"Huh?"
This time, it was Fu Hua's turn to look at him as if he were an alien.
"Senior… didn't you already know she's from the Taixu Sect? Why are you asking me now whether that sect even exists?"
The two of them stared at each other over two steaming plates of stir-fried rice noodles.
A morning breeze swept by, stirring the fallen leaves at the roadside.
In that instant, Su Yu felt as if his worldview had taken a direct hit.
He had always assumed "the Taixu Sect" was just a piece of Honkai 3rd backstory, and that in this peaceful world it was nothing more than a random name he'd made up on the fly to gild Kiana's résumé.
But from the way Fu Hua was talking…
This thing actually existed in this world too? And Fu Hua was really one of its inheritors?
Damn.
The fake had just run into the real thing.
Then again, calling it a complete fabrication wasn't entirely fair.
In Kiana's world, Valkyrie battlesuit systems were fundamentally powered by Honkai energy.
And the Taixu Eminence itself was, at its core, a high-level application of Honkai energy. Later on, Kiana really did become Fu Hua's "disciple" in a sense, and even pulled off the Taixu Greatsword.
Granted, that was a later version of Kiana, not this one.
But if you rounded things a little, calling Kiana a "Taixu inheritor" wasn't exactly wrong either.
The logic loop closed.
Still…
This world really had a Taixu Sect? Fu Hua had never mentioned it before.
No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't that she had never mentioned it. It was that he had been making assumptions from the start.
The setting of this world might revolve around the Golden Courtyard, sure—but if even Lewis had appeared, then a mysterious blond man charging through trees wouldn't exactly be shocking anymore.
Right. There had been a mysterious blond guy in the Previous Era too, hadn't there? A doctor, if memory served.
Su Yu looked at Fu Hua's expression, the one that clearly said What nonsense are you talking about?, and instantly realized he'd misspoken.
But his own expression shifted just as quickly into one of weathered sorrow, like a man burdened by too much history.
"You're right. She really is… a master."
"A grandmaster-level one."
Fu Hua's eyes lit up. She straightened unconsciously, as if she were about to hear some hidden martial-world secret.
"But…" Su Yu let out a sigh and set down his soy milk, "being a master doesn't necessarily mean being able to teach."
"You know the kind of genius I mean, right? The sort who goes, 'Isn't this punch obvious? You just do this, then that, and boom—done.'"
He gestured wildly in the air with absurdly dramatic movements.
"I tried asking her to teach me a couple of moves before. And what happened? First thing she did was throw a punch that nearly tore my arm off like it was a loose building block."
"She called it basic warm-up. I called it attempted murder."
He pointed at his shoulder with lingering trauma all over his face.
"If I keep learning from her, I'm pretty sure I'll become disabled before I ever turn into some peerless master. That's why I came to you."
He looked at Fu Hua earnestly.
"Hua, you might say you only learned the basics, but at least you're properly trained. You teach step by step. You're scientific. You're reasonable. Not like certain feral geniuses who make life impossible."
The speech was heartfelt, tearful, and impressively airtight.
He praised Kiana, praised Fu Hua, and perfectly justified why he was bypassing the "closest option" to seek help elsewhere.
This, truly, was the pathetic spectacle of a man struggling between two women.
Fu Hua listened and nodded repeatedly, her face dawning with understanding.
"I see… that makes sense. Many real combat experts rely heavily on instinct. It's difficult for them to break movements down into something a beginner can learn systematically."
"Your concern is valid, Senior. Martial arts depend on having a solid foundation. If you train incorrectly, the consequences can be severe."
In his heart, Su Yu flashed a V sign.
Stabilized.
This was what it meant to meet force with force and water with earth.
But just as he was about to celebrate with a mouthful of noodles, Fu Hua paused.
She adjusted her glasses, and a puzzled glint flickered in her usually steady eyes.
"But, Senior…"
"Mm?"
"Since you went to her to learn martial arts… then why did Carol say yesterday that, at the police station, you introduced yourself as her senior brother?"
"Pff—!"
Su Yu nearly sprayed out his noodles.
The air froze.
The owner's shout of "One big chow fun coming up!" suddenly sounded like it came from miles away.
Su Yu felt a familiar soundtrack explode inside his head—the kind used in endless parody videos of Death Note interrogations, every note landing squarely on his nerves.
