April 10, 2017, Mount Taixu.
Kiana stood at the summit of Mount Taixu, guiding the Honkai energy of the entire mountain to gather around her. Meanwhile, Bronya had returned to the Hyperion ahead of time to prevent the two Herrscher cores from interfering with each other.
“The divine is the ultimate of change, speaking of all things in wonder, and cannot be defined by form.”
With a thought from Kiana, the vast Honkai energy shifted from a chaotic, formless shape into a giant sword a hundred meters long.
“Taixu Sword Qi, Divine Essence!”
The giant sword shot out and exploded in the distance. Though it appeared to cause no destruction on the surface, the Taixu Sword God, being a mental attack, could instantly shatter the mind of an S-rank Valkyrie—or even reduce them to a vegetative state.
“So this is the Divine Essence. To have the fortune of witnessing it… I suppose I’ve opened my eyes.”
Cheng Lixue, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, rose to her feet and expressed her gratitude to Kiana. Though she knew that with her own talent, she could never use this technique herself, even so, she had gained some insight from Kiana’s Taixu Sword God. She believed that as long as she had time to digest it, her strength would surely reach a new level.
“Master, Kiana, now that the Herrscher of Sentience incident has come to an end and I have finished observing the Taixu Sword God, I should return to Schicksal Headquarters and report to the Bishop.”
“Senior Cheng Lixue, if you go back just like this, Otto won’t…”
Cheng Lixue smiled and shook her head:
“Kiana, don’t worry. I’ve worked under him for over twenty years, after all. I can’t say I’ve seen through him completely, but I can still read between the lines.”
“I don’t know what scheme he’s cooking up, but I’m certain that in his eyes, I still have value to exploit, so he won’t do anything to me.”
“Besides, I am, after all, an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal. As long as Otto remains the Bishop of Schicksal, he is my superior.”
Seeing that Kiana’s concerns had been dispelled, Cheng Lixue turned and bowed to Fu Hua:
“Master, your disciple has been unfilial and cannot continue to stay by your side. But I believe we will surely meet again before long.”
“…Lixue, take care on your journey.”
Watching Cheng Lixue’s receding figure, Fu Hua’s heart was filled with emotion. At the same time, she silently resolved herself to a certain decision.
“Kiana, your grasp of the Taixu Sword Qi is still unrefined. After a few more days of practice, we will leave Mount Taixu.”
“Mm, I’ll listen to the Class Monitor.”
April 12, Schicksal Headquarters, Floating Island.
Compared to twenty days ago, the construction materials scattered everywhere and the multicolored gases that had been leaking out were now gone, and many of the damaged walls and floors had been repaired. But looking into the distance, it still bore the appearance of a place that had endured a great disaster.
Under Amber’s guidance, Cheng Lixue entered a tall building. From the looks of it, this seemed to be Otto’s temporary office.
“The Bishop is waiting for you on the balcony on the third floor.”
Amber left after saying this. Otto receiving S-rank Valkyries in all sorts of strange places was something Cheng Lixue had grown used to. Compared to some of the previous locations, the balcony of the headquarters building was already quite normal.
When she arrived, Cheng Lixue noticed that beside Otto stood a woman she had never seen before.
She was a refined-looking woman. The first impression she gave was someone elegant and poised yet never lacking in propriety—clearly well-educated.
Her traditional attire suited her very well, further bringing out her straightforward, free-spirited nature that nonetheless respected the rules. Seeing her dressed this way immediately reminded Cheng Lixue of Lin Chaoyu.
Of course, the most eye-catching thing about her was undoubtedly her impressive bust. Compared to her, Cheng Lixue seemed rather lacking.
“Rakshasa, is this the person you wanted me to wait here for?”
Before Cheng Lixue could even speak, the other woman’s gaze was already sizing her up.
“That’s right, Sushang. Though the two of you have never met, your fates are deeply intertwined. Let me introduce you to each other.”
“Cheng Lixue, this is the disciple of Chiyuan’s fifth disciple Cheng Lingshuang, and the daughter of the seventh disciple Qin Suyi—Li Sushang. She was gravely injured 520 years ago and could not be treated at the time, so I placed her into a state of hibernation.”
“Sushang, this is the eighth disciple Chiyuan took in over thirty years ago, and also an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal—Cheng Lixue.”
“Lixue, Sushang has only recently awakened and is still not accustomed to modern society. Your next task is to help Sushang get familiar with the modern world.”
After saying this, Otto left without so much as a backward glance.
“Over 500 years without seeing him, and the Rakshasa is still the same—leaving the moment he’s done talking…”
Li Sushang muttered discontentedly, then took a few steps toward Cheng Lixue and cupped her hands in a bow, lowering herself with great respect:
“This junior, Li Sushang, eldest disciple of the Wushang Zizai Sect, pays her respects to Senior Martial Aunt.”
Watching this martial niece—who was roughly 500 years older than her—bow to her, Cheng Lixue hesitated for a moment before accepting it.
