While Chu Lian and the others were talking, Chu Chu's bouncing figure returned. She no longer looked anxious or worried—her eyes were brimming with excitement.
"I see, I get it now…" Just as Chu Lian finished speaking to Kurosaki Satsuki, Chu Chu hugged her from behind, pressing her face against her waist and rubbing it like a playful kitten.
Her face was lit with delight, like a cat happily at play. Breathing in Chu Lian's scent, she said: "Big Sis, the hot springs are ready. The rain just stopped, so the outdoor springs can't be used—we'll have to use the indoor ones."
"We weren't planning on using the outdoor hot springs anyway. Chu Chu, what were you thinking just now? Do you want people to see your body?" Chu Lian tapped Chu Chu's head lightly, speaking in mock annoyance.
She hadn't used much force, and Chu Chu knew she wasn't angry—just reminding her. So she clung to her back even tighter, rubbing against her as she said: "Chu Chu knows. But Big Sis, did you know there's a semi-outdoor hot spring here that's amazing? It has a transparent dome you can only see out of, surrounded by a bamboo grove. Three meters beyond the grove is a seven-meter-high wooden fence, with guards patrolling constantly. Basically, no one can get inside."
"The water quality there is excellent. They say soaking in it not only refreshes your spirit but is also great for the skin. Even better, it supposedly promotes development. Because of its special effects, a single soak is really expensive, but totally worth it. Unfortunately, it's already been reserved, so we can't go." Chu Chu's voice trailed into a sigh.
Even Chu Lian was tempted. If it was really that good, even a semi-outdoor spring would have been worth it. But since it was already booked, there was nothing to be done.
"What are you going to do?" Kurosaki Satsuki lay on the bed, listening to their chatter. But since Chu Lian and Chu Chu were speaking Chinese, she couldn't understand. After a while, she finally had to ask.
"We're going to the hot spring. Do you want to come? But with your injuries, I'm not sure if it'd be safe for you…" Chu Lian replied. But at the words hot spring, the white-haired girl froze like she'd been struck, not moving at all.
"Hm?" Noticing she might have recalled something painful, Chu Lian stopped Chu Chu from speaking and instead walked over to the white-haired girl. Shaking her arm gently, she said: "If there's something worth remembering from the past, keep it in the deepest part of your heart. Recall it when you're alone, when you can show all your weakness. But don't reveal such a vulnerable side before strangers…"
Her words snapped Kurosaki Satsuki out of her memories. She raised her head and gazed into Chu Lian's eyes, then slowly nodded. "Thank you for the reminder. I lost composure."
Chu Lian smiled gently: "Everyone has such moments. You'll get used to it. You're still young, and there's a long road ahead. If you trap your soul in one beautiful scenery just because it's too dazzling, you'll waste this brilliant life."
"We watch the scenery, and the scenery watches us. What we need isn't to circle endlessly in one place, but to go to countless different places. That is life. That's why we came into this world."
As she spoke, Chu Lian walked to the window, pulled it open, and let the bright sunlight flood the room. She spread her arms wide as though embracing the world. "Some regrets can never be undone. Even so, we must try to make amends, even if it brings us nothing in return. But that isn't a reason to stop moving forward. Girl, do you understand? The world is vast—so vast it defies imagination. And yet, it's also so fragile—so fragile it can shatter with a single touch."
Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er, not knowing Japanese, could only glance at each other in confusion.
But Kurosaki Satsuki and Inori, who did understand, each felt their own quiet, personal stirrings.
The white-haired girl thought of her past life, and the years spent on the run. She remembered how she had changed bit by bit, until the last memory—crying alone in that cave before she met Chu Lian and the others. She gave a faint, bitter smile. So, all these years, she hadn't grown at all.
Clinging to her memories, sinking into the beauty of the past, using coldness and killing intent to disguise herself—yet inside, she was still fragile, still that little girl who once nestled into her father's arms. The only things she had gained were an obsession with revenge and endless regret for what had been lost.
Inori, however, had lived through the collapse of the world, through everything dissolving into nothingness, wandering endlessly through space-time, with her memories sealed away. For her, it seemed her story only began in that instant when she met Chu Lian.
