The Card Cultivation System
CCS-151

Jem!

An arrow struck the tree near the three stood. If Heiliao did not bow in time, it was likely that the arrow was stuck in his head. Huo Bing looked at the arrow and Xika alternately.

"How's......"

"I don't even feel it........"

"There's no time. Looky!" Xika pointed at the arrow. The tree that became the nest of arrows slowly began to wither and grow old. Then from his arrow eyes dripped a green liquid that instantly made the grass wither as it fell.

"The land is poisonous. We have to hurry." Xika jumped up onto Heiliao's back and the wolf ran forward. Although still confused, but he knew there was something more important at the moment. The arrow came without warning and the black wolf did not feel it at all.

"Jump!"

"What?"

"Just jump!"

Heiliao did not ask any further and followed Xika's words. A moment after he jumped, a huge hole appeared beneath him. Heiliao stared at the hole in shock, but Xika did not give it time.

"Quick! There's more!"

After that, Heiliao continuously encountered a trap that he fortunately managed to avoid thanks to Xika's timely warning. Poison arrows, trap holes, trees that suddenly fell, poisonous gas that gushed suddenly, and many more traps that could not be felt by Heiliao.

It made him very dizzy and confused. Although he was repeating his life and his cultivation was lower than before, but he was still stronger than Xika. But why did he not feel those traps at all, while the weaker Xika could feel everything exactly without any mistakes?

"Jump to the right tree, after which it spins twice!"

Heiliao did not ask anymore. So far Xika's advice has proven successful even though she doesn't know how the boy found out. Huo Bing on the other hand, looking at Xika who could deal with various traps well, she was no longer as stiff as before.

"Xika, let's continue your story. I'm still curious."

"A Half-Birds Mature, you still intend to listen to the story in this kind of situation?"

"Xika knows where the trap is coming from, and you can avoid it. Why not?"

The black wolf was so speechless to Huo Bing.

"Alright, alright. I'll continue - Down! - Where was it? Ah, ja. There's only one way to get in. Then once you enter, you will encounter more danger than before. There are various traps - Jump to the right! - that will wait to finish off the travelers.

The traps were set all over the forest. So no matter-Evoid!- wherever you go, surely you will encounter a trap. But the trap was only in the middle part of the forest. Jump up!"

"So you're saying we can calm down after passing through the middle of the forest?" huo Bing asked with interest. He is still a spirit so do not care about the traps that exist and focus on listening to Xika's story. Some arrows even pierced through his body but he did not care.

Different from Heiliao. The black wolf concentrated on Xika's words - not her story - and prepared to follow what she said. He did not pay much attention to Xika's story because of the many traps, but one thing he caught was Xika's sleeping story related to this place.

"Quite the contrary. The real problem only started after we passed through the middle of the forest."

Heiliao paused for a moment to rest. Xika didn't give any more danger signs anyway, so it seemed like this place was temporarily safe.

"Given that there are no more traps, I guess we've already passed through the middle of the forest?"

"Yes, it seems so."

"Where is the problem you're talking about?"

"The trap is only there until the middle of the forest. But there's something else waiting behind it. Travelers will be given one minute to rest. So we better use it well."

"One minute? I don't feel tired at all. Let's just move forward. I wonder what's waiting for us."

Heiliao wanted to reply to Huo Bing's words, but his attention was distracted by the writing on a board.

"Xika, what board is that?"

Xika turned her head and read the writing on the board. His facial expression changed. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes unsure. But the most visible are the last two expressions. His face was filled with doubt mixed with sadness.

"Xika?"

"Whoever is afraid will close his way. Who dares to open the way."

Instead of answering, Xika instead brought the writing on the board quite loudly. Huo Bing and Heiliao exchanged glances and again found confusion in each other's eyes. But they had not yet spoken, a voice was heard.

"This is not your place. Go."

"What's? Whoareyou?! Come here if you dare! I want to see who dares to kick me out!" huo Bing said no less loudly with Xika, but this time it sounded an annoyed tone. While Heiliiao turned to and fro looking for the origin of the voice but did not find it.

As they looked at Xika for an explanation, as she looked familiar with this place, they found the boy daydreaming again. This time with tears.

"Hiks......."

