Hua sat cross-legged beneath the shade of the ginkgo tree, her eyes gently closed, her breathing steady and deep. The breeze brushed against her robes, rustling the long hem that grazed the polished stones of the courtyard.
She had been in this meditative state for over a month now or at least, that's how it might appear to an outsider. But time, as she had come to accept, slipped past like sand through fingers.
It had been eleven years since Lin Zhaoyu first stepped into her life.
Eleven long, fleeting years.
To think… the fragile child once cradled in her arms crying for a mother lost to Honkai corruption had now become a poised young woman. Hua exhaled slowly, the memory settling in her chest like the fading warmth of an old wound.
Her blue eyes opened at last, catching the morning sun as it crested the eastern peaks. She tilted her chin slightly, gazing upward.
Has it really been that long…?
She had never considered herself the sentimental type. Cold, precise, pragmatic — yes. But watching Lin Zhaoyu grow had awakened something… softer.
The little girl who once clung to her robes now moved through life with self-sufficiency that bordered on uncanny. Already, without being asked, she had left a freshly brewed cup of tea waiting on the table.
Hua allowed herself a faint smile brief, nearly imperceptible before the weight of more serious matters returned to her mind.
Over the past eight years, she had done more than raise a disciple. She had observed, studied, and battled. The corruption of Honkai energy faint and nearly undetectable at first had begun seeping into Teyvat's air.
Subtle.
Insidious.
Growing.
Like a whisper echoing from the Cocoon of Finality, the traces of Honkai energy had slowly begun to manifest barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but unmistakable to her.
She had encountered people afflicted, mutated, consumed their minds eaten away by the corrosion.
More than once, she had raised her hand not in mercy, but in necessity.
She bore the weight of each death like a stone added to her soul.
She remembered the questions in Lin Zhaoyu's eyes.
Not accusations, but uncertainty.
A desire to understand.
A need to ask why.
And though she had never spoken the full truth, Hua understood at least in part.
After all, she had once watched her own mother suffer the same fate.
She knew that Hua blade did not always strike the guilty only the condemned.
Rising to her feet, Hua brushed the dust from her robes and turned toward the house nestled among plum trees and jagged cliffs.
She had developed quiet habits in these years, sipping tea under the sky, tending to her modest garden, maintaining her martial form through silent drills.
A calm life, interrupted only when the wind carried hints of decay.
As she stepped onto the porch, the scent of warm bread and jasmine tea greeted her.In the kitchen, Lin Zhaoyu now nearly Hua's height moved with graceful efficiency. She wore a simple robe tied at the waist, her long hair braided down one shoulder.
"Good morning, Master," she said, offering a respectful bow without pausing her work.
Hua lifted her hand in reply, giving a short nod. "Good morning."
She lowered herself onto the wooden bench beside the table, its surface worn smooth from years of use.
Lin Zhaoyu approached with measured steps and gently placed a porcelain cup before her.
Hua picked it up, letting the steam rise to her face.
She took a sip.
Delicate.
Balanced.
A hint of lotus and chrysanthemum.
She didn't speak praise. She didn't need to.
Lin Zhaoyu smiled faintly and returned to preparing their meal.
Hua, cradling the tea in both hands, let her gaze drift once more toward the sky.
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From her usual perch high along the cliff edge, Hua watched silently as Lin Zhaoyu descended the narrow trail leading down from Taixuan Mountain to the village below. The younger woman moved with practiced grace, her footsteps quiet, her robes tucked neatly to avoid catching on the rocks.
Hua narrowed her eyes.
She had noticed something unusual these past few days — Lin Zhaoyu had been making frequent trips into town, always alone, always returning late. There was a time when such independence would've been cause for pride. But now?
...Could she have met someone?
Hua frowned, arms crossing under her sleeves. She's at that age, she reasoned, but still… who is the bastard trying to seduce my first disciple?
Suspicious, Hua followed — not closely, never closely. Just enough to observe without being seen.
She watched as Lin Zhaoyu passed through the market square and entered a modest stone building nestled near the town's edge.
An orphanage.
Hua's brow twitched, her suspicion dissolving into quiet contemplation. She stood there for a long moment, then turned away without approaching further.
So… she's been visiting the orphanage.
A hollow weight settled in her chest. The thought passed unwelcome, unspoken Were any of the children there orphaned because of me? She couldn't be sure. Not with the growing influence of Honkai in recent years. But she had taken lives corrupted ones, yes, but lives nonetheless.
Still, Lin Zhaoyu's visits had purpose. Hua would wait. She would ask her directly when the time was right.
And that time came sooner than expected.
It was near dusk when Lin Zhaoyu returned, her figure outlined in the soft orange of the setting sun. But this time, she was not alone.
A young girl followed at her side no older than ten, by Hua's guess with reddish-brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and sharp gray eyes that carried a strange weight for someone so young.
The girl met Hua's gaze head-on, unflinching.
Something in her face, her bearing, struck a chord.
Hua stared.
She looks… familiar.
Too familiar.
Her heart stilled in her chest. No. It can't be…
Su Mei?
A cold chill ran down her spine. Dammit… is my death flag being raised?
Hua forced herself to remain calm as Lin Zhaoyu approached.
