Collapse, the Kaslana Way of Survival Chapter 9

Ah, I lost—

Not only did I lose, I'm going to die too.

When it comes to resolve, I can't kill without mercy; when it comes to strength, I can't even repay the slap. Relying on sheer luck... how pathetic.

Sorry, Master.

Sorry, Mother.

I—

"Live on..."

Suddenly, a voice arose from somewhere within the Heart Lake, rippling faintly across its surface.

A woman's voice.

Li Sushang heard it, and her heart fell silent.

"...for my sake."

Is this... Mother?

"You must live on, Sushang. You must live well... promise me."

Ah, but Mother, Sushang is about to die. Even if I want to live...

"Promise me!"

The next moment, the once-untroubled Heart Lake transformed into a clear mirror.

The third realm of Tai Xu Heart Cultivation—the Mirror Realm.

Li Sushang's eyes snapped open.

"Live on..."

Li Sushang murmured to herself, then her gaze hardened. The True Qi that had been unable to circulate due to the Qi-Suppressing Powder suddenly surged into her body from the outside, flowing through her limbs and bones.

Almost by instinct, Li Sushang lightly stepped and pivoted on the ground. The inertia of her retreat abruptly converted into forward momentum. Drawing her sword? A fleeting inspiration struck—Li Sushang charged at Old Eagle with a speed she herself couldn't have imagined.

The ancient sword Xuanyuan was not short. If she attacked Old Eagle directly, Li Sushang would surely die first.

So Li Sushang's target was never Old Eagle, but the ancient sword Xuanyuan in his hand.

In the instant they crossed paths, Li Sushang reached out, intercepting the blade with her hand. Then, she flicked her finger.

With a sharp ring of finger against sword, the ancient sword Xuanyuan flew from Old Eagle's grip, arcing into the sky.

Old Eagle was furious. The hand that had held the sword turned into a palm, slamming heavily into Li Sushang. He then landed and sprinted toward Xuanyuan.

Li Sushang was sent flying by the palm strike, spitting blood, but it didn't hinder her movements in the slightest.

She sprang up from the ground, channeling True Qi, and lunged toward Xuanyuan as well.

Li Sushang, inheritor of the Tai Xu Sword Qi, and Old Eagle, leader of the Golden Sands Gang, now shared a single understanding.

The ancient sword Xuanyuan—whoever claimed it lived; whoever lost it died.

Li Sushang and Old Eagle drew closer and closer to the ancient sword Xuanyuan.

Li Sushang's eyes saw nothing else—only that ancient sword Xuanyuan.

You'll help me, right?

After all, you're my sword...

With that hope, the light in Li Sushang's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Then...

She watched as a hand gripped the sword hilt.

Li Sushang froze, staring at the hand's owner.

That familiar, cruel, and savage grin appeared once more on Old Eagle's face.

Despair flooded Li Sushang's heart.

The feeling of hope regained and then lost was unbearable. Even the Mirror Sword Heart could not ignore it. After struggling, to face death again—no one would accept it.

...Yes, unacceptable.

...Live on.

Yes, I must live on.

Sushang, live on!

I must kill him, and then live!

Staring fixedly at Old Eagle, Li Sushang immediately activated the Tai Xu Sword Qi. She extended her right hand, using it as a sword, and swung with all her might at Old Eagle.

If she could kill him first, then the unheld ancient sword Xuanyuan couldn't kill her directly. And she would gain a sliver of a chance to survive.

Whether that sliver could turn into true survival, Li Sushang didn't know. But she had given everything.

Life and death hung on a single instant!

But the next moment, Li Sushang's eyes flew wide open.

――――

So, truly a fool after all.

But the Tai Xu Sword Qi... truly absurd.

Kaino finished his second bowl of noodles while watching the two spar, then set down the bowl and clapped his hands.

The duel wasn't much to look at in terms of flair, but the twists and turns made for excellent meal entertainment.

...Or maybe not that excellent. Several times Kaino paused mid-bite, ready to intervene, only for Li Sushang to defuse the danger on her own.

When Li Sushang broke through on the spot, channeled Tai Xu Sword Qi, charged at the Xuanyuan Sword, and sent it flying, Kaino watched from the side and thought she was about to win.

Though he'd planned to offer timely aid, Kaino wasn't about to trip Li Sushang up deliberately. If he did that, even if he eventually made it home, he'd have no face to meet his family.

After all, Li Sushang had treated him decently, and the two shared a bond forged in a shared jail cell—timely aid was still help, just not going all out. But pulling tricks? If anyone found out, he'd be too ashamed to call himself a Kaslana.

Yet in the end, it was that Old Eagle who got the sword.

Ah, the blade truly shows no mercy.

Thinking this, Kaino stretched his right hand toward the two, and a gold-and-crimson pistol materialized in his grip.

Then, Kaino pulled the trigger.

