Xianzhou Xuling.
The wind howled across the lofty mountain peak that pierced through the sea of clouds. There, standing with her back turned to him, was Marshal Fu Hua. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she gazed out over the endless abyss of the cliff. The moment Kanzaki arrived, she spoke without any preamble.
"Greetings, Marshal."
"What is your request?"
Her directness came as no surprise to Kanzaki. Marshal Fu Hua had never been one to waste words or engage in pointless pleasantries.
"I want to see the Primus Immortus."
A heavy silence fell between them for a brief moment.
Fu Hua's expression shifted subtly, though she still did not turn to face him. Her pupils flicked slightly to the side, betraying a flicker of surprise at his bold choice of words. He had said want, not the more polite would like.
"Tell me first... what does she mean to you?" Fu Hua asked, her voice carrying a weight that suggested the question was anything but casual.
Kanzaki did not reply right away. His mind drifted through the currents of memory, spanning across his previous life and this one. He possessed many prepared answers, carefully crafted responses that would satisfy most listeners. Yet in this moment, he sought something deeper... the most genuine emotions buried within the depths of his heart.
Having experienced two lifetimes, many of his experiences carried echoes of one another. When viewed through the lens of life's stages, both began with profound loss from a tender age.
In his life as a short-lived species, he had distanced himself from worldly clamor, living out his days untainted by the dust of the mortal realm. In a narrow sense, from the moment his hometown was destroyed, he had lost everything. He was left utterly alone in the world.
But in a broader sense, there had been others. There was a senior from the Genius Society who had served as both mentor and friend. There was also the young girl who had accompanied him through the final chapter of that life, ultimately giving him her heart.
He could only sigh at the cruel timing of fate. He had been born too early, and by the time she entered the world, he had already grown old.
In this life as a long-lived species, the pattern repeated itself. From the moment he first shouldered heavy responsibilities, he lost two close relatives within mere decades.
Kanzaki lifted his gaze toward Fu Hua's back and began to speak slowly, his voice carrying the most authentic resonance from the depths of his soul.
Since the second Abundance Plague War, he had become the sole anchor keeping his mother tethered to this world. He regarded her as the primary seal holding back the raging flames of hatred in his heart. For hundreds of years, they had supported each other through countless trials.
That was, until the year 6300 of the star calendar, when that seal had shattered completely.
He should have been left with nothing once more.
Yet, at the very last moment, his mother had used a single fragile thread to stitch that broken seal back together. Though the mending was imperfect and far from airtight, it had been enough... enough to create a new anchor for his existence.
Kanzaki, who had been born on the Xianzhou Cangcheng and who should have died spiritually in the year 6300, had thus continued to live for another dozen years or so.
That thread was Jingliu.
At first, his intention had been simple: to look after her until she reached adulthood, nothing more. But gradually, things had changed.
He had watched as Jingliu poured out endless sweat and effort, refusing to disappoint the sword arts he had taught her. He had seen her instinctively recoil before difficulties, only to grit her teeth and charge forward anyway. He had witnessed her transformation from a thin, frail girl who had lost everything into the proud Cloud Knight she was today, fully capable of standing on her own two feet.
All of this had happened despite his deliberately high expectations and challenging tests. She had remained unaware of just how remarkable her growth truly was.
In truth, she had done exceptionally well. To a long-lived species, a dozen years was little more than the blink of an eye. Yet Jingliu had advanced with the steadiest of steps, rising from a foundationless young lady of a wealthy family to become one of the most outstanding talents among the Cloud Knights, surpassing countless seniors along the way.
With a little more time, she would undoubtedly claim the top position in the Cloud Knight martial examinations and earn promotion to the rank of Valiant Guard.
On many quiet nights, as he watched his disciple's exhausted face while she slept, a long-forgotten warmth had begun to stir once more in his heart that had long since gone cold.
Even the uncontrollable madness that had plagued him grew gentler in her presence.
Without him realizing it, she had become both his concern and a vital anchor helping him preserve his remaining humanity.
Once, his disciple had declared her desire to slay every last one of the Abominations of Abundance and begged him to teach her the ways of slaughter. He had agreed without hesitation.
But now, his disciple lay upon her sickbed, unconscious and growing weaker with each passing day. The cause of her illness remained a mystery... This was not how things were meant to be.
