The Transmigrator's Cultivation - Chapter 435

The child trembled in fear, having just been surrounded by demons. Now, witnessing the blood-red vines devouring those monsters until only bones remained, he felt even more terrified. Regret and grievance swirled in his heart, and he cried more bitterly, repeatedly shouting, “Don’t come over! Don’t come over! Don’t eat me…”

Before he could assess the situation, Xu Ziqing realized the child was crying like this because Rongjin had frightened him. He gently stroked the vines and said, “Rongjin, you should go back for now.”

Rongjin hesitated but eventually nuzzled against Xu Ziqing before retracting all the vines, which swiftly burrowed back into the Tai Chi yin fish.

With a whoosh, the vast area was left with only Xu Ziqing.

After taking a few steps forward, Xu Ziqing softly said, “Little one, it’s all right now. Why don’t you open your eyes?”

His voice was gentle and soothing, and he used magic to dispel the lingering bloody aura around them, clearing the atmosphere.

Perhaps sensing no malice, the magical treasures did not attack, allowing Xu Ziqing to approach the child and squat down before him.

The child’s tears flowed freely, but when a gentle hand patted his head, he dazedly looked up. Seeing the warm smile of the young man, he seemed to forget his crying.

“Uncle…”

Xu Ziqing smiled slightly, “It’s okay now, don’t be afraid.”

The child glanced behind him; the bloody scene was gone, and there were no more monsters. His emotions gradually stabilized.

Xu Ziqing took out a handkerchief to wipe away the child’s tears, watching as the little one slowly calmed down.

The two—one big and one small—squatted and sat together for a while.

Finally, the child timidly raised his face and asked, “Were those red things just now from you, Uncle?”

Xu Ziqing chuckled, “Yes, although they were fierce, they wouldn’t hurt you.” As he spoke, he summoned a thin vine from his palm—a branch of the bloodthirsty vine, with Rongjin’s consciousness imbued within. The vine curiously bent towards the child.

The child blinked and cautiously extended a finger to touch it. When nothing happened, he sighed in relief, completely letting go of his worries, and small smiles appeared on his face.

The vine coiled around his wrist before retracting back.

Seeing this, Xu Ziqing felt comforted. It seemed the earlier fright would not affect the child too much.

Moved by the child’s earlier terror, Xu Ziqing simply picked him up. The child understood that this “uncle” had saved him and wrapped his little arms around Xu Ziqing’s neck, not crying or fussing as he was carried away.

With dawn approaching, Xu Ziqing began to contemplate.

This child was young and had many magical treasures for protection, suggesting he hadn’t been abandoned… Although he couldn’t guess why the child was alone outside, he couldn’t just leave him. After some thought, he decided to ask about the child’s background and make the effort to take him back home.

Thus, after exchanging a few comforting words with the child to put him at ease, Xu Ziqing began to inquire about his origins.

However, at only four or five years old, the child couldn’t articulate clearly, his speech broken and disjointed, making it difficult to understand.

But with Xu Ziqing’s experience, he managed to piece together some information.

The child’s surname was Li, and his nickname was “Tianfu.” He lived with many uncles and had never seen his mother. As he grew older, he found himself confined between several tents, with limited space to move and little companionship, which made him quite lonely.

Gradually, as Tianfu grew, his solitude deepened. One day, unable to bear it any longer, he sneaked out during a rare moment of opportunity.

Perhaps because he seldom misbehaved, he secretly found a piece of paper his father had once used. Just before dusk, he managed to use it somewhat clumsily, and surprisingly, it actually sent him out.

Afterward, Tianfu saw the vast, desolate land and the dim sky, but he was all alone. It was at this moment that panic set in.

Yet, with no one around, Tianfu had no choice but to suppress his terror and stagger forward, trying to find a familiar place. However, after walking for a long time, he saw no recognizable direction. As the sky grew darker, his fear intensified, and he began to regret his actions, bursting into tears.

Later, many demons jumped down from the dark sky, discovering Tianfu and relentlessly pursuing him.

If it weren’t for the protective magical treasures surrounding Tianfu, he would have been devoured long ago.

No wonder…

Having learned this, Xu Ziqing observed the fear in Tianfu’s expression as he spoke and decided not to ask further questions.

At such a young age, being chased by a group of monsters for a couple of hours at night without losing his wits was already a testament to his strong will. Even crying wasn’t a big deal.

From what Tianfu had just said, Xu Ziqing gathered that he must be the child of a shen cultivator in a military regiment. His father held a high position, and his mother… was likely already deceased. When night fell, the people in the regiment were probably busy with defenses, which allowed the child to slip away.

As for the piece of paper that directly sent Tianfu out, it likely belonged to a teleportation talisman or a similar method used by divine cultivators. Somehow, Tianfu had activated it.

And for Tianfu to have survived until Xu Ziqing found him, it truly lived up to the “fu福; good fortune / happiness / luck” in his name.

At this point, Xu Ziqing also speculated about which regiment Tianfu belonged to.

If there were no surprises, it should be the Li family army within the large regiment. However, items used for teleportation were often lifesaving; the one Tianfu activated was probably the same. Thus, Tianfu’s current location should be quite a distance from the Li family army’s station.

