Arthur cleared his throat, being the first to break the deadlock.
He stood up, a relaxed smile back on his face, and turned to Fu Hua.
His gaze naturally swept over her once more with concern.
“Master, you’ve worked hard on this journey.
Please rest first.
I’ll go prepare some food.
This little…
uh, Third Junior Sister?”
He tentatively used this title, looking at Fu Hua with an inquiring gaze.
Fu Hua finally looked up, her gaze passing over Arthur before looking down at the small red-haired figure clinging tightly to her.
The child seemed to sense her gaze and looked up with her dirty little face, her pure black eyes full of dependence and unease.
“She has not yet shared her name,” Fu Hua spoke, her voice returning to its usual cool stability.
“I intend to take her as my disciple.”
She paused, adding a sentence with a hint of unusual solemnity that Arthur could detect.
“She is special.”
Special?
Arthur’s heart skipped a beat.
To be described as “special” by Fu Hua, especially in this context…
His gaze fell on the child again.
Vermilion hair, black pupils—though young, her facial features already showed a startling refinement.
In particular, that tiny, slightly darker beauty mark beneath her lip was still striking even on her dirty face.
These physical characteristics…
In Arthur’s mind, the system interface seemed to sense his intense mental activity, automatically glowing with a faint light.
A new line of information was being rapidly analyzed and generated, though it hadn’t fully appeared yet.
But he didn’t need a system prompt.
A name had already brushed across his heart with an icy touch.
Su Mei.
Among the future Tai Xu Seven Disciples, the one known for her schemes and deepest thoughts, and perhaps…
the Second Disciple who played a key role in the betrayal?
It was actually her.
And in such a pathetic, cowardly state as a young child?
Arthur felt his temple throb slightly.
One Lin Chaoyu already made the shadow of “history” impossible to shake, and now an even more troublesome Su Mei had arrived?
Even with him here, would Tai Xu Mountain still end up gathering the “Seven Disciples”?
The smile on his face almost failed, but fortunately, his years of cultivation were deep enough that he managed to maintain the persona of the “kind Eldest Senior Brother.”
“I see.” He nodded, his tone betraying nothing unusual.
“Since Master has decided, then she is our Tai Xu Mountain’s Third Junior Sister.”
“Master, why don’t you take…
Junior Sister to wash up and settle in first?
Chaoyu,”
He turned to Lin Chaoyu.
“Come help me prepare the food, and boil some more hot water.”
Hearing Arthur call her, Lin Chaoyu pulled her attention away from the red-haired child.
Meeting Arthur’s gentle gaze, the bit of displeasure in her heart dissipated slightly, and she replied obediently.
“Yes, Senior Brother.”
Fu Hua watched Arthur organize everything methodically, quietly dissolving the heavy atmosphere brought by that “special” moment and pulling it back into the track of daily life.
A trace of softness passed through her eyes that even she didn’t notice.
“Mm.” She responded softly, finally moving and gently leading the tiny figure by her leg forward.
“Follow me,” she said to the child, her voice not loud but very soothing.
The red-haired child grabbed her sleeve tightly and followed her step by step toward the Bamboo House.
As she passed Arthur and Lin Chaoyu, she quickly lowered her head again, leaving the two with only a glimpse of her fiery red hair and her tense little back.
It wasn’t until Fu Hua took the new child into the house that Lin Chaoyu leaned closer to Arthur, whispering with a bit of dissatisfaction and curiosity.
“Senior Brother, that child…
is so rude.
Master even said she was’special.’ Where is she special?
She’s dirty and cowardly.”
Arthur raised his hand, habitually wanting to rub her hair, but his hand stopped mid-air.
Instead, he gently patted her shoulder.
“Chaoyu, do not speak recklessly.
She is young and has just experienced a upheaval; it’s natural to be afraid of strangers.
When you first arrived, didn’t you also…” He smiled and didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear.
Lin Chaoyu’s face flushed as she remembered her own panic when she first arrived.
Most of her displeasure vanished, but the faint rejection of the red-haired child didn’t completely disappear; she just gave a muffled “Oh.”
“Let’s go to the kitchen.”
Arthur turned around, the smile fading from his face as a trace of solemnity flashed in his green eyes.
Special?
She was more than just special.
Su Mei’s appearance was like a heavy stone thrown into the seemingly calm lake of Tai Xu Mountain.
He felt as if he could already see more complex ripples, and even undercurrents, quietly forming beneath the water.
The system interface finally stabilized, displaying cold text:
[Detected intervention of historical figure ‘Su Mei (Childhood)’.
Correlation confirmed: Target is one of the key tragic node figures in the ‘Scarlet Requiem: Sorrow’ worldline, formerly the Second Disciple under True Master Scarlet Kite.
Estimated mental talent: Extremely High.
Risk level: Significantly increased.]
[Warning: Superposition of key variables, worldline disturbance coefficient increasing sharply.
Historical inertia manifesting.
Mender, please remain highly alert.]
[worldline repair progress: 68.7%]
As Arthur walked toward the kitchen, he let out a heavy sigh in his heart.
He probably wouldn’t have the heart to look after the grapevines this year.
Life was truly getting more and more “lively.”
Cooking smoke gradually rose from the kitchen, and the aroma of rice began to spread.
Meanwhile, beside the Quiet Chamber, Fu Hua used warm water to bit by bit wipe away the grime from the little girl’s face, revealing the fair but slightly sallow skin beneath.
After being washed, those eyes appeared even larger and more tranquil.
Although they still carried fear, they were less clouded.
She quietly allowed Fu Hua to move, neither crying nor making a fuss.
Only occasionally, those overly tranquil black eyes would look through the window frame toward the kitchen—toward the tall young man with the warm smile and green eyes, and the golden-eyed girl beside him whose gaze wasn’t very friendly.
She watched very quietly, as if observing.
The beauty mark beneath her lip became exceptionally clear as she slightly pursed her lips.