She understood what Chu Lian meant by the world being vast yet fragile, and knew Chu Lian was hinting at her worries. Even if most of it was needless anxiety, Inori still couldn't fully grasp why she had said those things. Perhaps there was a past we don't know about…
Turning lightly, she saw the confusion in Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er's eyes, realizing they didn't understand what Chu Lian had said. So she walked over to them and quietly translated: "What Lian meant was this…"
But after hearing her explanation, Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er only grew more confused. If it had been Japanese, they would accept they couldn't understand. But hearing fluent Chinese—understanding every word—yet not being able to grasp a single full sentence made it even stranger.
The truth was, Chu Lian's words were the feelings of someone whose age and heart carried both past experiences and present burdens. The meaning was clear only to her, and to those with similar scars like Inori and Kurosaki Satsuki. But for the innocent Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er, it was beyond their comprehension.
Of course. If little girls were so wise, how could anyone ever trick them with candy? Honestly…
Sensing her words were too heavy for now, Chu Lian turned with a radiant smile and asked Kurosaki Satsuki: "Well then, girl, are you interested in joining us in the hot springs? Your body should be able to handle it. The decision is yours."
"If you're not worried about me escaping, then I don't mind." The white-haired girl cast a glance at Chu Chu and the others, then averted her gaze to the wall, speaking softly.
"In your condition, you couldn't even beat me. Do you really think you can run?" Chu Chu snorted after hearing Inori's translation, rolling her eyes at Kurosaki Satsuki.
Indeed, Chu Chu hadn't changed much outwardly, but each of her attributes had inexplicably risen by two or three points.
Don't underestimate two or three points. With a normal, healthy adult man averaging 12 points in each attribute, girls like Chu Lian and the others having nearly 60% of that strength during their youth was already remarkable.
Some might think it exaggerated, but for well-born, talented girls, not reaching such levels would be stranger still.
Adults meant those whose bodies had fully developed, where natural growth no longer increased attributes, and only training could improve them further.
Ordinary humans capped at 15 points. Surpassing that limit meant stepping into the realm of the abnormal—those on the threshold of cultivation.
And attribute points didn't mean that doubling your strength attribute meant lifting twice as much. Growth was more complex. Each increase represented roughly a 10% enhancement of that trait, scaling with the current total.
Of course, exceptions existed—those born with divine strength or speed, who nearly reached their peak even in youth. With training, they easily surpassed human limits. These were heaven's chosen as well, not in intellect but in physique.
So, for Chu Chu, who had already surpassed human limits in every attribute, a gravely injured Kurosaki Satsuki truly couldn't match her in raw comparison.
The white-haired girl couldn't understand what Chu Chu was saying. Neither Inori nor Chu Lian bothered to translate, so she could only stare blankly at Chu Chu speaking to her without being able to respond.
Her instincts told her that Chu Chu was saying something unpleasant, but since she couldn't understand, she had no way to refute it. She could only remain silent.
Pinching Chu Chu's little upturned face, she sighed inwardly. Perhaps language barriers really were the least likely way to cause conflict between people?
With her face-pinched warning delivered, Chu Chu didn't press the matter further. Instead, she and Li Xiu'er each took one of Chu Lian's arms, smiling brightly: "Big Sis, let's go to the hot springs. Today we're soaking all morning, otherwise we'll be tired the whole afternoon~"
"Um, Chu Chu, too much time in the hot springs makes people sleepy…" Li Xiu'er murmured, adding a quiet reminder. But Chu Chu had already done her research: "It doesn't matter. With our constitutions, no matter how long we soak, we won't get drowsy. Unless we really want to rest, we'll only get more energetic."
"I… see…" Li Xiu'er hadn't expected their special constitutions to work like that. At a loss for words, she could only nod.
Rolling her eyes, Chu Lian pulled the two of them outside, then had them wait obediently at the door. She turned back inside with Inori to help the white-haired girl change clothes.
After all, Chu Lian could tell this girl was actually very shy. With just her and Inori, it was manageable. But if Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er were present, she would have frozen up with embarrassment, making changing clothes impossible.
So, after Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er had linked arms with her, Chu Lian cleverly led them out the door, then returned inside to help the girl change.
About ten minutes later, Chu Lian was the first to open the door. Behind her stood Inori, dressed in a long gown of pink and white, and last came Kurosaki Satsuki, her delicate figure clad in a black dress.
"She's actually quite pretty…" Her face, once pale and bloodless, had regained a touch of color after resting, making her look far healthier. Her beautiful features shone through, stunning Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er into momentary silence when they saw her.