Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, Xia Xingchen quickly pulled Chu Feng behind her and launched into a stern lecture.
"Chu Feng, that was a bit much."
"Hua Hua isn't that old — she's about the same age as your mother, that's all."
…
But the moment those words left her lips, both Chu Feng and Hua Hua fell silent.
Realizing the awkward atmosphere, Xia Xingchen quickly added, "It's just that your mother gave birth to you way too early. Normally, a genius like her shouldn't have settled down so young."
"By the standards of the cultivation world, your mother should be several thousand years old at least."
"So neither Hua Hua nor I are that old. You should be calling her Big Sister."
But upon hearing that, Hua Hua immediately turned her head away. "Who wants him calling me Big Sister? That would mess up the generational order!"
Seeing this, Xia Xingchen hurriedly said, "Hua Hua, that's enough."
"Chu Feng came here with divination bamboo scrolls to seek out your father, Daoist Zhaixing. He didn't barge in here at all."
"And you weren't even taking a bath, yet you accused him of trying to peek — that really was a bit much."
"You can't just take out your frustration on someone's son because you lost to Jie Ranqing."
At those words, Hua Hua grew agitated.
"What does this have to do with Jie Ranqing, Sis Xingchen? It's just… the two of us had barely gone inside when he barged in and forced us to come back."
"I was genuinely furious."
As she spoke, something seemed to occur to Hua Hua, and she fixed Chu Feng with a sharp stare.
"Wait — you should have been trapped at the entrance. How did you break free?"
"I broke through the restriction," Chu Feng said.
"Ridiculous. As if you could break through the restriction at the entrance — that was a formation my father personally set up." Hua Hua looked utterly disbelieving.
"Your father is Daoist Zhaixing?" Chu Feng asked, surprised.
"Yes. What about it?" Hua Hua puffed out her chest, speaking with pride.
"I naturally have great respect for Daoist Zhaixing's abilities, but I have my own means," Chu Feng said.
"What means? You're so young, and already impossibly arrogant."
"Let alone you — even your mother at your age couldn't have broken through my father's restrictions," Hua Hua declared.
"Alright, alright, Hua Hua."
"If you've heard of this Chu Feng, what's there not to believe?"
"Your father is powerful, sure — but is he more powerful than the Seven Realms Holy Palace?"
"Chu Feng walked away from the Seven Realms Holy Palace unscathed. Do you think that's made up?"
"And what about the Summit of Nine Heavens, where Chu Feng conquered the Origin of Veins? Was that fake too?" Xia Xingchen spoke up in Chu Feng's defense.
After hearing all of that, Hua Hua's bluster dimmed considerably, though she still crossed her arms over her chest and muttered skeptically, "Rumors tend to exaggerate. Who knows what's true and what isn't. I don't buy it."
Just then, a covert voice transmission reached Chu Feng's ears — it was Xia Xingchen.
"Chu Feng, what do you need Daoist Zhaixing for?"
"I want to ask him some things. About my mother," Chu Feng replied via transmission.
"I'll be honest — Hua Hua is clearly in the wrong here. But that's just how she is. She has a condition."
"A condition?" Chu Feng asked.
"Congenital male hostility syndrome," Xia Xingchen said.
"Is that actually a thing?" Chu Feng was taken aback.
"Yes. But Hua Hua really is hostile toward men. Not just you — apart from Daoist Zhaixing, she's hostile toward almost every man."
"But since you're here asking for his help, you should bear with it if you can."
"Hua Hua is Daoist Zhaixing's daughter — an adopted one, sure, but Daoist Zhaixing absolutely dotes on her."
"You know my situation with the Firmament Immortal Sect. They've got bounties out on me everywhere."
"The only reason I can take refuge here is because of Hua Hua — Daoist Zhaixing agreed on her account."
"And you can understand her being upset. We've been trying to break into some ruins lately. She put in a tremendous amount of effort to find a way in."
"But we had barely gotten inside when she sensed someone intruding into the living quarters and rushed right back."
"The problem is, getting back into those ruins means breaking through the formation all over again. All our previous efforts may have been for nothing."