Kaslana's Way of Survival

Li Sushang nodded, pushed open her own door, and then brought Kaino inside.

The room wasn't large—about the same size as Kaino's room at the orphanage—but the furnishings inside were quite complete. A table, a lantern, a washbasin, a wardrobe... small as a sparrow, yet fully equipped with all its organs.

"If you need the latrine, that lonely little hut outside is the one. Ah, right, remember to knock before you go in—Master might be inside."

After taking off her shoes, Li Sushang sat straight down on her bed, swaying her body left and right. Sunlight streamed through the window behind her into the room, casting light on her figure and making her look relaxed and carefree.

Kaino nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Let me ask first—is swaying your head back and forth also a step in practicing the Sword Heart Sutra?"

Li Sushang froze on the spot.

Now she couldn't sway, and she couldn't not sway either.

Stretching out a hand, a bed identical to the one he'd used at the orphanage materialized in the corner of the room. Kaino also took off his shoes and sat down on it.

"Go ahead. Begin your explanation."

"When Master was here, you weren't nearly this talkative. You just know how to tease me."

Huffing twice, Li Sushang crossed her legs and her expression turned serious.

"The Sword Heart Sutra is the foundational technique of Tai Xu Sword Qi. Every martial artist in the jianghu craves this entry-level supreme art. But even though it's just the foundation, it's by no means simple—it demands extremely high talent."

"Still, Raiken, your strength is so great that you could even use my Sword Form after seeing it just once. Your talent definitely isn't lacking."

"Next, I'll teach you the incantation of the Sword Heart Sutra. The pronunciation is very strange, so listen carefully."

"Alright. Go ahead."

Kaino imitated Li Sushang, crossing his legs, then nodded.

"...Moo... Tara li... Moo... Ruo ku luo..."

Having finished, Li Sushang opened her eyes.

"Alright, that's the Sword Heart Sutra. Try it once."

"...Are all cultivation incantations in your Shenzhou this strange?"

After memorizing the incantation thoroughly, Kaino's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

How could such a completely irregular intonation strengthen one's ability to channel Honkai energy?

"I told you the Sword Heart Sutra is strange, but it really works. Recite the Sword Heart Sutra silently in your heart, and you'll feel True Qi flowing through your extraordinary meridians, every part of your body changing. At the same time, you'll also be able to sense your Heart Lake."

Kaino nodded doubtfully, closed his eyes, and silently recited the incantation he'd just memorized.

The incantation worked indeed. As he recited it in his heart, the Honkai energy inside his body immediately began circulating in a rather complex pattern. It spread through his extraordinary meridians, flowing through his limbs and bones.

His body grew lighter and lighter, his consciousness hazier and hazier.

The meaningless rhythm was indeed having some effect on Kaino's body. It influenced his body and consciousness, trying to guide them toward some predetermined result, thereby enhancing his physical form.

And then...

"Raiken, what's wrong with you? Raiken, wake up!"

What reached his ears was Li Sushang's anxious voice.

Kaino opened his eyes in confusion and saw Li Sushang's worried and troubled face.

Instinctively, Kaino looked down at his body.

A sea of red.

And then, the pain followed.

Chapter 22: The Immortal's Trace

"I've never seen this situation before."

By Kaino's bedside, Cheng Lingshuang held his left wrist with one hand and slowly shook her head. The expression on her face practically screamed "no saving him, just wait to die."

"His talent is astonishingly good. Even without having practiced the Sword Heart Sutra, True Qi can already flow unimpeded through his body, circulating smoothly. If he had enough True Qi, it wouldn't be impossible for him to directly cultivate Tai Xu Sword God. No wonder he hasn't suffered a Qi deviation until now."

"But if that's the case, it makes even less sense."

Cheng Lingshuang frowned slightly.

"The Sword Heart Sutra absolutely does not have such side effects. When Senior Sister practiced the Sword Heart Sutra, she was even older than him, but I've never heard of her having such an accident."

"Kaino, what did you feel when you were circulating the Sword Heart Sutra?"

"As for what I felt... Honkai—I mean True Qi—would circulate on its own without me actively driving it. Then my body felt very light, and my consciousness was very relaxed?"

Kaino scratched his head, recalling the situation at the time.

He was now lying in bed. The blood-soaked clothes and sheets had already been thrown away by Li Sushang; Kaino had recreated them himself. That inexplicable injury had also healed completely under the effect of Life Force, but Li Sushang had forcibly demanded he lie there like a corpse.

And now Li Sushang was standing nearby watching him too.

Otherwise, he'd have been up and bouncing around long ago.

"The other details match, but..."

Cheng Lingshuang pondered briefly, then looked into Kaino's sky-blue eyes.

"Are you sure you only felt your consciousness relax? Nothing else?"

"To be honest, it's like... an indescribable discomfort I can't quite put into words?"

Kaino thought for a moment and gave a rather uncertain answer.

"Discomfort?"

"Yeah, the hard-to-describe kind... like when you leave the house and check that you've brought everything you need, and you really have brought everything, but you still feel like you've forgotten something."

"I've never felt that, but it sounds like a bad omen."

Cheng Lingshuang nodded slightly.

"After cultivating the Sword Heart Sutra, your consciousness should sink into the Heart Lake. But back then, the Heart Lake was churning with waves, so you hadn't yet entered the Still Water Realm."

