Chapter 360: Chu Yuanying “I Will Tell You Everything About Me.”

Chu Wang Shu felt very embarrassed. She thought she was like a silly child who got a new toy and forgot about time, only wanting to play and neglecting her homework.

How annoying! When she was in school and reminding others to turn in their homework, she thought those people were not disciplined and quite foolish. Now, she had become just like them, letting everything important get delayed.

The more the girl thought about it, the more regretful she became.

If Dad came home at around five or six, he must have already finished eating. He might even be getting ready for bed. Her perfect plan to buy groceries and cook together would be completely ruined!

No, with Dad’s personality, he might work late until seven or eight. Maybe there was still time!

Thinking of this, Chu Wang Shu didn’t care to greet Dream Weaver Rabbit. In her magical girl form, she used her hidden magic and rushed to the nearest supermarket, skillfully starting to buy groceries.

In the past, to save money, she would only go to the familiar market to buy groceries. But being a magical girl fighting disaster beasts came with rewards. She could earn five thousand Daxia coins for independently defeating a Grade E Disaster Beast and twenty thousand for a Grade D one.

The super AI conducted an efficient review, and the money arrived within a few minutes.

In these three hours, she defeated more than ten Grade D Disaster Beasts. While she didn’t earn as much as her idol’s announcement fees, she could still enjoy the freedom to buy groceries.

The Pure White Witch hid behind a shelf full of colorful goods, her bright golden eyes curiously watching her adorable daughter.

The child was pushing a small cart, filling it with wagyu beef, caviar, salmon, bluefin tuna, cherries, and a bunch of fancy ingredients she had never even looked at before. This made her feel gloomy, sad, and very guilty.

Though people say daughters should be spoiled, as a father, she hadn’t provided Little Shu with good material conditions. She had never bought ingredients like these before, and it was even worse when it came to clothes, electronics, travel, and luxury items.

Chu Yuanqing felt a bit melancholic.

“I am really not a good dad at all.”

On the other side,

Chu Wang Shu was in a cheerful mood. Even though they had eaten most of the ingredients in the cart during their travels, her dad still hadn’t tasted any.

However, halfway through her purchase,

The little girl realized something more important. She murmured sadly to herself:

“These are all the things I wanted to buy for Dad, but what does he really like to eat?”

Chu Wang Shu remembered the past and felt guilty. Aside from noticing that Dad rarely used his chopsticks while eating, it seemed he had no favorite foods at all, and she felt disappointed as she thought to herself:

“I am not a good daughter at all.”

So, the cheerful shopping trip of the lovely daughter turned into a gloomy experience, as a little cloud, as if taken from the green-eyed cat, seemed to rain down sadness on her head.

Chu Yuanqing noticed the change in her daughter and blinked in confusion, quickly attributing it to the weather changes of puberty. She thought to herself:

“I don’t know how long Little Shu will shop, but she will surely want to go home soon. Should I go back and wait for her?”

The Pure White Witch hesitated for a moment but decided to give up on that idea.

Since it had already been planned, there was no need to actively “destroy” the clues. Before that, let’s go buy some men’s clothing that fits the old size.

With this thought in mind, Chu Yuanqing turned and walked towards the clothing store in the mall.

After browsing for a few minutes, Chu Wang Shu hurriedly pushed her cart to the checkout, with three or four big bags filled with so much that the cashier worried if she could carry it all.

Soon after, both she and the other customers were shocked to see this slender, pretty girl easily lift several bags that were almost as big as her and gracefully leave the supermarket.

When Chu Wang Shu reached a place with no one around, she left one bag behind, packed the rest into the space bag that Little Sakura gave her, then reconstructed her Magic Armor, cast a concealment spell, and quietly flew back home.

This was an old neighborhood located on the outer ring, with a wall covered in patches where green vines climbed. Next to the building where she and her dad lived stood a large banyan tree, older than the neighborhood itself, with lush branches and leaves.

As she got closer, she could see the wall next to the entrance, which had a row of mailboxes painted green. The paint was cracked and wrinkled, with rust stains showing signs of age, stuffed with advertisements covered in dust and empty drink bottles.

There was no elevator in the building; the cement steps were very clean but looked dull, and the adjacent walls showed their age, with most of the paint peeling off.

Chu Wang Shu carried the bags, walked lightly, and climbed the steps. They lived on the third floor, which had decent lighting. The sixty-square-meter house was not too big or too small for two people, but the soundproofing was poor, making the summer cicadas especially noisy.

