NOVEL FROG Chapter XC – Thy cultivation be done.
Cultivation (noun): “Advancement or refinement in physical, intellectual, or moral condition.”
For those who cultivate, it’s an arduous process taking potentially myriads of years to get anywhere. Old masters with their flowing beards lock themselves in caves hidden in high mountains, young masters punch even younger masters for face-saving, and in the meanwhile the normies down below work hard for the sect.
Long Dong, despite being master of the Supreme Heavenly Immortal Taoist Sect, had at most cultivated for three years in total. All his other achievements had been made through convenient items left by respected masters he found by lucking out in auctions and other adventures which would require a novel of its own to describe in full. He hoped to gain power and ascend to yet another plane by slaying the Demon King there and then. His special attack, [Massive Ultimate Directional Attack], would rend the weak-looking old man right in front of him to shreds, smithereens, and several itty bitty pieces.
“John!”
Dong flew towards Brown, his robes frantically flapping in the wind from how fast he was leaping towards the Demon King. “[M.U.D.A.!]” he shouted. His vision became blur as his massive and ultimate attack swung towards Brown’s direction. The attack was simple, yet effective: Dong swung his entire body with one of his fists raised up high. The force of his entire body spinning usually obliterated anything that it came across. It felt like time stopped as the qi came flowing into him, first to his legs to help him make the spin and then to his fists to disrupt the qi of the Demon King and send him to an otherworld.
BAM!
Dong and Brown collided, and yet, the old man was smitten without being made into smithereens. Brown had managed to raise his hand and cusp the hand flying towards him. “Who are you?!” screamed the old man.
“I’ll ask the same thing, how did you block my secret attack?!” shouted back Dong. He jumped back to get a good deal of distance between him and the Demon King. He was just meant to be an old otherworlder in my vision… how can such a puny old man of no renown block the Dong?!
“It’s rude to answer a question with another question.” Brown leaped to get his M1 Garand before Dong could approach him again. Thankfully he had kept his rifle close at all times, it was right on the ground propped up against a tent this time, and the rifle was soon raised up against the cultivator. “Your intentions are no good, I assume.”
“Vanquishing the Demon King is nothing but good. Kowtow now and I may consider leaving your corpse intact.” Dong was biding for time, trying to read the old man. He was the Demon King of legend, sure, but “spawncamping” him should have led to an easy victory.
“I’m not kowtowing to anyone but the good Lord above, and with His help, none of us here will have to kowtow to anyone else.” Brown looked around him. The other captains were already running towards him. Perhaps they could defeat this odd martial arts bloke the same way they had defeated Kim.
“You are courting death, John. I’ll respect your choice.” Dong began circling his arms around his head. This even-more-special technique would surely vanquish the Demon King. “[Seven Crane Cradling Tech-]”
BANG! Clink!
Dong immediately reflected the bullet back to its sender. Intervening while somebody was in the middle of chanting the name of their attack was a crime punishable by death.
Clink! “Cào!” Brown moved away from where he was just in time for the bullet to reflect from a rock nearby.
Clink! Dong reflected it back.
Clink! Brown moved away from where he was just in time for the bullet to reflect from a rock nearby again.
Clink! Dong finally reflected the bullet away from Brown towards the earth so that it couldn’t reflect again. “Cào nǐ zǔzōng shíbā dài, what the hell are you?!”
“Avoid blaspheming please; God doesn’t like those who blaspheme.” Having given the cultivator a lesson in not saying “hell”, Brown himself took time to be surprised by what had just happened. “I am just a mortal man, one of the many sinners put on the Earth by Our Father in Heaven.”
“You…” Dong paused. He stood still to open his mind’s eye. He sensed the flow of qi around him. The old man was… “What the… How long have you meditated for?! How can a Demon King have so much pure life energy?”
“All day every Sunday, and whenever I can for the rest of the days of the week.” Brown was equally confused as the cultivator in front of him. Dodging bullets wasn’t something he usually did. “I know not what you are rambling about.” He had finally been the one to be confused by another’s ramblings rather than another being confused by his.
“You have eyes, yet you can’t see Mt. Tai?”
“What are you talking about…”
The meeting between a 19th century radical abolitionist and a cultivator from the 21st century wasn’t going too well.
“I’m…” Dong noticed that Brown was now flanked by a shield-wielding guy and a gem-holding catgirl. “…I see you’ve bought yourself some time.”
“I’m not buying anything.” replied Brown. “Young lady, this man’s quite the swift one. Young man, have your shield up.”
“I’m not here to fight your goons!” replied Dong. He circled his hands around again, not bothering to verbally name his attack for time’s sake. [Special Seven Crane Cradling Technique]!
Dong released a wave of energy around him, visible to the non-cultivators as a wave of dust and earth being kicked up towards his enemies. It was a pretty wide-area attack which meant that it didn’t do much damage, but it fulfilled its purpose by isolating Brown from his allies. Ayomide and Shinasi were knocked far away along with the rest of the onlookers, leaving Brown and Dong to duel with each other.
The two men were facing each other, and only each other, now that the field had been cleared.
Brown honestly didn’t know what was happening. He had somehow dodged a bullet flying towards him, and now he was facing a stranger in battle. The old man knew not that his years of meditation had caused him to cultivate a whole load of qi he had never managed to unleash until he had faced death with Dong. Now John Brown had awakened without even realizing it, and he was about to unleash God’s fury on this Earth.
“I’ll be honest, I know not what is happening.” said Brown. He felt a great power surging within him, the power of cultivation. Plus, the old man was powered by the fact that he wanted to enact punishment on the man trying to stop abolition. “Regardless, let us duel.” He muttered a quick prayer before lunging forth at Dong.
Dong lunged at him two, and the two otherworlders would have locked into combat with their fists if not for Brown smacking Dong with the butt of his rifle. Having expected only fists in a martial arts duel, the cultivator was taken off guard by the glorified club. A tooth flew off of his mouth, planting itself to the ground in anticipation of the tooth fairy. “Have you no honor?! You aren’t supposed to use a club in this sort of duel!”
“Who said that?” asked Brown, readying his makeshift club for another strike. He flew right past Dong however, and ended up pounding nothing but air. Dong was ready for Brown’s club this time. However, he was not ready for the bullet fired by Brown, and he barely manage to reflect it toward the heavens. They were jumping, practically flying in the air, trying to trade punches, clubs and bullets, only to end up missing each other. Both had gotten used to the simple tricks of the other by now.
Brown landed back on the ground, and Dong soon followed. Both men took a break after having been left breathless. John Brown’s old body wasn’t built for martial arts, and it had been a while since Long Dong had to exert himself this much. The cultivator hadn’t expected to exert himself much at all today, and he was still in shock psychologically after having been countered by John Brown. ,
All they could do was stare each other down with killing intent…