The Card Cultivation System
CCS-22

Xika was speechless hearing Huo Bing's words.

It was not that he did not want to tell Huo Bing, but he doubted whether he could tell the story. Indeed, 10 years had passed, but Xika's memory was still very clear as if it had just happened yesterday, plus, 3 months ago she had experienced a similar incident, which made her even more depressed.

Looking at Xika who was silent, Huo Bing thought he was unwilling to tell her.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell a story. I'm not forcing."

".......no..... Looks like it's time for me to share this story with someone."

Huo Bing silently listened.

"That day, 10 years ago was exactly my birthday.

My mother cooked my favorite meal, while my father kept the prize a secret. He said I wasn't even 5 years old because I was born at 7 p.m.

I waited expectantly.

My father and mother invited all the villagers. He cooked enough for one village. The villagers gave me congratulations and gifts.

After lunch, we talked. At that time the atmosphere was very happy, no one would have expected a tragedy a few moments later.

Sometimes someone would tell me about their experiences when they were young, and my father would tell me. After exchanging stories, we played cards.

My dad had a pretty big deck of cards for one playing village. My mom and I also played. We played my favorite game, capsah. Every now and then, we change players.

We were all very happy at the time.

As the day grew darker, we ended the game, and the villagers went home, wanting to give the three of us some private time.

My dad and I started helping my mom cook. At exactly 7pm we finished cooking, the same time I was born. I asked my father about my gift, but he said he'd give him dinner.

We had a happy dinner, full of jokes and laughter.

After dinner, when I was about to ask my father back about my gift, danger warning bells sounded."

Xika's voice began to tremble, but she continued.

"My father went out to check on the situation while my mother stayed with me.

Dad left long enough, when he came back, he asked my mother to go with him, while I was alone at home. At first my mother refused, she did not want to allow herself. Then my father asked my mother to talk in the back so I wouldn't listen.

Finally my mother agreed, while I was still confused and somewhat afraid of being left alone.

My mother hugged me with tears, she said she would always love me whenever, wherever, and however I am.

I was scared to hear my mom talk like that and I cried. My father tried to persuade me but my cry grew stronger.

Then my father took out a card deck without a box from under his cloak. The deck of cards he always wears when playing with me and the deck of cards he always carries with him whenever we have guests.

He said, 'He said,

"Xika my dear son, happy birthday. This is the gift from me you asked."

He took my hand and put the deck in my hand. Then he continued his words, but with tears beginning to flow.

"Please Xika. Promise me that you won't forget us and will look for us okay?"

I was confused to hear my father's words, but my cries had stopped when I received my favorite card deck.

"Meet me ten minutes after I'm gone, okay?"

I'm nodding.

My father and mother held me in tears and kissed me, as if they knew it was our last meeting.

Then they came out, and that was the last time I saw them."

Tears began to flow on Xika's face without her noticing, but she continued her story.

"I heard the sound of the fight outside so I ran to my room and looked around at my birthday gift card deck.

Without feeling it, ten minutes passed. The sound of the fight was no longer heard.

I dare myself to get out.

Just before I came out the door I heard the voice of a child who seemed to be no different in age from me.

The voice said,

"Have the couple left?"

While the voice that answered him was heard answering respectfully.

"It's young master"

"Good."

I don't know which couple they mean because there are so many couples in my village and I'm getting scared of hearing that talk. I didn't want to go out and wait for my parents to come looking for me.

But I remember my promise, that I should look for them.

So I came out with trembling knees.

And the first sight I saw was that my village, which was full of joy, was now burning everywhere with corpses around it.

Then I heard a familiar voice calling me.

"Xika's? Why are you here?"

"Uncle Lin?"

The one who called me was Lin Wen, or the one I used to call uncle Lin.

I played cards with him this afternoon and I won. I remember his face laughing happily even though he lost, yet I don't see the slightest happiness on his face at the moment.

"Hurry and go, Xika, I'll hold them!"

