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Cultivation Nerd: Chapter 114
🕑 Added 2024-06-10 22:46:44 +0000 UTCChapter 114 - Wide Open
My eyes fluttered open, and I exhaled heavily, looking around at the unfamiliar room.
It was an old-style building, and the decoration was outdated, even for this world. The doors were not regular doors but sliding doors, and everything seemed to have been built without a nail in sight.
Where the hell was this?
The last thing I remembered was the doctors coming to help me after Song Song killed her cousin. I wasn't sure how smart that was on her part; everyone already saw her as an unstable monster with a shaky support base. Her killing of her own cousin could be the final nail in the coffin.
Poor guy died just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But Song Song was like a natural disaster regarding these things—an unstable factor in any logical plan, which made her hard to predict.
I didn't bother thinking about the guy who died too much after that. To others, Song Song's actions might have seemed cruel and come out of nowhere, but she saved my life with that. While it wasn't something I necessarily liked or condoned, I was okay with it for some reason. I even appreciated her willingness to go to such lengths for me.
The quietness of the whole place was a bit eerie, but I enjoyed it since I hadn't had the time to rest well in a while. Also, the place was relatively warm.
I shifted in the futon and took off the covers, noticing that I was just wearing shorts, which gave me a perfect view of all the new scars riddling my body. The one on my chest from the sword piercing through and the one on my abdomen from the light stab were the most noticeable among the endless cuts.
The most eye-catching scar was the one just above my left elbow. Calling it a scar might be a bit hasty since there were still stitches and some redness around the newly formed scar. It was the only wound that still seemed a bit raw.
Overall, though, the healers had done an excellent job. Even without modern medicine and surgeons, their healing techniques and artifacts were pretty effective, or whatever they used to achieve these results.
Judging by how thirsty and hungry I felt, it shouldn't have been more than two or three days since I was treated. But perhaps cultivators had a way to feed and hydrate me remotely while I was unconscious, so this assumption could be incorrect.
I stood up, feeling soreness throughout my body. I clenched the fingers in my reattached arm. It felt weird when I thought about how it had been cut off. At least there was no uncomfortable feeling, and the reattachment was done well. I hadn't lost any power from what it seemed, either.
Walking toward one of the sliding doors, I opened it. Behind the door were a wooden porch and a large backyard surrounded by walls in the distance.
My eyes stung as the sunlight flashed on my pupils. But once I got used to the light, I was surprised by the green grass in the large yard and the bushes, flowers, and other plants that made it clear this place no longer looked like winter. There was even an unfrozen large pond next to a thick green tree.
My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly looked around, wondering how long I had actually been unconscious. But I quickly calmed down when I noticed snow atop several distant towers outside this compound.
I breathed a sigh of relief; for a second, I thought I might have been asleep for months—or, in the worst-case scenario, even years.
But now that I knew the truth, I enjoyed the warm sun and the greenery. However, it seemed like I was not as alone as I thought because in the shadow of the tree next to the pond was a man with long green hair and a dark green glint in his eyes. He looked young, at most in his mid-twenties appearance-wise.
A small fishing pole was rooted in the ground next to him as he played with some paper.
Despite the strangeness of the whole situation, what stood out about him was that he had no Qi. I couldn't even sense him. Sure, he had none of the intimidating presence or overwhelming Qi a powerful cultivator had, but this still put me on edge. Also, he was suspicious as hell.
The green-haired guy finished playing with his paper and made a paper airplane. After that, he finally turned toward me, his cold face showing no emotion as he threw the paper plane at me.
However, his paper plane-making skills were lackluster, as the plane just barely did a circle and flopped a couple of feet away from him.
"My paper darts are not getting any better," the man sighed as his gaze turned toward the fallen paper.
Whatever he was playing at, I wanted no part in it. "Where am I?"
The man's gaze returned to me, his cold, emotionless eyes feeling like they were seeing straight through me.
"This is the house I used to live in when I was young," the man finally said.
"Oh? And where is that exactly?" I inquired.
"It is on the northern edge of the Song Clan compound in the Blazing Sun Sect," he clarified, his raspy and robotic voice like nails on a chalkboard.
I nodded and was about to turn around but stopped as I realized something.
As I instinctively extended my senses to try to feel where I was, everything beyond these walls was blurry. I couldn't sense anything.
Perhaps I wasn't as free as I initially thought.
To learn more about the situation, I looked down at the wooden porch and then turned toward the green-haired man still looking at me. I wanted to ask him where Song Song was, but I decided against it for now. I had a feeling things were not as simple as they seemed.
"Who are you?" I asked the man.
"My name is Song San. I'm just another servant," the man shrugged.
I didn't believe that but decided not to call the man out. He likely knew I didn't believe him either, but we were both maintaining the facade of rationalism.
A servant wouldn't call themselves a servant with that much confidence. His demeanor was more like that of wealthy people who claimed to be poor; this was not the attitude of a humble servant.
