txolops Chapter 54 Hong Fu
Chapter 54 Hong Fu
The little girl sneaked into the depths of the cave, her steps as light as a kitten stealing cream. She peeked out half her head and furtively peered into the hall.
The hall was completely empty, except for a stone platform and a few stone benches; there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Nobody's here..." Han Baibai pouted, her eyes darting around before her gaze fell on the stone chamber doors on either side.
She stretched out her chubby little hand, pointed and gestured with great seriousness, and finally, relying on her intuition, crouched down and reached for the stone chamber on the left.
Pushing open the stone door, you'll find rows of shelves filled with various bottles and jars, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
Han Baibai had no interest in these "adult things" and continued walking inside on tiptoe.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
On the wall of the inner room hung a leather whip that was entirely black.
The whip was made of the hide of some kind of demonic beast, and it faintly emitted a dark red glow. It looked much more imposing than the "soft whip" that her father had made for her.
"Wow, what a cool whip!"
The little girl instantly perked up, like a puppy spotting a bone, and darted over in a flash. Standing under the shelf, she tiptoed, her little hands reaching desperately upwards, her fingertips still a long way from the whip handle.
"Hmph, watch me!"
Han Baibai refused to admit defeat. She puffed out her cheeks and mobilized the meager spiritual power within her body to use the object manipulation technique she had just learned.
"rise!"
She silently recited the command in her mind, but the whip remained motionless, as if it were welded to the wall.
The little girl refused to believe it, took a deep breath, her face flushed, and exerted her strength again. But the magical artifact seemed to mock her overestimation of her abilities, remaining as steady as a mountain.
"It must be because I'm too small, not because I'm not good enough!" Han Baibai found a perfect excuse for himself, then rolled his eyes and dragged a heavy stone bench from the corner.
She scrambled onto the stone bench, stood shakily, gripped the whip handle tightly with both little hands, and pulled with all her might.
"Get down here!"
With a snap, she actually managed to pull the whip off!
However, the instant the whip detached from its hook, an invisible wave instantly spread out.
In the secluded meditation room in the distance, Hong Fu's originally calm mind suddenly jumped.
The alarm of the protective cave formation went off in her mind. Immediately afterward, a divine sense swiftly reached out and locked onto the small figure that was "committing the crime".
"This is……"
Hong Fu stared at the exquisitely beautiful little dumpling in her consciousness, her pupils contracting slightly. Those eyebrows, those expressions—they were exactly like Xuan'er's when she was little!
Filled with doubt and unease, she disregarded her ongoing cultivation and hurried over.
At this moment, Han Baibai had no idea that she was about to face a major disaster. Clutching her prize, she lovingly stroked the whip; its soft yet resilient texture was far superior to her own!
"Hehe, this is so much fun!"
The little girl got excited and started waving her arms while standing on the stone bench.
"Behold my 'White Snake Spits Venom'! Ha! Hey!"
She waved the leather whip in her hand haphazardly.
This whip may look soft, but it is actually incredibly tough. Combined with the spiritual power she haphazardly injected, its power is surprisingly considerable.
Crackling sounds!
With a sharp crack, the bottles and jars on the shelf met their demise. The once neatly arranged medicine bottles were swept away by her whip, shattering into pieces on the ground, scattering colorful powders everywhere, and filling the air with a strange odor.
Han Baibai stopped moving after making a mess of half the stone chamber, panting as she looked at the fragments scattered all over the floor.
"We're doomed..."
The little girl shrank her neck, looked at the mess on the ground, and swallowed nervously.
"If you don't get caught, you haven't done anything wrong. Run!"
She consoled herself with a word, tucked the whip into her bosom, jumped off the stone bench, and took short strides to slip away.
Just as she stepped one foot across the threshold, a clear, cold voice seemed to come from the heavens, carrying an undeniable authority:
"Whose child are you? How did you end up here?"
Han Baibai froze in fright, feeling that the voice was terrifyingly familiar, as if she had been "judged" in the same way before.
Before she could react, a cool hand grabbed the back of her collar and lifted her up.
Immediately afterwards, the familiar pain in my little bottom came—smack!
Even through the skirt, the crisp sound instantly broke the little girl's guard.
"Ouch! I'm sorry! Don't spank me!"
Han Baibai instinctively covered her bottom, tears welling in her eyes as she loudly begged for mercy, her words coming out in rapid succession: "My father is Han Xiaoliu! It's the father's fault for not raising his child properly, hit him! Don't hit me!"
Suddenly, there was silence behind me.
