Kaslana's Way of Survival

Kaino sighed in resignation, pulled on his clothes, and stumbled over to the washbasin. The cold water splashing against his face jolted him awake.

"Annoying."

He exhaled deeply, his morning crankiness easing just a bit. He materialized his toiletries and began his daily routine.

Come to think of it, was he getting lazier because he no longer had to wake up early to prepare breakfast?

Engaging in some self-reflection, Kaino brushed his teeth listlessly.

Speaking of breakfast, he probably didn't need to cook it himself here, right? He hadn't set foot in a kitchen in years; these days, all he could manage was noodles.

But since Li Sushang said she and her master had lived here for ten years, her cooking skills should be decent. Maybe he could even look forward to a good meal.

Putting away his toiletries, Kaino strolled out leisurely.

In the courtyard, Li Sushang was training with Xuanyuan in hand. The Tai Xu Twenty-One Swords unfolded through her movements—Initiation, Transformation, Guarding, Opening—four forms interweaving with exquisite precision.

"Hey, you're up, Raiken guy?"

Li Sushang stopped after running through all the sword forms and turned to spot Kaino just stepping out.

"You're way too late, you know? Lucky for you, Master is still inside cultivating her sword heart and hasn't come out, or you'd be in for a scolding."

"Are you sure it's not that you guys wake up too early? The sky's barely even bright yet, right?"

Kaino glanced at the sun just peeking over the horizon, a bit speechless.

A fifteen-year-old was still growing—sleeping in a little was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

"All the sects in Shenzhou are like this. You'll get used to it slowly. Since you've joined the Supreme Unrestrained Sect, you should at least follow its rules."

"So, what are the rules of the Supreme Unrestrained Sect?"

Hearing this, Li Sushang lowered her head in thought, then gave an awkward little smile.

"Seems like there aren't really..."

"Nothing else matters much, but there's one rule you must remember—slay any who fall to corruption."

A slightly cool voice came from Cheng Lingshuang's room, cutting off Li Sushang.

"To be precise, this is the rule of the Tai Xu Lineage. But since you've entered our Supreme Unrestrained Sect, you must abide by it."

Kaino nodded, unconcerned inside.

"Slay any who fall to corruption" just meant those eroded by Honkai energy. With no effective treatment available now, killing them outright was indeed the most efficient method.

It wasn't just about protecting the untainted—it was also about easing the suffering of the corrupted. As a Kaslana who'd fought on the front lines against Honkai for years, he knew this well.

Not to mention, the Priest had long taken him to clean up plenty of such people.

"Hey, Master, can you hear us?"

Li Sushang was surprised by Cheng Lingshuang's sudden interjection.

"It's nothing special. Once you enter the Tai Xu Realm, you'll be able to do the same. Even without that, diligent practice now would let you manage it."

"I'll prepare breakfast. Go check on Old Six—he should be waking up around this time. Also, disciples of the Tai Xu Unrestrained Sect must begin training at the Yin Hour every day. Remember that, Kaino."

With that, the room fell silent.

"Alright, let's go see how our Sixth Uncle is doing."

Kaino shrugged as he walked toward the carriage, poking Li Sushang's arm and lowering his voice.

"Hey, one thing—what time is the Yin Hour?"

"About one to half an hour ago. It's already the Mao Hour now."

"...Don't you guys get used to sleep deprivation?"

Kaino sighed again.

What Kaslana didn't love sleeping in!

"You get used to it. I don't feel anything wrong with it."

Li Sushang said it matter-of-factly.

Kaino pursed his lips.

After leaving the courtyard buildings, the two spotted a figure leaning against a blood-red horse, holding a massive red greatsword.

From the close-range C4 blast, Ma Fei Ma had lost a leg and an arm. Disheveled, covered in dust, his clothes tattered, he looked like a beggar.

Yet despite this, the man wasn't wallowing in despair or cursing his fate while lying on the carriage. Instead, he struggled to stand on his remaining leg and arm, trying to mount his horse.

With one leg useless, he used the red greatsword as a crutch. Without a hand for balance, he leaned against the carriage wall and moved slowly.

Kaino started to wonder if he'd hit him a bit too hard.

It wasn't about anything else. Now that he'd joined the Supreme Unrestrained Sect, they were somewhat connected. Seeing the guy in such a miserable state made him feel a little awkward.

If there was a next time, he'd at least help him change into better clothes—something less jarring to the eyes.

"It's you two."

Ma Fei Ma noticed them and spoke in a low voice.

The other person's face didn't carry any expression of despair or utter resignation. On the contrary, Kaino felt like flames were burning in his eyes, almost as if he was excited.

Is this guy a masochist?

Kaino couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Ah, Uncle-Master Ma, you..."

Li Sushang couldn't bear to look, poking Kaino in the side.

"Uh, Uncle-Master, are you hungry? Master made food, want some?"

Kaino caught on and asked aloud.

Ma Fei Ma was silent for a moment at the question.

"Master? You're also Lingshuang's disciple?"

"Yeah, I just took the oath yesterday."

Kaino nodded.

