"Cheng Lingshuang!"
"All right, Third Sister, Fifth Sister. Our master is about to come kill us. Are we really going to keep fighting among ourselves here?"
Su Mei interjected.
"But I am rather curious, Junior Sister. You actually took in a Raiken as your disciple... And has he perhaps attained the Sword God realm? He is using a candle as a weapon."
"And if I am not mistaken, that candle is one I gave Eldest Sister, right?"
The Mystery of the Burning Villa
You could recognize what it looked like from just a candle?
Aren't all candles just sticks?
"Ah, right. I picked it up on the way here because something about it caught my attention."
Though he thought that, Kaino nodded.
"I was curious. After all, Master told me what you were planning to do. Then I saw the Tai Xu Sword Sect disciples arranging the sect grounds, so I became curious about what this was for."
"And then..."
As he spoke, Kaino snapped the candle in half with both hands, revealing the black gunpowder inside.
"Gunpowder?! Su Mei, what exactly are you trying to do?!"
Lin Chaoyu glanced at the candle in Kaino's hand. Surprise and fury flashed across her face in turn as she glared hatefully at Su Mei.
"You have offended me repeatedly, yet I never took the initiative to trouble you. You wanted my Tai Xu Sword Sect, and I gave it to you. But this is the method you spoke of? You want to destroy my Tai Xu Sword Sect that badly?!"
"Exactly. With this kind of gunpowder, you could probably only destroy the Tai Xu Sword Sect. It would not pose any threat to the Immortal at all."
Kaino continued fanning the flames.
Su Mei narrowed her eyes and looked at Kaino again, sighing softly before turning to Lin Chaoyu.
"That is why, Senior Sister, it was not suitable to tell you yet."
"This is different from when we secretly ambushed Master on Mount Tai Xu. We are scattered across various places, and gathering again would inevitably draw attention. Although Master has not been seen for many years, quite a few people who saw her back then are still alive, and there are still many records describing her appearance."
"If the world learns that the Immortal has returned, only to disappear again after meeting several of her disciples, how would we explain that? Say that Master ascended? Who would believe that?"
"This is different from when we ambushed Master on Mount Tai Xu. Many eyes will be focused on this place. Even if Master returned weakened, we could not possibly kill her without causing any disturbance. Since that is the case, we can only create even greater chaos to draw attention away."
Lin Chaoyu frowned. "But even so..."
"Even so, why must it be the Tai Xu Sword Sect that gets destroyed?"
Su Mei spoke calmly.
"Senior Sister, Senior Sister. Other than your Tai Xu Sword Sect, what other place is prosperous enough that its destruction would both draw attention and keep me from being implicated afterward? If we destroy the Tai Xu Sword Sect, the two of us can merely go through the motions. But if we destroy somewhere else..."
"Of course, if Senior Sister cannot bear it, I can order the decorations removed. But if we kill Master again, Senior Sister, you must be prepared to be reviled by others."
"I do not care. It makes no difference to me whether Peerless Gate remains or not. But you, Senior Sister..."
"Fine. Say no more. I understand."
Lin Chaoyu spoke in a low voice.
"What a pity. It would be best not to let Senior Sister know for now. When facing Master, your Sword Heart realm is insufficient, Senior Sister. You would inevitably be distracted by the Tai Xu Sword Sect, lowering our chances of survival."
As she spoke, Su Mei cast Kaino a somewhat resentful glance.
"If we succeed, naturally that would be a good thing. At most, a few pitiful Tai Xu disciples who secretly came to the mountaintop to behold the Immortal and thus failed to escape the sea of fire would die."
"Of course, it does not matter if we fail. Once the Tai Xu Sword Sect is destroyed, we will have a natural graveyard. Senior Sister, your disciples will also quickly flee from the sudden explosions, sparing them the possibility of Master killing people and burning down the mountain."
Lin Chaoyu instinctively looked toward Li Sushang.
Upon hearing that, Li Sushang's hand holding the Xuanyuan Sword trembled slightly.
"Killing people and burning down the mountain is not Master's style."
Cheng Lingshuang suddenly spoke.
Su Mei smiled. "Heh, it may not be Master's style, but Junior Sister, that is the truth. Little Sister Su Yi, she..."
"The Sixth told me that all he could find out was that Master had appeared near Yi Xin Mountain Villa. Yi Xin Mountain Villa was destroyed, and no one saw whether Master truly acted."
Cheng Lingshuang interrupted Su Mei.
Kaino looked at his master upon hearing that.
Any normal person would think this was the Immortal taking revenge. Could there really be some hidden truth?
"During the years Master taught us, you all must understand her way of doing things. Other than when the Raiken Kingdom attacked Shenzhou all those years ago, Master only killed those who had fallen to corruption. No matter who offended her, she never acted against them."
