Kaslana's Way of Survival

Cheng Lingshuang spoke to explain:

"The sword in her hand is Su Yi's Xuanyuan."

"I see. No wonder Su Yi chose to take her own life."

Fu Hua nodded in agreement.

Kaino glanced at Li Sushang beside him, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and nodded thoughtfully as well.

What wouldn't a mother do for her child? In fact, barring any accidents, Qin Su Yi's suicide should have essentially protected Li Sushang completely.

After all, if Ma Fei Ma hadn't suddenly sought out Cheng Lingshuang, the two of them—having lived in seclusion in remote Mobei for over a decade—would never have learned of the immortal's revival or the destruction of Yi Xin Villa.

Likewise, cut off from the outside world as they were, it would have been difficult for the immortal to find them, allowing them to live in peace.

Of course, as things stood now, although the immortal was filled with grief and anger, she showed no intention of killing for revenge. Qin Su Yi's suicide had instead led Li Sushang to walk right up to the immortal—truly, fate was unpredictable.

But even if it was an extreme act driven by emotion, no one could fault her determination to protect her child.

Kaino also dismissed the possibility that the immortal was lying. Fu Hua's demeanor gave off the honest impression of someone who wouldn't deceive, and compared to lying and then meeting the other disciples together with the group, it would be more in line with a avenger's interests to simply attack them here.

But if what the immortal said was true, how did Yi Xin Villa catch fire? Did a servant panic and start a blaze after seeing Qin Su Yi's corpse?

And if he remembered correctly, Ma Fei Ma said he was sent by that Su Mei to find Cheng Lingshuang; otherwise, he wouldn't have known her location... Wasn't this Su Mei's presence a bit too prominent?

Leaving aside Kaino's doubts, Fu Hua turned to Li Sushang with a hint of apology.

"Regarding Su Yi's matter, I am deeply sorry. Although I did not strike the blow, her death is ultimately tied to me."

Li Sushang kept her head down and said nothing, but her grip on the Xuanyuan Sword had loosened. It seemed she had abandoned the idea of killing the immortal, but having just learned the truth of her mother's death, she might need a moment to recover.

"But though I apologize, I still need to reclaim the Xuanyuan Sword."

"What? No, this is my mother's only keepsake!"

Li Sushang immediately lifted her head, eyes wide as she stared at Fu Hua, her chest heaving violently—clearly in great emotional turmoil.

Well, it looked like she didn't need that moment to recover after all... But how was Fu Hua going to handle this?

Kaino's expression twisted in conflict.

Should he forge another Xuanyuan for her? Would he get caught and turned into a Xuanyuan Sword manufacturing machine?

"Very well, then."

Contrary to Kaino's expectations, Fu Hua merely nodded and didn't press further.

"The Xuanyuan Sword was originally prepared to enhance the combat strength of warriors fighting against the Honkai. If you are willing to abide by the Tai Xu Sect's rule of 'Kill on Demonization' in the future, then it is acceptable for you to continue possessing it."

Hey hey, aren't you being a bit too easygoing, immortal?

Kaino stared at Fu Hua in disbelief.

She showed no murderous intent toward the one who had once killed her, and she was willing to let them keep the Xuanyuan they had taken... What kind of immortal were you?

Oh, right, she was already an immortal. Never mind, then.

"Uh, Fu Hua, is it alright if I ask you a few things?"

Leaving aside Li Sushang, who was equally incredulous, Kaino spoke to Fu Hua.

"Call her Grandmaster."

Cheng Lingshuang interjected from the side.

"It's fine."

Fu Hua shook her head and looked at Kaino.

"Go ahead. As long as it's something I know and speaking of it won't harm humanity, I will tell you."

Asking about some personal little secrets was fine too?

Biting back the urge to voice his complaints, Kaino's expression turned serious as he spoke:

"It's like this: I'm not actually from this place."

Fu Hua furrowed her brow. "Your Raiken features are hardly a decoration—I could tell that much. Besides, you've said yourself that you're from the Kaslana family, and aside from that battle when Schicksal attacked Shenzhou, they've never set foot here."

"Ah, no, that's not what I mean."

Kaino scratched his head, trying to figure out how to explain.

"What I'm saying is, the place I come from is the twenty-first century, about five hundred years from now. And the Honkai hasn't just started—two major eruptions have already occurred, and the Herrscher of the Void has already been killed."

"But I ended up here suddenly, for no reason, and I don't know how to get back... Fu Hua, do you know anything about this?"

The three present each showed different expressions.

Li Sushang looked pained, then whispered to Cheng Lingshuang, "Master, could a deviation in the Sword Heart Sutra damage the brain?"

She didn't understand terms like twenty-first century, major Honkai eruptions, or Herrschers, but she did catch the "five hundred years from now."

Cheng Lingshuang's face showed suspicion, and she shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

Seeing their reactions, Kaino couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, feeling quite helpless.

There was no helping it—his situation was indeed outrageous. If not for the strange ability granted by the Stigmata on his body, even his friends from the Orphanage might not have believed him.

What surprised Uncle Kaino a little was that Fu Hua's face was full of gravity and seriousness.

"You mean to say, you came from another world?" Fu Hua asked, her tone stern.

Kaino blinked. This matched the Priest's judgment. "Probably? I don't know. I was being chased by someone, and then I closed my eyes, opened them, and ended up here."

Fu Hua's brow furrowed even deeper.

After a long moment, Fu Hua shook her head. "Crossing time is certainly impossible. But crossing worlds—there's no reason you could have safely crossed the Quantum Sea while unconscious. And outside our world, there's still..."

"My memory is heavily damaged from the attack. Yue Yi... once we understand this matter, you and I will go to Mount Tai Xu together. There are many records there we can consult; perhaps we can solve your problem." "If that doesn't work, I'll contact a few of my comrades. They should be able to resolve your doubts."