Because the location was a bit remote and the transportation was not very convenient, Dad had to commute for three hours every day. Because of this, he decided to send her to a private school with good boarding conditions.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway seemed especially clear.

As the little girl stepped onto the second floor, a door opened, and an old lady came out. She looked this way and, upon seeing Chu Wang Shu, a warm smile spread across her wrinkled face as she said with surprise,

“Is that you, Little Shu?”

Chu Wang Shu took off her mask, revealing her lovely smile, and said,

“Grandma Zhang, good evening! Did you just come back from dancing?”

The old lady complained about how “her dancing partner who could do ballroom dancing went back home,” while she leaned closer, wanting to help the little girl carry her things. After being refused, she didn’t get upset but showed a bit of loneliness and sighed,

“You and your dad haven’t been back for a long time. I thought after your show, you and your dad had moved away.”

Grandma Zhang also knew about the “Dazzling Stage” and the magical girl, but she found it hard to understand these things. She only knew about Chu Wang Shu’s show because the neighborhood chat was buzzing about it, and her family often brought it up in conversations.

Even though the old lady tried hard to understand, she could only sum it up in a way like, “The child I’ve watched grow up has become successful.”

There’s no way around it; for some older people, not to mention an abstract term like magical girl, even superpowers were hard to grasp. Only a qigong master might understand it.

Chu Wang Shu hurriedly asked back,

“Hasn’t my dad been home for a long time?”

Grandma Zhang mumbled in bits and pieces,

“Yes, I haven’t seen him for several months. At first, I thought he was away on a business trip, but last month the property management came by and said he hadn’t paid the fees for months. They searched for several days, but nobody was around.”

“Later, the landlord covered the fees, but there’s still been no news. Until today, I haven’t seen your dad, so I thought you all must have moved away.”

Chu Wang Shu listened with a heavy heart. She wasn’t worried about her dad being missing since they were in touch on WeChat just yesterday, but thinking about his grand, epic past made her doubt if he was involved in something dangerous.

The girl forced herself to calm down, chatted with the old lady for a while, then said goodbye and walked to her front door. She took out the long-unused key, inserted it into the lock of the security door, and stepped into the small house that held years of memories.

The father and daughter had very few shoes, and the entrance was clean and tidy without clutter. Next to it was a narrow living room with a few pots of green plants in the corner, meant to freshen the air and reduce formaldehyde.

Now, the wilted branches drooped down, and the yellowed leaves fell to the ground, like withered butterflies, with roots tangled in the cracked soil, as if they hadn’t been watered in a long time.

On the dining table, there was only a thin layer of dust and a flyer for the “Dazzling Stage” audition, which suddenly made her think of the ice jelly she had not eaten that day out of spite.

An old fan hung on the wall nearby, facing the dining table. The pull cord to adjust its speed was still, very quiet.

The girl remembered the sound it made when it turned—the noisy cicadas from the banyan tree, the crunch of an ice pop after unwrapping it, the fizz of soda crashing against ice cubes in a glass, and the breeze she shared with her dad in the summer.

As her memories spun around, the dim room that seemed to hold only starlight felt covered in bright and warm sunlight, only to solidify and vanish in an instant, turning into a gem piled up in her memory.

“Dad, I miss you a little.”

Chu Wang Shu looked downcast and wistful; she thought she would be happy when she got home, but stepping into this little house, the rushing memories filled her heart, making this lonely home that had not been cared for in a long time feel especially empty.

The little girl silently turned on the light. She took out the things she had bought from the supermarket and arranged them on the kitchen and dining table. She glanced at the empty refrigerator, putting all the fresh food inside, and then looked at the clean pots and bowls.

Before Dad left, he took care of everything very well. He cleaned the sink and the kitchen trash, put new plastic bags in all the garbage cans, and even turned off the power and water, as if he knew he would be gone for a long time.

But how long is “long”?

The more detailed and meticulous these things were, the more uneasy people felt.

Walking into Dad’s bedroom, the closet still had plenty of clothes, and the suitcase he used for business trips was neatly placed in the corner. It felt like he had taken nothing with him, yet somehow he had taken everything.

Chu Wang Shu walked back to the living room, heartbroken. She looked at the beautiful foods she had bought, piled on the table, and lost interest in cooking and tasting them.

If the people we wanted to share joy and happiness with were not here, then these things held no meaning at all.

The little girl sat on the sofa, opening WeChat to look at the message box with Chu Yuanying. She stared blankly; in her short life, she had never been apart from Dad for so long—long enough to feel like she was about to lose him.

