016 Home Again

I’ve never been a believer in second chances. Yet after everything that had happened, I was starting to believe in them. A second life, an isekai, and me resurrecting all those people back to life. Yeah, I wouldn’t have gone through all of that if I didn’t believe in second chances now.

I returned to the center of the forest where my camp was located, marked by the single treehouse standing tall in the small clearing. I let out a screech.

“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—KREEEEEEEAAAAAAAH!!!”

A sharp, piercing cry that tore through the sky like a blade, echoed across mountains and sent lesser creatures scattering.

Man, that felt good.

I should have died back then when that Heavenly Tribulation struck me. My innate resurrection ability, Rebirth World, had activated just in time, pulling me back from the brink. If it weren’t for that, I would have been nothing but ashes scattered across the wind. The ability cost me an enormous amount of energy and came with a brutal cooldown period that left me feeling hollow for days. I was still glad that the single-instance damage negation from my Primal Nature Elemental Wild Shape had worked perfectly against the worst of the lightning strike. It had saved my life, but damn, it still hurt like a son of a bitch.

The residual pain throbbing through my being reminded me never to underestimate this world again.

I undid my Wild Shape, releasing the eagle form I had been using to glide back. Feathers dissolved into motes of primal energy as I landed lightly on the soft grass before the treehouse. It had been a little over a week since I left this place. Resurrecting an entire village’s worth of people had turned into an exhausting ordeal, especially with the heavens constantly trying to smite me every time I bent the rules of life and death. My body still ached from the repeated tribulations, but at least I was finally home.

“Xing Ning? Li Ming? You there?” I called out.

I couldn’t sense Xing Ning’s presence inside the treehouse. My senses had grown sharper since that brutal fight with the black-robed cultivators. Every rustle of leaves, every distant animal call, felt clearer now.

Li Ming’s head peeked out from the treehouse doorway. She looked like she had just woken up, her hair slightly messy and her eyes still heavy with sleep. “Senior! You’re back! How did it go!?”

“It’s all good,” I replied with a tired smile. “Your village is safe and rebuilding nicely. Your grandma asked me to tell you to stay here a little longer. She said she’d come pick you up herself once things settle down.”

Her eyes lit up with pure joy. In the next instant, she drew the sword at her waist and practically flew down the rope ladder in a burst of excitement. After a few hurried steps toward the forest path, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and rushed back to me with an embarrassed expression.

“I’m sorry, senior… I… I didn’t mean to be rude,” she stammered, bowing slightly.

I glanced at the sword still gripped tightly in her hand. “That’s Xing Ning’s sword, right?”

She looked worried. “Ah, he lent it to me for protection while you were gone. I think he wanted to try examining that mysterious sword you asked him to look over.”

I shrugged. “You can just return it to him later. You must really miss your grandma, huh? Go on, then.”

She beamed at me, gave another quick bow, and in the next instant, she stepped onto Xing Ning’s sword. With a soft hum of spiritual energy, the blade lifted into the air, carrying her lightly above the ground. Li Ming shot me one last bright smile before she soared off the sky, her small figure shrinking rapidly as she flew away, screaming at me.

“I’LL BE BACK, SENIOR! I SHALL ENDEAVOR TO PAY THIS GRATITUDE ONE DAY!”

I let out a long breath. After everything, I felt like I could eat an entire feast of roasted meat. As if on cue, Xing Ning appeared from between the trees, carrying a freshly hunted deer across his shoulders. The Blackedge Eclipse hung at his waist, its dark sheath gleaming faintly. I had to suppress a laugh when I got a proper look at his face.

“What happened to you?” I asked, failing to keep the amusement out of my voice.

He had a nasty black eye and several bruises blooming across his cheeks and arms. He looked comically puffy, like he had lost a fight with a particularly angry pillow.

“It’s that annoying beast, senior,” he grumbled, adjusting the deer on his back. “The one with the long tail. It jumps ridiculously well.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You mean Roo?”

Xing Ning looked surprised. “So that’s what it was called? I’ve never heard of such a species before, nor have I ever seen one like it in any record.”

I clarified with a chuckle, “No, that’s just his name. If we’re going by species, I guess you could call it a kangaroo.”

He looked utterly confounded, tilting his head like I had just spoken in an ancient lost dialect. “What even is a kangaroo? Never mind… So, want some deer meat?”

“Sure.”

I watched as Xing Ning butchered the deer into neat pieces with the Blackedge Eclipse, the dark blade slicing through flesh and bone with unnatural cleanliness. He moved with practiced efficiency, arranging the cuts over a carefully prepared fire pit he had already dug near the base of the treehouse. The scent of fresh blood and woodsmoke filled the clearing.

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“What’s the occasion?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the sheer amount of meat. “Can you really finish all of that? Or you’ll make some jerky out of them?”

He shrugged, not looking up from his work. “I don’t know, Senior, but I’ve been feeling more and more hungry lately. I think my cultivation is taking a new direction.” He paused, wiping the blade on a leaf. “Unlike most sects, my sect takes body tempering seriously, so we tend to eat a lot. Something about improving the steel within our body.” He hesitated, then added nervously, “Um… I hope you don’t mind me using this sword, Senior.”

I leaned back against the tree trunk and remarked casually, “You can have it.”

Xing Ning’s head snapped up, eyes wide with shock. “Really?”

“It’s a really cool sword,” I said. “It cuts really cleanly. It even has a few awesome abilities. It’s up to you to find them. Moreover, they are one of a kind. From back where I came from, this is what you call a legendary weapon. A one-of-a-kind masterpiece.”

He grimaced, holding the Blackedge Eclipse like it had suddenly become fragile. “And I’ve been using this thing to chop our food. I can’t take this treasure, Senior.”

“It’s fine,” I insisted. “It’s not like it would chip or rust. Use it as you please. Consider it a gift for the company.”

He smiled, though the expression looked a little strained. “Senior, if you wish for my company, gifts like this are unnecessary.”

“Just take it,” I said, waving off his protest. “If you feel so bad, then cook some meat for me.”

Was it weird that after slaughtering people and dealing with heavenly lightning, I was suddenly craving meat? Probably the blood thirst talking. Ugh… I decided not to think too much about it.

“Anyway,” I continued, changing the subject, “tell me about Roo and your adventures for the past few days. I did tell you not to wander off and to stay by the treehouse to be safe, right? You getting beaten up was definitely on you.”

Xing Ning grimaced, avoiding eye contact as he skewered chunks of venison and set them over the flames.

…