Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

That absurd guide to choosing a son-in-law could be perfectly matched by someone, and even far exceed the requirements, which was completely unexpected.

Even though Fu Xiuran himself had no expectations, Su Qing'an appeared as promised.

It was as if... these two were destined to meet, an unbelievable coincidence.

Fu Xiuran sighed softly:

"You should show Xiaohua the martial spirit that's used in proposing marriage."

"I will," the boy said instinctively and matter-of-factly.

He quickly realized what the other person had said to him.

Wait a minute, what does this have to do with a marriage proposal?

Oops.

Because this was the first time he had used his martial intent after his soul essence had been sublimated, was it because other things in his heart were also inadvertently perceived when he said those words?

Su Qing'an's intention was simply to reassure Fu Xiuran that she would not harm Fu Hua, thus putting his mind at ease.

But now it has turned out strangely, leaving him completely at a loss as to how to continue the conversation, while also feeling ashamed that his secret has been exposed.

Fortunately, due to his unchanging expression, Fu Xiuran did not notice the boy's wavering.

The man continued:

"I believe you won't hurt Xiaohua."

Su Qing'an said in a serious tone:

"Thank you for your trust."

Actually, Su Qing'an didn't need to do this; his observations over the past few days alone were enough to uncover many problems.

But it was precisely because of Su Qing'an's decision that Fu Xiuran realized that his son-in-law selection guide had been completely overrun.

Coupled with the crisis information brought by the boy and the identity of his benefactor, his gaze and expression towards Su Qing'an gradually became more gentle.

Upon hearing this, Fu Xiuran waved his hand and said:

"Right now, we are the ones receiving your kindness, so it is I who should be saying thank you."

Su Qing'an said softly:

"That's all I can do, and besides, I also have many troubles to deal with."

"Please don't thank me anymore. Please spend more time with Hua during this period."

"If possible, try to talk to her as much as possible. She will definitely listen to you patiently and be happy about it."

Because... this might be the last time you spend with her.

Every minute and every second now is like an inextinguishable firefly in the girl's palm in that bleak future.

These precious things will warm her for a very long time after she has overcome her grief.

Su Qing'an couldn't save Fu Xiuran.

This feeling of helplessness made it difficult for him to truly feel gratitude towards the man.

Perhaps he always felt he could have done better and had no regrets.

But after experiencing so much, there are still too many things that Su Qing'an cannot do.

The boy will not feel guilty about it, but he will feel sad about it.

The man was silent for a while, and perhaps he was like that most of the time.

Silent martial arts practice, silent interactions, silent life.

After going through a life-or-death situation, it's only natural to make some changes.

Fu Xiuran has already done enough.

From a father's perspective, he tried to guide Fu Hua to follow certain principles and rules of conduct, taught her martial arts for self-defense, and provided her with a life free from worries about food and clothing. Now, he is letting go and intends to let the girl find her own future.

He is a good father, but a family cannot consist of only one father.

Fu Xiuran now carries more than just this identity.

Fortunately, this habitual silence did not become a rift between father and daughter, but it did make love too unspoken.

Silence is not a mistake, but perhaps speaking out would be better.

Just like a man who never knew whether his daughter liked practicing martial arts.

He simply granted her this future without ever asking for her own wishes.

Fu Hua, who shares a similar personality with him, would not express her inner confusion.

Even if there is a tacit understanding in life, without habitual communication, there will ultimately be less warmth.

In a daze, his mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

A scene suddenly resurfaced in my mind from old memories.

The beautiful woman looked at the sleeping little girl on the sofa, a serene and gentle smile appearing on her face. She gently picked up the little girl and the curve of her lips became even more tender.

The girl groggily snuggled against the softness of the other person's arms, her little hand still tightly clutching a toy chick, while her other tender hand rubbed her eyes, as if wandering back and forth between sleep and wakefulness.

The young man carrying the dishes out of the kitchen looked at them and couldn't help but smile.