"Setting aside that feeling of yours, the fact that your consciousness only relaxed without sinking into the Heart Lake means the Sword Heart Sutra is malfunctioning for you."

"Huh? Then, Master, what should we do about the Raiken?"

Li Sushang chimed in from the side.

Cheng Lingshuang said calmly, "Why ask me? Though I far surpass you in Sword Heart Sutra cultivation, I'm not its creator. I've never heard of such a case either."

"Right, the Sword Heart Sutra was passed down by the Red Sparrow Immortal... Master, do you know where the Immortal actually went?"

Kaino silently gave Li Sushang a thumbs-up in his mind.

The burning of the Immortal's former residence had some inside story to it, and if Kaino asked rashly, it might directly provoke this cheap master of his. That was precisely why he'd hesitated to ask Cheng Lingshuang about the Immortal's whereabouts before.

But with Li Sushang, who had spent ten years with Cheng Lingshuang, speaking up, it was fine.

Still, it was lucky that this incident had happened to him, or Li Sushang might have forgotten to ask.

Li Sushang hesitated for a moment, then continued, "They say the Immortal ascended... Master, can you still contact the Immortal?"

Huh? Ascended?

Kaino was dumbfounded.

This Kaslana from five hundred years later, a materialist, couldn't comprehend it.

"I don't know."

Cheng Lingshuang replied.

"How would I know where Master ascended to? If you won't give up, go take a look at Mount Tai Xu yourselves."

"But I'll warn you now, even if you go, you probably won't find anything. Maybe it was resentment that Master didn't take them along when ascending, but your senior uncles and aunts burned down Mount Tai Xu."

"Huh? Master, you all burned down the Grandmaster's former residence?"

Li Sushang's eyes went wide in disbelief.

This was the first time Cheng Lingshuang had told her about it.

"Uh, if I may ask, Master, were you and the Immortal not on good terms normally?"

Kaino couldn't help asking.

Though in his view, no matter how bad the relationship, there was no need to directly burn down someone's home... but people couldn't be judged by the same standard.

"It's not that we weren't on good terms, it's just that Master often went out, and we rarely had any chance to communicate."

Cheng Lingshuang's expression was blank.

"And unlike me, your senior grandmaster was quite jealous of Master's ageless appearance."

For a teacher and students to end up like this was really something...

Kaino couldn't help but sigh.

"In any case, stop cultivating the Sword Heart Sutra for now. Of course, if you want to keep trying, go ahead—your healing ability is strong anyway."

"I think you'd better not practice it, Raiken? Cultivating and bleeding every time can't be a good thing..."

Li Sushang advised from the side.

"I think so too."

Kaino nodded.

"Then, Sushang, you can teach him Form and Soul Essence first. Since True Qi is almost harmless to him, we'll set aside the Sword Heart Sutra for now."

Cheng Lingshuang continued, "Once you've mastered those two essences, I'll teach you Spirit Essence. As for Intent Essence... neither Sushang nor I have mastered it, so you'll have to comprehend it yourself."

"If you want to find Master, go look for him yourself later. Alright, I'm going back now."

With that, Cheng Lingshuang left the room, leaving Kaino and Li Sushang staring at each other.

"I never thought even Master wouldn't know why you can't cultivate the Sword Heart. Hey, Raiken, do you think it's because Raiken bodies are different from Shenzhou people's, so you can't practice it?"

Kaino rolled his eyes.

"How could that be? As long as you're human, the body is... forget it, why am I even explaining this to you?"

"Let's set that aside. Where is Mount Tai Xu, Li Sushang, do you know?"

Li Sushang said, "Just call me Sushang. As for Mount Tai Xu, it's not in Mobei, but near Shanxi in the Central Plains, far from here."

"If you want to go... how about we rest here for a few days and I'll take you? After all, this is your first time in Shenzhou—you can't even tell soldiers from bandits, let alone the roads."

"Alright, then I'll thank you in advance for being my guide."

Kaino nodded.

"But let me make one thing clear—I don't have any money to spend here in Shenzhou. Not only can I not pay your guide fee, but if something comes up, I might have to ask you to foot the bill."

"If it really comes down to it, how about I sell you my Xuanyuan Sword?"

After all, it was something he'd gotten for free.

"Don't worry, no need! It's just a little money—I'm actually quite wealthy."

Li Sushang puffed out her chest, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Then it's settled. I'll leave it to you when the time comes."

Kaino looked at Li Sushang and gave a slight smile.

He sincerely hoped she wouldn't regret this decision later.

Chapter 23: Ma Fei Ma Awakens

Cock-a-doodle-doo~

Accompanied by a rooster's crow, Kaino rubbed his hair, which was a mess like a chicken's nest, and opened his eyes with some irritation.

There was no such thing as an alarm clock at the orphanage. The Priest never woke the children too early, instead letting them get plenty of sleep. So over the years, except for that morning of departure, Kaino had always woken up naturally.

And then today, he fell victim to Shenzhou's natural alarm clock.

Pulling back the bed curtain—which had been reinstated due to the rule that men and women should not touch when living under the same roof—Kaino yawned as the sunlight streamed in.

What time was it even?

Looking at the dim sunlight filtering through the window, Kaino couldn't help but question life.

What made him question it even more was that Li Sushang's bed was already empty.

Did all you Shenzhou people get up this early?