WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈
Chapter 12: Back to Days of Cultivation
──────
The attack was only the beginning.
Whenever the Five Elements Sword resonated and its spell-script restriction flashed, golden streaks shot out like lightning. They even resembled whip lashes flying at high speed.
The charging wolf beasts were split apart one after another, and eight or nine died in the blink of an eye. They were cut so sharply that even the blood spraying out felt somewhat unreal.
It was an unstoppable advance. No, in this case, it was more like a blue wave sweeping everything aside.
The wolf beasts charging from behind tried to stop in a hurry, only to tumble down the slope in complete chaos. Only the wolves at the very front knew they could not stop, so they lunged at him even more fiercely.
Rrrroar!!
They looked like wolves but roared like tigers, sending a genuine thrill down his spine. But in that instant, Han Yujin had already changed the Five Elements Sword's spell-script restriction.
The golden light turned blue and flashed. Sword-shaped energy poured forth like a wave, smashing a wolf beast into a bloody mess. It then split into several streams in an instant and swept through the surrounding area.
The ground was torn apart, along with the bodies of two or three wolf beasts. The sight of their blood and flesh scattering everywhere like fireworks was horrifying, yet intimidating.
Only then did all the wolves seem to realize it. Their opponent was someone they could not dare face.
Cultivators were naturally stronger in actual combat than the aura they showed outwardly. Han Yujin had been detected by their sense of smell, but the Concealment Art was still active, hiding even more of his aura.
‘Even better.’
That was his brief assessment.
If a fight had not broken out, where else would he have found this much spirit meat?
Whimpering rose from behind as the wolf beasts began to flee. Han Yujin immediately used the Wind-Cloud Art to leap high into the air, manipulating the Five Elements Sword as it rose alongside him.
With the usual flash, golden energy shot out and slaughtered the fleeing wolves one after another at tremendous speed. Only a few seconds passed before none remained alive.
After landing lightly on the ground, he did not move right away. With his arms spread and head tilted back, he stood still for quite some time.
He was savoring the thrill of victory.
Whether the fight had looked easy or not, it was an experience more adrenaline-inducing than any extreme sport. He could feel his heart pounding fiercely.
“I tore them apart, Han Yujin.”
It was an exclamation, but he really had torn the wolf beasts apart.
“Damn, that was charismatic.”
A line from some movie slipped from his mouth without him realizing it as he looked around like an artist admiring their work.
An aversion to killing?
He felt only the slightest bit of that. This had been a fair battle in the wild, with both sides' lives on the line. Besides, he had not attacked first. Those arrogant things had bared their teeth at him first.
After standing there for a while and enjoying the lingering excitement, he finally calmed down and began cleaning up after the battle.
In other words, he collected his spoils.
He removed the inedible parts, such as the heads, organs, hides, and claws, then used the Five Elements Sword to cut up and organize the remaining meat. He also set aside the broad bones, wondering if he could boil them for broth like beef bones.
It sounded simple enough to describe, but it was by no means a task that could be finished quickly. He was not used to this kind of work, and there were more than twenty wolf beasts. He also needed to stay alert for danger.
By the time he had roughly finished, night had fallen and the sky was beginning to brighten again. If not for the physical strength and mental endurance he had gained as a cultivator, it would have taken even longer because of all the breaks he would have needed.
“Whew...”
He let out a breath that held equal parts exhaustion and satisfaction as he was putting the prepared meat into the Storage Pouch.
Squeak!
The creature that had been circling nearby for the last hour or two finally showed itself. It was that cute yet shameless rabbit-weasel.
Somehow, he had the feeling it was the same one that had touched him and been caught by the Object Manipulation Art.
The creature watched Han Yujin cautiously as it approached the pile of discarded remains. After glancing around a few more times, it grabbed a bone with bits of meat still attached and scurried away.
“It’s taking it without permission.”
He muttered with a faint laugh, but he had no intention of stopping it. They were only discarded remains anyway. Whether bugs ate them or that rabbit-weasel did, it made little difference.
He left the area to find somewhere to rest.
