Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

"I'd probably… find it incredibly hard to accept." Shu suddenly gave a wry smile, not the forced, stiff kind, but a self-deprecating chuckle from the heart.

"I'd cry and rage, scream and shout, desperately trying to deny the reality, even if losing those people… happened right in front of my eyes, clear as day." Shu looked at his palm, slowly clenching it into a fist.

"But… I originally thought I'd break down. I thought I could only handle something like this happening in front of me once." Shu's fist tightened even harder.

Suddenly, his fist relaxed, revealing the crescent-shaped marks pressed into his palm by his fingernails.

Shu chuckled self-deprecatingly again. "But, I'm still sitting here normally. I'm not as fragile as I imagined. I…"

I'm not so cowardly that I'd run from this. Instead, I chose to change things… to create the… future I want.

"I'm still working hard… trying to get stronger, trying to help, trying to… live a better life." Shu had originally wanted to say "live," but changed it to the spur-of-the-moment "live a better life."

He didn't want to waste any more time and energy grieving over past failures. Shu just wanted to seize the future.

To forge a better path forward!

Shu's words carried no intention to advise or console. It was all self-talk, his own answer to Fu Hua's question.

Because Shu clearly understood that the problems he and Fu Hua faced were fundamentally different.

He could go back to the past, change the endings he didn't want. Even if the price was painful, he still had the capital to start over.

But Fu Hua was different.

She was just an ordinary person. Shu could finally say this without hesitation now.

Fu Hua was just an ordinary person now. She had no chance to take back her moves, no ability to overturn the board.

So, the losses that had happened around her could only accumulate in Fu Hua's heart.

There was ultimately no such thing as true empathy. For Fu Hua's problem, Shu had no answer.

The wind stopped, but the leaves kept falling.

Shu let out a long sigh, gently took out the katana, held it flat in both hands, and with the most respectful gesture he could manage, placed this katana, once a famous sword, in front of the trees.

"I'm sorry, I don't know which of you this sword originally belonged to. I also don't have the ability to bring back the other swords… I'm sorry."

Shu finished speaking these words to the trees in a low voice, then quietly stood up and walked away.

Now… he needed some quiet time too.

Flowers fall without sentiment, leaves fall without intention.

But the words spoken were heard by someone with a heart.

Fu Hua watched Shu return to Li Sushang and sit down, then lowered her gaze to the katana that Shu had used to seek comfort just moments ago. After a moment of silence, Fu Hua also picked up the katana in both hands, stood up slowly, and walked to the two pine trees.

Holding the katana in both hands, Fu Hua stood there for a long time.

If someone important leaves your life…

What kind of question… was I even asking?

Shu's words weren't an answer, Fu Hua had heard it clearly.

But precisely because it wasn't an answer directed at her, Fu Hua could clearly perceive every ounce of genuine emotion in Shu's words.

How could she forget Shu's furious outburst at the Honkai Beast in Nagazora City, after painstakingly leading them to safety from the Knight-class Beast?

Back then, he didn't have this power yet, and Mei's answer to Kiana was actually what Fu Hua, what everyone, was thinking inside.

Shu… he must have lost a lot.

His sorrow was clearly deeper than hers, so he wanted to offer advice and comfort to her as someone who had been through it?

He had good intentions, but she had rejected him…

Fu Hua pondered, then closed her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm not as fragile as I imagined… I'm still alive, I can get stronger, I can continue to help more people…

"I still have a reason not to fall apart…"

Fu Hua opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and a hint of resolve appeared in the depths of her eyes.

"Remember the past, move towards the future. Shu, is that the lesson you wanted to teach me? Thank you…"

Fu Hua looked up at the pine tree.

"Wanxi, may I borrow your sword for a moment."

With that, Fu Hua bowed slightly to the pine tree, turned around, and walked towards Shu and Li Sushang.

"Ah! Master Shifu!" Seeing Fu Hua return, Li Sushang quickly stood up from the doorstep, holding her sword at attention.

"Fu Hua?" Shu looked at Fu Hua, keenly sensing some subtle change in her.

It was a change Shu couldn't quite put his finger on.

But Shu felt that the Fu Hua before him was starting to subtly overlap with the "Fu Hua" from his ingrained image.

"Yes, thank you for your concern and answer just now. I'm alright now." Fu Hua forced a smile at Shu, a bit stiff.

Shu: "..."

"Good to hear." Shu sighed, then his gaze shifted to the katana in Fu Hua's hand, the one he'd just given her. "This… sword…"

"A sword shouldn't be an object for mourning. For self-cultivation, for defending against enemies, it shouldn't stand lonely before a tombstone." Fu Hua held the katana out to Shu, speaking with solemn sincerity.

"But…" Shu hesitated. For him, whether he had a weapon or not didn't make much difference to his abilities.

In fact, recklessly grabbing any weapon might even have negative effects on his combat.

But Fu Hua thought Shu was just being respectful of the original owner's wishes for the katana.

"No, since you found it, there's no reason not to use it. If one's weapon can be used to protect others, both the sword itself and its former owner would be happy."

Shu was silent for a moment, deciding to stop beating around the bush.

"But I don't know how to use a sword."

Fu Hua: "..."

"But I can learn." Shu suddenly smiled at Fu Hua, this time not a forced, awkward smile, but a warm, heartfelt one.

It was a smile for Fu Hua, for Li Sushang, and even for the trees behind Fu Hua, and the people they represented.

Fu Hua was taken aback for a moment, then also smiled knowingly, taking the katana back.

"Alright, if you're willing to learn, then I will teach you."

In a daze, Fu Hua seemed to see a distant past, a seven-year-old child with gray hair, wielding a wooden sword, decisively defeating two teenage girls.

The child stood proudly in front of the two teenage girls.

The two girls, who looked remarkably alike, were very respectful to the child.

"If you want to learn, then I will teach you." The child said calmly to the two girls.

"Disciple Jiang Wanxi/Jiang Wanru, greets Master."