The mind game had begun.
What did it mean to say that "one lie requires countless more lies to support it"?
This was what karmic retribution looked like.
Fu Hua sat there looking at him, her eyes clear and earnest, as if she were sincerely trying to resolve a serious academic contradiction instead of cornering him into a dead end.
"If you're her senior brother…" Fu Hua's tone held no malice at all, only pure logical confusion, "then why would you need an outsider to teach you basic self-defense? A senior brother of the Taixu Sect should have long mastered the introductory forms, shouldn't he?"
This was a death question.
Su Yu's brain began overclocking. CPU temperature: straight into the red.
Three seconds.
He had three seconds to invent an explanation that was internally coherent and also consistent with the whole hidden-sect mystique.
He slowly set down his chopsticks.
The shock on his face melted into helplessness, then finally into a profound, inscrutable calm.
He lifted his gaze past Fu Hua's shoulder toward the rising morning sun, as if seeing something invisible to ordinary mortals.
"The truth is…" Su Yu sighed. "I'm an outer disciple."
"Outer… disciple?" Fu Hua blinked.
"Right, outer disciple."
His voice dropped into a solemn register as he launched into utter nonsense with complete sincerity.
"You know, like how even your Cunsin Martial Arts Hall has paying students who haven't formally kowtowed to become disciples? I'm that kind of case."
"The one with average talent, but great loyalty, so the master let him stay around to do chores."
"Normally, I'm just responsible for cooking for Little Junior Sister, buying her snacks, and acting as her guide in the mortal world."
Su Yu felt this explanation was a masterpiece of logical self-defense.
It explained why he was a combat weakling, tied him neatly to Kiana, and let him sell a little suffering on the side.
Fu Hua stared at him for a full five seconds.
Then the confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by understanding—and perhaps even… sympathy?
So that was it.
Fu Hua nodded silently to herself.
This plot, she recognized.
Didn't martial arts novels always have this setup?
A peerless genius who was unmatched in martial skill but hopelessly naive about worldly affairs, paired with a senior brother or steward who wasn't particularly strong but was practical, reliable, and good at taking care of things.
The more she thought about it, the less strange it seemed.
Her own situation wasn't so different.
Since childhood, her father had raised her as the sect's future grandmaster. She had stood in horse stance at five, practiced boxing at seven, and begun taking disciples on her father's behalf by fifteen.
Now, in Cunsin Martial Arts Hall, didn't those seven disciples—each of them nearly a decade older than she was—basically treat her like an ancestor?
Especially Lin Zhaoyu, her eldest disciple, who spent every day managing the dojo's business and worrying about her food, clothes, and daily life, terrified that their "master who only understands martial arts" might get scammed.
Compared to that, wasn't Senior Su Yu basically a male version of Lin Zhaoyu?
"I understand," Fu Hua said seriously, looking at Su Yu with the kind of mutual recognition reserved for fellow sufferers. "Senior, you've had it hard. Looking after a… pure martial artist like her must be exhausting."
Su Yu nearly choked on the sympathy.
Hua, is your capacity for self-generated backstory always this terrifying? I hadn't even started properly selling the tragedy and you've already written the whole script for me?
"Cough. It's manageable. You get used to it." He laughed dryly and took a sip of soy milk to cover it. "So you see, I want to learn a bit of self-defense mainly because… well, if something troublesome happens, I can't always ask Little Martial Aunt to step in, right? There's no need to kill a chicken with an ox-cleaver."
"Very reasonable."
Fu Hua pushed up her glasses. Her expression turned solemn.
"Since you've put it that way, Senior, then I have no reason to refuse. The Taixu Sect's entry-level techniques may not compare to the true inherited arts of the main line, but for self-defense they are more than enough. If you're willing to learn, I'll teach you everything I can."
"That's great. Then many tha—"
"However," Fu Hua suddenly changed tack, cutting him off, "I have one request."
Something in Su Yu's chest tightened.
Here it comes. I knew there was no such thing as a free breakfast.
Fu Hua looked at him, and her eyes burned with intensity.
It was a look Su Yu knew all too well: the way hardcore gamers stared at a legendary SSR drop, or the way Griseo looked when presented with the perfect artistic subject.
"I would like… Miss Kiana—to give me some guidance."