A flash of fiery red light streaked past, striking Old Eagle's sword-arm directly before hitting the ground.

Old Eagle's severed arm and hand were cauterized before they could even bleed, and before the pain could register, Li Sushang's palm strike slammed hard into his face.

Then Old Eagle, Li Sushang, and the Xuanyuan Sword all hit the ground together.

Old Eagle was now breathing out more than in. Heavenly Fire's strike on his arm wasn't fatal—especially since Kaino had limited its output—but Li Sushang's blow, laced with True Qi, was a genuine killing stroke.

Li Sushang wasn't much better off. The Xuanyuan Sword was indeed an incredibly sharp blade; even a casual graze from its momentum had carved a massive gash into her body. It wouldn't kill her immediately, but in this era, no ordinary healer could mend it.

Li Sushang lay limp on the ground, wincing from the pain, but then let out a snort of laughter.

She remembered—she still had an ally.

"So, if it weren't for me, you'd have been done for today. Think about giving me some reward later."

Kaino jumped down from the rooftop and casually sent a Wind Blade to finish off Old Eagle, whose gaze was already glazing over but still glared at him with unwillingness.

"Hehe... it was you who helped me?"

Li Sushang slowly turned her head to look at Kaino, grinning.

"Still talking? Doesn't it hurt?"

Kaino sighed, walked over to Li Sushang, crouched down, and reached out to place his hand on her head.

"Huh? Raiken? What are you doing?"

Li Sushang shivered and stared at Kaino with tension.

"I told you not to talk. And I remember saying my name is Kaino."

The Herrscher of Death's Life Force flowed from Kaino's hand, and the wound on Li Sushang's body began to heal at a completely unscientific speed.

This time, Li Sushang listened. She didn't pepper him with questions about the bizarre recovery rate but instead shut her mouth and quietly studied Kaino.

An indescribable emotion tangled around Li Sushang's heart, and her thoughts began to drift far away.

"I just made several bowls of noodles. Do you want to—"

Kaino cut himself off mid-sentence, seeing Li Sushang staring blankly at him. He quickly turned his head away, face reddening, and cleared his throat softly.

"Uh, well, do you have a spare set of clothes?"

Hearing Kaino's voice, Li Sushang snapped out of her daze and instinctively looked down at herself.

"Huh?!"

Chapter 15: Departure

Inside the Golden Sands Gang's kitchen, Li Sushang sat with a rosy complexion, wolfing down the noodles on the table. Her clothes had been changed to a new set, identical to the old one.

Kaino had constructed them.

"There's more in the pot. No need to eat so fast." Kaino, sitting across from Li Sushang, glanced at the three empty bowls beside her and silently swallowed.

Aside from the Kaslanas, this was the first time he'd seen a woman eat so much.

Though, aside from the Kaslanas, he hadn't seen many women eat at all.

"Mmmph mmm mmmph!"

A strange sound came from Li Sushang's mouth, and she quickly set down her bowl, thumping her chest a few times.

"Phew! No need, no need, I'm full."

Her face still a bit flushed, Li Sushang's eyes darted around, avoiding Kaino's gaze.

"Ahem, well, your cooking's not great—way worse than my master's."

"If possible, I'd rather you compare it to yourself. And as for saying it's bad..."

Here, Kaino raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger at the bowls beside her.

"Didn't you still eat that much?"

"I can't cook, and I've been hungry for almost a day."

Li Sushang scratched her cheek with her finger, letting out an awkward laugh.

"But speaking of which, what was that technique you used to heal me? It was like some kind of immortal art—ah, if it's a sect secret, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"It's not really a secret, just a bit long to explain." Kaino thought for a moment, then pointed at the door. "If you want to know, I can explain later, but shouldn't we be leaving now?"

"I don't know if the Golden Sands Gang has a shift change for the night watch. But if they do, and the replacement comes and finds those corpses, it might cause some trouble."

"Oh, oh, alright."

Li Sushang nodded, then suddenly looked at Kaino and spoke with a hint of hesitation.

"Um, thanks."

"Hm?"

"I mean, you helped me earlier, or I'd be dead by now." Li Sushang shook her head as she said this. "But hey, let me tell you, don't ever do that again."

"In Shenzhou, when two people are sparring, no one else is allowed to interfere. Otherwise, people will call you a demonic heretic who doesn't follow the martial code, and they'll gang up on you."

Kaino felt a bit helpless. He wanted to reason with her properly, but just as he was about to speak, he changed his mind.

So Kaino raised an eyebrow, a hint of a mischievous smile on his face as he spoke:

"And what about you?"

"Huh?"

Li Sushang was taken aback.

"I mean, do you think I'm a demonic heretic? Or someone who doesn't follow the martial code?"

"Uh, well."

Li Sushang clearly hadn't expected Kaino to ask that, and for a moment, she was stunned.