Han Baibai sniffed, and feeling that her buttocks no longer hurt, she mustered up her courage and quietly turned her head away.
Behind him stood a middle-aged woman, dressed in plain clothes, her face as cold as frost, but her eyes, looking at him, were churning with extremely complex emotions—shock, nostalgia, and a hint of deeply hidden...doting?
The two locked eyes.
Han Baibai's eyes darted around, and she instantly wiped away her tears. Her little face was filled with a fawning smile as she opened her arms and rushed over, her voice sickeningly sweet:
"Grandma! Little White misses you so much!"
That soft, sweet "Grandmother" was like an invisible hammer, precisely shattering the layer of ice that had remained unmelted in Hong Fu's heart for millennia.
Looking at the little one in her arms, Hong Fu's previously tense jawline softened instantly.
Although she knew the little girl was just being coquettish and trying to get away with it, the cunning and innocence that shone in her big eyes, which were so similar to Xuan'er's, made it impossible for her to harden her heart.
"You said your father is Han Xiaoliu!" Hongfu sighed helplessly. She had initially wanted to push her hand away, but the moment she touched Han Xiaoliu's soft hair, she involuntarily tightened her grip, pulling Han Xiaoliu tightly into her arms. "And your mother is?"
Feeling the warmth of her grandmother in her arms, Han Baibai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she had passed most of this hurdle.
She nuzzled against Hongfu's chest, her lips curving into a sweet, honey-like smile: "My mother is Dong Xuan'er! Grandmother, I missed you so much!"
Hong Fu's heart softened as she was nuzzled by her, and she couldn't help but reach out and gently pat her back, but her movements paused when she touched the hard object in her arms.
"Take out what you have in your hand, don't hide it." Hong Fu's voice was still cold, but it had less of a stern tone and more of an elder's helplessness towards a younger generation.
Han Baibai shrank back, knowing he couldn't avoid it, and reluctantly took out the black leather whip from his pocket, handing it over dejectedly like a defeated little rooster.
"This is..." Hong Fu looked at the leather whip, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, "The Flowing Cloud Whip? This was my magic weapon back then, you like this?"
As she spoke, she took the ritual implement.
Hong Fu, both amused and exasperated, pinched the whip handle with two fingers, gave it a gentle shake, and the Flowing Cloud Whip transformed into a streak of light, flying back to the shelf on the wall.
"Grandmother, this whip is so powerful, can you..." Han Baibai looked at it expectantly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
"No." Hong Fu refused outright, but seeing the little girl's head droop instantly, she couldn't help but add, "When your cultivation reaches a certain level, I will naturally give it to you. If I give it to you now, you'll probably get whipped into a pig's head before you even get a chance to practice."
Han Baibai stuck out her tongue, not discouraged at all. Instead, she tilted her head back and looked at Hongfu with her big, blinking eyes: "Grandma, can you teach me how to use a whip? Daddy made me a little whip, it's really powerful, but I don't know how to use it very well."
Looking at her quirky and clever appearance, Hong Fu felt a surge of tenderness in her heart.
She remembered Xuan'er from years ago, who had also pestered her to learn magic in the same way. Time seemed to overlap at this moment, making her momentarily unable to distinguish who the child in front of her was.
"Alright, Grandma will teach you." Hongfu gently stroked her cheek, her eyes full of affection. "But before that, shouldn't you introduce yourself?"
Xuan'er and Xiao Liu have a child! It seems this was her choice!
"My name is Han Baibai, and I'm six years old. Grandma, let me show you the magical artifact my dad gave me—it's amazing!"
The little girl's voice was clear and bright, and her eyes gleamed with mischief. She carefully took out a shimmering silver metal whip from her sleeve—a magical artifact crafted by her father, Han Xiaoliu.
She took a deep breath, her spiritual energy stirred slightly, and the soft whip sprang up as if alive, lashing fiercely towards the wooden box. At the same time, her small, delicate hands formed a hand seal, and the Five Thunder Spell was quietly activated.
"Sizzle—Boom!"
Lightning crackled around the whip, sparks flying everywhere. The wooden box shattered instantly under the thunder, splinters of wood flying like rain.
Hong Fu was stunned.
She had seen Han Xiaoliu use his thunder magic, and she remembered the overwhelming power of the thunderbolts vividly.
But at this moment, what shocked her was not the spell itself, but the spiritual power surging within Han Baibai's body when he cast the spell—that was clearly the early stage of Foundation Establishment!
A six-year-old child... has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage?!
Hongfu's heart was in turmoil, her gaze fixed on that innocent little face, as if seeing her granddaughter for the first time.