As she said this, Cheng Lingshuang looked at Lin Chaoyu.
"Senior Sister, you spent many years traveling down the mountain with Master. You should know best."
Lin Chaoyu nodded instinctively.
She truly had the right to speak on the matter. After traveling everywhere with the Immortal and slaying demons for years, the Immortal had never harmed anyone other than those who had fallen to corruption. On the contrary, she had even taken in many children whose parents she had killed as disciples.
If someone like that did not have some psychological illness, then she simply did not care about worldly affairs and lived only to eradicate demons.
And since she had painstakingly raised the Seven Disciples, she clearly was not the former.
"Then what happened at Yi Xin Mountain Villa? Could Little Sister Su Yi have committed suicide and burned down the villa herself?"
Su Mei retorted.
"Besides, no one has experienced something like returning from the dead. How can you be certain that Master after her rebirth is the same as before?"
"You say Master only kills those who have fallen to corruption, but must those who fall to corruption truly be killed? How many people fell to corruption innocently without ever cultivating, retained their sanity, yet were killed by Master? Must those who fall to corruption truly be killed? In the end, Master, she..."
Hearing that, Kaino could not help interrupting. "No, then give an example of someone who fell to corruption and did not go mad. Do not mention that purple-haired Jiang Wanru. She was spared only because of the Immortal's Tai Xu Sword Qi, right? Strictly speaking, she could not even have fallen to corruption in the first place."
"And you are sympathizing with those who have fallen to corruption here. Have you developed a cure or something? If you cannot do anything, what are you even talking about?"
After years of influence from Schicksal, Kaino understood perfectly what it meant to be corrupted by Honkai energy. Because of that, all Schicksal Valkyries had to implant Stigmata that severely damaged their bodies, setting them on the path toward a slow death.
Countless Valkyries had sacrificed their lives fighting Honkai, yet Honkai incidents continued to occur across the world without end. How many people had their families destroyed by Honkai and been left homeless?
Now that Shenzhou had an invincible Immortal voluntarily traveling everywhere to eliminate those who had fallen to corruption, a disciple who had murdered her master was sympathizing with the corrupted?
Of course, being corrupted by Honkai was an utter tragedy, and there was nothing wrong with pitying them. Researchers would desperately study anti-Honkai medicine for that reason, but they would never show mercy to the corrupted. After all, when too many people died in one place from Honkai infection, a Honkai outbreak could occur.
At the same time, Cheng Lingshuang spoke as well.
"I do not know what exactly happened inside Yi Xin Mountain Villa. But if Yi Xin Mountain Villa truly was not burned by Master, and Su Yi was not killed by Master, then Master will not immediately attack once she arrives at Sky Vault Peak. We can ask her then."
After speaking, Cheng Lingshuang looked at Lin Chaoyu.
"Senior Sister, the three of us have traveled a long way and are exhausted. If possible, arrange guest rooms for us. We will rest for now."
"When Master arrives, simply call us over."
First Meeting with the Immortal
Another five days passed.
Kaino ate the food delivered to the guest room by the Tai Xu Sword Sect disciples while considering what to do next.
According to his original plan, he naturally intended to find a way to make Li Sushang pay while killing several of the other Seven Disciples, thereby giving the Immortal at least a little compensation.
Though it carried the suspicion of being both a whore and a monument to chastity, that had indeed been Kaino's plan at the time. Yet everything he had seen and heard after arriving at the Tai Xu Sword Sect gave him some other ideas.
For example, Cheng Lingshuang's claim that Yi Xin Mountain Villa had not been burned by Master, and that Su Yi had not been killed by Master. If that was true, Kaino's conflicted position between the Immortal and his acquaintances would vanish in an instant.
If that was truly the case, Cheng Lingshuang could be protected without killing the Immortal. Given Li Sushang's personality, she would not kill the Red Sparrow Immortal if she was not the direct culprit.
Everyone would have a bright future.
Though putting himself in her shoes, Kaino felt it was unlikely that the Immortal had not killed people in revenge. Still, since Cheng Lingshuang said it so firmly, there was always a sliver of hope.
Aside from that, there was Su Mei's claim that placing gunpowder throughout the Tai Xu Sword Sect was meant to conceal their tracks. Although her explanation made logical sense, Kaino still felt there was something suspicious about it.
So Kaino had not been idle these past few days. Taking advantage of his wandering around the Tai Xu Sword Sect, he used the Herrscher of Reason's power to replace all the gunpowder. Whatever Su Mei's objective was, it no longer mattered.
If it truly was to conceal their tracks, Kaino could simply set the fire himself. Once it was over, he would slip away anyway. What Shenzhou's people thought of him would have no effect on him whatsoever.
...Though he might not be able to eat food this delicious in the future.
