me through dozens of generations, thousands of years of cultivation. Who in this world can bear such a burden?"
The young girl's tone was indifferent and playful.
Two more footsteps came from the woods; it was Godfather and Immortal Xu.
Godfather called out, "Xin'er, come back for dinner, don't linger here."
The wooden man made a creaking sound, and then, Immortal Xu's astonished words, "Something's not right! Little Blacksmith, there's something wrong with your adopted daughter!"
Huan Xin turned slightly and smiled at Godfather, "You're here. Then listen together."
Godfather suddenly realized, "Xin'er, you've gained the cultivation from the Divine Sword?"
"That's right. And it is precisely because of this that I understand the whole story."
Sun Lichai asked, "What whole story?"
"There are a total of ten Divine Swords in the world, and the Fu Yu Divine Sword is the main sword. The cultivation of the other nine Sword Masters will all be absorbed into the Fu Yu Divine Sword. Logically speaking, the fu yu sword is refined without self, and would never develop sentience. However, there is a glimmer of hope in the heavens, and all things have exceptions. I am that exception."
Huan Xin turned and knelt before Godfather, kowtowing, "Though you call yourself Xin'er's Godfather, you are truly her biological father."
She kowtowed nine times in a row, then stood up, her forehead still smooth and clean. Her surging inner energy had kept her spotless.
"Thank you, Godfather, for forging my sword body and bestowing upon me a soul and mind. Your great kindness and virtue, through all lives, I dare not forget."
Godfather nodded blankly, a strange smile on his face.
"Fairy Sister, you are from the future, seeking my primordial spirit to summon the true Demon God to resolve the Hub, aren't you?"
Sun Lichai gave a bitter laugh, "You know everything."
"Among the Sword Masters, some possess profound magical arts and can foresee the past and future."
"Alas, you shouldn't have known these things."
"But I still know."
"You know you're going to die, so why did you come to see me?"
"This isn't death. If you call fulfilling one's destiny death, then so be it. But I thought you would be more detached."
"One thought life, one thought death. You are no longer that little Huan Xin."
"Heaven and earth are like a fleeting journey, the human world but a moment in the vastness. Sister, if I can accomplish all of this, it is already quite difficult. All living beings are deeply mired in suffering, and how many people live their whole lives without understanding why they live?"
Godfather and Immortal Xu watched in silence, their exchange, their confrontation.
At this moment, Huan Xin and Sun Lichai seemed to be the same person; they shared the same temperament, the same tone, and both were shrouded by some illusory shadow.
"You shouldn't make such a decision so early. You're only thirteen. What do you understand about life? Living isn't about bickering with others. Do you really believe that dying for the world is necessarily more valuable than an ant's life? In his eyes, they are all the same."
"Who is he?"
"He is a Bodhisattva, a Buddha."
"Is he also an evil god or demon?"
"No. He is high above, judging all beings."
"Then we don't need such a Bodhisattva looming over us!"
"But without him, we can hardly survive. Moreover, he is invincible."
"Did he ever deprive us of our freedom?" Huan Xin's aura grew increasingly immense, the earth trembling slightly beneath her feet. She spoke, her tone calm, yet to the ear, it was like a thunderclap, startling evil, and exposing deceit.
"Never," Sun Lichai answered hastily.
"Did he ever demand our sacrifice?"
"Never."
Question and answer, faster and faster, more and more rapid, like a storm, interspersed with flashes of lightning tearing through the world.
"Did he ever command armies, slaughtering the innocent?"
"Never."
"Did he ever feign pity for flowers and grass, putting on an act?"
"Never."
…
"Never."
"Never."
"Never!"
The final question!
"Did he ever conceal sin, just to punish the world?"
… Sun Lichai was silent for a moment, "He did."
Huan Xin suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
"Fairy Sister, I know what kind of person he is now. Don't blame him for being heartless, it's just because he is the true Heaven! Handing the world over to you all…"
A tall Demon God, with three faces and ten arms, appeared behind her.
"…I am at peace." The clear voice was Huan Xin's, the deep voice was the Hub's, mixed and intertwined, like the finale of a grand symphony.
The girl transformed into light, swirling, and along with the Hub's phantom, flew into the Fu Yu Divine Sword.
The Divine Sword hummed softly, as if bidding farewell to an old friend.
Godfather slowly walked over and picked up the precious sword.
The sun had completely set behind the mountain.
"Hehehe…" Godfather laughed, regretful yet hearty.
"It's truly not easy for Xin'er to reach this point so quickly. And you've worked hard through countless reincarnations."
Sun Lichai, hearing this, stared at Godfather's aged face.
Immortal Xu exclaimed, "How can one finish speaking, and another immediately start? Are you two never going to stop?"
Godfather turned his head and scolded, "Silence!"
Immortal Xu tried to retort, but was intimidated by the old man's icy gaze.
Godfather held the sword in both hands and handed it to Sun Lichai.
"I've seen all your efforts." He forced a smile, "This is the best outcome."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Me? I am the smith of the ten Divine Swords."
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