* * *
After resting soundly for about half a day in a suitably large, well-shaped tree, Han Yujin ate a hearty meal of the wolf beasts' spirit meat, which he had worked so hard to collect, then immediately set out to find their lair.
He hurried because of the bare tree and the traces of fruit seeds full of spiritual energy that he had found in the monkey monsters' home.
‘If I’m late, other beasts might steal something from me again.’
That was all he had been thinking, but...
There had been so many of them that tracing where they had come from was easy. The wolf den he inevitably found looked far more pleasant and safe than he had vaguely imagined.
First, he liked that one side was blocked by a sheer cliff. Dense trees and thick grass formed a natural barrier, leaving an entrance on only one side. Further in was a moderately large pond of fresh water, though he had no idea where the water flowed from.
Even the fish swimming leisurely in that pond were spirit fish filled with considerable spiritual energy.
“Wow...”
It was the kind of place that drew such an exclamation without effort. Calling it a secret realm would not even feel like an exaggeration.
The scattered bones and clumps of wolf fur in a pit on one side proved that this had been the wolves' den. It was somewhat strange that there was not even a sign of females guarding the home or cubs that had not yet grown up.
‘Did they sense something and run away?’
Han Yujin considered it briefly, then decided it was not important.
Whether they had fled or not, this place was his territory from now on. Even if all the dead wolves returned alive, they would not be able to drive him out.
He adjusted how he activated the Flame Projectile Art and burned away every trace of the wolf beasts in the pit. Only after carefully checking two or three times for other dangers did he settle in with peace of mind.
Using the bushcraft knowledge he had specifically picked up before coming here, he built walls and a roof with trees, mud, and vines around a hollow in the cliff. With spells, he could work easily without special tools.
After transplanting moss, cut out from the ground like sod, onto the finished roof, he had a home as attractive as anything in a MyTube video.
It might have been somewhat poor by an ordinary person's standards, but he was a cultivator. As long as the walls and roof shielded him from the wind and rain, there was no real inconvenience.
And so,
Han Yujin's second life of cultivation began.
He had plenty of wolf beast meat stored away, fish lived in the nearby pond, and he could easily gather small red berries with a sweet-and-sour taste by wandering outside for a little while. Various fragrant mushrooms were an added bonus.
There was no need to mention that all this food contained spiritual energy and helped with cultivation.
Aside from occasionally exploring the area and checking for dangers, he spent all his time at his new hideout practicing his cultivation method, spells, and use of magical artifacts.
Each day was fulfilling as he felt his soul slowly but clearly ascending into a Dharma soul.
By the time he had used about half the wolf beast meat, roughly a month had passed.
His Dharma soul ascension rate had reached around seven percent. He still had a long way to go, but it was a noticeable achievement. At this rate, once he had eaten all his food, he might surpass the ten percent he had expected and reach nearly twenty percent.
Squeak! Squeak!
There had been one notable change in Han Yujin's peaceful and fulfilling days. It was the presence of that utterly shameless rabbit-weasel.
It seemed to have realized that Han Yujin would not harm it without reason. Or perhaps it was simply stupid and acted fearlessly based on a vague feeling.
Either way, it had started circling nearby at some point. Before he knew it, it had become comfortable enough to lie on its back at his feet.
“...Are you asking for this again?”
When he held up the Spirit-Liquid Flask and gave it a little shake, the creature's black eyes and head followed the movement.
As he kept teasing it without showing any sign of giving it some, it bit and tugged at his pant leg, circled around his legs, stood on its hind legs to stare at him, then leaped and fell over as though fighting something invisible. It put on quite a performance.
Han Yujin chuckled, opened the stopper, and dropped a few drops of spirit liquid. The rabbit-weasel somehow heard the stopper open and caught the droplets in midair, then squeaked as if asking for more.
“No.”
He felt considerable satisfaction as he stroked the head and body of the creature looking at him so pitifully.
While exploring the forest before, he had once thought it was lonely.
In truth, it had not been just that one time. He had felt that way quite often. No matter how much he enjoyed cultivation and found it fulfilling, missing people was unavoidable.
