Chapter 76 Chapter 76 The Fifth Wish
Before Hongzhu left, He Shile stuffed a bunch of talismans into her hands, all of which were newly drawn recently. He Shile took the talismans and introduced them to her one by one, telling her to use them as she pleased and not to save them.
"Talismans are so expensive." As disposable items, talismans aren't too expensive, but they're consumed in large quantities. Buying them all is beyond the reach of most cultivators. Hongzhu accepted them without hesitation, saying, "Thank you."
He Shile: "Come back soon."
"Oh, of course." Hongzhu smiled and said, "Don't worry, we're actually quite familiar with this secret place."
Watching Hongzhu's departing figure, He Shile felt lost. After Hongzhu left, He Shile had no desire to leave the house. He stayed in his room, cultivating and drawing talismans. The outside world seemed to have suddenly turned colder. Even the white lotus in the center of the lake was frozen, standing still like a girl with a hidden worry.
He Shile also began to think about this question. What was the purpose of the Hongzhu sisters coming to this secret realm? Generally, cultivators came here to obtain as many treasures as possible, or to gain experience, but Hongzhu and Lanxin were not in a hurry to go out and collect items. Like him, they came here specifically for something.
What did Hongzhu want? Perhaps they could work together, but He Shile knew they didn't yet have enough trust, and Hongzhu might not be willing to tell him. Once his injuries healed, there might be no reason to stay here. Perhaps he should be more honest and express his feelings proactively. Once separated from Hongzhu, it would be difficult to meet again.
No matter what, they had to wait for Hongzhu to come back. He Shile sometimes imagined how to communicate with Hongzhu, and sometimes worried about her condition. It seemed that time was passing very slowly. Lan Xin was very calm and went about her own business, sharpening her sword, drawing formations, practicing, and waiting for Hongzhu to return. He Shile tentatively asked about Hongzhu's condition, and Lan Xin said, "She will be back soon."
There was a way of communication between them that no one else could know. Sure enough, Hongzhu came back soon. Although she was exhausted, she was not seriously injured.
After she came back, she chatted with Lan Xin for a long time. He Shile looked out the window and saw the two sisters standing side by side by the lake, talking in low voices from time to time with serious expressions. They did not avoid He Shile openly, and He Shile did not consciously eavesdrop.
The next day, Lan Xin went out again. She left quietly, and by the time He Shile found out, she had already been gone for a long time. Hong Zhu checked the medicine he had been taking recently and said, "I gave the remaining talismans to my sister. You don't mind, do you? The talismans you made are really useful, much better than the ones sold outside. They've saved me several times. How did you learn them? Did you learn them on your own?"
The materials used by He Shile are the best and most expensive. Coupled with his strong control over spiritual power, those talismans are drawn with water and wood attribute spiritual energy. In Hongzhu's hands, they can produce the best effect and are naturally better than the talismans sold outside.
Hong Zhu asked a series of questions, and He Shile answered them one by one: "Don't mind. In fact, I also prepared some talismans for her... I'm glad it can be used. I'll give you some later... I didn't learn it myself. The elders in my family hired a talisman practitioner to teach me."
Hongzhu stared at him with a smile, and after he finished answering, she said, "That's great. My sister and I both taught ourselves. This sword of mine was forged by my sister herself."
Meditation and practice are compulsory courses for cultivators every day. Hongzhu uses a sword, but He Shile has never seen her use a sword, and he can't imagine how her spiritual roots can learn sword skills.
Until one day, He Shile awoke from his meditation, hearing the rustling of the wind outside. Outside the window, lotus flowers swayed, the water rippled. Hongzhu tapped the water's surface with her toes, grasping the longsword that echoed with the sound of water, intently practicing with her sword. The sword's blade swirled, stirring up wave after wave of water, splashing water droplets in a hazy, crystalline light. A faint, cold, sharp aura lingered. Hongzhu stood amidst it all, her posture gentle and resilient, like a lotus without vines or branches, standing tall and graceful. The lotuses in the lake all moved with her.
Hongzhu also has water and wood spiritual roots. He Shile was born in the Xiancao Sect, and there are countless kinds of skills suitable for her, including many swordsmanship. He has never seen the swordsmanship used by Hongzhu, but he is sure that this swordsmanship is not suitable for Hongzhu.
System 05 and Chen Mu recognized that these moves were all learned by Chen Mu, but in Hongzhu's hands, they had a different temperament.