The girl quietly closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes felt like feathers. With the excitement and anticipation fading away, the fatigue from using the power of “Son of Mankind” couldn’t be dispelled, bringing a heavy drowsiness that spread through her limbs, wrapping her consciousness into a dream.

Deep in her soul, the sunflower symbolizing Patronus Magic twisted like DNA, reflecting a grand and mysterious fortress from a microscopic view. Twelve mysterious sequences, like embryos being nurtured, extended thin threads as her consciousness drifted into sleep, gradually soaking into her heart.

The past surged forth, and year after year, it made her relive those brief yet joyful 17 years.

In the end, Chu Wang Shu returned to her infant days, blinking her innocent eyes, tilting her head in confusion, and reaching out with her soft little hand to touch the boy’s sad and cold face.

But as soon as she made contact, the boy before her crumbled like a collapsing clay statue, vanishing like smoke in the harsh wind, replaced by a dim red sky, a land of ruins, and a silent figure standing there, never to speak to her again.

The man’s deep-set eyes were hollow; the gaze that once burned brightly in the world had gone out. His hair and eyebrows were dusted with salt, turned pure white, like the heart of a sunken star, pierced by the demon sword named Levatin. The dying embers formed thirteen chains, blending into bone, steaming blood, burning away fate, and turning everything to ashes.

There were no enemies left on this land; they had all been buried by him.

Chu Wang Shu should not have understood, but suddenly she grasped so much, as if she genuinely experienced that future, making the sadness feel incredibly heavy, her regret burning like fierce fire in her heart.

If…

If I tried just a bit harder, if I gave just a bit more, could I become strong enough to change this outcome?

In the Flower of the Soul, a mysterious spiral sequence intertwined, taking the form of strength, as the increasingly powerful subconscious began to accept it. Within the foundation of the “Son of Mankind” spell, belonging to the “Final Blessing,” it shone brightly, blending colors of emptiness, forming a protective barrier.

And the final decision came from that warm and rough hand that had crossed many memories and was now gently stroking her head.

Chu Yuanying’s voice cut through the fog, bringing her mind back to reality:

“Little Shu, don’t sleep on the sofa; you’ll catch a cold.”

Chu Wang Shu sleepily opened her eyes to see her dad crouched down, stroking her head, his warm gaze and mature, weathered face showing a hint of worry.

The little girl’s sleepy spirit was instantly flooded with joy. She happily hugged Chu Yuanying, rubbing her cheek against his rough chin, inhaling the familiar and slightly fragrant scent, and said with delight:

“Daddy, are you home from work?”

Chu Yuanying held his little girl close, and a softness spread across his previously stern face. Even after many years, she was still a little child in his eyes, needing protection.

But he was running out of ways to protect her.

So he had to face the reality that she had grown up.

“Well, I finished work. I will have a week off. Does Little Shu have any place she wants to go?”

Chu Wang Shu was like a child trapped in a candy house. She didn’t notice the details of her dad accepting her time off. Her pretty face was full of surprise and joy. Not smelling the scent on his shirt anymore, she immediately stood up, looked into his eyes, and asked with great excitement:

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Can we go anywhere?”

“Yes, as long as you want.”

The little girl confirmed again:

“Will it really not delay Dad’s work?”

“No, even if it does, Dad’s work will never be more important than you.”

“Yay!”

Chu Wang Shu was very surprised. She had already succeeded before even carrying out her plan to ask her dad to stay home from work.

The little girl suddenly remembered something. She slipped on her slippers and ran to the kitchen, pointing at bag after bag of ingredients. She looked back at Chu Yuanying and asked,

“Dad, have you eaten? Shall we cook together?”

Chu Yuanying did not refuse. He found a cat-themed apron in the kitchen, tied it on his daughter, then put one on himself, and started looking through the bags, saying,

“What does Little Shu want to eat? There are some ingredients I haven’t prepared before, so I need to check online how to make them tasty.”

Chu Wang Shu was full of confidence. She took out a collection of cooking videos from her favorite site, pulled her dad to sit at the dining table, and together they flipped through them briefly. Then they busied themselves in the kitchen, making the quiet home feel lively.

Since there were only two of them, the cooking didn’t take too long. While chatting, they worked until almost 9 o’clock, and then they brought the food to the table, sitting down together to eat for the first time in a while.

They ate slowly, until the leftover food was cold.

The girl reluctantly put down her chopsticks. She was not lost in the delicious food, but in the warmth of eating with her dad. She looked at him and smiled, saying,

“Dad, your cooking is really good, even though it’s a little different from before.”

