The Card Cultivation System
CCS-29

Xika woke up on the second day.

Is correct. He slept for a full day. Probably about 27-28 hours. Xika does not know for sure. He only guessed it based on the amount of snake skin left on the ground Huo Bing had eaten.

And Huo Bing looked at him with the same gaze as a few days ago with snake meat in her mouth.

Xika sat down, quietly briefly staring at Huo Bing, then picked up the snake meat that was there.

But before Xika bit the meat she was holding Huo Bing had already asked, unable to resist being as curious as before.

"So? Is it the same technique as the previous one? What is the continuation of the single? Will there be Threes, Bomb, and Group?"

Xika did not answer Huo Bing. He finished the meat in his mouth before he spoke.

"Yes, yeah, I don't know."

3 Short answers to Huo Bing's barrage of questions.

"Can't you explain more? How do you do that with a body like that and a consciousness that's almost gone?"

Xika again chewed the meat in her mouth and replied Huo Bing.

"No."

"....."

Huo Bing threw the wood he used to stab the snake meat before.

"Damn it! Can't you talk a little longer? Talk is fucking free!"

Xika dodged then replied Huo Bing.

"But I was eating. Isn't it me who should ask? Why don't you help me at all or at least talk? Why do you seem to hide yourself as long as I face the damn snake? And that mixed aura and familiar is you, isn't it? Why does the snake know you and what you have to do with it? And why didn't you tell me anything?"

Xika replied to Huo Bing's question with a series of longer and numerous questions.

".......se-we'd better finish our meal we just talked....."

Now replace Xika who pelted Huo Bing with wood.

"Damn it! Just answer it now. You can tell a story at once and eat at the same time!"

Huo Bing dodged then replied,

"Alright......

You've told me about your past so I'd better tell you about my past."

Huo Bing finished the meat in his mouth before starting to tell a story.

"I only lived with my parents for 5 years, just like you. Although short but to me it was the 5 most beautiful years I have ever had.

My father was, as you know, an ice goose. He's pretty hard on me. He has taught me many things since I was a child. One of them is flying.

I remember once, when my father took me to a very tall tree. After reaching its peak he released me from his claws.

I was so scared back then. My father yelled many times telling me to flap my wings, but I was too afraid to do so.

I finally fell and was full of injuries.

It was then that my mother, full of warmth, came up to me and hugged me.

He comforted me many times and asked me to try again."

Huo Bing paused for a moment in confusion seeing Xika raise her hand.

"Why didn't you burn when your mother, who was a fire bird, hugged you?"

Huo Bing took a deep breath to hold back her anger due to the stupid question Xika asked.

"I'm half Phoenix too, damn it! I still have the fire."

"Then what about the part of your body in the form of ice?"

Veins started popping up on Huo Bing's head.

"I am his son. His blood is flowing within me. The fire won't hurt me."

"Only your mother or you are immune to all Phoenix flames?"

"I don't know. I've never met or fought any other Phoenix."

"Don't you say your mother's clan, the Phoneix, is after you? How come you've never met another Phoenix in your life?"

"They don't want to dirty their hands and reputation, so they hire a hit man. That's why I never met them."

Xika nodded in understanding.

"Now, I will continue my story if you don't mind" Huo Bing said with a piercing look because from earlier Xika kept bothering her with questions that were very annoying to her.

Xika laughed while nodding.

"I'm actually scared of my dad sometimes. But when I stood in front of him and waited for punishment from him for still not being able to fly, instead of scolding me as usual or hitting me, he hugged me.

He hugged me and said,

"I'm sorry your father, son. I know I shouldn't be so hard on you when you're only 2. But I want to give you the best while I still can. Maybe you don't know, but our time together isn't much anymore.

So I want to train you as well as I can. So when I have to leave, I can leave you quietly without any worries.

But I was wrong for being so focused on training you that it was too hard on you. I'm late to realize that you need a break too."

Then I saw tears streaming from my father's eyes as he saw my scarred body plus my exhausted face.

I hugged my father.

"It's okay dad. I'll practice again and won't complain or cry. So you can leave in peace, okay?"

My father cried even more when he heard his son comforting himself instead of being angry with him or expressing his complaints.

The rest of the day I didn't practice. I spent time with my mom and dad. Listen to them tell their stories in the past.

That night I slept well.

The next day my father returned to training me, but not as hard as before."

Huo Bing paused for a moment to chew the meat, then he continued.

"After that my father became more active in training me, but still gave me rest and occasionally told me about his past on the sidelines of training.

3 Years passed and I was more mature than other birds my age.

Sometimes they make fun of me because I think more than they can and they don't understand what I'm saying.

After all, no one understood me at the time. I didn't think much of them and stayed focused on training with my father.

And finally that day came."

Huo Bing's body trembled slightly.

"I remember that incident once.

We've been living in the woods since I was born, and I've never seen a single human.

As we were about to have breakfast before the start of the exercise, a light with a color mixed between red and blue appeared behind the mountain near the forest we were living in.

The faces of my father and mother were shocked mixed with fear.

They looked at each other and agreed to check the light.

They left me in the nest.

Before leaving they form a barrier around our nest so that no one can get close.

I waited with anxious and worried feelings.

Not long after that I heard a scream.

I can't be wrong. That's my father's scream. At least that was my mind at the time.

I tried hard to get through the barrier made by my father and mother.

I finally got out.

And I was immediately greeted with an object I later knew called a net.

Is correct. I'm seized. Right after I got out of my lair.

It was the first time I saw a human.

They led me to the mountain where the light came from.