Fu Hua's voice trembled slightly, from excitement.
"To be honest, my father—meaning the previous hall master—spent his entire life wishing to restore the lost core art of the Taixu Sect's Five Aggregates Heart Method."
She paused, and when she continued, there was real sincerity in her voice. Even a hint of pleading.
"After watching Little Martial Aunt's movements last night, I finally became certain that the true Taixu arts have not been lost."
"If possible… would Little Martial Aunt someday visit Cunsin Martial Arts Hall? Even if she only demonstrates a complete fist routine, that would already fulfill my father's lifelong pursuit."
By the end, Fu Hua's eyes had reddened slightly.
Looking at her like this, Su Yu paused.
In this age of fast traffic and faster money, where everyone wanted to livestream and chase viral numbers, there was still someone who could grow emotional over something as intangible as the inheritance of martial arts.
He knew Fu Hua was supposed to be an ordinary person in this world.
Well… clearly she was not that ordinary after all.
What he had not expected was that, even stripped of Honkai energy, stripped of the duty to defend Shenzhou, the stubbornness at the core of her being remained exactly the same.
Only now, instead of protecting the world, she was protecting her father's dream—protecting the dignity of a fading sect.
But this…
This was difficult.
Kiana's current mental state had improved a lot, but Su Yu still couldn't guarantee what kind of reaction she'd have upon meeting Fu Hua.
After all, the "betrayal" by the Fu Hua of her own world was still a thorn lodged in her heart.
Even if this Hua was not that Fu Hua, familiar faces still stirred old pain.
"Well…" Su Yu gave a strategic cough and wore a troubled expression. "Hua, you know what my Little Martial Aunt's temper is like…"
He lowered his voice as though afraid someone might overhear.
"She's… eccentric."
"If she's in a good mood, then maybe she can be reasoned with. But if she's not, she's the sort who turns on absolutely everyone. You've seen how rarely she goes outside—that's because she's afraid she might lose control."
That, at least, was not entirely a lie.
The Queen persona inside her really was moody, arrogant, and viewed everyone as ants.
"And besides, she's very wary of outsiders." Su Yu sighed. "Asking her to meet your father, or go to the dojo… that might be difficult. I can say I'll try to ask for you. But I can't promise anything."
The light in Fu Hua's eyes dimmed for a moment, but brightened again almost immediately.
"That's all right!" she said at once. "As long as you're willing to pass the request along, I'm already grateful. Whether it works out or not… that will depend on fate. I know real masters often have unusual quirks. It can't be forced."
Then she suddenly stood up and pushed back her chair.
Under the astonished gaze of Old Wang at the food stall, and the watchful curiosity of the old men and women eating breakfast nearby, Fu Hua straightened her clothes and solemnly cupped her fist toward Su Yu.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Senior Brother Su Yu!"
The movement was as textbook-perfect as if it had been cut straight out of a wuxia movie—straight back, clear gaze, full of the kind of jianghu spirit modern society rarely produced anymore.
Su Yu looked at this girl giving him a full martial salute and felt the air around him turn surreal.
I really just wanted to make a game…
An inaudible wail rose in his heart.
He stuffed the remaining half of his tea egg into his mouth and replied through a muddled chew, "Sure, sure. Sit down already, people are staring."
But now he really felt himself slipping farther and farther away from this peaceful modern world.
At first he had only wanted to secure Kiana a legal identity. Now not only had he acquired a "Taixu Sect" backstory, he'd also been handed a whole side quest about "reviving the sect."
What part of this looked like a Honkai 3rd game development record anymore?
This was starting to look like the set of Reborn Into a Modern Cultivation Novel.
"Still," Fu Hua said after sitting back down, "if Little Martial Aunt is really from the Taixu Sword Sect, why is she a foreigner?"
Su Yu stopped chewing.
There it was again—that familiar battle-of-the-wits theme blaring in his head.
Faced with Fu Hua's genuinely curious gaze, he suddenly felt like coughing up blood.
Hua… do you usually ask this many questions?
"Well…" he said, buying time, "our sect believes in teaching all worthy students. Martial arts know no borders."
"I see. Then… does Little Martial Aunt have a Shenzhou name?"
"…Ye. Yes. Her surname is Ye."
"Martial Aunt Ye. Understood. I will remember it."
