‘What is she planning to do..?’
A heart demon’s inherent power was to cloud one’s mind. Fu Hua, who was already suffering from severe self-doubt, fell right from it. She was fortunate, however, to have encountered a ‘special’ heart demon. She did not double-down on her predicament, merely taking control of her physical body.
Fu Hua’s confusion soon turned into extreme embarrassment. Using her physical body, the heart demon took off her thick daoist robes and put on a bunny girl outfit!
As if it wasn’t enough, she turned her Bubble World, one that retained traces of her past as Shenzhou’s Immortal Jingwei, into a full-time bar. Within two moves, she turned Fu Hua’s sanctuary into a ‘decadent’ place!
When she thought it would end…
It did not.
Fu Hua’s anxious heart rattled the moment she saw Shi Tian appear inside the space.
‘Don’t tell me..!’
Thoughts flew rapidly inside her mind. For once, she was worried Shi Tian would be placed in danger. For another, she was worried she might do something “bad” to Shi Tian. With the atmosphere of the bar and the ‘scanty’ outfit she wore, it wasn’t hard to imagine where it would lead.
Fu Hua fell completely silent. The recent ‘rumors’ flashed inside her mind. Shi Tian’s partners, in which she was included, enjoyed the benefit of receiving ‘Tao Gifts’. It quickly pushed up their cultivation realms, allowing them to reach the Void Refinement Realm. Their gap to the other high-grade spirit roots was enormous. Welt Yang and Chen Tianwu were still at the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul Realm. That was two major realms!
Its sole ‘repercussion’, if it was even considered one, was the rumors regarding it. Out of his twenty-one partners, six had already become Shi Tian’s wives. There was still a trend of it increasing, which led to everyone believing that every single one of his partners would become his ‘wife’.
Fu Hua did not think much in this regard. She admired Shi Tian greatly. His character is at the very top of the people she knew throughout her entire life. The fact he would not hesitate to save his beloved… It was admirable too. So much so that Senti began showing signs of ‘interest’ towards him.
She was basically Fu Hua, but with a bolder personality. They share the same thoughts, the same interests, and the same heart. Because of these, Fu Hua’s attitude towards Shi Tian became more… complex.
She still maintained the rigid distance as before, chatting as associates of the Wushi Dao Sect, but that ‘thought’ could not be removed from her heart.
Unfortunately, Fu Hua did not have the time to settle it. She was struck by the Sea of Suffering, digging out her deepest and most painful memories. The feeling of ‘helplessness’ coming from that Sea of Suffering resonated with her greatly. It was as if she was back in day one—back to the time she wasn’t able to accomplish anything. Back to the time Fu Hua listened to orders and nothing else.
Her decision to ‘remain’ in the ‘past’ was her closure, but now that these were dug up, that decision came to bite her back. That was how the heart demon came to be.
Seeing another version of herself being so bold—pouring out every single emotion from her heart—Fu Hua was at a loss.
She could not do it.
The way she expressed her concerns to Shi Tian, all the while pouring him wine while he expressed his opinion towards Fu Hua, made her feel… envious.
Fu Hua watched the two banter like old friends—like old lovers, even.
‘Was that really me?’
She heard of the heart demon’s origin. She was born from her future projection, and so to speak, she is definitely Fu Hua. It was a far cry from her current miserable state of not knowing what she even wants. Her decision to go with the flow and to remain as a follower was a subtle manifestation of her severe self-doubt.
Then, it came. “Fu Hua” went around the bar and sat on Shi Tian’s lap. She intimately lay her back on his chest, looking up to his face. He, in turn, hesitantly wrapped his hands around her waist.
Fu Hua wasn’t dumb, nor was she immature. She saw through Shi Tian’s hesitation. He wanted to help her, which was why he entertained “Fu Hua’s” clinginess. He believed it would contribute to her cause.
‘Time and time… again.’
It all started on that dull day. Fu Hua could not integrate with her classmates due to her economic status. Things such as buying cute plush and visiting cafes were the least of her thoughts. All she wanted was to help her father share the dojo’s burden. He, on the other hand, wanted her to focus on her studies.
It all ended when someone reached her hand out to her. That cheerful smile and vibrant attitude made it difficult for Fu Hua to decline.
That was the first instance of someone helping her.
‘The others… are always…’
HIMEKO came next. Fu Hua was devastated by the honkai. It took both her best friend, Carole, and her father away. She was left hiding in a dumpster, in hopes that those zombies and merciless beasts would ignore her. She came in a flash, decapitating those scary monsters. Fu Hua became a part of her team, learning countless valuable lessons.
That was the second instance of someone helping her.
Fuxi and Nuwa… they were the last. They woke up from the cryo chambers built by Vill-V from the Fifth Herrscher’s Core. It was the two researchers that helped Fu Hua accomplish Project Ember. They guided Fu Hua in imparting Previous Era knowledge to the Current Era. Inevitably, they became her friends.
The woes of mortals could not be escaped. Time outran the two of them. Their lifespans ended, and so did a part of Fu Hua’s heart. From then on, she lived a stagnant, unforgiving life. She doubted herself—her decisions—and stopped trusting everything she did altogether. Fu Hua reverted to her role as a follower.
Even when she gained the power to become an immortal cultivator, it has never disappeared. Her ‘superior’ merely changed from Otto to Shi Tian. It was a matter of leniency and kindness, something absent from Otto Apocalypse.
It wasn’t until now, with Shi Tian’s small gestures, that Fu Hua saw that pattern again. She saw that hand who wanted to help her—that person full of trust on her.
‘All the ones who trusted me… were harmed in the end.’
Fu Hua’s trauma emerged in full. She remembered everything that happened to those that lent her a hand—to those who got her back. Just as she lost all the strength to take that hand, Shi Tian’s words broke the silence.
“Take my hand.”
As if he could see her in this distant place, he urged:
“I won’t take a no for an answer. Our sect was built to fight on collective fronts.” He paused, pursing his lips, as his gaze became determined. “I won’t let you fight alone.”
To Fu Hua, that was enough. Her pathetic display faltered, and her shoulders shook. These were only three words, yet they felt as strong as the sword that cleaved the cosmos. Shi Tian’s kindness was warm. He genuinely wanted to pull the real Fu Hua out, to remove the solitude etched within the depths of her soul!
Crack-!
Shatter-!
She felt something shattering inside her, but she could no longer notice. Darkness shattered, the void trembled, and her body became unprecedentedly light. She was no longer inside that dark space, her eyes blinded by the bright red lighting of the bar.
Seeing her startled gaze, Shi Tian smiled out of relief.
“Welcome back, Class Rep.”
*****
A/N: Rubia has been my most favorite Hi3 song, followed by Regression. I couldn't explain in words the impact Shattered Samsara left me, which is why I had to write this character arc. Fu Hua did not experience it due to Tian's intervention, so it's been this late. But better late than never, right?