Hua stood before the two girls, the forest quiet now but thick with the echoes of what had just passed. The scent of scorched geo crystal still lingered in the air, yet the twins' eyes were fixed not on the fallen beast behind her, but on her—with wide, innocent awe.
She studied them in silence.
Their names. Jiang Wanxi.Jiang Wanru.
It struck her like déjà vu, though she already knew. Those were the names of FUHUA's disciples.
Coincidence? Inevitable? A cruel trick of fate?
Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. No… these children were still untainted. Even if they resembled the ones she knew, even if destiny toyed with their names and faces, she would not assume their path.
But… she could guide them.
She would not be blindsided. If they were to walk beside her, they would do so under her watchful eye—not out of sentiment, but out of intent.
The wind stirred, soft and cool, brushing past her face as she stepped closer to the girls.
"You two," she began, her voice calm yet solemn. "Would you choose to live quiet lives, in village where it protected under my name… or would you take the path of the sword—become my disciples, and tread the path of cultivation?"
The twins blinked, surprised. The younger sister, Wanru, clutched her sister's sleeve instinctively. Wanxi, ever so slightly more composed, stepped forward.
"Immortal… may I ask—why offer this chance to us?" she asked, her tone careful, respectful. "We are only children from a forgotten village."
Hua looked at her—really looked. This one had fire behind her polite demeanor.
Why had she considered it?
She couldn't exactly say: because you bear the names of ghosts. That wasn't fair to them.
"Perhaps it is fate," Hua replied at last, folding her arms across her chest. "But more than that… I saw potential. The two of you did not weep, even when death stared you in the eye. You fought to live. That alone is worthy."
Wanru stepped beside her sister now, her expression conflicted but curious. "But do we… truly have what it takes to follow an immortal?"
"Talent is a seed," Hua said. "Courage and perseverance are the water and soil. Whether it blooms into something great… depends on how you nurture it."
Her words hung in the air, carried by the soft hum of wind in the treetops.
The two girls looked at one another, silently exchanging a conversation only siblings could understand.
Then they stepped forward—together.
Without hesitation, they knelt.
"Jiang Wanru will follow Master," said the younger, her voice quiet but resolute.
"Jiang Wanxi will follow Master," echoed the elder, more firmly.
Hua regarded them for a long moment.
Then—she smiled.
Not warmly. But with the quiet satisfaction of a promise made and understood.
"Then rise, my third and fourth disciples," she said. "And walk the path with open eyes. The world will not be kind, but I will teach you how to meet it without fear."
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Mount Taixuan lay still beneath the afternoon light, its mist curling through pine and stone like the breath of an ancient spirit. As Hua stepped past the arched gate, the courtyard greeted her with the soft rustle of leaves and distant birdsong.
The first to notice her return was Lin Zhaoyu.
"Master," she called out, quickening her steps, "you've finally returned."
Hua gave a quiet nod. Her presence carried no fanfare—but even silence, when held by someone like her, weighed with authority.
Zhaoyu's gaze shifted past her master. Two small figures trailed behind Hua, keeping close to her robes like shadows.
"Master… who are these children?" she asked, puzzled.
Hua glanced over her shoulder and gestured. "Come forward," she said gently.
The girls hesitated, then stepped out from behind her. They bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Senior Sister," said the older one. "I am Jiang Wanxi, and this is my younger sister, Jiang Wanru."
Zhaoyu blinked, surprised by their manners. "Greetings, Junior Sisters. I am Lin Zhaoyu, first disciple of our master," she replied, bowing in return. There was a hint of pride in her voice—though it was too faint to be called boastful.
Hua studied the three for a moment, then spoke again. "Zhaoyu, show them around the sect. Let them get familiar with the sect."
Zhaoyu tilted her head. "And Master? Where are you going?"
Hua had already turned to leave but paused, glancing back with a neutral expression.
"To visit a village," she said simply. Then, without waiting for a response, she descended the stone steps with her hands clasped behind her back.
If she remembered correctly the village those two children should be in this direction. Her steps were deliberate, her thoughts weighty. Just as she bent her knees, ready to leap into the forest valley, a voice called from behind.
"Wait, Master! Allow me to follow!"
Hua turned.
Lin Zhaoyu was hurrying down the steps, her long sleeves fluttering like banners in the wind.
"You should be with your junior sisters," Hua said, raising an eyebrow.
"Junior Mei volunteered to show them around," Zhaoyu replied without hesitation.
Sumei? Hua thought. That girl usually buried herself in training, hardly the sociable type. When did she become so… helpful? Had they spoken?
She shook her head. No matter. Perhaps it was a sign Sumei was growing.
"Hmm." Hua nodded. "If you wish to follow, I won't stop you."
With that, she launched into the air, her movement swift and fluid.
Zhaoyu leapt after her, summoning the sword Hua had once gifted her. She rode its blade with practiced ease, her robes fluttering like wings as she caught up.
Hua glanced sideways at her disciple, her expression unreadable.
Flying on a sword did look… cool. She'd have to craft one for herself later.
But her thoughts quickly turned elsewhere.
Was it wise to bring Zhaoyu to that village? The odds of confrontation were high. And if things turned bloody…
Zhaoyu had never drawn her sword against another human. Only beasts, monsters, mindless creatures. After all Lin Zhaoyu still believed, in that quiet corner of her heart, that humans could not be monsters.
That innocence… will shatter.
But perhaps it was time she learned. Not all monsters wore scales or fur. Some wore smiles.
And not every disciple could remain unblooded forever.
