Chapter 121. This Humble Girl, Li Sushang; Shibao Who Can’t Take a Loss

Elysia's livestream had entered the more relaxed segment of host-viewer interaction.

Don't underestimate this part—this is where fan engagement really spikes.

Miss Pink Elf's follower count continued to rise steadily...

Meanwhile,

At the miHoYo studio.

Having just finished watching the stream, Hokuto got up from his seat. But instead of leaving immediately, he called out to Fu Hua.

"Ah, Fu."

"Hm?" Fu Hua turned in surprise.

Hokuto leaned closer and asked quietly, "I remember you know a few moves, right?"

"...Yes. Why?" Fu Hua looked even more puzzled.

"Ahem, well..."

Hokuto gave a small cough before speaking plainly:

"I want to learn a few self-defense techniques."

He had been thinking about it during the livestream.

Now that the Elysian Realm storyline was out, players having emotional breakdowns was basically guaranteed.

And given how different this world was, things might escalate far beyond what he could imagine.

Just to be safe—ahem, for the sake of caution—he figured some preparation wouldn't hurt. Whether it ended up being useful or not, it couldn't hurt to be ready.

After all, coding won't save a game developer!

"Hmm..."

"What? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just... I haven't taken on an apprentice in a long time," Fu Hua explained. "Let's go ask Shi. Don't let her appearance fool you—she's actually a decent teacher."

"Alright, let's set a time then."

"How about now?"

"...That works too." Hokuto thought for a moment, then nodded.

Fu Hua was a woman of action, and since no one had to work at miHoYo today, she simply brought Hokuto to find Shi.

Taking the day off on a Honkai Impact 3rd main story update—now that was a miHoYo tradition.

After a short trip, they arrived at a martial arts hall in a remote location.

This was the Fu family's ancestral dojo.

Funny thing was—Fu Hua never quite knew why she hadn't inherited the dojo and instead went off to make games with Kiana and the others.

Maybe someday she'd get the chance to figure that out...

Inside, Hokuto noticed the dojo didn't have a modern aesthetic—it leaned more traditional.

The first thing visible was a spacious courtyard for disciples to train, equipped with weapon racks holding unsharpened practice arms.

Hokuto had just started taking in the layout when he happened to catch sight of Fu Shibao in the distance.

She was standing on a round stone stool beside a Go board, hands behind her back, facing another girl.

The other girl had long brown hair tied up in a traditional bun that nearly brushed the ground. Her outfit was old-fashioned, but she didn't look mature—rather, she radiated an innocent energy.

"You've arrived," Fu Shibao declared loftily.

"I have," the girl responded seriously.

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I still did."

"Then, Li... Sushang, are you prepared to face your fate?"

As soon as Fu Shibao's words dropped, Li Sushang stood up straight.

The atmosphere instantly froze—

Until—

Fu Hua strode forward quickly. She glanced at Shi—who noticed her but didn't panic. Instead, she purposefully straightened up even more. Then Fu Hua turned to Li Sushang.

"What are you two doing?"

"We just wanted to spar a bit," Fu Shibao replied.

"Martial arts are for cultivating oneself, not for brawling,"

Fu Hua immediately shifted into a serious, lecturing tone.

Fu Shibao rolled her eyes.

"Who said we were sparring with fists?"

She gave a huff. "Hmph, you old fossil. Times have changed."

"Now it's all about literary duels!"

She nimbly hopped off the stone stool and smacked the Go board. A few black stones flew into the air from the Go container. In a flash, she pinched one between her fingers and stabbed it down like a sword.

Bang!

Like the beginning of the cosmos, the forming of heaven and earth, the birth of harmony—

cough, getting off track.

"Five-star alignment! I win! Hahaha, Li Sushang, do you see this? This is your fate!"

Li Sushang looked down at the five black stones lined up on the board.

She was stunned for a moment, then loudly protested:

"No! It was my turn—you just dropped two stones in a row! You cheated!"

"..."

"Tch, guess I couldn't bluff my way through." Fu Shibao waved her hand.

"Not playing anymore, not playing."

"But I was about to win!"

"Whatever, I'm not playing. What're you gonna do about it?"

"You... you!"

Li Sushang's chest heaved. She had never seen anyone so incapable of taking a loss.

Her mind scrambled for something scathing to say, but thanks to a shared genetic 'vocabulary deficit,' she could only spit out:

"This young lady refuses to stoop to your level! Hmph!"

Thus, their Go match came to a chaotic close.

Hokuto had been watching with great interest, though he felt a little regretful—who knew how many amusing scenes were happening among the Honkai characters that he would never get to see?

But, well... that's life.

Still, he was glad he got to witness something fun today.

"You old fossil, what are you doing here? Looking for me?"

"Yes, I brought Hokuto to see you."

"Hokuto? What's up?" Fu Shibao responded quickly.

"Well..."

Fu Hua began to explain in detail.

Meanwhile, Li Sushang had already walked up to Hokuto.

"You're the producer of Honkai Impact 3rd, right?"

"You know me?" Hokuto hadn't met her before.

In Shenzhou: Tale of the Broken Sword, Li Sushang does appear—but in this world, that story only existed as a written novel.

So there was no need to treat her like other Honkai characters with official CGs.

"Yep yep! I've heard tons of people mention you! And Honkai Impact 3rd is super fun! Except... the gacha rates feel kinda low. I still haven't pulled Herrscher of Sentience."

"Running a physical team without her is like going three days without food—no strength to fight monsters."

Li Sushang was quite the talker—words fired from her mouth like a machine gun.

Hokuto blinked, choosing not to comment on the gacha rates.

He smiled and suggested, "Keep the faith—maybe you'll get her on the next pull."

"Typical miHoYo boss—barely spoke a few lines before trying to get me to spend money."

"..."

"I was just joking, don't take it seriously."

Li Sushang raised a hand and managed to pat Hokuto on the shoulder.

To be honest, she was nearly a head shorter than him.

Which made a stark contrast with someone like Fu Hua, who stood half a head taller than Sushang.

"By the way, can I ask what you're doing at the dojo?"

Hokuto glanced down as she patted him. Short, yes, but not small.

"I'm here to learn," he replied.

"Oh?"

Li Sushang's eyes lit up.

At just that moment, Fu Hua and Fu Shibao finished their discussion and walked over.

"I've worked it out with Shi. Hokuto, you can come by anytime to train," Fu Hua said.

Fu Shibao crossed her arms behind her back and said smugly,

"Leave it to me—I'll teach him everything I've got."

Then she pointed at Li Sushang.

"Soon you'll be able to beat ten Li Sushangs with one hand!"

"Shi, martial arts are for cultivating oneself—not brawling..."

"Aiya, I was just joking! Old fossil, you're so uptight, it's no fun at all."

Fu Shibao's smugness deflated instantly, and her whole aura slumped.

Even though she said that, she was really just planning to help Hokuto build up some fitness—maybe run a bit faster later on.

Old fossil was just no fun... why couldn't she be more like Seele?