Chapter 5 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

If Wutian could not practice cultivation, others would have to support him for the rest of his life. It would become a burden to Dragon Village, where food was lacking, so he was naturally not welcomed.

“You two know nothing. Get the hell of out of here!” A burly teenager with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a muscular body slapped the two kids with his unusually big hand. He stood at seven feet tall.

The teenager’s name was Longhu. Although tall and rugged-looking, he was only thirteen years old and Wutian’s sole friend in Dragon Village. Every time Longhu went hunting, he would ask Wutian to foretell what dangers lay ahead of him.

Wutian’s divination had been accurate, so every time Longhu followed Wutian’s instruction, he would always land on his feet and experience a fruitful hunting day. Hence, they became good friends over time.

“Don’t listen to their lies, Elder Linshan. Wutian has been working very hard all these years. He goes to the back of the mountain to practice his breathing method every morning, year after year. He has never given up. There must be some other reason for his inability to unlock his physique. Anyway, I believe that he is dead,” said Longhu matter-of-factly.

“Really? Could I have made a mistake here?”

Linshan started to have doubts. He did not know the other villagers’ thoughts, but he knew who Wutian was. Ten years ago, Longshan had told him everything, and he had always held Wutian in high regard, thinking that he would become somebody someday. Little did he expect things to end up this way.

Again, Linshan looked at the old man not far away. Knowing that Longshan was well-versed in divination and would surely know whether Wutian was still alive or not, Linshan wanted to see if he could find something out from Longshan. Yet, Longshan’s response did not reveal much, and he had a hard time deciphering what was in Longshan’s mind.

“He’s dead, Elder Linshan. Forget about him, and let’s get started!” the boy dressed in fine clothes said impatiently.

“Who says I’m dead?”

At that moment, a mocking voice was heard. Everyone followed the voice and saw a blood-red figure marching toward them. The figure was a teenager. Standing upright at seven feet tall, his body was covered in blood, while his eyes were dark and deep-set like a pair of black holes that could suck the souls of the living.

“Wutian!” Longshan rose to his feet at once, his murky eyes finally showing a hint of liveliness.

“Grandpa!” Wutian scurried up to Longshan, then dropped to his knees. When he looked up and his old grandfather’s frail face, he felt so sorry that his heart ached. It was as though he had been stabbed by a knife in the chest. He lost control of his emotions, and tears flowed down his cheeks.

“Grandpa, I’ve returned. I’m sorry for making you worry about me. I am unfilial, a bastard, not befitting of a human.” Wutian slapped himself on the face as he spoke.

“Don’t do that!” Longshan quickly stopped him.

He reached out with his trembling hands to hold Wutian up. “Seeing you come home safely is my greatest comfort. Never hurt yourself again. As your grandpa, I can no longer take it,” said Longshan avuncularly.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa! It’s my fault. I made you worry about me.”

“You silly boy. It’s not your fault. It was the goddamn monster beast that chased you down the cliff. You must have endured a lot of hardships.”

“The monster beast?” Longshan was stupefied before he quickly came to his senses. He glanced at Longhe. Just as he was about to say something, Longhe interrupted.

“You’re finally back, Wutian! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Longhe seemed very concerned about him as he stepped up to Wutian eagerly. “I’m warning you, if you dare reveal what happened on that day, I’ll kill your precious grandpa,” said Longhe in a whisper once he came close.

“You…” Wutian glared at him, his eyes burning with fury.

“I mean what I say.”

There was a fleeting sense of intimidation in Longhe’s eyes. He reached out to pat Wutian on the shoulder but saw a little black beast there and flinched. “Not bad. Not only have you returned safely, but you’ve also become physically stronger. You might be able to unlock your physique in the near future.”

Wutian’s body stiffened; he had no doubt that Longhe would go through with his threat.

At first, he had thought of exposing Longhe’s lie in front of everyone, but now, he had to think twice. Since he had unlocked his physique, joining the Fire Cloud Clan was just a matter of formality. If he divulged the truth of what happened a month ago, however, no one on the scene would probably believe him, and that would only make things worse.

“Haven’t you noticed me here, you stinky rascal? You’ve never changed all these years—still as disrespectful and unloving as before!” Linshan came up to him and knocked him on the forehead.

Wutian winced and decided to put his plan of exposing Longhe’s lie on hold. “Uncle Linshan, long time no see. I thought I wouldn’t be able to see you again!” He simpered.

“You’ve grown this tall since I last saw you a few years ago, stinky rascal!” Linshan lamented and smacked Wutian on the shoulders with force.

Wutian tumbled to the ground in an instant, appearing embarrassed.

Linshan was startled. Scratching his head, he also felt embarrassed. “I forgot that you never practiced cultivation. I’m sorry, Wutian! I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Once is enough. No next time, please! You almost killed me, you know?” Wutian pulled himself up and rolled his eyes. Even if he had unlocked his physique, he would not have been able to withstand a hit from him considering Linshan’s attainment in cultivation.

Heck, I’ll have you pay back a hundred times when I get stronger next time.

Nonetheless, that was just a thought. Wutian knew his grandfather’s friend well. Linshan was a straight talker, and he lacked the arrogance of other cultivators. Being a friendly individual, he took good care of his grandfather and him, occasionally sending them food as well as making sure that the two of them had enough to go by.

Sometimes, Wutian would question how a fortune-teller like his grandfather managed to get to know the Fire Cloud Clan’s censor elder.

The Fire Cloud Clan came from Mount Fire Cloud in the Red Flame Mountains, which was about a thousand miles from Dragon Village. They were one of the few major clans in the Greendragon subcontinent. Among them were many masters and talented people. Someone who could become the elder of such a major clan had to be out of the ordinary.

Linshan furrowed his brows. “So many years have passed, yet you haven’t unlocked your physique. What have you been doing all this while, you stinking rascal?”

“What could I have done when I couldn’t even get it unlocked? For me, it’s no big deal. I just want to take care of my grandpa and earn an honest living by becoming a fortune teller.” Wutian could not have cared less about what Linshan thought.

He was telling the truth; the last thing he wanted was to leave. There was a possibility that Long He would harm his grandfather if he was not around. Now that he had the Gobbler and lacked no Essence, he could self-study to practice cultivation without needing to attend school. Perhaps he could make more progress the clan’s disciples? The only downside of practicing on his own was that he did not have access to any secret books of cultivation.

“It looks like you’ve grown some senses after you survived a mishap this time, Wutian. Falling down the cliff wasn’t a bad thing after all.”

“It’s a good thing to know when to give up. You should spend your time learning divination techniques from now on so that you can share in the responsibility of taking care of the village.”