301. The Cause of Our Bond
Kongming still couldn't get anything out of Yun Ling, and Yun Ling couldn't get anything else out of Kongming either.
Lin Chaoyu's mission this time has been going on for quite a while, and it's unclear when she'll be back.
Hmm...it feels like a cliché plot. Surely they wouldn't put Lin Chaoyu into some kind of predicament just to cover up this secret?
Thinking of this, Yun Ling sent Lin Chaoyu a message.
Yun Ling: "Chaoyu, haven't you finished your mission yet?"
If she doesn't reply for a long time, then that's a sure sign of trouble! So by then, he will go straight for the situation.
Lin Chaoyu quickly replied, seemingly without a problem.
Lin Chaoyu: "Almost finished, is there something wrong?"
Yun Ling: "Nothing, just missing you a little (doge)."
Lin Chaoyu: "...I don't believe you, you must have something to tell me."
Yun Ling: "Okay, as expected, nothing can be hidden from you. Although missing you is true, there is indeed something."
Lin Chaoyu blushed, her slender fingers tapping softly on the screen as she sent a knife-wielding emoji.
Yun Ling: "A white-haired loli came to St. Freya Academy to claim a relative, specifically asking for you. Do you remember her?"
Lin Chaoyu paused, trying to recall. She didn't seem to have any white-haired loli relatives.
Lin Chaoyu: "Could you send me a picture? I'll try to identify her."
Yun Ling: "Uh, I forgot to take a picture. She went back to the girls' dormitory. But I can draw her. Give me two minutes."
In those two minutes, Lin Chaoyu tried to recall again if she had such relative, but still couldn't recall anything.
Soon, Yun Ling sent her drawing.
Lin Chaoyu's lips twitched slightly, her face showing utter speechlessness. She suspected Yun Ling was joking.
Lin Chaoyu: "I'll send this picture to the headmistress. Just wait until she crushes you with Judah, then I'll collect your corpse (angry)."
Although Yun Ling's drawing was abstract, it was still recognizable as Theresa.
Yun Ling: "That's right, she looks exactly like Headmistress Theresa."
Yun Ling retracted a message.
Yun Ling: "That's right, she looks exactly like Headmistress Theresa."
Lin Chaoyu: "I saw it... But if she looks exactly like Headmistress Theresa, then I don't remember her... I've been with Master Fu Hua since I was very young, maybe she's a relative from Shenzhou?"
Lin Chaoyu: "Did you ask her why she came to see me?"
Yun Ling: "I asked, she said we'll talk when she sees you, and she has to go to Shenzhou then."
Lin Chaoyu: "I see... I'll go back as soon as possible. This mission is a bit troublesome. It's not difficult, but it will take quite a while."
Yun Ling: "OK, be careful."
Lin Chaoyu: "Okay."
After closing his phone, Yun Ling headed to the training ground.
Although he's already very strong, he still needs to keep his body active.
Mei's sword heart has stabilized at 'Still Water,' while Kiana has begun progressing towards 'Clear Mirror.'
It must be said that Kiana's talent is truly exceptional, and Mei isn't bad either.
Perhaps because the Herrscher core has modified both of their bodies, their affinity for Honkai energy is unusually high, resulting in very rapid progress.
After all, the essence of the Sword Heart Technique is to transform oneself into a conduit for Honkai energy, converting the power of heaven and earth into one's own body.
Although Mei's sword heart realm is lagging behind, she recently grasped the essence of soul energy, allowing her to wield a sword even without one, making her capable of injuring her opponent with mere flowers and leaves. In terms of actual combat strength, Mei might be slightly stronger than Kiana.
Kiana, on the other hand, hasn't even finished learning all her sword techniques, and the attainment of soul energy is still a distant dream. She can only rely on her considerable sword heart realm to condense Honkai energy into sword qi and unleash it, potentially becoming a strong, all-powerful swordswoman in the future.
However, Mei's path is starting to slow down. Currently, only Lin Chaoyu and Fu Hua can provide her support and assistance; Yun Ling can't actually help her much.
In the 'Void Unity True Technique', sword dao realm comes first, while techniques are secondary, and even then, only fragments related to techniques can be gleaned from a few words.
Once Mei reaches a certain realm, she'll have to rely on her own comprehension.
Kiana, however, has a smooth path, being on the same wavelength as Yun Ling, and learning from him will always benefit her.
If this continued, he might even earn a reputation for being "favoritistic," which would be extremely detrimental to his dream to build a harem.
Therefore, Yun Ling mostly sparred with Mei, letting her figure out her own fighting style, while providing Kiana with training guidance—two different teaching methods.
Lin Chaoyu and Fu Hua would sometimes be present, also able to assist them.
Not long after the training began, Kongming brought Luna Kindred to observe.
Kongming gently waved her fan, carefully observing Yun Ling's every move.
She didn't miss even his most subtle gestures.
Because Kongming knew that some things were etched into one's bones, never to be forgotten.
She tried to determine through these details whether Yun Ling and her father were the same person.
She never believed Yun Ling's lies, stubbornly believing that Yun Ling was the reincarnation of the Sword God, even possessing the Sword God's memories.
This life is different from the previous one, because in this life, Yun Ling has already connected all the causes and effects.
Fu Hua, Cheng Lingshuang, Li Sushang, Lin Chaoyu, Rita, and herself.
This is definitely not a coincidence!
Therefore, Kongming is over 70% certain that Yun Ling in this life will definitely awaken the memories of the Sword God.
Luna Kindred is different; her gaze is also fixed on Yun Ling, but it's the kind of gaze that's like a lovesick fool.
His sword-wielding movements are so cool, his sweat-wiping movements are so cool, and his serious expression is super cool!
That overflowing love seems to be spilling out; even the background seems to turn pink, making Kongming's lips twitch.
Thinking about it carefully, even in the previous life, Luna Kindred and Yun Ling didn't have much interaction.
At most, Yun Ling fed her some blood, gave her a name, and didn't abandon her in a desperate situation.
Can this kind of standard gentleness really make someone so devoted in just a few days? Others might scoff, but Luna Kindred was different.
Before, Luna Kindred's world was just a laboratory, where she was forever surrounded by cold instruments and gleaming syringes.
She was merely an experimental subject, judged by the lab staff based on whether she was "Kallen," and nothing more.
In her time with Yun Ling, though only a few days, Yun Ling treated her as "a person."
In Yun Ling's eyes, she wasn't a substitute for anyone; she was a real, completely independent individual.
She was no longer A-017, but a true being named "Luna Kindred."
This was the happiness Luna Kindred had never experienced before.
And that name on that night was proof of their connection.
Her world didn't need the outside world's glamour; simply having someone acknowledge her was enough.
...