Chapter 394: Chapter 219: The Heroine’s Name Is He Shutong
"And later... I pretended to be a Dao companion with your traveling Master, staying in Chuyun City to experience the mundane world... until today."
He Shutong spoke softly, her beautiful eyes occasionally glancing at You Su, as if trying to discern the changes in his heart from his expression.
After recounting this ragged journey, He Shutong truly worried that her image in the youth’s heart would take a massive hit.
"So that’s why Master was so indifferent before... was it because of practicing the Ice Heart Skill?"
You Su furrowed his sword-like brows, but it wasn’t out of disdain or confusion; it was full of empathy.
So he really did think I was cold...
"Indeed. But... now the Ice Heart Skill has been resolved, and I am no different from ordinary people."
He Shutong hesitated for a moment but chose to explain.
"How was it resolved?" You Su asked with concern.
He Shutong lowered her gaze slightly, naturally unable to directly tell You Su that he was the reason, so she concealed, saying:
"Successful experience in the mundane world naturally resolved it."
Upon hearing this, You Su nodded and didn’t ask further, instead murmuring to himself:
"That’s good... so Master wasn’t intentionally that indifferent... I thought..."
His voice was very soft, but how could it escape the ears of the Venerable of the Void Realm?
He Shutong’s eyes fluttered, feeling a soft corner of her heart being touched.
This young man not only did not blame her but rather felt relieved that it wasn’t because of his inability to earn Master’s affection, but due to the passive nature of her cultivation technique.
"After hearing all this... you have nothing to say?"
He Shutong’s eyes flickered as she tentatively asked.
This life experience was too painful, and she had kept it hidden within her heart, never revealing it to anyone before. You Su was the first person she had voluntarily shared it with.
Therefore, she wanted to know how the young man perceived her.
You Su pondered for a long time.
In this cold December, the Red Immortal Flower radiated warmth, warming the originally cold pool water.
The pool water embraced You Su entirely, and the thick Profound Qi seeped into his body through his pores, while He Shutong waited at the other end of the pool for the youth’s answer.
You Su vaguely felt an illusion, as if this warm pool water was an extension of Master’s embrace, and she was holding him.
The colder she had been, the gentler she was now.
"Master is a pitiable person."
You Su gave his evaluation, and as soon as he said it, he hurriedly explained:
"I don’t mean anything else, just speaking thoughtlessly, Master, don’t take it to heart."
In this world, who would dare to call a Venerable of the Void Realm pitiable? If it were anyone else, they’d likely be punished for great disrespect.
He Shutong was slightly taken aback, feeling that the word was unexpectedly apt for her, and a sense of bitterness rose within her.
"Just casual chat, no need to be formal. Why do you think so?"
"If you could start over, Master, would you insist on your chosen Sword Dao, or choose to listen to your mother and study the literature you dislike?" You Su countered.
In fact, He Shutong had pondered this question many times, and every time she regretted it. If she hadn’t stubbornly chosen what she liked, perhaps everything would have been different.
But that seemingly firm answer wavered under You Su’s question.
"I... I don’t know either."
He Shutong could vaguely sense that if she expressed regret, You Su might look down on her even more...
"Is Master very self-reproachful?" You Su continued to ask.
But the tone of this question didn’t seem like a junior questioning a respected elder, but like a doctor consulting a timid patient.
"Hmm..."
"Master indeed should be self-reproachful," You Su suddenly said.
He Shutong’s expression paused, her red lips moved slightly, showing a look of surprise.
She thought You Su would say something to comfort her, but unexpected that the young man also thought she was unforgivable?
Thinking of this, she felt light-hearted, like she had lost her soul.
"Master’s theft of the Ice Heart Forbidden Skill led to a gradual loss of emotions, resulting in leaving home for decades and even missing her mother’s funeral. Confronting the Master, who had taken her in, she heartlessly shattered their hope of passing on their lineage. Not only that, but she also ended the life of the Venerable Yo Jing, who sacrificed himself to save her. Even towards her only disciple, she failed to fulfill a master’s responsibility. All of this can be said to be Master’s own doing due to learning that Ice Heart Skill."
He Shutong was stunned, leaning weakly against the smooth white stone by the pool.
The entire bitterness in her heart was triggered by You Su, and this peak-standing Female Immortal recalled the impulse to cry from two hundred years ago.
"But Master has faults, though not entirely Master’s faults," You Su turned to say.
He Shutong looked up as if grabbing the last straw of hope, looking at the young man with full expectations.
"The grasping ceremony is just a custom after all, and who can guarantee that what is grabbed is truly suitable for her? Expecting something a one-year-old child casually grabs to follow her lifelong path is too arbitrary."
"Although Master didn’t mention your name, it should be from a noble family. Master was born with her parents’ expectations, and I suppose Master worked hard to match those expectations, so much so that she went to learn the Ice Heart Skill, which progresses fast but has severe side effects, just for her mother to speak with more pride about her."
He Shutong gradually sat up again. In her previous account, she omitted many details but didn’t expect You Su’s speculation to be so accurate. It seemed as though this vast world, he was the only one who understood her.
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