Cultivating in Honkai!

Chapter 440: Chapter 439: Tuna and Pufferfish

Early in the morning, Kiana didn’t have the leisure to fix her own hair. All that mattered to her back then was to wake up, wash her face, and get ready for breakfast. She didn’t have any concerns about her looks whatsoever... not like she needed to think of it. The Kaslana gene is a certified killer when it comes to appearances. Who amongst the Kaslana lineage didn’t have jaw-dropping looks?

Doing her braids was something that naturally came to me. An obligation, per se. Not seeing the Tuna’s double-braids felt like something was missing.

"Hm... How is it?"

"It’s almost done."

The earlier version of ’Zither Fairy Get-up Manual’ entailed using spiritual qi and mental power as fine brushes, preventing split ends and the likes. Then comes the special hair coating to repulse dirt and prevent oil from appearing.

Naturally, it is outdated. The ’Zither Fairy Get-up Manual’ contained techniques for Dao Integration Realm Venerables. Aside from the typical application, it calls forth the Dao of Beauty and Charm. Using All Creation to simulate these two ’basic’ Daos isn’t a hassle at all.

It works better if there was a dedicated artifact for it, which is what I am holding right now. Aside from the hairbrush I am currently using, there are two combs of varying gaps. All Creation remained active throughout the process, allowing me to gauge my current accomplishments with it.

The special space built by my future projection taught me another use of All Creation—of the two Venerated Daos. My comprehension of All Creation had long been sufficient to break through to the Dao Integration Realm.

Inadvertently, I recalled what I experienced to reach the eighth-level Tao Heart. The Sea of Suffering consisted of raw, dark emotions. The darkness faced by my future projection is poured onto it. We could only surpass it or drown on it.

"What’s wrong?"

I didn’t know when I stopped braiding her hair. Kiana noticed it and called me out.

"The Sea of Suffering..."

"..."

She fell silent for a moment.

"Don’t blame yourself for it. He’s not you." She slowly said. "The things he experienced... it hasn’t come to pass yet, and it never will."

Kiana saw through everything.

I hated that version of myself for making everyone suffer. Practically, it is the right thing to do. We never faced any danger after battling Kevin on the Moon. Our Tao Hearts are stuck, We found ourselves unable to reaffirm our will because we are lacking external stimuli or a strong accumulation.

The latter requires a long period of meditation. It could last for centuries, millenia, or eons. Nobody knows. It is the safest way to reach the next level. The former, on the other hand, requires extreme external stimuli. Life and death battles, cutting off one’s emotion... Anything that triggers one’s mind and heart to the point their will gets shaken belong to the second option.

My future projection simply gave others a shortcut in exchange for making them suffer. It is reasonable... but not for me. I won’t be able to raise my hand to them. I simply can’t. The fact my future projection could do so tells a lot about how fucked up his situation was. It was enough to change me entirely.

Before I knew it, I finished both of Kiana’s braids. The moment it was done, she turned around and swiftly pounced on me. Her double braids swayed as I found myself lying beneath her. Kiana’s star-like irises let out a possessive glint.

"You won’t be like him... because you have me now."

Her emotions weighed heavily. I couldn’t describe it perfectly. Love, protectiveness, possessiveness... everything crashed against me like a tide.

I fell silent.

I overlooked Kiana’s state. I thought she was fine, more so with her Tao Heart having reached the eighth-level.

She’s not.

Kiana needs reassurance. To that, she will do everything there is to prevent that future from happening.

Even if she has to take extreme measures.

She dug her nose on my neck, burying her face on it. Both her hands gripped the fabric above my chest. Her hair’s fragrance wafted on my nose, smelling as heavenly as ever. The pair of large rabbits pressed against my chest. Their softness became extremely prominent, overriding most of my mind’s senses.

"I will come with you... even unto death."

...

...

...

"Alright."

That was the only word I could muster. Warmth flooded my chest... along with worries. I am selfish, that I could acknowledge. I don’t want to see anyone being placed in danger because of me. Still, I couldn’t help but be happy that someone is willing to go through such lengths.

Kiana didn’t wait for me to resolve my mixed emotions. She raised her head up high and sealed my lips with hers. Faint sweetness flooded my tongue, followed forth by her tongue’s entanglement with mine. Her hands crept up to the back of my neck, interlocking with each other.

Her tenderness...

I accepted it all.

*****

Twin souls.

It is a rare condition where two identical souls form a tight bond. Classified as a special immortal physique, they could pass onto thoughts, emotions, memories, insights, and cultivation progress to one another. They are akin to two people acting as one.

The case of Herrschers fitted its characteristics extremely well. Every single Herrscher Ego, once split off and given a new body, becomes a perfect match to the other. An auxiliary technique was all it takes to mimic that special immortal physique.

Now, Sirin was put in a dilemma.

"She..."

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Since yesterday, almost everyone has been troubled by the Sea of Suffering’s aftermath. The torrent of dark emotions made them recall and realize all sorts of things. What everyone unanimously thought, however, was that Kiana got it all sorted for herself. She is the strongest out of everyone—both physically and mentally.

Sirin acknowledged her as another version of herself, someone who didn’t succumb to hatred but learned how to protect everything she loved. The thoughts Sirin intercepted, however, begged to differ.

Kiana suffered too.

That kind of despair was enough to turn everyone weak and helpless. Though she found her answer later on, she wasn’t completely unaffected. Everything Kiana experienced was felt by Sirin.

She knows the most how difficult it was to stand after falling down. It was exhausting too... and Kiana lacked that kind of rest. She took care of Shi Tian for four hundred years. That was exhausting too. If not for her insane tenacity, she would have broken down already.

Hence, when Sirin felt her frustrations on the verge of spilling out, she left her alone with him. Only Shi Tian could take care of it. Only he should take care of it.

"Next time... Hmn..!"

An electrifying sensation traveled throughout her body. The mattress she was laying down on got stained with her liquids. Her toes curled down as her right hand began reaching out to her moist entrance.

Kiana forgot to turn off their sensory sharing... and Sirin chose not to turn it off.

After all...

She wants it too.

*****

A/N: Lemons in the next Chapter.