After all, leaving aside the fact that Cheng Lixue’s mental age might not necessarily be younger than Li Sushang’s, in martial arts sects, it wasn’t uncommon for someone young in age to hold a high seniority in the hierarchy.
“…Sushang, in this era, there’s no need to cling to these formalities.”
Li Sushang scratched her head, somewhat surprised:
“Ah… is that so…? It seems I have a great many things to learn…”
Cheng Lixue smiled faintly:
“Sushang, there’s no need to be so nervous. In modern society, people are still divided into various classes based on wealth, status, ability, and other standards. But even common folk, when meeting high-ranking officials or even heads of state, don’t need to kneel in welcome—they stand and cheer and applaud instead. The distance between people has grown a bit closer than before.”
“Of course, by ancient Shenzhou standards, as long as almost no one starved to death for consecutive years, it was considered a golden age. So this era, where everyone can meet their most basic needs for food and warmth, is certainly a better life than people had in any golden age in history.”
“…So, where would you like to start learning about things, Sushang?”
Li Sushang blinked:
“Food is the first necessity of the people. Let’s start with places to eat… Though, we shouldn’t be in Shenzhou right now, should we?”
“Mm, our current location is above the Mediterranean… uh… the distance from here east to the Kipchak Steppe might be even farther than from the Kipchak Steppe east to Beijing.”
“I see… Then is the Rakshasa’s homeland somewhere near here?”
“Yeah. Schicksal has quite a few employees from Shenzhou, so the Schicksal cafeteria has chefs who can make Shenzhou cuisine. If you want to taste Shenzhou food, you don’t necessarily have to go all the way to Shenzhou…”
“Ah, that’s quite convenient then. I’ll have to trouble you to lead the way, Senior Martial Aunt.”
The two left the tall building, and Li Sushang was immediately captivated by all the high-tech wonders of Schicksal Headquarters, constantly looking around. Her attire also drew quite a few stares.
“Um… isn’t that Lady Cheng Lixue? Who’s that person next to her in traditional clothing?”
“Hey, that’s not traditional clothing. That’s Schicksal’s fourth-generation Valkyrie armor: Jade Knight · Moon Scar. It just looks like Shenzhou traditional dress.”
“Fourth-generation Valkyrie armor? Isn’t that the same as what Lady Rita and Lady Durandal wear…? Makes sense—anyone chatting and laughing with Lady Cheng Lixue must be someone important…”
Feeling everyone’s curious gazes, Li Sushang found it quite lively.
“Seems like you’re quite popular here, Senior Martial Aunt. I can tell—what surprises them most isn’t me, but the fact that I’m by your side.”
“…By the way, Sushang, when we’re in front of others, remember to call me by my name directly. Master’s identity still needs to be kept secret. In all of Schicksal, besides the Bishop, only the two of us currently know about Chiyuan.”
“Ah… okay, Senior… Lixue.”
After Li Sushang changed how she addressed her, Cheng Lixue let out a breath of relief. Though in terms of seniority, the way Li Sushang addressed her was perfectly correct, it was precisely because they were fellow disciples of the same lineage that Cheng Lixue could tell at a glance that Li Sushang’s mastery of the Taixu Sword Qi far exceeded her own.
And the way Li Sushang addressed her sounded to Cheng Lixue’s ears like someone far more skilled in an area she excelled in calling her “teacher.” Combined with her actual age, it made Cheng Lixue feel it sounded very strange indeed.
“Lixue, have we arrived?”
Cheng Lixue looked in the direction Li Sushang was pointing. Not far away stood a signboard:
“Authentic Shenzhou Cuisine—General Tso’s Chicken 20% off today…”
“Uh… not yet. This so-called ‘Authentic Shenzhou Cuisine’ is just a gimmick—it’s actually meant for non-Shenzhou people. At least for now, among all of Shenzhou’s many dishes, there is no such thing as ‘General Tso’s Chicken’…”
“Huh, but General Tso—that name sounds like it belongs to someone from Shenzhou.”
“You’re right. He was from the Qing Dynasty… a Shenzhou native from over a hundred years ago. He…”
The two chatted as they walked, until they entered the restaurant Cheng Lixue had recommended.
“To pay now, you just need to swipe a card or use electronic payment. You don’t need to carry any cash to eat.”
Cheng Lixue noticed Li Sushang’s gaze and knew what she was thinking, so she immediately explained.
“Electronic devices…?”
“Mm, that would take a while to explain from the beginning. Let’s eat first.”
“Then… I won’t hold back.”
Having not eaten in 520 years, Li Sushang saw the table full of sumptuous dishes and immediately tossed her questions aside, picking up her chopsticks and digging in with gusto.
“With a personality like Sushang’s, even if there’s a disconnect in her understanding, integrating into modern society won’t be very difficult. It’s just…”
“At a time like this, waking up the person in all of Schicksal second only to Durandal, and specifically assigning me to be responsible for her… Bishop, what exactly are you planning…?”