He Shile walked to the lakeside and waited for Hongzhu to finish practicing her sword technique. As she sheathed her sword, Hongzhu raised her eyes, expressionless, but a sharp gleam in them. She saw He Shile, blinked, then smiled again. She treaded on the water, and that sharpness and agility completely vanished.
He Shile thought, she really likes to laugh.
"Excuse me," Hong Zhu said. The two chatted casually for a while longer, then strolled slowly along the lake. He Shile couldn't resist his curiosity and asked, "What kind of swordsmanship do you practice?"
Hongzhu paused slightly, but her smile remained unchanged as she said, "This is the sword technique passed down from my father."
"This sword technique..."
"Not suitable for me, right?" Hongzhu shrugged. "He has a gold spiritual root."
Although blood relationship cannot determine one's spiritual roots, it is still a huge difference.
He Shile was puzzled: "Why would he teach you this kind of swordsmanship?" This kind of swordsmanship completely slowed down Hongzhu's cultivation speed and was harmful to her.
"He didn't teach me." Hongzhu stared at the tranquil lake, her voice as gentle as the warm light shimmering on it. "He was a very good father. He always raised my sister and me by his side and took good care of us. Without him, we wouldn't have grown up... and then he died."
He Shile stopped and was speechless for a moment.
Hongzhu, however, soothed him with her eyes and said, "He left us many things, enough for my sister and I to survive in this world. I insisted on learning swordsmanship myself. Many people in this world have forgotten him, and I wanted to leave behind as many things that belonged to him as possible. I learned swordsmanship, and my sister learned swordsmithing."
He Shile mumbled, "Sorry..."
Hongzhu smiled. "There's no need to be so heavy-hearted. He's been dead for almost a hundred years, and my sister and I have long since accepted it. Actually, we do have a mother. Uh... I don't know how to explain it to you. They weren't Dao partners, but they took care of us together and raised my sister and me... A mother's existence is special, and we just consider her our mother."
He Shile wanted to ask where that "mother" was, but he had a feeling the answer wouldn't be anything good. Hongzhu raised her sword, twisting her wrist slightly. She stared at the sword and sighed, "But I'm really not suited to learning this sword technique. Perhaps it will eventually be lost."
After hearing Hong Zhu's words, the person most deeply moved was Chen Mu, who was in his sea of consciousness. He had indeed raised the Twin Lotuses as daughters, but the fact that this affection was reciprocated, that Hong Zhu also considered him a father, brought a bittersweet warmth to his heart. Before their death, the Twin Lotuses were nearing transformation. By then, System 05 was preparing to depart, so it hadn't noticed their progress, but Chen Mu had noticed. Despite this, he decided to follow System 05, leaving all the treasures he had collected over the years to the Twin Lotuses, ensuring their safe growth.
He didn't expect that a hundred years later, the Twin Lotuses would still remember him and be willing to do those things.
"Chen Mu." System 05 walked over and whispered, "You left them behind."
Chen Mu emphasized: "You left first."
System 05 glared at him, but he felt guilty, so he appeared timid. He never cared about anyone other than his host, but now he felt a real sense of guilt towards the Twin Lotus. After all, in many worlds, no one except his host cared about him.
Chen Mu noticed his expression and comforted him, "The children are grown up now, so it's more important to pursue a wife. Look, they're pretty good even if they're not good-looking..."
System 05 nudged him lightly with her toes and said, "Go and tell Hongzhu to stop practicing that sword technique. It's not good for her."
Chen Mu: "...How do I get there?"
System 05: "Then you think of a solution."
In fact, Chen Mu was also quite worried. She was the incarnation of a twin lotus, and her dependence on water and wood spiritual energy was higher than that of ordinary cultivators. Practicing sword techniques that were not suitable for her for a long time would only damage her natural water and wood spiritual roots.
While He Shile was meditating and practicing, Chen Mu called him over and said, "Think of a way to persuade Hongzhu to stop practicing that sword technique."
He Shile: “…”
That set of swordsmanship carries Hongzhu's concern and longing for her father. How could he dare to speak? How could he easily ask Hongzhu to give up?
He Shile said with difficulty: "Senior, I don't think I can do this."
If he said it out loud, his favorability would probably be reduced to zero.
He Shile added, "If it was her dead father who said this to her, maybe it would be helpful."
Chen Mu: “…”
He Shile murmured to himself: "But her father has been dead for a hundred years."
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