Just like a still photograph, Fu Xiuran recalled this scene and showed the same smile as back then.

He looked closely at Su Qing'an and said softly:

"I understand, I will."

There are already people who will take every detail seriously for your joys and sorrows, Xiaohua.

Perhaps... our daughter has grown up by now.

...

...

As Su Qing'an stepped out of the hospital, he suddenly realized something very important.

Fu Xiuran's discharge from the hospital is undoubtedly a good thing.

But he was going home after being discharged from the hospital.

And as soon as he gets home, he will know that something is obviously wrong.

...That means Su Qing'an also lives at his house.

In a sense, it is an undeniable fact that Su Qing'an is living with Fu Hua.

Although it's a purely platonic relationship where they don't even sleep in the same bed, and they don't even hold hands...

No, no, no, they haven't reached that stage yet.

But this seems... hard to explain clearly.

Thus, the usually composed young man, unusually, became like a fool, slow to realize the truth.

Su Qing'an walked silently on his way home. When he saw a park bench nearby, he paused for a moment and fell into deep thought.

How about we stay here tonight?

...

...

Today is a very special day for Fu Hua.

First of all.

My father has been discharged from the hospital and seems to be in good health. Contrary to what the doctor initially said, his condition is not as bad as expected, to the point that he will never be able to practice martial arts again.

Having entered the state of Sword Heart Still Water, she could clearly sense that Fu Xiuran's physical condition was already very good.

Although it's not as good as before, at least the future is promising.

In fact, if Su Qing'an hadn't used the [Stigmata] to absorb the Honkai energy immediately, Fu Hua might have realized that the original situation was far more cruel than she had anticipated.

This is also why Su Qing'an used the [Holy Mark] without hesitation when he realized the Honkai energy in the other party's body.

It should be noted that the current [Stigmata] is in an incomplete state of being half-manifested and half-dormant, and is already struggling to protect itself from the erosion caused by the passive absorption of Honkai energy within its body.

Actively using the [Holy Mark] is a burden for Su Qing'an, and could even jeopardize his lifespan.

He made this decision without hesitation, simply because he didn't want to upset Fu Hua.

The girl may never know these things, but the boy doesn't need to let her know either.

The thought of that girl who would one day show a sorrowful yet incredibly resilient expression made Su Qing'an even more eager to ensure that the original version of her could experience less hardship.

This is also a form of selfishness and self-gratification.

Because darkness is inevitable in the future, such indulgence and pampering may turn into a more painful poison later on.

Therefore, in order to prevent the girl from lacking the resilience to withstand that cruelty, Su Qing'an had already planned to temper her a little.

But that's a matter for the future.

Compared to these things, perhaps the current situation is what Su Qing'an and Fu Hua should face together.

The little girl secretly glanced at the boy next to her, only to see him calmly and composedly picking up food and eating.

During that time, I also went to the refrigerator and took a can of Coke.

As an aside, based on the girl's careful observation of Su Qing'an over this period of time, she discovered that Master Su doesn't seem to have any particular favorite things. The only thing he slightly prefers is this kind of unhealthy soda.

They are unusually childlike in this kind of place.

Then, on the day she discovered this, Fu Hua secretly put half a case of Coke in the refrigerator, so that when Fu Xiuran came back, he found all his oolong tea neatly arranged in the corner next to the sofa, having lost its wonderful chilled taste.

Clearly, this is a necessary sacrifice to ensure that the refrigerator has enough capacity to hold all the Coke.

This led the man to question whether he had been too indifferent to his daughter lately, not even knowing when her favorite drink had changed to cola.

This is incredibly irresponsible of a father. It seems Su Qing'an was right; he needs to communicate more with his daughter.

While serving food to the little girl, Fu Xiuran asked her all sorts of questions that she wouldn't normally bring up, clearly taking Su Qing'an's words to heart.

The girl tried her best to respond seriously, but occasionally glanced absentmindedly at Su Qing'an beside her.