During the days Kaino stayed here, he had not eaten the same meal twice, and every dish had been delicious.
With a sigh, he swallowed the last bite of rice, adjusted his clothes, and pushed open the door.
Passing through the bustling, lively residences of the disciples, Kaino headed straight for the Tai Xu Sword Sect's main gate.
The Tai Xu Sword Sect—or more accurately, Su Mei—had long since spread word that they would welcome the Immortal. Naturally, the nearby towns paid extra attention to traces of the Immortal. Though it was nothing compared to five hundred years later, the Immortal's appearance had become known to the public through word of mouth alone.
Long pale-gray hair, a calm expression, and an immortal aura surrounding her.
The description was vague, yet supposedly surprisingly recognizable. Almost as soon as Kaino and the others entered the Tai Xu Sword Sect, news of the Immortal's whereabouts had reached the sect from nearby towns.
Because of that, the Tai Xu Sword Sect had remained lively these five days. Everyone in the sect discussed what they would do once the Immortal arrived. Though the specifics of their discussions differed somewhat, the Immortal's imminent arrival was unquestionably real.
The latest news claimed that the Immortal had reached the vicinity of Sky Vault Peak and could arrive at the Tai Xu Sword Sect at any time in the coming days. Kaino wanted to see whether he could meet the Immortal before the Tai Xu Sect members did, so he could prepare in advance.
"Good afternoon, Martial Uncle."
Tai Xu disciples older than Kaino nodded and greeted him whenever they passed by. Kaino nodded in return.
His apprenticeship under Cheng Lingshuang had become known throughout the Tai Xu Sword Sect over the past few days. His status as a direct disciple made him the elder of many people, so greetings were unavoidable whenever he went out.
Li Sushang, who always followed him when he went out, was in the same situation. Because she disliked elaborate etiquette and suddenly having people call her their elder, the girl chose to stay in the guest room and stopped going outside.
Fortunately, that was the case. Otherwise, if Li Sushang had come with him, he really would not have been able to intercept the Immortal.
"Martial Uncle, have you come out again to welcome the Immortal?"
Upon reaching the gate, Kaino found the woman who had previously welcomed them into the Tai Xu Sword Sect waiting there on guard.
The woman was still responsible for guarding the gate.
"Yes. If Martial Aunt Lin had not strictly forbidden it, many Tai Xu Sword Sect disciples would probably be waiting at the gate to welcome the Immortal, just like before."
Kaino shrugged.
It was not difficult to understand everyone's reverence for the Immortal. A legendary invincible true immortal, ageless and deathless, was about to arrive nearby. Who would not want to see her with their own eyes?
Of course, whether they wanted to see her because she was invincible or because she did not age was another matter.
Still, their habit of crowding around the gate every day had caused Kaino considerable trouble, so he suggested to Lin Chaoyu that disciples be forbidden from approaching it.
The effect had been remarkable.
Do not be fooled by all those people calling him Martial Uncle on the way here. Who knew how much they cursed him in their hearts?
"Come to think of it, I truly never expected I would have the chance to see the Immortal again."
The woman beside him continued trying to make conversation.
"Again?"
"Yes, I saw the Immortal once when I was young."
As though something had been triggered, the woman immediately began talking without pause.
"Of course, when I say young, I mean I was only one year old. I do not remember seeing the Immortal myself. My family told me about it."
Kaino listened silently.
"When I was little, our home was suddenly attacked by a demon beast. My parents said they had never seen anything so enormous and terrifying. The White Giant Beast destroyed the village as though it were nothing, and who knew how many people in the village died because of it. Even the army was helpless against it."
"In the end, it was the Immortal who came and dealt with the White Giant Beast. My parents said that if the Immortal had not come, our entire family would have died there."
"I originally wanted to go to Mount Tai Xu to learn martial arts or meet the Immortal once I grew up, but who would have thought that the Immortal would ascend so soon? Since I could not see her, I came to learn martial arts at the Tai Xu Sword Sect instead. I am very fortunate that the Immortal has now descended again."
"So you really, really want to see the Immortal?"
Kaino asked.
"Of course. She saved my life! And if the Immortal had not asked the soldiers to help, even after the White Giant Beast died, we would have had nowhere to go."
"Is that so? Then I am sorry."
After saying that, Kaino lightly brushed the back of the woman's neck before she could react. She immediately collapsed.
At the end of his line of sight, a plainly dressed woman with pale-gray hair, who looked very young, was slowly walking toward Sky Vault Peak step by step.
The woman's appearance was truly outstanding, but what stood out even more was her bearing. Though this was their first meeting, Kaino felt as though he were seeing an elder he had not met in a long time, and respect rose naturally within him.
As expected, you could recognize her at a glance...
Before you continue