"Master," Zhaoyu said, giving a respectful nod. "I brought someone with me. Her name is Su Mei. I've been watching her for a while now, and she shows potential. I asked if she wished to train under the Taixuan School, and she accepted."
The moment the name left her disciple's lips, Hua's mind exploded in alarms.
Su Mei!? And from an orphanage!? Why is fate so eager to put me in a sequel of my own tragedy with Fuhua?
Still, she kept her expression neutral refined, unreadable. The wind brushed through her now-bluish-purplish hair as she fixed her gaze on the child.
"Why do you want to join Taixuan School?" Hua asked, her voice quiet but firm.
The girl didn't waver. Her amber-like eyes lit faintly beneath the last rays of the sun.
"To become strong," she answered.
Hua stared.
Yup. She's coming for me. I can feel it. That's the face of someone who's going to betray me in twenty chapters.
Internally, she groaned.
Damn you, Mihoyo… just because I become Fuhua doesn't mean I want to suffer the same fate as her!
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So far, she seemed calm.
Hua stood at a quiet distance, arms crossed, observing the small figure of Su Mei as she practiced alone in the courtyard. The girl's movements were sharp, disciplined each swing of her sword deliberate, almost too precise for someone so young.
Hua narrowed her eyes slightly, her blue gaze unreadable.
Without another word, she turned away and walked off the training ground.
"Lin Zhaoyu," she called, her voice carrying without needing to be raised.
Her first disciple looked up from her own drills not far away. She sheathed her sword and walked over with steady steps, her face composed, respectful.
"Yes, Master?" she asked.
"Is your junior sister… stable?" Hua asked, her tone deceptively casual.
Lin Zhaoyu blinked. "Mentally, you mean?"
Hua gave a slight nod.
"She's fine," Zhaoyu replied, tilting her head slightly, clearly unsure where this was going. "Quiet. Focused. Nothing strange."
Hua stared at her for a moment, then exhaled through her nose. "Hmm. Alright. You may continue your training."
"Understood, Master." Lin Zhaoyu bowed before returning to the training field.
Hua lingered a moment longer before walking back to the house.
She settled into her usual chair facing the garden, pouring herself a cup of tea with steady hands. The air was still, the wind gentle the flowers she'd spent years tending swayed peacefully in the breeze.
She sipped the tea slowly, eyes half-lidded as she gazed out over the mountainside.
Maybe I'm overthinking it, she thought.
This Su Mei showed no signs of hostility. A good child by all appearances. No scheming, no sharp glances, no subtle shifts in her aura.
But still…
That name… that face.
Hua closed her eyes briefly and took another sip.
She didn't want to believe her second disciple would follow the same path like FUHUA second disciple did. But I know better than to trust peace without wariness.
She opened her eyes and looked out toward the courtyard again, where two disciples now trained beneath the Taixuan banner.
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A few days later…
The morning was quiet, as always.
Hua moved through her usual routine: meditating beneath the old pine, tending to her modest garden, brushing dew from the petals of her flowers with practiced care. The peaceful rhythm of the mountainside was seldom interrupted.
But today… something was approaching.
Hua straightened, blue eyes narrowing toward the distant edge of the mountain's domain. Normally, she would ignore such presences unless they bore ill intent or power worth acknowledging. This one... was different. The strength it carried wasn't hostile, but unmistakable.
Hua sighed and stood up, dusting her robes off as she turned toward the source of the disturbance.
A few moments later, the sky rippled with wind as a massive creature descended through the clouds. A celestial deer, its antlers gleaming like starlight, wings of luminous light folded as it touched down before her.
The creature lowered its head slightly in greeting.
"Greetings, Lord of this mountain," it said in a clear, deep voice. "Forgive my sudden arrival. My name is Skybracer. I come on behalf of His Highness Morax."
"Jingwei," Hua replied coolly, offering her chosen name. Her expression remained calm, unreadable. "What brings you to Taixuan Peak, Skybracer?"
"I have been tasked with extending an invitation to all Adepti in this region," the deer replied. "His Highness wishes for our kind to gather and stand united. I humbly ask you to consider joining us."
Hua studied the adepti for a moment.
"I'll need time to consider," she said simply, then gestured toward the cottage further down the slope. "In the meantime, Skybracer, would you care to rest as a guest here while I deliberate?"
"I appreciate your hospitality," Skybracer said with a small incline of his antlered head. "I accept."
They exchanged a silent glance.
...Is he going to remain like that the entire time? Hua wondered. Don't tell me he hasn't developed a human form yet…
She was still pondering the logistics of hosting a divine deer when a familiar presence made itself known.
"Lin Zhaoyu," Hua called, not needing to turn to know her first disciple had been peeking from behind the nearby trees.
Caught red-handed, Lin Zhaoyu emerged, bowing as she approached.
"Yes, Master?"
"Please take care of our guest," Hua said, already turning away. "Make sure he is comfortable."
"Understood, Master," Zhaoyu replied promptly.
As Hua disappeared into the deeper part of the garden, Skybracer tilted his massive head, regarding the girl curiously.
"A human…?" he murmured.
His gaze returned to the retreating figure of Hua. Now that he looked more closely, he understood why this Adepti had taken on human forms.
"This way, honored guest," Lin Zhaoyu said, maintaining composure despite how surreal it was to escort a flying deer.
She led him toward the open cottage where her master often drank tea while watching the clouds.
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