Honkai Star Rail: My Death Feeds Their Madness — Chapter 87

Chapter 87: You Make Dinner First, Master and Qinghan Have Important Matters to Attend To

In the quiet expanse of the backyard docking area, three star skiffs rested in their designated bays. Kagashi’s vessel sat beside Qinghan’s, with Jingliu’s docked at the far end. The low hum of the engines had long since faded into silence, yet Jingliu made no move to disembark. She remained seated in the pilot’s chair, the safety harness still strapped across her chest. Her crimson eyes stared blankly at the glowing screen of the jade abacus resting in her palm.

She was connected to the Yaoqing network, typing a message to one of its many automated intelligence modules.

“When parting with someone, I miss them. I cannot wait to see them again, and when I finally do, I feel a deep sense of peace. I even harbor the desire to remain by their side forever. May I ask: What is wrong with me?”

She pressed send. A reply materialized on the screen mere seconds later.

[This user’s question is too simple, meow~ Simply put, you like him. You like him a lot.]

Jingliu stared at the cheerful cat avatar attached to the response. Her fingers hovered over the screen as she typed her next inquiry.

“But when I see him being gentle with others, and never with me, it feels as though something is crushing my windpipe. I cannot breathe smoothly, and an awful ache settles in my chest. May I ask: Why is this?”

[Even simpler! Because that person doesn’t like you, and you are jealous, meow! You hate seeing the person you like treating others so well!]

Jingliu slowly lowered the jade abacus. Her slender fingers drifted up to rest against her chest, pressing through the fabric of her clothing to feel the steady, heavy rhythm of her own heartbeat.

So this was what liking someone felt like.

She had actually fallen for her Master. Yet, Master’s boundless gentleness had never once been directed at her.

The conclusion was cold and absolute. Master did not like her in that way. He only saw her as a disciple. A pure, ordinary disciple.

She raised the device again and typed. “If I like that person, how can I make him like me back?”

[This kitty cannot answer that question directly, meow. There are countless ways to pursue someone, and the user must decide based on their unique circumstances, meow~]

“We are master and disciple.”

[Wow~~ A timeless classic setting in romantic literature, meow! Is the user the master or the disciple?]

“The disciple. So what should I do?”

[Referring to Xianzhou big data, the proportion of those who accompanied each other for a hundred years and eventually became lovers is thirty-seven percent, ranking absolute first, meow!]

[As the old saying goes, companionship is the most enduring confession, moistening the earth silently. You need to leave your shadow everywhere in his life~]

[After a long period of time, if you suddenly disappear for a while, he will look back and find traces of you everywhere. He will realize he cannot live without you.]

[Humans are not plants; how can they be emotionless? If the user is a Long-Life Species, you can rely on the method of feelings developing naturally over time, meow~]

[You are master and disciple, which means you have the advantage of proximity! The early bird catches the worm!]

[If you are a Short-Life Species, seize the day and enjoy life. Life is fleeting, so why not speak your heart frankly?]

Jingliu closed the interface, the glow of the screen fading as she tucked the jade abacus away. A deep, calculating thought settled into her crimson eyes.

The time she had actually spent with Master… strictly speaking, was almost nonexistent.

Back when the Xianzhou Cangcheng was still intact, Kagashi’s identity had merely been her father’s old friend. It was only after Cangcheng was destroyed that he officially took her in as his Master. In other words, Master had been the one accompanying her, watching over her from afar, for a much longer time than she had ever accompanied him.

That was the truth. Because her entire life was saturated with Master’s shadow, she had inevitably fallen for him.

Senior Qinghan had been by Master’s side for far longer than she had. It was only natural that he treated her with such care.

Therefore, the path forward was clear.

She could not stop her military expeditions. She had to throw herself into more battles, slaughter the abominations, and return alive every single time. As long as she perfectly fulfilled Master’s rigorous requirements, she would earn the right to stay by his side. She would carve her presence so deeply into his life that he could never erase it.

Understanding this, a sudden, chilling enlightenment washed over Jingliu.

The dangerous, erratic crimson hue that often flickered in the depths of her eyes quietly receded. The suffocating vexation in her heart dissipated like morning mist. Master had always given everything to her, but she had never given anything in return. Not even her time. Not even her companionship.

It was entirely normal, even expected, that Master did not harbor romantic feelings for her yet.

Feeling as though a heavy fog had lifted from her mind, Jingliu unbuckled her harness, stepped down from the star skiff, and walked purposefully toward the house.

Then, she froze.

Kagashi was emerging from the hallway bathroom. In his arms, he carried Qinghan. The senior disciple was wrapped in nothing but a white bath towel, her damp skin flushed, clinging to his neck.

Jingliu’s faint, newly formed smile shattered for a fraction of a second before she forced her expression back to a stoic calm.

“Master, I have returned.”

“Hmm,” Kagashi replied, his tone entirely casual. “Mianxue will be back from the barracks later tonight. You make dinner first. Master and Qinghan have important matters to attend to.”

Jingliu desperately wanted to say, ‘Yes, Master.’