"Xika's? What the hell's going on? Did I say it wrong?"

"A..Yeah....."

"What?"

Xika turned her head still with tears making Huo Bing and Heiliao even more confused. His voice sounded hoarse and his eyes shed tears. But he did not take his eyes off the figure that had appeared from when beside them.

A figure of a man with a bamboo hat like in a martial story. The figure had a long sword at his waist. He bowed his head so that no one could see his face, but without seeing Xika already knew what kind of face was behind the bamboo hat.

"Dad........."

Xika looked at the figure with a smile that was filled with tears. But the figure seemed to care nothing at all. He spoke again,

"This is not your place. Go."

"Huo Bing, shut up first."

Huo Bing had no time to protest Heiliao, Xika had already returned to talk.

"No. This is my place. You said it yourself."

".............."

That figure doesn't talk anymore. But he started to prepare for the fight. Huo Bing looked at the figure in annoyance. He is also ready to fight.

SRING!

"Don't mind the sword."

"What?"

The bamboo hat man swung his sword making Heiliao and Xika dodge in the opposite direction. But the man did not chase after Heiliao. He was only after Xika. I don't know because of what.

Whush!

The man gave various slashes but none of them managed to hit Xika. Then the boy managed to get the right moment and kicked the man's hand to release his sword.

THE DUAK!

But as if unconcerned with her sword, the figure kicked Xika a moment after Xika had successfully dropped her sword.

Xika took a few steps back. The figure was silent for a moment. Then it returned giving various attacks with its limbs. But this time Xika did not manage to avoid everything. Many attacks landed on his body.

"The Wolf, what are you doing? Let's help her!"

"No."

"What?"

"Don't you understand? Xika called the man father. This is the fight."

"Didn't he just chant and say what was on his mind?"

"Looks not. Don't you feel something different? Although cornered, but Xika really enjoyed this fight."

"What's? Then why did that figure not flinch even though Xika called him father? And if it's true that man is his father, why would he attack his own son?"

".......... But for sure we can't bother him. His fight. Let him enjoy it."

Huo Bing snorted in response to Heiliao's remark. Then he turned and shouted.

"XICA! NEED HELP?"

"MAYBE LATER!"

Finished answering, Xika directly lowered her head avoiding the kick on it. He gave a counter-kick, but was easily restrained by the man in the bamboo hat. Despite that, a big smile accompanied by tears was plastered on Xika's face.

"Don't you feel weird? Previously, while using the sword, Xika was able to dodge all attacks easily. But this time after losing her sword, Xika just couldn't dodge the man's attack as well as before."

"It wasn't Xika who couldn't avoid it. But it was that figure who changed his fighting style. Do you remember what Xika said before? 'Don't mind the sword'. I think the sword is just a distraction. So whoever fights him will be big-headed because he can handle it.

Then when he took off his sword, the real fight began. And his opponent who had previously had the upper hand would be perplexed to face the drastically changed attack pattern."

Huo Bing nodded his head. He was sitting at the side with Heiliao. Since the black wolf forbade her from helping Xika, and Xika herself did not need her help either, then she chose to sit down to watch the fight.

"But since the opponent was Xika, then the tactic didn't work out too well?"

"Yes. It was precisely because of that that that I became even more convinced that the man was indeed Xika's father."

"But I still feel strange. Why would a father treat his son like that?"

"You don't remember? Didn't Xika ever tell her strange father? It's probably part of his father's weirdness."

"Metal as well."

Huo Bing recalled that while in the wolf park, Xika had told her that her father often gave her poison. It was possible that the fight this time was just like Heiliao had said. Some kind of welcome fight maybe?

Then they did not speak anymore and watched the fight of the two. But a moment passed and both of them squinted their eyes.

"Hey, is it just my feelings or....."

"Yes, that figure doesn't seem to be a figure that Xika can beat."

"But the kid must know how to beat him. He knew the whole trap in this forest, he must have known how to defeat that figure even though he was weaker."

"It seems."

"What?"

"................"

Huo Bing looked at the figure of the bamboo-covered man closely. He watched it from top to bottom with wide eyes and missed none of the pieces.

"You mean Xika deliberately held back in order to linger with the figure she called the father? And that figure isn't real, is it?"

Heiliao nodded.