"Then your Xuanyuan Sword..."

"Found it on the roadside."

No way—even if they were connected by ties, there was no need to tell him the truth, right? Li Sushang had been in this place for ten years and only met him once; after he left, whether they'd ever see each other again in their remaining years was uncertain.

Besides, Cheng Lingshuang hadn't specifically instructed them to look after Ma Fei Ma, had she?

To sum it up, being a little polite to him was enough; no need to overdo it. Regardless, the fact remained that he'd picked a fight and had murderous intent toward them.

"I want to see Lingshuang."

Hearing Kaino's explanation again, Ma Fei Ma just nodded.

Did he actually buy that?

Kaino scratched his head and looked at Li Sushang.

"Master should be in the kitchen. Let's go."

Chapter 24: Bad News

At the dining table, Kaino stared at the food before him with a troubled expression.

A plate of freshly steamed buns and a bowl of vibrant green pickled vegetables... calling it a meal was already generous.

Kaino didn't have any aversion to these two foods; Cheng Lingshuang's cooking was genuinely good. In fact, both the buns and the pickles were delicious.

But he wanted meat...

Glancing around at the group eating heartily, Kaino sighed softly and continued his meal.

Whatever, it's better than nothing.

"Haha, after all these years, Fifth Senior Sister's cooking is still as good as ever."

Even with only one hand, it didn't stop Ma Fei Ma from eating with gusto. He downed a bun in a bite or two, then grabbed two chopsticks' worth of pickles, savoring every mouthful.

"Can't food shut your mouth?"

Glancing at Ma Fei Ma, Cheng Lingshuang said coldly.

"Most people wise up with age. But you, on the contrary, regress—picking fights and causing trouble at every turn, even attacking my disciple on sight."

"If you were truly invincible, that would be one thing; at most, I'd vent my anger for them. But after decades of training in Tai Xu Sword Qi, you still lost to a child. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Ha... I didn't expect it either. So young, yet like Senior Sister, he's a natural-born talent. The six of us struggled for years to grasp the Sword God realm, but as a man, he could easily pull off similar moves."

Ma Fei Ma propped himself up with one hand on the table, smiling as he swept a glance at Kaino, who was buried in his meal.

"If he hadn't held back, I'd probably be meeting the King of Hell by now."

"Good that you know. Don't act like a child anymore."

"Ha, what future do I have left? Dragging this body of injuries, I doubt I can even make it back."

Ma Fei Ma laughed bitterly.

"Your injuries—that child Kaino says he can heal them."

Cheng Lingshuang spoke softly.

"But since you ended up like this by attacking him first, don't expect him to help for free."

"My injuries... can be healed?"

Ma Fei Ma froze, recalling the scene of Kaino healing Li Sushang, and turned to look at him with a hopeful gaze.

Honestly, having an old man stare at him like that made Kaino pretty uncomfortable.

"Brother Luo... little brother, what conditions do you need to act? Money? Weapons? If you can heal me, I'm willing to hand over even the Crimson Shadow."

The Crimson Shadow was the name of Ma Fei Ma's transformed Xuanyuan Sword.

"I don't lack money, and I have the Xuanyuan Sword. To be honest, I'm not really short of anything."

Kaino thought it over quite seriously before replying.

"Heh. If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Since you're so afraid of being crippled that you're even willing to offer the Xuanyuan, you shouldn't have stirred up trouble in the first place."

Someone without the Xuanyuan Sword remarked from the side.

Ma Fei Ma gave a bitter smile upon hearing this.

"Fifth Senior Sister, in the past, even if it meant being crippled or dying, I would have accepted it—I might even have welcomed it."

"But now... I truly cannot die yet."

"If there's something you don't want to die for, then rein yourself in. And now you've heard it—my disciple doesn't want your money, nor your Crimson Shadow."

Cheng Lingshuang said.

"Then... how about women?"

Li Sushang, who had been listening while eating a steamed bun, choked.

After glancing at Li Sushang, Cheng Lingshuang shot Ma Fei Ma a cold glare. "Don't bring those bad habits to my disciple. You were obedient enough as a child—how did you end up like this after starting a family?"

"Huh? You got married? Then when I said back then that no one would want you and you..."

Recalling how furious Ma Fei Ma had been at the time, Kaino was a bit stunned.

To be honest, everyone he had met growing up was quite devoted, so he had never encountered something like this. Besides, if he really didn't like her, why marry her?

Cheng Lingshuang shot Ma Fei Ma another cold glare. Li Sushang beside her also seemed to be hearing this for the first time, momentarily disconnecting from the conversation.

"I..."

Ma Fei Ma didn't know what to say.

"Kaino's cultivation of the Sword Heart Sutra has gone awry, and I can't find the cause. If you can help him resolve it, he might help heal your injuries. If you have no solution, then go back. The two of them are about to head out, and they'll see you off along the way."

"Indeed."

Kaino nodded in agreement.

If it could really be resolved, then helping Ma Fei Ma heal his injuries wouldn't be a problem—it wasn't that his cheap master was asking for a reward on his behalf; he would have been willing to treat him for free anyway.