"Sir, please accept this as a token of our respect..."
"Come on! Let them through!"
The soldier in cloth armor slapped the cloth bag in his hand and a smile appeared on his face.
The next moment, his joy faded into an impatient expression as he waved his weapon.
"What luck! We managed to meet the Schicksal caravan before entering the pass."
Eleanor whispered softly while mounting her horse.
"Caravans? I doubt it."
Otto was much more energetic than when she was outside the Great Wall.
"However, they probably wouldn't be of much use."
Otto looked at the owner of the caravan, who was bowing and scraping in front of the sergeant, and spoke in a rather indifferent tone.
"The road is long and arduous, and it is not easy to send a message to the main group now.
If we wait for it to arrive, those defeated soldiers from the plains will probably have already brought the message."
"In any case, Schicksal's current combat power is enough to crush most secular combat forces one by one."
"On the other hand, we don't have to worry about them.
Let them do their thing and we will do ours."
Otto said softly.
Eleanor and Kallen nodded.
"Miss, are you leaving the caravan?"
The owner of the caravan heard Otto's words just as he was returning.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
Otto's voice sounded calm, but it exerted considerable pressure on the caravan owner.
"Of course, no problem.
This is for travel expenses and a map I bought from other merchants.
Please keep it, miss."
It was clear that the boss, who was actually a spy, wanted to say something else, but finally succumbed to Otto's imposing attitude.
Thinking about it, she is the third young lady of her own family, and the head of the Kaslana family is her friend's father.
How could he have the right to speak?
She was already being kind by not giving him any trouble.
"That's very considerate of you."
Otto nodded, followed the caravan for a few more kilometers, found a lively market, and joined the crowd before leaving.
"My lord, where are we going this time?"
The three of them found a secluded place, opened the map, and Otto asked into the air.
"Shandong... that is, the land of Qi, Mount Taixu."
Tian Shi pressed the map.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Shandong area was referred to as Qi in writing.
"Shandong Provincial Administration Office."
Otto observed the notably concave area.
"Mount Taixu... If I remember correctly, this is where the emperors of the Central Plains held the Fengshan ceremony throughout history, right?"
Mount Taixu in the Honkai world is located in the same position as Mount Tai in the normal world.
"Your disciple is truly extraordinary, an immortal who has been worshiped by emperors throughout history... Tsk tsk, that is much more prestigious than Schicksal."
While Otto spoke, she wondered what kind of person the god's invisible disciple would be.
She always thought she was not someone to be trifled with.
"It seems you are not yet tired enough from this trip."
Tian Shi tapped Otto's head in displeasure.
"Rather, one could say this is the essence of Otto."
Kallen nodded naturally while chewing on a flatbread she had bought a while ago.
Kallen's gastronomic tendencies are too extreme.
"But speaking of which, when I was buying the cakes, I heard some people dressed in a rebellious and dissolute way talking about something called 'inner strength'.
My lord, do you know what that is?"
"Hmm... In essence, it is a kind of application of Honkai power, a very useful little system worth learning from."
After thinking for a moment, Tian Shi gave a brief and concise introduction.
"And the ultimate realm is very strong... Kallen, you can try it."
"Oh... So the so-called inner strength is actually a form of Honkai energy?"
Kallen was not surprised to understand it.
"More or less.
As for the details, you can learn them when you get to Mount Taixu."
Tian Shi does not understand the cultivation of inner energy, so it is better to leave the task of teaching Kallen to Hua.
In any case, can taking advantage of apprentices be considered a benefit?
"Very well, now that we have decided on our destination, let's set off and travel the world."
Just as Otto was about to put away the map and stand up, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
"What's wrong, Otto?"
Seeing Otto stiffen, Kallen asked with some concern.
Eleanor was even prepared to use the Abyss Flower to cure any of Otto's illnesses.
"Uhm, do you feel like something is watching you?"
In an instant, Otto felt her hands and feet grow cold while she sweated profusely.