Seeing Fu Hua nod so solemnly and even cup her fists again, Su Yu had to pinch his thigh under the table to stop himself from laughing.
After he watched Fu Hua push her bicycle away and disappear around the corner, Su Yu slowly withdrew his gaze and sat back down on the wobbling plastic stool.
His head hurt.
Because just as Fu Hua had saluted him, the system—dead silent for days—had suddenly come back to life.
The translucent panel unfolded before his eyes to the accompaniment of an aggressively stylish jazz sound effect.
Only he could hear the soundtrack.
The plain blue pop-up interface was gone. In its place was an utterly unhinged red-and-black UI.
Jagged edges. Over-the-top silhouette typography. Dynamic cut-ins that looked like they might jump right out of the screen.
The style was so wild it felt like the Phantom Thieves had just sent him a calling card.
Good lord. Did you actually license Atlus? This UI was basically one step away from having Persona 5 stamped across the front.
Su Yu's mouth twitched.
As expected of this unreliable system: no interest in doing proper work, but endless passion for flashy nonsense.
At the center of the screen, several huge words slammed down in time with the music:
[Social Link System — Unlocked]
Then a spread of tarot-like cards fanned out before him, each bearing the face of someone he knew far too well, processed in an absurdly stylish pop-art format.
The first card was Kiana.
On the card, she wore the ragged jacket of the Valkyrie Ranger, her gaze unwavering, twin pistols in hand. Behind her was an Arcana label:
The Fool.
The bond level was not maxed out yet, but it was already at a state equivalent to life-and-death interdependence.
Well, their actual lives were literally tied together. If that didn't count as high affection, then he might as well go find a block of tofu to kill himself with.
The second card was Kevin.
This reliable brother was carrying a whole box of instant noodles, expressionless, giving the camera a thumbs-up, with a construction-site brick wall in the background.
Arcana:
The Chariot.
Bond Level: MAX (Iron Bro)
Current Bonus: On-call labor force / Physical persuasion +100%
The third card was Dr. Mei.
She wore thick-rimmed glasses against a backdrop of code-filled screens.
Arcana:
The Hermit.
Bond Level: Lv. 5 (Reliable Client)
Current Bonus: Technical support efficiency +50% / Special gadget development permission unlocked
Fourth: Elysia.
Pink fairy girl, winking at the camera with a selfie stick in one hand, surrounded by a storm of floating comments and hearts.
Arcana:
The Lovers.
Bond Level: Lv. 2 (Interesting collaborator)
Current Bonus: Base livestream traffic +20% / Charm checks succeed more easily
Then came Griseo, with the Star Arcana and the note: Soul Painter.
The instant Su Yu saw that card, he instinctively thought of the BL doujin trauma and immediately looked away.
"There are only so many tarot cards," he muttered in his head. "What happens when my social links overflow?"
[Who told you tarot cards can't repeat?]
"So what exactly about this is a social link system? Just admit you're a galgame engine."
[You just answer me this—does it look cool or not?]
Su Yu pressed a hand to his forehead.
Yes. The system's meaning was painfully clear.
Sometimes it wore a Persona 5 skin. Next time it might switch to Persona 4 or Persona 3 aesthetics just for fun.
Then his gaze fell on the final card.
The newest one.
It shimmered faintly gold, only half-unlocked.
Fu Hua.
She was wearing the convenience store's green apron, yet posed in the standard opening stance of Cun Jin: Heaven Splitter, her gaze clear as water.
Arcana:
Temperance.
Bond Level: Lv. 1 (Senior and junior schoolmate)
Current Bonus: None
Su Yu stared at the card, then at the mission text still blinking beneath it.
[Social Link Mission: Revival of Taixu (I)]
Objective: Assist Fu Hua in restoring the lost core techniques of the Taixu Sword Sect.
Tip: Since you've already boasted that much, you might as well see it through. Let "Little Martial Aunt Kiana" display true Taixu essence and help Fu Hua break through her bottleneck.
Reward (MAX): Full mastery of [Taixu Eminence]
At that last line, Su Yu's pupils contracted sharply.
Taixu Eminence.
In this world, that might just be a lost martial term.
But in Honkai 3rd lore, it was a spiritual art refined by Fu Hua over thousands of years, derived from the Divine Key, a mental discipline capable of controlling Honkai energy and even resisting Herrscher consciousness.
