I scanned my surroundings with bewilderment. The stone shrine is the door to the Bubble World. It is also the anchor that kept the Bubble World from dissipating. Its presence, together with the high-level spiritual qi drifting around me, solidified the Bubble World’s existence.
What made me speechless is its appearance. It is beyond my expectations. There are no signs of nature, nor is there the traditional eastern architecture of Shenzhou.
It is an empty bar.
Dim golden lights filled the entire room. The carpet sported a velvet color, and so did the golden-framed sofas and chairs. There are prepared champagnes and cocktails served on a black tray, resting atop the bar top. Beside it is Fu Hua who rested her cheeks on her palm. Her elbows supported her face, looking a bit too lazy.
Most remarkably, she wore a bunny girl suit. A pair of long, rabbit-like ears came from her headband. Her fair shoulders are completely exposed to the naked eye. A neatly tied black ribbon is wrapped around her neck, looking like a choker.
Faint memories resurfaced in my mind. There was once an incident when they, in the original timeline, wore bunny suits for the fun of it. Fu Hua looked exactly like that, and it is very lethal.
(Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/88798168)
I had to do a double-take, instinctively taking out my bronze coin to divine things.
“How does it look?”
Her deep, memorable voice echoed throughout the bar. Her bright blue irises stared at me lazily. A hint of expectation emerged from them.
“It looks good.”
“Then this is fine.”
She paused, yawning, before pointing to the seat in front of her.
“Come, sit.”
While I am shocked, I never allowed it to get to me. I maintained my calm composure and sat on the high seat opposite hers. I thought of countless possibilities, finding the answer why Fu Hua’s heart demon made her wear something as incredulous as a bunny girl suit.
The only time I saw others wear it was with Kiana and Sirin, and it is something I won’t forget.
I was almost drained that night.
Clink-!
I watched Fu Hua pour circular ice on the wide glass. She then reached out for something beneath the bar, bringing out a sealed ceramic wine jar.
Screech-!
She tore off its seal, sniffing its strong scent with a slight smile.
“That little girl’s alchemy isn’t wasted.”
…
Did I hear it right?
Did the overtly serious Fu Hua steal something from Senti? The wonders of heart demons are truly hard to predict.
As if seeing through my thoughts, she gave me a slightly guilty look.
“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t drink, and neither does she. If she did, she would not have been penniless during the fifteen hundreds.”
Fifteen hundreds…
It has been more than a thousand years since she was ‘betrayed’ by her disciples. It is already 2599, a year short for a monumental century.
“Wine-making wouldn’t have earned as much. From what I have heard, the Taixuan Sect struggled financially at that time.”
“Mn. We relied on our status as the leader of sects to own meager industries. You can blame me in that regard, but then again, what should I have done? I never finished studying high school.”
Fu Hua took out a wooden scoop and poured the wine into the glass, pushing it towards me with the back of her hand.
To be honest, I am a bit traumatized with alcohol. Something always happens whenever it is present. I hadn’t forgotten about the sleepover at Himeko's place. I did not hide the apprehension on my face, letting Fu Hua see it.
“Are you afraid I spiked your drink?”
She raised her eyebrows and held the glass filled with ice and wine. In one gulp, she drank them all. Faint redness appeared on her skin as traces of other Daos emerged from her body. Their collision impacted her mind, producing an effect similar to drunkenness, only this time, it is beneficial to cultivation.
“Fu… No wonder she always left her underwear all over the place. It feels very hot.”
She used her hand to fan her face, though it ended up looking rather suggestive.
I admit defeat.
Talking to Fu Hua like this is much harder than I thought. It almost feels like I am talking to another person. If I didn’t confirm the woman in front of me is Fu Hua, I would have thought she was someone else.
Pushing aside Senti’s secrets being placed in the open air, I watched her pour another serving on the empty glass. I looked at the mouth of the glass, and then to Fu Hua. I keenly sensed the residual warmth on it.
“Why, is it disgusting to…”
“No, it’s not that.” I cut off her teasing words. “The Fu Hua I know practiced propriety, while you have not. Yet I could also see you are Fu Hua. There are no traces of future projections, so I am curious.”
Fu Hua’s eyes turned more serious as she met mine.
“Who are you?”
*****
Immortal cultivation is a path to the Grand Dao, to True Immortality. Its characteristics are far beyond the imagination of many. This ‘concept’ was not bound by laws, nor was it affected by any other world. The same went to its underlying concepts such as heart demons.
Immortal cultivations inherently defy their original destinies. They must conquer all the tribulations thrown at them, and that includes the blemish of themselves. They must constantly face their doubts. Heart demons are the manifestation of these doubts.
In a sense, they are a reflection of the cultivator. A part of them, per se. They rise during the cultivator’s most vulnerable times, tempting them to give up the immortal path. If they succeed, the original cultivator would dissipate. It is a true death in all aspects: physical, mental, spiritual, and conceptual.
In turn, the heart demon would take over. They would gain everything the original cultivator possessed. It was debatable whether the two are same, but the techniques read by Shi Tian told the answer:
They are not.
There are instances of heart demons’ successful takeover. They consolidated their original counterpart’s cultivation as their own. They were able to progress according to their counterpart’s cultivation aptitude and comprehension, too. It is precisely why Shi Tian took matters related to heart demons seriously.
He was the one who brought immortal cultivation to this world. His current capability was limited, but he would never allow harm to come to those close to him.
Fu Hua, as the co-developer of Blade Mantra, walked in parallel with Shi Tian. The two had a lot of discussions together, more so she was one of the four Vice Sect Masters. It could be said that Shi Tian knew her well enough…
But so did she.
“Let’s call it a dream, one detailing the future…”