"This..."
Eleanor looked around cautiously and then feigned confusion.
"There are only ordinary people here.
Sister, is it because of your health?"
Although Eleanor did not say it explicitly due to her rank, her meaning was clear: you are so weak that you are hallucinating.
"Really?"
Otto's confidence wavered after Eleanor's words.
"This young woman has a pale complexion and sweaty hands and feet, probably due to a Qi deficiency.
It must be due to a poor constitution during childhood and a prolonged illness."
A female voice, serene and calm, resonated in Otto's ears.
"If you don't mind, I can take your pulse and prescribe medication."
Looking up, the three of them were horrified to find a beautiful and ethereal woman with gray hair and blue eyes, dressed in a long dark robe, standing by the table.
Even someone as carefree as Kallen could not maintain her composure; being approached so unexpectedly was simply too terrifying.
Eleanor, who was even more radical, was about to attack despite the surroundings after the brief initial shock.
"It's not quite right."
"..."
Eleanor paused, caught between a glimpse of the Abyss Flower and an apparently omniscient gaze.
Fortunately, the ethereal beauty in front of her looked away and turned to observe the report-like Tian Shi.
"It has been a long time.
How is your health, Master?"
"Your question is quite subtle."
Tian Shi looked at the ethereal woman in front of him, who was Hua, the future Fu Hua and current Immortal Phoenix, and responded with a strange expression.
"..."
Hua was surprised by Tian Shi's response, and the tense atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.
"My disciple, I have spoken out of turn."
"Ugh... It seems even harder to get along with her than with Eleanor at work."
Kallen murmured aloud upon hearing the woman's words.
Eleanor: "..."
"But if we put aside the physical aspect, she leads a very comfortable life, doesn't she?"
Tian Shi looked at Hua, who now seemed devoid of emotion, with a touch of nostalgia.
"This is the Hua I told you about, my student, also known as the Crimson Comet Immortal of Shenzhou."
Tian Shi introduced her formally.
Although everyone already suspected it from the way he addressed her, Tian Shi's words gave everyone, especially Eleanor, a way to relax.
"Are they my newly accepted younger sisters?"
Hua looked at the group again.
"But this child is from Kevin..."
"Yes, she is from the lineage of the Kaslana family, the current possessor of the Oath of Judah, although she does not have it with her at the moment."
Tian Shi clarified.
"Unexpected."
Although it was unusual, Hua's tone remained calm.
It was not known if the "unexpected" referred to seeing a Kaslana there or the combination of Kaslana and Judah.
"By the way, they are not your younger sisters, so don't overthink it."
"Well, I don't care if they are younger sisters or not."
Hua shook her head slightly, apparently unconcerned.
This made the three people next to her feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if they were being ignored.
"Speaking of which... Crimson Comet Immortal, can you see the Lord God?"
"Lord God?"
Hua finally raised an eyebrow, as if remembering something, and nodded.
"Of course."
"..."
The sensation of hitting a piece of cotton was especially unpleasant.
Otto didn't even know how to respond to Hua's terseness.
"I'm doing quite well, but Hua, it seems you are becoming more and more boring."
"Master is right."
After a moment of silence, Hua nodded.
The sensation of hitting cotton also affected Tian Shi.
The current Hua was difficult to deal with in every way.
She had closed herself off emotionally.
"By the way, Hua, what are you doing here? According to my personal information, shouldn't you be at Mount Taixu?"
"Recently, I felt a great commotion in my heart and followed my impulse here.
I never expected to meet my master.
It is a truly unexpected joy."
Looking at Hua's stern face, Tian Shi felt from the bottom of his heart that the girl who used to call him Master Tian was much cuter.
"Wow, is this what they call telepathy? How amazing!"
Kallen commented at the perfect moment.
"Is this person a distracted woman or what?"
Otto thought.
Are you my best friend or the best friend of this girl with the stern face?
Now Otto really wanted to point at Kallen and yell that she was a traitor.
