The Card Cultivation System
CCS-152

THE DUAK!

Xika's back hit the tree because of the bamboo hat man's kick. Her breathing was wheezing, her body had a lot of bruises, and the longer things would be even more unfavorable for Xika. On the contrary, the bamboo hated figure did not look exhausted at all.

"Xika.....why does he only use his body? Why not use the elements, the cards, the wings, or the other weapons?"

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

Heiliao was similarly confused with Huo Bing. Had Xika used her power, there might have been a chance to defeat that figure. But the boy didn't use it at all. Not can't, but won't. Several times there was a time lag that allowed him to pick up weapons, but he did not use them at all.

THE DUAK!

Again, the man's attack successfully hit Xika. This time on his cheeks, until his head feels dizzy. His legs could no longer stand properly and he had to use a tree to prevent himself from falling.

Not yet able to catch her breath, Xika had already received another attack that landed on her stomach. And the attack succeeded in making him fall down.

"Damn, I don't care who that guy is, I can't let Xika be like this. The last time I let him fight on his own I regretted it. I won't repeat the same mistake."

Heiliao was about to prevent Huo Bing, but the bird had already flown close to Xika. When Huo Bing was about to land her claws on that cloaked figure, Xika shouted.

"HUO BING!"

THE SET!

Huo Bing's claws were only a minute away from the man's neck but Xika's screams stopped him. The bird turned its head in annoyance and found Xika shaking with a tear-filled smile. He only realized that throughout the fight, Xika's tears never stopped flowing.

A SHOCK!

The man threw his fist at Huo Bing, but the bird was able to dodge easily. He could only look at Xika without a word. Even under such circumstances Xika still refused help?

The figure looked at Xika for a moment. Because Xika did not give any more resistance, then the figure assumed that Xika had given up and did not intend to enter this forest deeper. So he turned to take his sword and left. But when his hand touched his sword, a voice came back,

"I'm not done yet."

Taps!

WHUS!

The figure kicked the ground then thrust his freshly drawn sword towards Xika's stomach. As the figure was picking up her sword, Xika managed to get up painstakingly using the tree as a pedestal.

JLB!

Her sword stuck Xika on the tree where she was leaning. But what Xika did next instead confused all parties, including the man in the bamboo hat itself.

Xika hugged him. He did not care about the sword that pierced his body and stuck itself into the tree. All he did was hug the figure as tightly as possible as if he would disappear. Tears are flowing. But this time it's bigger than ever. Xika can no longer hold him back.

"DAD!"

"Hiks.........I'm really.....miss........"

The figure looked confused when it got Xika's embrace. Then he lowered his head and finally Huo Bing was able to see a bit of a part of the man's face.

Her smile.

Finally, the figure disappeared completely and left nothing but wounds on Xika's body. The crying gets louder. Even his nose started to water. Xika grabbed the air where the body of the figure was before, but did not manage to grasp anything.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

He hit the ground, kicked it, threw it into the air but was unable to bring the figure back. He had completely lost control at this moment. He vented his grief at whatever was nearby. The tree that had previously been his resting place now had many holes from Xika's punch. I don't know where that power came from.

WHUSHES!

Huo Bing covered Xika with her wings as if she was hugging him. Xika tried to resist, but no longer had the energy. Heiliao also calmed Xika down. He wrapped his tail around Xika's neck and tried to make her stop crying.

A while later, Xika finally stopped fighting and became calmer even though tears still did not stop flowing. Looking at Xika who was just silent, Huo Bing thought the child was asleep so he raised Xika on Heiliao's back.

The black wolf made sure Xika was lying down comfortably before going any further. But Xika did not sleep. His eyes are wide open. Then he opened his mouth too, to make the other two creatures startled.

"For them.......... who made it through all the traps....and managed to reach the middle of the forest....there will be new challenges waiting for them......."

His voice sounded more hoarse than before. They knew that Xika forced herself to tell stories so they did not interrupt at all.

".......i.e a man in a bamboo hat.....The figure will select itself.......But unfortunately, he was too strong......He will not be exhausted even though fighting seven days and seven nights.....and he changed his fighting style several times.............

But there is one weakness known only to me. He will disappear...........And I'm the only one who managed to hold her........"

Xika stopped as if making sure that Heiliao and Huo Bing heard him. Then the boy turned his gaze towards the sky filled with lush trees.

"You see? I managed to remember......Isn't this enough? Can't you get out now? Didn't you promise? We're going to this place together. We'll have a picnic together. I'll see you reminisce with mom. Isn't that what you promised? Why don't I see you at all?"

Tears flowed back into Xika's face. In his heart he really hoped that this was all the game of his father and mother; then waited for them to say that the years he lived were just nightmares and he would wake up soon.

Butno. Everything he has been through is real. Those nightmare-like years had really happened and there was currently no one in this forest other than the three of them. The thought of it made his heart ache as if it was sliced into thousands of pieces.

Huo Bing and Heiliao were only silent a thousand languages. They didn't know what to say and didn't know how to comfort the boy. But at least, the little riddles that had graced their heads all along had been answered. The reason why Xika is so familiar with this place is because her father made this forest and he told this forest as a sleep story to his son.

Perhaps, his father had promised to return to this place with him and do many fun things. But sadly it never happened. Instead of her father and mother, Xika came to this place accompanied by a wolf and a mixed bird spirit.

Time passed in silence. Heiliao continued walking forward because Xika gave no direction. In his heart he hoped the direction he was taking was right.

"In the next seven meters, hold your breath and run as fast as you can" Xika said breaking the silence that had lasted for quite a while. But after that he said nothing more.

Although still confused, Heiliao still followed Xika's direction. He breathed as much as possible and then held it. Then he bent his legs and started running as fast as he could. A second passed and Heiliao understood the reason Xika had asked him to hold his breath.

He saw the same fog as the blur that enveloped this forest but it was much thicker. It only took three seconds and two steps for the big wolf to run through the fog. And the sight behind the fog made the three comers widen their eyes.

The sight that awaited them was truly unexpected. Behind the mysterious mist-filled bamboo forest was a flower field that stretched as far as the eye could see. Each flower has a different color, but they all come from the same type.

"Mother......?"

The flower field reminded Xika of her mother. All the flowers in the garden were the same type that his mother liked. There used to be some flowers of a kind growing in front of their courtyard before Tian Yin the bastard ruined everything.

"Yoo....Taiyang! Is that you?"