"My Blade Mantra, I can't feel it."
Waking up in a strange room and a strange bed, Fu Hua pressed her chest thoughtfully.
Then, she sat up subconsciously.
Everything in front of her seemed strange.
It's not that she didn't know the layout of the room, but the world in her eyes. The colors, light and shadow, and sense of distance were all normal, but there was a strange feeling as if some kind of filter had been removed, which was particularly fresh and comfortable.
"Jingwei!"
"Master!"
Before Fu Hua could carefully experience and think about these feelings, two familiar warm and soft jades pounced on her, one on her abdomen and the other on her chest, expressing their worries and surprises with a strong hug.
Then, Fu Hua's first thought was, "Is the quality of this bed really that good?"
Generally speaking, with the strength of Ji Lin and Angel, an ordinary bed should have collapsed long ago, right?
"Okay, okay, I'm awake now, and I feel good now. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, so how long have I slept?"
"Fourteen days have passed since you entered the operating room, a full two weeks, Jingwei!"
"Huh? Has it been that long? I thought I had just slept for a few days."
Fu Hua put her hand on Ji Lin's head, gently stroking it, revealing a faint, soft smile.
Angel poked her head out from under Ji Lin, looked up at her, and said with the mentality of a doctor inspecting a patient.
"Master, how do you feel now?"
"Well... in short, I feel much lighter. By the way, where's Su?"
Fu Hua didn't have time to carefully examine her changes, and subconsciously asked about the whereabouts of the friend who had been away for thousands of years.
Angel and Ji Lin looked at each other, seemingly puzzled by this question.
"Hey!"
At this time, Book of Fuxi slowly floated over from the side and sat on Fu Hua's shoulder. After moving her butt to occupy a comfortable position, she opened her mouth to respond to Fu Hua's question.
"He didn't show up in front of us at all. It seems that he came here just for you. So, how do you feel? Are you cured?"
"Just for me?"
Fu Hua couldn't help but feel disappointed, and her eyes dimmed.
The Thirteen Flamechasers were one of the few relatively clear and complete fragments in her memory. A friend she clearly remembered, but he didn't stay to drink tea and chat.
He came and went so hurriedly, did he think he didn't fulfill his mission?
Then, Fu Hua quickly shook her head again.
Su is not that kind of person.
If someone as gentle, compassionate, and wise as him doesn't want to stay, there must be a compelling reason.
"However, back then he just spoke incomprehensibly, but now he doesn't even leave riddles. Has he changed?"
Fu Hua suspected that her old comrade's ability to express himself has evolved, but from the perspective of the difficulty of understanding, it seems that it can also be said to have degenerated?
"Blockhead, I'm asking about your physical condition. What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing. I'm just a little regretful. As for my body... it's very good, or should I say very good, I feel relaxed and happy as never before. Dr. Jackal's technique almost made me think I had returned to the previous era."
Fu Hua smiled easily.
Although she was always lying on the operating table, she still felt some of the physical conditions until Su walked into her dream.
The feeling of being turned over and over from the inside out, the feeling of the scalpel, water jet, laser, and even unknown equipment fiddling with the muscles and organs, and the feeling of messy reagents injected into the body – Fu Hua would unconsciously associate it with the memories of being alone with Dr. Mobius.
It was the same back then, Fu Hua was lying on the operating table, and Mobius fiddled with every corner of Fu Hua's body as he pleased, which was very enjoyable and he couldn't leave. However, Fu Hua was just guessing about Mobius's experience, and she still couldn't understand the thoughts in the mind of the Infinite Ouroboros.
Book of Fuxi didn't know what Fu Hua was thinking about, but her reply made Book of Fuxi put down the last bit of worry. So, the little ELF simply fell back, and Book of Fuxi simply lay on Fu Hua's shoulder, and her white and tender little fat legs swayed.
"I'm so tired, I'll take a nap first. You go to Jackal for a re-examination by yourself, finish it early, go home early, I still have a bunch of things to deal with..."
Book of Fuxi really fell asleep.
She was the most nervous person during the treatment. She had to worry about Fu Hua's condition, beware of the other people who couldn't sit still, and try to get information from Shamash and Jackal from time to time. After two weeks of sleepless nights, even Book of Fuxi was really exhausted.
"Master, I'll take care of Little Book!"
"Jingwei, I'll take you to see a doctor!"
The Angels quickly decided on their own division of labor. One carefully held up Book of Fuxi's soft body, and the other dragged Fu Hua out.
Their relaxed smiles showed their good mood.
...
Three days after returning to Mount Taixu, Fu Hua resumed her usual routine.
Early in the morning, she led Ji Lin and Angel to practice boxing on the top of the mountain where the sun was about to rise but not yet.
Since she had mastered martial arts, Fu Hua rarely used a sword. In most cases, she preferred to use the Inch Force boxing.
Because boxing is simple and convenient to practice, and it is straightforward to fight.
For her, without the Edge of Taixuan, the effect of using boxing and Taixuan is the same. It can also be said that boxing and Edge of Taixuan have long been integrated, and fists and feet are equal to the Edge of Taixuan.