Since the man clearly didn't want to discuss his identity further, I didn't press further. But that didn't mean I was polite enough to stop asking questions altogether.
"Where is Song Song?"
After what had happened, I doubted she would have left my side so nonchalantly. While Song Song might not be the type to stand by someone's bedside and cry, she knew she had put a giant target on my head with the stunt she pulled.
"She is being punished for killing one of her family members without provocation," the green-haired man stated, looking at the sky without a care in the world.
I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, "How long will she be punished for this?"
The guy shrugged. "While the Song Clan has some leeway regarding certain rules since we are integral to the Blazing Sun Sect and have many of our members in high positions..."
His gaze sharpened, and he continued with a strange intensity in his words, "But there is one rule every Song Clan member must follow: never kill a fellow family member. This time, Song Song did it so blatantly in the healer's place that there is no wiggle room to fabricate some story about how the victim was a traitor or something like that."
While Song San spoke a lot, he actually said very little. Despite his verbosity, I learned little about the situation, nothing I couldn't have deduced through logical assumptions. He revealed nothing more than the bare essentials.
"I see," I said, then stood up and stretched a bit. "I'm going to train a bit. I hope it's no bother to you."
"Go right ahead," the man said as he leaned against the tree and checked his fishing rod.
I stepped down from the porch, and my feet touched the grass. I took a deep breath and felt the comfortably cool air entering my lungs. But I zoned out all such sensations, and a buzzing sound entered my ears as I recalled the day my arm had been cut off.
I quite liked that string technique.
Wait, I just remembered that Speedy was left behind and alone in Whitewall Town! Holy shit! He was probably super sad now and crying.
Even though I wasn't too worried since the governor and clan leaders knew Speedy was my companion... Well, even if they wanted to harm him, it's not like any of them would even be able to hurt Speedy. But being so long away from me could cause emotional scars that would never heal!
Of course, I was being dramatic here. Speedy would probably sleep until I returned, and we would pick up from where we left off. He would sleep close by while I trained.
To distract myself from such thoughts, I decided to try some new ideas I had come up with during the fight against Song Sia. However, there was another reason I was willing to train in front of a stranger: I was too excited to wait until this whole thing blew over to try these new ideas.
I extended my hands forward, and thin strings of Qi formed from the tips of each finger. But as soon as they extended farther than three feet, they became floppy and hard to control.
However, I could fix this by no longer trying to control the strings and just shooting thin strings in a direction. Then, I attached the strings to some of the bushes and the grass around me.
While the technique was quite sharp, my strings were made of Qi and easy to sense. Also, the technique still had the same weakness it did when Song Sia used it: none of my allies would be able to help me since they would be cut indiscriminately. That was why Song Sia's friends couldn't gang up on me after she began using the strings; they would have all gotten caught in it together.
It wasn't that much of a useful technique if the opponent could put their guard up, as the cuts would be too shallow. The only reason it had been so lethal was because it had caught me off guard.
However, creating something to use in battle wasn't the main reason for using this technique. Instead, I glanced at the green-haired man, trying to get a read on him and what he thought about this.
It was hard to tell his thoughts, but he seemed calm and nonchalant. At least it didn't seem like he had any hateful intent. So, the assumption that this guy was someone from Song Sia's family and that I had been sent there to appease them was implausible. More likely, I was sent to the family of the guy Song Song had killed in the hospital.
I had no illusions that I was important enough to the Song Clan or the Sect itself to avoid being sent as a sacrifice to stop someone from growing angry.
"Are you hungry?" Song San suddenly asked out of nowhere, breaking me out of my thoughts and whatever assumptions I had.
Perhaps I was just acting on suspicion and assuming things needlessly.
"I could go for a good meal," I shrugged.
There wasn't much else I could do for now, and I had a feeling that my being here wasn't just to wait for me to heal.
I stopped my training, and the strings dissipated into nothingness.
"Do you want anything specific?" he offered. "Don't be shy. If any dish comes to mind, the chef here can make it. This guy is the same chef that cooked for Song Song, and she... was a very picky eater."
He was saying that but who knew if that was true?
I was already on full alert. After all, I hadn't seen Song Song, and he just mentioned that the chef who would cook my meal was the same one who had cooked for her. It was almost like he was trying to create a sense of familiarity for me that wasn't there.
It felt like I was being manipulated.
Oh well, I would let myself be manipulated to see what these guys wanted me to think or do.
One thing I knew for sure was that these guys couldn't give Song Song capital punishment and execute her. So it was only a matter of time before she came here and got me out of whatever this was.
Comments
Sterban Friz
No chapter today?
TheLost
Please ask for a dish he has never heard of that would be awesome
Vara
im surprised he has no mental trauma after being so close to death and losing an arm. It seems he lost more of his humanity than he realized.