While walking they talked. And from that conversation I knew that I was being deceived by them.

They knew that they couldn't break through the barrier my mother's father made so they made me come out.

The screams came from them.

I was so scared back then. But I didn't forget the training my father gave me.

My father gave me various exercises to deal with various situations. And one of them was the same situation as back then.

They knew when I was flying away from them, so I let out a shout to mess with their senses as well as tell my mother's father.

They tried to catch me by throwing some attacks, but I avoided them.

I try to fly as high as possible so I can't be caught.

Then a big blue bird appeared and grabbed me and took me away.

Moments later I just heard that the bird was my father."

"Indeed it has a small and slow brain" Xika said as she nodded her head.

"Shut up!"

Huo Bing was silent for a moment.

"My father took me into the room that turned out to be under the mountain.

I watched him fight with various creatures. Humans, Spirit Beasts, and other creatures I don't know about.

Finally he took me to meet my mother who was burning her enemies."

Huo Bing heard Xika say 'Wow', but she chose to ignore him and continued her story.

"My father threw me who was caught with my mother's claws.

He immediately hugged me and rubbed his head against my body. I was a little scared when he found out that I got out of the nest and got caught but he didn't ask me at all why I could get out.

After throwing me at my mother, my father attacked the remaining enemies.

Then we flew and advanced deeper into the belly of the mountain.

Along the way we encountered many enemies, but were easily wiped out by a combination of my father and mother.

I still remember myself being so excited and excited when I saw my father and mother doing a joint attack.

We finally reached the mountain.

There I saw a hammer that was quite large, maybe as big as you, with its left side blue while its right side was red" Huo Bing said as he pointed at Xika.

While Xika just let out a 'waw' sound'.

"My mom dropped me off and then kind of stayed away and talked to my dad. My father's position at that time turned his back on me but I could still hear his voice, but not my mother's.

I heard my father say,

"Come on, maybe this is the only thing we can give her after such a strenuous workout."

"....."

"I trained him, but you agree with that, don't you? Otherwise how could he escape from those pursuers?"

"......"

"Ehehe.... I haven't said yes just now?"

"....."

"This is indeed dangerous but because newborn weapons are more malleable."

"....."

"We can do it when we're together."

"......."

"Right, we don't have time. But it's better to give it to our children than they are. I'm tired like this anyway. I'm tired of living in hiding. Let's face them."

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

Finally my mother agreed to do my father's idea which I didn't know either.

They both flew and spun, then headed for the hammer and smashed it."

Huo Bing was silent for a moment looking at Xika's surprised expression.

"The hammer shattered and formed quite a powerful spiritual energy and was composed of various colors.

Then my father shouted to me, then the hammer energy flew towards me.

I don't know why that time I knew that I had to accept it and I did.

I opened my mouth"

"Betch you mean"

"Be quiet!

I opened my mouth and then the energy entered my body. I felt my body was full of energy, but suddenly the atmosphere changed.

My mom's dad hugged each other and then looked at me.

A very heartbreaking look.

Then my father said,

"Huo Bing's. Here's our gift and apology to you."

I'm silent not understanding. I was confused by what my father said.

Tears were flowing in my mother and father's eyes.

Then my mother hugged me and said,

"Now you must go. We've created a running route for you. Go awayl. Go and don't come back."

Tears started to flow from my eyes. I still don't understand what's going on but I do know that we're going our separate ways.

"But.why don't mom and dad come with me?"

"Huo Bing."

That time I saw my father calling me with a variety of mixed expressions ranging from firm, sad, and angry.

"We have to separate. I'm so sorry I had to leave you like this."

Tears are flowing more and more.

"Do you? When I told you that I trained you so I could let you off in peace and not worry? That's actually a lie. In fact, no matter how hard the training I give you, I will still be worried about leaving you alone.

But I have to do it. I'm sorry.

If the heavens permit, we shall meet again. But if the sky says otherwise, don't look for us okay?"

I just kept quiet and didn't answer or nod. But the tears kept flowing.

"Now go, my dear boy. You're free now. No one's gonna tell you to do hard training that you don't want to do. No one will ever scold you again if you make a mistake. And no one will come and protect you. So promise me that you have to be strong okay?

Go and live your life as you please, my son."

After saying that, my father and mother came forward and hugged me.

I just realized that the tears flowing from their eyes were as swift as mine.

Finally with a heavy heart I left them, both parents I loved very much, through a hallway that my mother had made before.

The last thing I saw was that the two of them hugged each other after it flew up and charged forward towards a giant snake.

After that day I lived my life as I pleased. I live my life empty without any friends."

Huo Bing finished his story.

Indeed he was currently in spirit form so was unable to shed tears, but his body was extremely faint at the moment. Even blinked a few times as if it would disappear.

There was a long silence between Xika and Huo Bing.

Finally Xika spoke.

"Huo Bing."

Huo ing looked.

"Let's make a blood deal with me."

"I don't have blood now."

"We're going to use qi. You will absorb my qi and I will absorb your qi and we will become brothers."

Xika took out all her qi.

"Will you be my brother?"

Huo Bing did not reply as it was still too sad, but he took out his qinya as well.

Then they absorbed each other's qi in exchange for blood. Actually there are still some more sayings to be done according to the blood covenant that binds the brothers. But Xika felt she did not need those words.

After knowing their respective pasts were quite similar, Huo Bing and Xika felt closer, and now they were binding a blood covenant. And the fact that they were brothers now made the wounds in their respective hearts go untreated.

After living so long alone, they finally have friends. Friends who will always be together in joy and sorrow until the end of life.