Extra: Shenzhou Broken Sword Record VII

"Sushang, you must live well," Qin Suyi gently stroked Li Sushang's face and said softly, "You must become the greatest sword master in the world and live freely."

Li Sushang wanted to say something. She wanted to ask her mother why she was saying this, and why she was here, but she found she couldn't make a sound.

She watched her mother gaze at her tenderly, then her form gradually faded. Li Sushang instinctively reached out to grab her mother's sleeve, but only grasped empty air.

She suddenly snapped back to reality. When she opened her eyes again, she saw her master, Cheng Lingshuang, sitting beside her, watching her quietly.

Before Li Sushang could speak, Cheng Lingshuang said, "Sushang, Ma Feima just brought news. Your parents are no longer in this world. The ones who killed them were our master, your grandmaster, Immortal Yuan."

Li Sushang's mind buzzed. She remembered the dream she just had. She didn't know what emotions she should be feeling right now, as if a fog had descended upon her heart, making it impossible to see clearly.

There was no overwhelming grief as depicted in plays when hearing the news of her parents' death. Instead, she felt her reaction was too calm.

She should have cried heartily, but she didn't feel like crying, nor did she particularly miss her parents. After all, since she was a child, her mother had made her recite the Yixin Swordplay and practice sword fighting. At the age of four, she was sent to the northern desert to train with her master, Cheng Lingshuang. This separation lasted for more than ten years.

The only thing that accompanied her was the Xuanyuan Sword her mother had given her to bring.

"Immortal Yuan... isn't she the immortal who guards Shenzhou? Why did she kill my parents? And didn't she already ascend?" After coming to her senses, she asked Cheng Lingshuang this, while also feeling that she might be too indifferent. In plays, people would repeatedly confirm the news of their parents' death and then cry uncontrollably.

The stories told by storytellers were also like that.

But she didn't have any of those emotions.

Compared to the sadness of hearing about her parents' death, she was even more surprised that Immortal Yuan had killed her parents. This was because in any opera or story that mentioned Immortal Yuan, her image was always that of a glorious and great figure.

She really couldn't understand why such an immortal would kill her parents. Moreover, she knew that her mother was one of Immortal Yuan's seven disciples.

Then it made even less sense for Immortal Yuan to do this.

What's more, Immortal Yuan had already ascended.

Cheng Lingshuang glanced at her and said matter-of-factly, "It's just a matter of karma... Sushang, what you know about Master—that is, Immortal Yuan—is not the truth. In fact, she didn't ascend, but was... killed by the seven of us disciples working together."

Li Sushang's pupils suddenly dilated. "But why..."

Cheng Lingshuang slightly raised her head, her gaze passing over Li Sushang as if she were looking at someone else. She said, "You don't need to know the specific reasons. This is a matter for our generation. You just need to know that although Immortal Yuan is a hero who guards Shenzhou, she is more ruthless than you imagine. This time... it's not just us; everyone in Shenzhou who is connected to us will be purged by her."

Li Sushang stared blankly at Cheng Lingshuang, unsure how to respond. She could only listen as Cheng Lingshuang continued, "Sushang, you still have a chance to escape. You can leave Shenzhou with that Rakshasa. Immortal Yuan will not leave Shenzhou."

"I..." Li Sushang opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but only managed to utter one word. The rest of the words were stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken or unspoken.

This was a grievance from the previous generation, and it shouldn't concern her. The murder of a master by disciples was, by all accounts, an act of extreme rebellion. However, was the revenge for the annihilation of her clan something to be easily let go of?

"Speaking of that Rakshasa," Cheng Lingshuang said calmly, "he should have woken up by now. If you want to leave with him, you might as well go talk to him now."

Elsewhere.

Pardo and Yuan looked at the two puppets they had jointly dismantled. Pardo said, "Hua, you seem to know them? I remember you called them 'Wanxi' and 'Wanru' at first... right?"

Yuan remained silent. She picked up the two Xuanyuan Swords from the ground. Flames engulfed the remains of the puppets, and the firelight flickered in her golden eyes. She watched the puppets turn to ashes before saying, "Just two... former disciples."

"So, when we met last time, you did mention you were preparing to take on disciples," Pardo said, looking thoughtfully at Yuan. "Although what the puppets said was controlled by Sister Mostima... no, by the Twelfth Herrscher, Midrash, what they said couldn't have been fabricated by Midrash, could it? Hua, are the injuries on your body from the disciples you took?"

"Sigh..." Yuan sighed deeply. "That matter... is in the past. There's no need to ask about it anymore, Pardo. This time, Midrash is likely, as these two puppets said, starting to instigate those rebellious disciples again, trying to kill me once more."

Pardo's pupils contracted, and then her heterochromatic eyes revealed sharp killing intent. "If you hadn't been injured in your fight with Sister Sakura, then with the people of this era, even with Midrash, they wouldn't have been able to injure you so severely! Your disciples are truly going too far."

Yuan was silent, then said, "Perhaps... it's because I'm not a qualified master..."

"That's not true!" Pardo said fiercely. "Didn't Brother Yu Feng also say you were very suited to be a teacher? This... this is at most you misjudging, Hua, and taking in a bunch of ungrateful wretches! At this point, you should do as Brother Yu Feng said: enemies must be eradicated completely!"

"Eradicated completely..." Yuan looked up at the overcast sky and murmured, "Yes, Feng was always right. If he were still here... I'm sorry, Pardo, I've made you recall sad things again..."

"Hey, it's nothing. After all, so much time has passed. No matter how unwilling we are to admit it, we can't change what has already happened, can we?" Pardo managed to force a smile at Yuan. "Hua, the important thing is that we are still alive. We must live well, to see and protect this world in place of Brother Yu Feng, right?"

Yuan looked at Pardo and nodded, then said, "You're right, Pardo. Some things really need to be put to an end."

"Yes, that's right! You have to cheer up, Hua." Pardo gave Yuan a hug. "Where are we going next?"

Yuan's expression was firm, and her tone was steady. "Pardo, you go meet Sakura first. It might be difficult for just the two of us to defeat the Twelfth Herrscher. I, however, am going to Sky Peak to settle things with my eldest disciple."

"But that might be a trap!" Pardo said anxiously. "What if Midrash is waiting for you there? In your current condition, you might..."

"It's alright, Pardo." Yuan's tone softened. "I lost before due to being caught off guard. This time, even if Midrash is here, I can retreat safely with Feather Dust."

Pardo bit her lip, took a deep breath, and then said, "Then you must be very careful, Hua. I will find Sister Sakura as quickly as possible and then come to meet you!"

"Mm." Yuan smiled, and the two parted ways.

Watching the figure of her former comrade depart, Yuan once again turned her gaze towards Sky Peak and murmured, "Chaoyu... this is the last dignity I can give you as a master."

Immediately after, she also stepped forward and headed towards Sky Peak at an extremely high speed.