Henessy Henellations
Remember he thinks the xianxia healing magic could be instantaneous and flawless. When he lost his arm he also thought (other than the prosthetic) that there was a pill or something that can regenerate the arm.
ciaran mullen
please tell me he isnt eating the cousin song song killed
Deyoni
By the way, how the snow proves that he has not been unconscious for years. I think that he should have drawn these conclusions from the state of his wounds. It's just a nitpick, ignore it…
Deyoni
The author very suddenly gives a chapter where it is told about Song Song and what she might have eaten, and then gives a chapter where a man from her family offers food emphasizing the tastes of Song Song… IT’S A TRAP!
TheSniper
I'm pretty sure it is easy for them to investigate as to whether he's a demonic human or not, because most of the evidence blatantly says no. But he could also be checking out IF he does actually have some sort of like for human flesh as a human being so ig there is that? Still makes no sense to me since that's easily disproven.
Gio
I thought it was the strongest on the continent? not the world?
PirouettePrisoner
Important Question..... Where is Speedy?
C
I'm with you. Song song is still the best character.... MC might just need to check his reattached arm for a few love bites is all.
Phobos
Damn, you guys are turncoat at the speed of light. 🫠 Me as long as Song Song herself doesn't actually do something against Liu Feng. Or purely diabolical without reason, I remain for alliance with Her. I have the impression that you are so focused on cannibalism that you no longer see the world as a whole.😅
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter! But it feels like nothing happened!! I need more!!!
tribekingRMwhen
His long pork stir fry is to die for.
Treacherous_Usurper
Right, that reminds me, was Ye And secret her root thingy or was there something else that he still has to find out?
aj0413
lol His unfailing faith and focus on Song Song is definitely being noted down
Sam
Thanks for the chapter
BZD
The Chef is very good. He gets his recipes from some indigenous tribes in far off places.
BZD
He’s got that Xianxia Paranoia. Every old man you meet on the street is a secret immortal, every servant is a sect leader in disguise testing the sect. Heck, this sort of conclusion for him is pretty normal, it’s how he became friends with the old man. He kept bringing him tea and helping him out thinking that he may be the secret master of the sect at first.
Raztou
Ok, the cannibal wibe are strong there. But I can't help but feel there is more to it than just Song Song and her family being crazy. I mean, Liu Feng really doesn't seem like the type that would stay if they were banal psycho...
Baconwargod
Not a fan of the cannibal direction but i am intrigued
Runehkt
5 years later.... 😄
ciaran mullen
His Fiancé 'ha ha ha iam in danger"
Joan Casado
Seemingly ordinary man in the heart of the strongest faction’s house of the strongest cultivation sect in the world? 95% sure he’s the Blazing Sun Immortal. (One Punch Man has really made me paranoid of this trope).
Gio
It's like when Ye An thought Liu Feng was like her. After seeing Liu Feng reproduce the Song technique so quickly, he probably thinks Liu Feng is like Song Song. So he's checking if Liu Feng is also a 'picky eater'.
C
Assuming he is not a servant because he said it confidently is a faulty leap in logic. What if he's just a proud servant. I would imagine that there are many proud servants if they are serving a powerful and influential family.
StarBat
.... That's a pretty good idea. I hope the story goes this direction.
Michael T
Imagine trying to find a jailer willing to imprison Song Song.
Inirlan
My guess is that they're thinking "Song Song, seems to somehow care about this disciple and his well-being. We must get to the bottom of this unprecedented state of affairs!"
StarBat
... He showed that he learned a song family technique. Repercussions incoming??
softmaza
If he's telling the truth that he;s a servant he could also be Song Sia's dad
tribekingRMwhen
Oh wow this is a real I know that you know that I know scenario. The dad totally thinks Feng is a demonic human. 'Welp he'll tell me he's a demonic human when he's ready.' "This guy is the same chef that cooked for Song Song, and she... was a very picky eater." 'Song likes people right? He probably does too.' Song Song saving a human? Impossible. Song Song saving a fellow demonic human though? 'It's loyalty to kin. Ape must not kill ape.' "It was almost like he was trying to create a sense of familiarity for me that wasn't there." 'How do I bond with son in law? Getting drunk on blood? That works.'
tribekingRMwhen
Her punishment is to be confined in her room for two days. Also no killing or maiming for a week.
maldita
tftc
Treacherous_Usurper
If Song Song can't stay in the sect for whatever reason I imagine it might force them to elope together.
Perf
We stan our loyal humanitarian.
Confused
Ah Liu is in the Song compound at the sect he'll probably have to be on his toes for sure while he's there. Beyond that I wonder how severe Song Songs punishment will be or how long it'll take till it's over for her.
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! :-)
BookwormLich
Why I’m imagining this more like Is this the “father of heroine comes to check potential suitor?” 😂
Diplodicus
Thanks for the chapter!
Bonobo
Thanks for the chapter, loved it!
Bunny Waffles
Is that her pops? My money is totally on that. That, or some reserve elder who watched over Song Song growing up.
Alexander Jaquez
i bought the patreon to catch up. finally here
lakenov
ty for chapter