If Kiana could fully master something like that…
Right now, Kiana was basically carrying a time bomb inside her.
The Queen persona had only been temporarily suppressed. It could counterattack at any time.
On the rooftop last time, if he had not rammed her head-on and knocked her back to herself, the outcome would have been catastrophic.
And that metal collar, in the end, was only a physical insurance device. It treated the symptoms, not the cause.
If he wanted to eliminate the danger for good, Kiana would have to defeat Sirin on the mental plane—or at least reach a stable coexistence.
And Taixu Eminence was the key to that road.
Su Yu rubbed his temples in pain.
The ideal was beautiful. Reality was miserable.
The current Kiana, apart from her passive muscle memory and battle instincts, knew absolutely no proper Taixu mental discipline.
Letting her teach Fu Hua?
That was like asking Zhang Fei to teach embroidery. Strength? Sure. Relevance? None.
And if she slipped up? If she lost control mid-lesson?
Just as he was about ready to slam his head into the wall, another bubble popped out on the system interface, this time complete with a mocking sticker-face.
[System Note: Don't panic. I have cheats.]
Wonderful. It wasn't even pretending anymore.
[Important Side Quest: Full-Body Motion Capture Plan]
Description: Since you're making a game, how could you not need professional motion-capture actors? Invite Fu Hua and the disciples of Cunsin Martial Arts Hall to join Project Honkai as motion-capture staff.
Special Mechanic: When multiple characters carrying "Taixu factors" participate in motion capture simultaneously, and their data sync reaches the required threshold, the system will trigger a [Data Resonance] phenomenon.
Possible Result: A certain "someone who understands Taixu better than anyone" may appear. (smug.jpg)
Su Yu froze.
A real…
Taixu expert?
Several figures flashed through his mind at once.
That bratty voice always yelling "I'm the real one," that personality like an overexcited child, yet with every last true technique of the Taixu Sect completely in hand—
The Herrscher of Sentience?!
If it were her…
If it were that sharp-tongued but secretly protective "Little Senti"…
Restoring Taixu techniques would be child's play.
And if she appeared through game data or some hidden personality simulation, it would even fit the logic of this world.
Most importantly, the idea of the Herrscher of Sentience training Fu Hua carried a deeply satisfying, utterly upside-down irony.
Cough. You scheming little system. Are you Ahah in disguise? You're way too addicted to stirring chaos.
Of course, since the system had not said it outright, that left room for other possibilities too.
Li Sushang, for example. She was also a genuine inheritor of Taixu arts, and her use of the Taixu Greatsword was no joke.
Su Yu's eyes gradually lit up.
If that was the path, then not only was it viable—it was a royal road.
He could solve the game's motion-capture problem, secure a whole team of trained fighters as free labor, help Fu Hua realize her dream—albeit by a very roundabout route—and most importantly, find Kiana a real teacher.
System, for all your daily nonsense, when you decide to be useful, you really do deliver.
Su Yu let out a long breath. The huge stone in his chest finally seemed to settle.
Now that the target was clear, there was nothing left to hesitate over.
Fu Hua's route had to be done.
Not just for the game.
For Kiana's life.
"Boss, check please!"
He crushed the paper cup in one hand and tossed it neatly into the trash can two meters away.
He rose to his feet. The sunlight was perfect. Sky Dome City's morning rush hour had just begun—traffic surging, voices rising, the whole city pulsing with life.
Buzz.
Right on cue, his phone vibrated.
A message from Vill-V.
[Vill-V: Heh heh heh… HAHAHAHAHA!!]
[Vill-V: Rejoice, Su Yu! The masterpiece wrought by the century's greatest genius, Vill-V, the [Spiral Eye] full-body motion capture system, has been fully assembled! Where is my applause? My cheers? Where are your hands?!]
[Su Yu: Speak human.]
[Vill-V: Your mocap system is ready. Come pick it up.]
Su Yu narrowed his eyes.
So the motion-capture equipment he had commissioned from Vill-V was already finished.
She had originally said she needed a week, but it had not even been that long yet.
He looked toward the high-rise office towers in the distance and slowly curved his lips into a meaningful smile.
The next step…
was figuring out how to "persuade"—or perhaps more accurately, trick—that Little Martial Aunt into cooperating with the show.
....
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