"No, I don't want to go. I have to find my mother's father first."

Uncle Lin had a difficult expression when he heard my words.

Then some villagers I knew came to us, one of them was Auntie Ling, wife of Uncle Lin. They hugged, grateful that each of them survived.

We haven't had a chance to talk or just say 'thankfully, you're alive', some people dressed strangely with a symbol that I remember so much until now. The symbol of dragons and birds fighting.

"Close your eyes, Xika"

I close my eyes and the sound of the fight is heard."

Xika's tears were flowing more and more.

"When I opened my eyes all I saw was the bodies of Uncle Lin and Aunt Ling and the other villagers who had approached me were now motionless, with each of them having wounds on his body.

And I immediately shouted,

"DON'TKKKKKKKK!!!!!"

My breath began to grow heavy and my vision began to blur full of tears. I screamed back

"GO AWAY!!!! GO YOU!!!!"

Then an assassin came forward and took one of the bodies of the villagers not far from me.

He aligned the chief of the villagers with my head, then he cut off the chief of the villagers, and I immediately fell down.

My thoughts began to be vague, I vaguely heard the laughter of those assassins.

And one of the men in blue clothes came forward and slapped me on the cheek several times while saying a word that did not enter my head.

Then one of the men wearing black threw a stone at me.

It hurt, but I held it.

I pretended to faint.

Someone approached me, and I hit him in the face. Then I ran and sought help.

And I found him.

That saar, I don't remember at all about the talk I heard before I came out.

I found a child who was not far from me, wearing a red shirt with a symbol that dragons and snakes were fighting.

I approached him hoping he would give me help, but the opposite was true.

The boy looked at me with a look that seemed to say that I did not deserve to live, and then he said,

"Keep him away from me"

I was very surprised and did not accept my fate at that time.

I hit a few others, but my punch was useless.

One of the men in blue clothes came forward and kicked me.

My stomach hurts so much.

And a bolt of lightning came striking me which made my consciousness vague.

After that all I remembered was pain, heat, shortness of breath, and fear, and then I remembered nothing else.

My uncle found me a few days later.

At first I didn't want to talk. After a month of talking with my uncle, I started talking and my life started on the Shaking Card.

A life full of insults but I am still happy because I am with my uncle.

Until I meet you and that day comes."

Finished speaking, Xika closed her eyes and wiped away the tears that had been flowing since when.

After his tears stopped, he opened his eyes and saw Huo Bing who was now around him was already filled with fire and ice.

"..........i'm so sorry.

For you and your past, for the dead villagers and for your father and mother."

Xika closed her eyes again.

He opened his eyes after a while.

"No.

My mom and dad are not dead.

Uncle didn't find their bodies.

They promised me anyway. THEY PROMISED."

Xika again lost her composure, tears flowed back.

"Calm Xika, calm down."

Huo Bing hugged Xika with her wings. And when Huo Bing wanted to check on Xika's condition, he found Xika was already asleep exhausted.

Tears dripped down Huo Bing's face. From earlier he tried to hold it, but after Xika slept he let out his tears without holding back.

He finally knows Xika's past.

And she was quite sorry to ask her past seeing Xika so depressed when telling it.

Once again Huo Bing was angry at the world. He did not accept the 5-year-old child had experienced such a terrible event. And again, 10 years later it happened again.

The world is really unfair.

Huo Bing agreed with that remark. Totally agree.

In fact, he had several times thought to end his life because it was not strong enough to withstand such a deep loss. All this time he felt that he was alone. No one in this world is the same as him. Every time he saw a couple he was so envious.

But it never occurred to him that a child who was not even a tenth of his age had the same fate even more miserable than him.

He said to Xika who was sleeping.

"Xika, relax. I promise you won't experience something like that again. The previous one was my fault, if I had intervened, then you wouldn't have parted with your uncle.

But I promise. Twice is the maximum.

You won't experience anything like that again.

I pledge.

And you can keep my promise"