But her lips felt as though they had been sealed with lead. She could not force them open no matter how hard she tried. The crushing weight had returned to her windpipe. Unable to speak, she could only offer a stiff, silent nod. She turned on her heel and walked toward the kitchen, her back rigid, moving in the exact opposite direction of the man she loved.

Kagashi did not break his stride as he spoke, merely casting a brief, unreadable glance in her direction.

Qinghan, resting comfortably against his chest, was too distracted by her own racing heart to notice Jingliu’s unnatural stiffness.

Similarly, Jingliu was too consumed by her own quiet despair to notice the unnatural flush spreading across Qinghan’s neck.

Entering the bedroom, Kagashi gently placed Qinghan on the edge of the bed. He turned to his medical supplies and retrieved the set of slender silver needles.

“Barring any unforeseen accidents, this will be the final acupuncture session,” Kagashi said, his voice calm and measured. “There will be risks, but they are minimal.”

“I trust you,” Qinghan replied softly.

“Then, let us begin.”

Kagashi took a slow, steadying breath. His gaze swept over her slender, familiar legs, his eyes instantly sharpening with absolute clinical focus.

Following the preliminary acupuncture session that afternoon, he had ordered Qinghan to undergo high-intensity physical training. The goal was to force the stubborn, dormant residual power of Rahu out of hiding and drive it entirely into her legs. All of that preparation was precisely for this moment.

The frequent wars of recent years and prolonged delays in her treatment had allowed this alien power to take root. It was an energy that did not belong to her, yet refused to be expelled, growing stronger like a parasite feeding on her vitality. It was akin to a volcano that had been sealed for thousands of years; rather than subsiding, it had only accumulated a terrifying, destructive pressure beneath the surface.

Qinghan’s internal state was exactly like that volcano. It was the sole reason she was temporarily paralyzed, forced to rely entirely on him for mobility and daily care.

In approximately half an hour, these lingering remnants from the dead planet Rahu would be eradicated completely.

As for exactly how they would disappear, Qinghan did not need to know the dark truth of his methods.

The final phase of the treatment commenced.

The malignant power that her body instinctively rejected began to surge outward, traveling along the silver needles directly into Kagashi’s own body. He remained entirely expressionless, absorbing the lethal energy and suppressing it within himself through sheer, unreasonable force of will.

There was a fundamental clash in the hierarchy of blessings at work.

The power of Rahu originated from an Emanator of Abundance. It was a chaotic, cancerous vitality.

However, the innate life force of the Xianzhou people stemmed from the ultimate divine miracle bestowed directly by the Aeon of Abundance—a blessing of immortality so potent it was coveted even by Emanators.

As if sensing its impending destruction, the chaotic power trapped within Qinghan rapidly rioted. It lashed out, attempting to seize control of her consciousness and disrupt her synchronization with Kagashi.

But Qinghan was prepared. She closed her eyes and concentrated her mind entirely on her internal flow, aggressively driving the fleeing, erratic forces out of her meridians.

Two vastly different forces waged war beneath her skin—one fleeing in panic, the other pursuing with ruthless precision.

Qinghan’s body temperature spiked drastically. The surface of her skin flushed a deep, feverish red, and fine beads of sweat quickly coated her collarbones and shoulders. The bath she had just taken was rendered entirely moot.

Her attention was entirely severed from the outside world. She only knew that with her diligent cooperation, the vile affliction that had tormented her for over a decade was finally being dragged out of her flesh.

Half an hour later, the oppressive weight vanished. Her body seemed to let out a silent, euphoric cheer, celebrating its final liberation from a lifelong chronic illness.

At that exact moment, Kagashi’s calm voice broke through the silence.

“Next, I will perform a complete examination of your internal pathways, including the inside of your elixir organ, to confirm that the power has been completely uprooted.”

Just as she nodded, a sudden, deep warm current merged into her body, spreading outward like liquid silk.

One distinct stream followed her meridians directly into her elixir organ, bringing with it a strange, overwhelming sense of comfort that almost caused a soft moan to slip past her lips.

What exactly was this warm current entering her… It felt incredibly special.

It was not the power of the Abundance, yet her very cells instinctively craved it, welcoming the intrusion with open arms.

Qinghan completely relaxed into the sensation, the tight lines of pain on her face softening into an expression of pure tranquility.

A few minutes passed in heavy, intimate silence before the warm current slowly withdrew from her body, leaving behind a strange, lingering emptiness in its wake.

“…Eh?”

She suddenly heard Kagashi utter a soft, uncharacteristic sound of surprise.

“What is wrong, Lord Kagashi?” she asked, opening her eyes.

Kagashi remained silent for a long moment, his brows drawing together in deep thought. He immediately initiated a second, thorough examination of Qinghan’s internal pathways, searching for the source of his hesitation. Yet, the brief anomaly he had sensed did not reappear.

He decided it was likely just a phantom echo of the treatment.

“…It is nothing,” Kagashi said, his tone returning to its usual gentle cadence. “Congratulations. The sequelae that have troubled you for so many years are now gone forever.”