Kaino's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement. "Good!"

Chapter 33: No Peace Remains

"Uncle Cheng, the Sect Leader invites you to Cloud Sweeping Temple."

Just as Kaino and the others had reached a consensus, a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by a young male voice from outside.

Cheng Lingshuang frowned slightly. She glanced at Fu Hua before speaking: "A meeting this early in the morning? Did my senior sister explain the reason?"

Hearing Cheng Lingshuang's voice, the male voice turned noticeably angry. "The senior sister guarding the main gate of Tai Xu Sword Sect was knocked unconscious by some unknown scoundrel. The one who injured her is now missing. Senior Sister hasn't woken up yet. We're searching for the culprit. The Sect Leader ordered me to summon you to discuss the matter together."

The three people in the room all looked at Kaino. Kaino covered his face, a little embarrassed. They'd been too absorbed in conversation—he'd forgotten about the gatekeeper.

"Also, the Sect Leader said to bring Uncle Li and Uncle Kaino along when you come."

"Hmph. She sure knows how to order people around. I understand. You may go first." Cheng Lingshuang snorted and replied.

As footsteps faded into the distance, Li Sushang patted Kaino on the shoulder and asked curiously, "Hey, Raiken, why did you knock her out?"

Kaino rolled his eyes at that. "What else was I supposed to do? If she'd seen Fu Hua, we'd definitely have been tied up and unable to leave. Forget bringing Fu Hua here and talking this long—it'd be a miracle if we weren't driven crazy by those fanboys and fangirls of Fu Hua."

In the eyes of the outside world, the Red Sparrow Immortal had ascended and not shown herself for nearly twenty years. If she appeared now, there was no telling how irrational those fans might become. Moreover, who knew how many people in Tai Xu Sword Sect had joined just for the title of the Immortal's first disciple? Just like that female disciple at the gate. These people were practically rabid fans. The kind who'd been fanatical for twenty years and were finally seeing their idol in person for the first time.

Li Sushang didn't quite understand this kind of thing, but Fu Hua nodded in empathy. Back when she'd been slaying demons, she'd often been surrounded and worshipped—she'd even seen statues of herself. But those enthusiastic people meant no harm, so she couldn't resort to force.

"Let's stop the idle chatter here. Let's go see Chao Yu and the others first."

Fu Hua, the eldest in both age and seniority, stood up first and addressed everyone: "I'll try to have a proper talk with them. But if they strike first, just like back then, I won't hold back."

"If Senior Sister and the others truly attack first, I'll stop them alongside you, Master." Cheng Lingshuang stated her position.

"That would be for the best." Fu Hua nodded, rose, and reached for the door. But then she paused, turning her head to look at Kaino. "Please conceal our forms for us. Going out looking like this will inevitably cause some trouble."

Kaino nodded, using the Herrscher of Wind's authority to keep the four of them invisible.

Tai Xu Sword Sect was large, but the disciples all knew each other. If Fu Hua walked out directly, she'd be recognized instantly. Then either they'd realize this was the Immortal herself and go into a frenzy of fan worship, or they'd mistake Fu Hua for an intruder sneaking into the sect and try to capture her. Either way, it would be trouble for them.

Under the invisibility, the disciples of Tai Xu Sword Sect saw nothing of the group. In no time, the four arrived unhindered at the peak of Sky Vault Peak.

"My informant's latest news was that Master was already close to Tai Xu Sword Sect, but then the trail went cold. So the one who knocked out your disciple and infiltrated the sect is probably Master."

Just as they reached the summit, Su Mei's voice came from inside the building.

What a familiar scene...

"I'm here." Cheng Lingshuang frowned slightly, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.

Among the seven disciples, only Cheng Lingshuang and Qin Su Yi were absent; Kaino and the others had arrived last.

Hearing the sound, Lin Chaoyu turned her head and frowned, saying:

"Lingshuang, why are you only here now? Master, she..."

Mid-sentence, Lin Chaoyu's voice abruptly cut off, and the entire room fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the figure following behind Lin Chaoyu.

Fu Hua followed Cheng Lingshuang, her gaze sweeping over the room with a hint of complexity. Her eyes lingered briefly on the markings on Jiang Wanru's face and on Su Mei, before finally fixing on Lin Chaoyu.

"Chaoyu..."

Fu Hua spoke, her tone melancholy.

If she had to say which of her seven disciples' betrayal hurt her the most, it would undoubtedly be Lin Chaoyu.

Unlike the others, Lin Chaoyu had been by her side almost constantly, accompanying her to vanquish demons. Even after the founding of the Tai Xu Sword Sect, it was often Lin Chaoyu who went out with her. The remaining disciples combined likely hadn't spent as much time with Fu Hua as Lin Chaoyu had.

Yet Lin Chaoyu had still betrayed her.

Fu Hua's voice jolted the stunned Lin Chaoyu awake. She first showed excitement, then fear, her emotions as vivid as a young girl's.

But the next moment, the Xuanyuan sword in her hand was instantly drawn. After a brief hesitation, she pointed it unwaveringly at Fu Hua. The emotions erupting from her faded completely, and she once again became the majestic Sect Leader of the Tai Xu Sword Sect.

"Lingshuang, did you bring Master here?"

Her eyes, still trembling slightly, glanced at Cheng Lingshuang as Lin Chaoyu spoke coldly.

"Chaoyu, why did you betray me back then?"

Before Cheng Lingshuang could respond, Fu Hua spoke first:

"I more or less know the reasons the others betrayed me, but why did you betray me? Tell me."

Turning back to face Fu Hua, Lin Chaoyu took a deep breath to steady herself, then slowly said:

"Master, there's nothing more to say. I don't regret what happened back then. That's enough."