"The day I gave Jingliu my word, I secretly made a promise to myself. Therefore, I will not fail her. I absolutely cannot fail her."
Hearing these words, a trace of emotion flickered across Fu Hua's eyes.
From Kanzaki's calm and steady gaze, she could detect no trace of any other feelings. Without any prior warning, Fu Hua suddenly stepped forward and firmly grasped his wrist. She held it for a full ten seconds before finally releasing it.
At that moment, complex emotions swirled within her eyes.
There were many questions she wished to voice, yet the words caught in her throat. The Xianzhou Cangcheng had fallen, and as Marshal of the Xianzhou, she had been powerless to prevent it. What right did she have to speak on such matters?
Was it merely because of her position?
Fu Hua felt the sense of powerlessness in her heart deepen even further. The higher one's position, the more one realized how many things lay beyond their control.
She had neither the standing nor the angle from which to criticize the candid Kanzaki before her.
Some truths did not need to be spoken in full to be understood.
"Is it worth it?"
In the end, those were the only four words Fu Hua could bring herself to say.
"Such is fate. I have no other choice, Marshal." Kanzaki's voice remained completely composed.
Fate...
Upon hearing that single word, Fu Hua instinctively held her breath and slowly closed her eyes.
The Tomomu Family owed nothing to anyone. They did not owe the Xianzhou, and they certainly did not owe her. Everything had begun because of the Xianzhou. The gears of fate were tightly intertwined.
The cause had been sown during the second Abundance Plague War, and the bitter fruit was harvested with the fall of the Xianzhou Cangcheng.
From that day onward, Kanzaki could never turn back.
He was never meant to walk this path of fate. Many descendants of the Tomomu Family had been similarly trapped by the heavy shackles of the past, leaving them with no alternative.
Instead... it was she who owed him.
A jade token flew toward Kanzaki through the air.
"Go to the Luofu, then." Fu Hua finally turned, her gaze directed toward the misty horizon in the distance.
"Thank you for your assistance, Marshal. This subordinate takes his leave." Kanzaki caught the jade token, secured it safely, and turned to depart.
"I hope that one day in the future, you will be able to pass away in peace."
"I will leave a sharp blade for that day."
Kanzaki understood the deeper meaning behind Marshal Fu Hua's words, yet he did not pause his steps even for a moment.
===
From the instant he had told Sha Feng of his desire to meet with Fu Hua, he had already steeled himself to confess everything.
Teng had never imagined that his reunion with Kanzaki would involve personally escorting him to the deepest reaches of the Shackling Prison.
He had even less expected that the person Kanzaki wished to see was one of the absolute taboos of the entire Xianzhou Alliance.
The Primus Immortus... the very first individual in recorded Xianzhou history to attain longevity.
The records of his crimes were vague at best, noting only the refinement of the Elixir of Immortality. The cell that held him was constructed entirely from Celestial Gold. The walls had to be no less than seven inches thick, and sedative gas had to be continuously pumped inside.
Under normal circumstances, no one was permitted to wake him, much less enter the cell to speak with him. Should any signs of awakening appear, the Marshal had to be notified immediately.
Yet now, while the Luofu's Vidyadhara High Elder was undergoing the process of hatching rebirth, Kanzaki had arrived at the Xianzhou Luofu bearing the Marshal's personal instructions to meet with the Primus Immortus.
It was truly an intriguing situation.
"Kanzaki, what exactly is going on? Is there any information you can share with me?" Teng could not help but ask as they proceeded.
Kanzaki was not one for idle chatter, nor did he intend to disclose anything regarding Jingliu's condition.
"You know that anything involving the Primus Immortus is strictly confidential."
"I'm not surprised by that. What truly surprises me is why the Marshal would send you, someone stationed on the Xianzhou, rather than one of the Generals from the Xuling."
"..." Kanzaki maintained his silence.
"In recent years, I've only heard about your accomplishments in slaying Abominations of Abundance, but I don't know much about how you've been faring otherwise. And what of that little disciple you took in? After that unexpected battle, I assume she has already returned to the front lines..."
"You're as talkative as ever, Teng Xiao."
"Am I? You're not even willing to address me as General anymore."
"Just lead the way, General."
"...It seems I would actually prefer you call me Teng. At least that sounds a bit more human."
---
Bonus chapters
200 - Stones
400 - Stones
600 - Stones
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