Yet,
one rabbit-weasel that was useless and only stole food filled with spiritual energy had eased his loneliness to a surprising degree.
He was certain of it now.
This was the creature that had touched his cheek while he was unconscious after that battle. It was also the very creature that had been the first target of his Object Manipulation Art.
‘Did it really want to eat me, or did it just think I might not be dead yet and want to check before eating me?’
It did not matter in the slightest.
It had not bitten him, after all.
“Should I give you a name?”
Unable to resist the sudden urge, he asked. The rabbit-weasel tilted its head as it looked at him, not understanding what he meant.
“...Never mind. What name?”
He brushed himself off and stood. When he headed toward the pond beside the hideout, the rabbit-weasel excitedly followed, knowing he was going to catch fish.
It looked like it knew it would get a spirit fish's head and some flesh.
* * *
Time could seem endlessly slow, yet pass in the blink of an eye once one came to their senses.
About two months and fifteen days had passed since he had made the wolf den his hideout.
At last, the wolf beast meat had run out. The fish that had once been abundant in the pond had also become scarce, making them difficult to pull up with the Object Manipulation Art.
His Dharma soul ascension rate had already surpassed roughly twenty-seven percent. With just a little more cultivation, he might reach an ascension rate of thirty percent. Fortunately, he had already found a place where he could obtain new food to aid his cultivation.
About half an hour away from the hideout by Wind-Cloud Art was a lake so large that it was hard to believe it lay in the middle of a primeval forest.
Naturally, such a large lake was full of all kinds of food rich in spiritual energy.
“Let’s go together today.”
After visiting the lake around five times, Han Yujin had confirmed that there was no great danger there. He could protect one tiny rabbit-weasel that had no use at all and only stole spirit food.
At his familiar gesture, the creature climbed up his body like a flying squirrel and nestled into his arms. It was so cute that he could not help stroking its head again.
‘It would be nice if I could take it to Earth.’
For now, he did not know whether that was possible. He would have to test it himself.
With that thought, he left the hideout and used the Wind-God Art to travel to the lake. The rabbit-weasel in his arms was not especially startled by Han Yujin's speed, having experienced it several times during his patrols around the hideout.
A little later,
after arriving at the lake, he set the rabbit-weasel down. Then he walked across a stretch of sandy soil that resembled a white beach.
Far away, he could see several unusual animals drinking water or resting in the sunlight.
Judging that they were far enough away and that he could deal with them if they attacked, he suddenly turned around to look at the rabbit-weasel, which had not followed him.
“What is it?”
Naturally, it could not answer him. It merely hesitated as though something bothered it.
Han Yujin checked the area again just in case, but there truly was no danger. It was not easy to find somewhere this safe in the primeval forest.
“It’s fine. Come on.”
Only when he gestured for it did the creature finally trot over and rub against his leg.
After playing with it for a moment, he sat on a rock he had placed there during a previous visit and looked into the lake. The rabbit-weasel climbed up and settled beside him.
A peaceful time of fishing followed. It was cultivation time as well.
Using the Spirit Vision Art to look into the deep water some distance away, the Concealment Art to hide his presence, and the Object Manipulation Art to snatch appetizing fish and toss them onto the sandy shore.
Three or four fish as large as his forearm flopped on the ground, reduced to becoming today's meal.
The rabbit-weasel kept twitching as it stared at the fish. Then it turned to look once at Han Yujin beside it before dashing away. It seemed to want to claim one for itself first.
“Look at that greedy thing.”
Han Yujin chuckled as he watched it.
Then, suddenly,
the chill running down his spine stopped his laughter. His gaze turned on instinct toward a part of the lake he had not been watching.
The moment he caught sight of something black, it burst through the water with a tremendous splash and lunged at the rabbit-weasel that had just picked up a fish.
Footnotes:
The phrase translated as “blue wave sweeping everything aside” is a playful variation on a Korean idiom meaning an unstoppable advance, altered to match the sword's blue, wave-like attack.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
