There was a small pause in Fu Hua's narration, giving Yun Mengxi a chance to look at her.
"Does it sound a bit distant? But actually, in my eyes, very similar lights shine on you and her.
"You both set a very clear 'goal' or 'yearning' for your lives, even surpassing your own short-term preferences.
"For her, it's the 'purity' of the ultimate martial path, and for you..."
She gently tapped Yun Mengxi's chest, "It's that 'shining brother' and the 'future' he represents.
"You are both willing to pay great efforts for this self-determined 'goal', even adjusting your own trajectories.
"This purity is a precious quality you share, but sometimes, it also makes you carry too much burden, blurring the path you came from and the way back."
Yun Mengxi listened in a daze.
Backstage, Su Mei was silent, not saying a word.
She knew who Fu Hua was talking about, and Yun Mengxi could also understand what kind of person Fu Hua was describing.
Su Mei's story was like a somewhat blurry but exceptionally clear mirror, allowing her to see her own shadow from another angle.
So... this feeling is not unique to me?
"Many people will say that living for oneself is the most important thing." Fu Hua continued, her voice like a trickling stream. "This is true. In this world, most things indeed require being responsible for oneself and working hard for oneself.
"But this doesn't mean that 'living for others, working hard for others' must be wrong, false. It doesn't mean losing oneself, nor does it represent hypocrisy and selfishness."
She looked at Yun Mengxi, her eyes clear and affirming.
"It depends on whether the original intention of this 'for others' stems from your true inner identification and choice, whether you still retain your original heart in the process, and... finally, whether it can really bring some positive nourishment or comfort to the relevant 'others' and yourself.
"Sacrifice is not necessarily noble, but dedication can be sincere."
A glimmer of light flashed in Yun Mengxi's eyes, "Is there really... such a person??"
Not for oneself, but truly... for others...
Does such a person really exist?
Fu Hua suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Her gaze cast into the void, and her voice carried a rare, almost reverent distance.
"Yes. Because...
"I once saw a pure person with my own eyes." She spoke slowly, without mentioning a name, only using pronouns.
"A person so pure that... it seemed his existence itself was to illuminate the way forward for others and carry their hopes."
"I... once witnessed a grand disaster."
Fu Hua's gaze still stared into the void, penetrating the barriers of time and space, returning to a node where everything had not yet fallen apart but was turned upside down in an instant.
Her voice was steady, but carried a texture of "loss" and "sudden change" deeply etched into her marrow.
"That disaster... came without warning." She spoke slowly, describing the catastrophe that swept everything with the most neutral vocabulary. "As if just after a sleep, the world of bustling traffic and myriad lights yesterday turned into ruins and a hunting ground for monsters today.
"Civilization... like a castle on the beach, with one wave, only wet gravel remained. We lost almost everything in that disaster... what remained mostly lingered on in fear and chaos."
The scene she described was too abrupt. The transition between heaven and hell happened overnight. That huge sense of fracture and unreality, even if just outlined in words, made Yun Mengxi feel a chill.
"Some people and I... luckily and unluckily survived and gathered together.
"Facing sudden changes, we were at a loss, not knowing what happened, not knowing what those monsters were, let alone where tomorrow lay."
Fu Hua recalled, with a trace of confusion and fragility from that time in her tone. That was her inevitable and unforgettable past.
"Then, he appeared."
"That guy..." Fu Hua used this slightly casual yet implying special meaning pronoun, "He seemed... born knowing.
"When we were still ignorant of everything and trembling with fear, he already knew where those twisted creatures came from, what the abnormal energy permeating the air was, where it was relatively safe, and where it was a death zone.
"From the moment he appeared, he naturally... or rather, unquestionably became the guide, leading us group of shock-stricken survivors, struggling to find the possibility of survival between ruins and crises."
Some images flashed before Fu Hua's eyes—not intense battle scenes, but a vague "collection of feelings."
That figure in memory always walked at the forefront, observing everything vigilantly.
But deep in her memory, there was a deeper impression.
On the street full of wreckage, someone on a speeding pickup truck jumped and cursed at the colossal monster narrowly thrown off, the rudeness and vividness of surviving a disaster... but that impression flashed by and was not spoken aloud.
These small details made her understand that he was not a fearless body of steel. Beneath his steadiness was extreme tension, always walking on thin ice.
"At that time, I was injured and had difficulty moving." Fu Hua's voice was very low. "There were even weaker and more panicked people in the team.
"We all knew clearly that taking us along was a drag, a burden, greatly increasing danger and slowing down speed.
"At least I at that time thought so... I even prepared myself to be left behind... because in that environment, it seemed to be a 'reasonable' choice."
Fu Hua had to admit she indeed thought about the scenario of being "left behind"... not because she thought Shu, or others would do so, but leaving her behind...
Was very reasonable.
She paused, her tone carrying a deep complexity of emotions.
"But he never, not even once, had such a thought.
"On the contrary, for us 'burdens,' he, who wasn't considered powerful at that time, actively faced dangers far beyond his ability again and again.
"To lure away monsters, to search for scarce medicine and food, to explore perilous paths... just like..."
Fu Hua's gaze fell back on Yun Mengxi's face, with a trace of strange understanding.
"Just like you clearly knew you might not be suitable or good at it, but were still willing to gnaw on heavy metal rock for the intention of 'reproducing Brother's dream.'
"That wasn't the optimal solution after weighing pros and cons. That was... a willing choice, no matter how clumsy, no matter how strenuous."