Chu Wang Shu said this while quietly watching her father’s eyes. She wanted to ask him about certain things but held back. The joy in her heart changed to a kind of unease and fear with the weight of reality.

Dad had said that next time they met, he would tell her more about her mom.

Chu Wang Shu certainly wanted to know and felt prepared, but when she saw the tiredness in her father’s eyes, she couldn’t help but worry that talking about it might hurt him.

So while chatting in the kitchen, she mostly talked about her own things or shared memories from the past, without touching on recent matters.

Chu Yuanying looked at his daughter’s face and softly said,

“Little Shu, feel free to ask me anything. I will tell you everything.”

Chu Wang Shu didn’t know how to face this moment. She had waited a long time for it, and while she had hoped for joy, when her dad said he would share everything, what filled her heart was an unreasonable sadness.

But even so, she still wanted to know the answer.

If you cannot face reality, how can you find the solution?

The girl gathered her courage and asked seriously:

“Daddy, where have you been these past few months?”

Chu Yuanying was silent for a moment and replied:

“In ‘Dazzling Stage,’ just like you, I have always been here, by your side.”

Chu Wang Shu’s mind was a bit confused, but she quickly understood the logic.

So that’s it, Daddy joined the Countermeasures Bureau because of her participation in ‘Dazzling Stage’ and has been quietly protecting her?

The lovely daughter felt a little touched and asked:

“Did Dad go to Ideal State too?”

Chu Yuanying sighed at the thought of the “dark history” there and answered honestly:

“Yes.”

Chu Wang Shu gradually felt something was off. Dad had stayed in Ideal State for six months. Why hadn’t he come to see her even once? But at that moment, her curiosity about her parents’ true past was stronger than these little details. With mixed feelings, she asked about this biggest secret.

Chu Yuanying was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully, and then he began to speak:

“Little Shu, have you ever imagined what the world would be like if there were no high walls in the sky and if the [Calamity God] had not been suppressed?”

Chu Wang Shu couldn’t imagine it at that moment. She only knew about the Countermeasures Bureau, magical girls, the EtherTech developed with Light Stones, and the Ether Satellite [Fuxi] floating in space…

All of this was built upon the shelter of [Pure White]. Over the 17 years, humanity had accumulated a foundation little by little. The original technology could never have fought against the Disaster group.

In fact, without the protection of the Golden Sea, this world would have shattered helplessly at the arrival of the thirteen [Calamity Gods], causing great suffering.

Humans might suffer many deaths and injuries, and the survival of civilization would be very uncertain. The existing technology and basic infrastructure would continue to collapse in the face of great natural disasters.

In short, it would be a truly hopeless and terrifying world with no way to turn back, where the Disaster group could swallow everyone at any moment. Living beings would be like ants in a dark world like hell.

Chu Wang Shu could not imagine living in such a world. That is why she understood better why Sister Ellie would believe in the Pure White faith. To all living beings under the sky, Pure White was like a miracle and a great creation of the Father in Heaven.

And the father who created this high wall was even more deserving of respect.

But in the next moment, the other person revealed a truth that made her brain freeze and her blood run cold:

“Little Shu, your mom and I lived in such a world.”

“There is no Golden Sea, no Pure White. The thirteen [Calamity Gods] have descended in the form of embryos, taking root all over the world, dividing the land with restricted areas, causing tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and gravity collapses…”

“And more disasters would wipe out ninety percent of the population, break the backbone of civilization, and push human technology back infinitely. No one knows what happened, and no one understands what a [Calamity God] is or what Disaster means.”

“Humans only know that the end is here, with disaster beasts, disaster auras infecting, food and water shortages, and most homes turning into dangerous buildings.”

“Survival became the first priority until the power called blessing spread across the land. People who held the spark gradually built a new home. Only then could everyone look back at the past and create a new history on the ruins, referring to that global disaster as the Great Cataclysm.”

“Your mother and I were both born in the year of the Great Cataclysm.”

As Chu Yuanying spoke, he used magic to show images from his memories, letting his daughter see the City of the Sky from the old days, the dark tide made of soul remnants, the towering heaps of disaster beasts, and the explosion where Levatin destroyed the [Calamity God]…

And much more, even the pain and memories he almost forgot, were excavated one by one.

This past savior, like an old hero, shared stories of past glory with his children. He spoke of tales buried by time and hidden by his own hands, calm and weary, unlike the forever burning youth in the images.

After a long time, the old storybook was turned to the last page.

Chu Yuanying looked at his grown daughter and whispered softly:

“Little Shu, you are the last child born on this planet and were once my reason to live in the new era.”

“Now, the future is yours to explore.”