Fortunately, since the Li family army was one of the five major regiments, Xu Ziqing had seen some records that detailed its approximate location. He also understood the routes well, making it easier to return Tianfu home. Still, there were several hundred miles to cover, so he couldn’t let his guard down.

Having made a decision, Xu Ziqing held Tianfu and estimated their direction, setting off towards it.

Unlike Xu Ziqing’s solitary journey, he was already a Nascent Soul cultivator, so he didn’t need to eat regularly; as long as spiritual energy flowed, he could move as usual. However, Tianfu, being so young and not having practiced divine methods, had not eaten for some time, and his stomach was already growling.

—This was not surprising; running all night in fear must have taken a toll.

Xu Ziqing felt somewhat troubled. He had many things in his storage bracelet, but there was no food for mortals.

Even the Grain Avoidance Pill had been moved away long ago when he no longer needed it… Now, he found himself at a loss.

Tianfu was quite well-behaved, as he was originally a very adorable child. It was just that after years of loneliness and occasional mischief, he had encountered such a great calamity. Having finally been rescued, he didn’t dare to complain about being extremely hungry after being frightened during the night.

Noticing this, Xu Ziqing felt his heart soften. After thinking for a moment, he pressed his hand on Tianfu’s abdomen and said gently, “I don’t have any food here right now, but let me massage your stomach first. Please bear with it for a while, and I’ll take you to a nearby small station.”

Hearing this, Tianfu’s eyes brightened, and he nodded immediately, “Okay, thank you, Uncle!”

Xu Ziqing sighed softly, using a bit of true essence to apply gentle pressure on Tianfu’s dantian, alleviating his discomfort slightly. However, this merely treated the symptoms, not the root cause, so it would not stop his hunger entirely. He also quickened his pace toward a small station that he was more familiar with nearby.

Xu Ziqing was quite fortunate; he didn’t take out the Void Mirror to attract demons, and those demons did not come down to hunt for food on their own, so the journey went smoothly.

Soon arriving at the small station, Xu Ziqing did not compete with others for the tent-erecting spots. Instead, he headed straight to the trading stalls, using the divine stones he had obtained years ago to exchange for some edible food.

…Speaking of food, it is indeed related to the cultivation methods of shen cultivators.

Just like how cultivators need to reach a certain level before they can abstain from regular meals, shen cultivators also need to consume earthly food in the early stages of their training.

Shen cultivators at the Concentration stage need to eat at least once every five days; those at the Gathering Origin stage, at least once every ten days; and those at the Entering Tribulation stage, once a month. Only at the Transforming Tribulation stage can they truly stop needing food and water. Therefore, food within the station is a crucial resource and cannot be neglected. Exchanging for it is not particularly expensive.

Xu Ziqing quickly obtained a bowl of hot food and handed it to Tianfu, saying gently, “Eat up.”

Tianfu’s eyes were slightly red as he took it and began to eat in small bites. Clearly starving, he ate quite quickly, but even so, he was not rough; instead, he displayed a sense of decorum, indicating that he had been carefully taught and was evidently well-regarded.

Once Tianfu finished eating, Xu Ziqing picked him up and turned to leave the station.

Tianfu wrapped his arms around Xu Ziqing’s neck, burped softly, and asked cutely, “Are you taking me home, Uncle?”

Xu Ziqing smiled, “Yes, I’ll take you home. Don’t worry.”

Tianfu hesitated for a moment, rubbing his cheek against Xu Ziqing’s side, and whispered, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Xu Ziqing smiled softly in return, rubbing against him gently, and reassured him, “Don’t be afraid.”

With that, the two set off on their journey.

To ensure Tianfu’s safety, Xu Ziqing used teleportation techniques to move quickly.

During the journey, they encountered several demons. The lower-level ones were relatively easy to deal with; Xu Ziqing tightly bound Tianfu to his chest with vines and swiftly killed them without wasting much time. But perhaps his earlier luck had run out, as he unexpectedly encountered a mid-level demon!

Tianfu’s small face turned pale with fear, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t cry out, making Xu Ziqing feel very sympathetic. He then summoned Rongjin, dividing several demon vines to guard Tianfu’s side, before engaging in battle with the mid-level demon.

After a moment’s delay, when Xu Ziqing turned back, he saw Tianfu crouched in a space surrounded by the demon vines, hugging his knees and looking pitiful. Only upon seeing Xu Ziqing approaching did he spring forward, trembling.

After experiencing such scenarios several times along the journey, Tianfu’s complexion gradually improved, and he seemed to have gained a bit more courage.

Eventually, even when faced with demon vines as thick as a bowl, or even thicker, he no longer felt afraid; he understood that these were the things protecting him.

Thus, after two full days and nights, they finally caught sight of the Li family army’s camp.

Xu Ziqing wiped the sand off Tianfu’s face with his sleeve and gently asked, “Tianfu, do you live here?”

Tianfu looked around several times, somewhat bewildered. When he lifted his head and saw the tall flagpole and the large flag fluttering above, he nodded vigorously, “I’ve seen that flag before!”

Such a tall military flag could be seen even if he were hidden among the tents inside the military camp.

Xu Ziqing sighed in relief and led Tianfu forward. As he walked closer to the station, he noticed that the defenses there were extremely tight. It seemed somewhat unusual.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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