"(Quiet, quiet. This is the Kaslana family. If their ancestor Kevin had any common sense, they wouldn't be at the bottom of the food chain.)"
"(Is it okay if you make any sound? Won't they discover you?)"
"(You really underestimated me, unless I use Fenghuang Down to watch them closely... Besides, she is not named Dr. MEI. And what if they discover me? This big sister is known for her good temperament.)"
"..."
So you're saying you're bullying honest people, right?
However, a term mentioned by Void Archive caught Otto's attention.
"(Fenghuang Down?)"
"(The Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down, the Key of Consciousness... Ah, perhaps that's why she could see the Venerable?)"
Void Archive explained belatedly.
"(Can you imitate it?)"
Otto paused and asked in her mind, word for word.
This question always gave Void Archive the feeling that if she couldn't answer, there would be big problems.
This time, Void Archive really experienced what it means to know too much.
"If I say no, will Otto turn against me?"
"(Maybe...)"
Void Archive said with uncertainty.
"(Maybe?)"
Otto repeated with a cold laugh.
"How dare you use that word to ignore me?"
"(You can try.)"
After a brief silence, Void Archive chose a more tactful way of speaking.
"(Oh...)"
Otto recognized the rhetoric, but the answer was indeed more acceptable.
"(As you know, although I have the relevant information, there are things that are better seen than heard.)"
Void Archive rushed to explain.
"(While theoretically possible, it is best to make some observations to achieve the desired effect... Don't you think?)"
"(Okay, that's no problem.)"
The answer finally satisfied Otto.
Although she found it difficult to get along with the Crimson Comet Immortal, she was not against observing her to catch a glimpse of divine power.
"Speaking of which, Hua, did you come down from the mountain alone?"
Tian Shi remembered that, in this period, Fu Hua used to take her eldest disciple, Lin Chaoyu, with her.
"Do you mean Chaoyu?"
Hua asked without surprise.
"This time I was only acting on a whim, so there was no need to bring her.
Speaking of which, I have taken in seven disciples in recent years.
In terms of seniority, they would be like your great-grandchildren."
"..."
Tian Shi was not happy at all.
Seven traitors...
Only the seventh disciple, Qin Suying, was coerced.
She was the one who later secretly carried Hua's body down the mountain to hide it.
That young woman was confused and was dragged into the betrayal.
The others included the intellectual culprits and those with dark interests.
Qin Suying got involved unintentionally, her sword heart shattered, and she almost died.
Definitely, Hua is not fit for babysitting.
The current head disciple, Lin Chaoyu, is the one who finally helps Cheng Lingshuang deliver the fatal blow.
Although she hesitated, in the end she did not stop the act.
No one but Qin Suying could clear her name.
"What kind of person is she?"
Tian Shi didn't want to speak ill of the seven disciples directly, so he asked indirectly.
"What kind of person is she?"
Hua reflected and sketched a barely perceptible smile.
"I would say that girl, Chaoyu, is quite similar to me."
"Like you?"
"When I traveled the world in my youth, I relied completely on Chaoyu to manage the household affairs; she was even better than I was at that age."
"..."
Tian Shi never expected so much praise from Hua.
But it didn't seem strange.
Hua had been killing demons for millennia.
Why take disciples now?
In the past, she only looked for homes for orphans.
That she decided to teach now was a sign that she was trying to open her heart to the world again.
Tsk, that's why those types are so exasperating.
Killing their teacher...
Was it for fear of Hua's obsession against the Honkai?
Or perhaps there was a deeper reason behind the murder by the Seven Swords.
But...
What did that have to do with him now?
"A gentleman judges by his actions, not by his intentions.
If the future really comes, in the worst case scenario, it will be a matter of retribution, until cause and effect are destroyed."
Tian Shi muttered to himself.
He had a good character and rarely got truly angry.
But now...
"An eye for an eye?"
Hua looked puzzled.
"No, it's nothing, don't worry."