"Angel, you have already mastered the swordsmanship. Boxing is not very important to you, but you can use it to train your mind and make up for your ability to deal with special situations. So don't slack off. You must know that diligence makes you proficient, but playing around makes you lose."
"Yes, Master!"
"Ji Lin, your boxing skills are rusty. I don't know what level you were at that time, but now it seems that there are still many areas for improvement. Don't let Angel leave you behind."
"Don't worry, Jingwei! I have slowly regained that feeling. Just wait and see!"
One punch, one move, one foot, one step, Fu Hua is familiar with the boxing routine, with stillness in movement, and hardness in softnesThe breeze blows on the loose green clothes, and she does not forget to casually remind her friends and apprentices beside her, with the heavy atmosphere of a master.
But only Fu Hua herself knows her own changes.
In the past, martial arts training was for calming the mind, like walking on a fragile ice surface.
One must always cut off distractions and concentrate. Any slight hesitation would interfere with the running of the Honkai energy in the body, and more serious would lead to obsession.
SWARA is such a thing. Dr. Mei once reminded that this technological achievement is suspected to have an incomprehensible deep connection with her body. Therefore, she was branded with the Mind Imprint of being hostile to everything related to Honkai.
For thousands of years, Fu Hua has been in this dilemma: if this Mind Imprint goes a little to the left, it will be affected by Honkai, and then force her into obsession; if this Mind Imprint goes a little to the right, it will stimulate, and then lose reason, forcing her to destroy Honkai, including her companions and herself who fight with Honkai energy.
So Fu Hua is used to restraining all emotions and shaping her heart into a transparent and flawless state, like ice without joy or sorrow.
'I'm not used to the feeling of swinging a fist just for the sake of swinging a fist.'
Fu Hua thought to herself, but felt unprecedented ease.
She was not like this before. When practicing boxing, even a little distraction would cause the operation of Honkai energy to become imperfect.
The blood was flowing, the body temperature was rising, and after one set of boxing, Fu Hua did not want to stop at all, just moving this brand new body to the fullest.
Until the last punch was thrown, the force that came out of her heart stirred the atmosphere, forming a strong wind that blew across the entire mountain.
"Is this the feeling of my boiling blood?"
Fu Hua panted slightly, letting the sweat slide down her forehead, feeling novel and surprised by the blood that had not been calmed for a long time.
"Jingwei, are you okay?"
"It's okay, I feel really good. I feel like closer to my former comrades." Fu Hua looked at her fist thoughtfully.
MANTIS Soldiers are all top HP cows. The effects of Honkai beast genes and super mutation surgery have given them unparalleled vitality and recovery.
The most extreme example is Mobius. Everyone agrees that as long as she doesn't want to die, nothing can kill her.
Therefore, the fighting style of MANTIS Soldiers is usually extremely unrestrained, and it is a basic operation to fight to the death without defending.
But Fu Hua is the one who doesn't fit in.
Because of the influence of the SWARA, she must be extremely restrained in the use of her body. As long as it affects her mental state, even if it is just a little bit, she must stop immediately, otherwise she will be directly out of control under the influence of the SWARA, and the best outcome is to die on the spot.
So Fu Hua can't be as passionate as them and spend everything in her body. She can only be precise and can only tap into the power in an extremely limited space – this meticulously crafted fighting mode eventually evolved into the Eminence.
But Fu Hua is very sure that even the peak of the Immortal Phoenix has a long-term endurance and extreme combat ability that is far inferior to her former companions.
She can't do it back then!
Now, the situation is different. Fu Hua feels that she can also do the reckless and unrestrained fighting style like Kalpas, Kevin, and Kosma!
"Su, this gift..." Fu Hua looked up at the distant sky, as if she saw her friend smiling at her with a gentle blessing.
"Master, stop being in a daze, we should go back to eat."
"No, practice for a while longer."
"Ah? But you have practiced many times."
"I have recovered, better than I thought. But I also lost my Blade Mantra, and I don't want to rebuild it in the future. Now I can only rely on this brand new body. This is a brand new beginning, I can't slack off."
Fu Hua smiled, with the courage and confidence to start over. She became stronger and weaker, and the gap between them is now difficult to sort out.
But Fu Hua believes that Su will not harm her.
Since he completely eliminated her Blade Mantra at this time, he must have his considerations. What she can do is to grasp every minute and every second from now on, and once again become a strong person that Angel, Ji Lin and others can rely on, and once again use her own strength to protect everything she has.
"Jingwei, I will practice with you!"
"It's okay to practice together, but can you please not hold me like this? I've sweated a lot, don't you think it smells bad?"
"No way! Jingwei always smells good, hehehe!"
"..."
Looking at Ji Lin's flushed expression, which showed no disdain for her sweat but was more excited than ever before, Fu Hua suddenly fell silent.
Perhaps, compared to digging out the power in her body, how to keep the chastity of this body next to her peculiar friend is her biggest test in Mount Taixu.