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By the time they reached the outskirts of the village, the sky had dulled into a heavy, overcast gray. Hua came to a halt, her gaze narrowing as she surveyed the place. The rooftops slouched like weary shoulders, doors shut tight, windows dark. There was no sound—not even wind.
Something was wrong.
Lin Zhaoyu descended beside her, landing lightly on her sword. "Master?" she asked, sensing the shift in Hua's expression.
Without a word, Hua began walking toward the village gates. Zhaoyu followed close behind.
The silence inside the village was unnatural. Not a single villager in sight. Chickens uncaged, tools left in the soil, laundry half-hung on the lines—life, abandoned mid-motion. Zhaoyu moved between houses, gently opening doors one by one.
"Master," she said cautiously, "it looks like this place was deserted… and not long ago."
Hua nodded, eyes scanning every detail. "They left in a hurry."
She closed her eyes. The air, though still, held the whisper of something malignant.
Honkai energy.
Her eyes snapped open, sharpening like drawn blades.
Zhaoyu returned to her side. "Why would a human village—?"
But Hua raised her hand, silencing her.
Kneeling, she pressed her palm to the earth, fingers brushing the dusty ground. Beneath the surface… something pulsed faintly. A current of energy, coiled and hidden.
"Master?" Zhaoyu tilted her head. The pose Hua assumed looked more like a martial stance than investigation.
"Stay back," Hua said calmly, her focus narrowing to a single point. She drew in a deep breath, energy coiling along her knuckles.
She didn't intend to raze the village—just break through.
With exhale, she struck.
The ground beneath her cracked with a sharp, thunderous crack. A gust of wind burst outward, sending loose leaves and dust into a cyclone of motion. Zhaoyu shielded her eyes, stunned by the sheer force condensed into a single punch.
When the dust settled, a narrow hole gaped at their feet, just wide enough for a person to slip through. From within, a faint draft escaped—musty and cold.
Without hesitation, Hua jumped in.
Zhaoyu followed seconds later, sword ready.
Below, a long hallway stretched ahead of them—stone-walled, damp, and lined with decayed wooden beams. The air was thick with the scent of earth and age, but beneath it... the unmistakable taint of Honkai.
Hua stared into the shadowed corridor ahead. The Honkai energy pulsed like a second heartbeat in the air—erratic, wild, and growing.
Without a word, she began walking.
Zhaoyu followed close behind, her steps tentative.
"It's getting colder, Master," she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. A subtle frost had begun to gather along the walls, shimmering faintly in the dim glow of the underground passage.
Hua's eyes narrowed. This presence… it's too volatile. Could it be a Herrscher? An Emperor-class Honkai beast? Whatever it was, she would not allow it to take root in this world.
She broke into a sprint. Zhaoyu followed, pushing herself to keep up.
A heavy wooden door barred the way at the end of the tunnel.
Hua didn't slow down—she raised her leg and struck. The door exploded inward, slamming against the stone with a thunderous crack.
Inside, a large underground chamber revealed itself. Torches lined the walls. At its center stood a robed man surrounded by others, all startled by the intrusion.
"Who are you?!" one shouted, stepping forward.
Hua ignored him.
Her gaze swept the cavern.
Corpses littered the ground. Dozens. Maybe more. Old villagers, children, entire families. Their bodies formed a circle around a ritual altar smeared with blood and crude symbols.
Zhaoyu reached her master's side, and her breath hitched. "No…" she whispered. Her hand flew to her mouth as she turned away, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. The stench of death, the silence, the sheer number of lifeless bodies—it was overwhelming.
Hua's voice cut through the air like steel. "Lin Zhaoyu. Burn this into your memory."
Zhaoyu looked up, startled.
"Monsters are honest. They kill because it is their nature. But humans… they do it knowing it bad." Her voice was low, bitter. "Don't let those smiles deceive you."
Without another word, Hua drew her sword into being—pure energy shaped into gleaming steel—and launched forward.
The first cultist didn't have time to scream.
Blood spattered across the cave walls as she cut through the group. Zhaoyu hesitated, trembling, until her gaze fell again upon the fallen villagers—some of them still clutching each other, even in death.
Her fingers tightened around her own blade.
Then she moved.
Together, master and disciple cut through the cult like a pair of reapers, striking with relentless purpose. The chamber was filled with the clash of steel, the shouts of dying men, and the chilling silence of the dead.
At the center of the altar, the leader of the cult—draped in crimson robes—was dragging a caged child with black hair toward the circle. His voice rose over the chaos, chanting words in an ancient tongue.
"With this vessel," he cried, laughing, "God shall descend! The world will be reborn!"
Hua's eyes snapped toward him. In a flash, she surged forward.
The man barely had time to look up before her sword sliced clean through him. His head hit the ground with a sickening thud—but his face still wore a wide, blissful grin.
Even in death, his mouth moved.
"Too late…"
What?!
Hua turned sharply.
The Honkai energy in the room had surged like a storm breaking free. It twisted violently in the air, rushing toward the altar—the girl at its center.
They were trying to create a Herrscher…
Hua focused, manipulating her own Qi to redirect the torrent. She gathered it, forced it away from the girl's body. The child exhaled weakly, then collapsed as the flow of energy ceased.
But the danger hadn't passed.
The displaced Honkai energy began to spiral at the far edge of the chamber, warping the very air around it. Ice crystallized along the floor. Shadows writhed and twisted. Something was forming—something massive.
A shape emerged.
It roared into existence—its breath freezing the air, its form covered in glistening crystalline plates.
An Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
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(A/n: if building already been built why it call building?)