The Old Mans Tales

The sun beat down on Kura's back as he toiled tirelessly on the construction site of his village. He lifted heavy stones and carried them to their designated spots, his muscles straining with the effort. Despite the scorching heat and physical exertion, Kura was content with his life as a laborer.

He grew up in a modest village, under the care of his free-spirited parents who often roamed the world. When Kura was just six years old, his parents left him with his grandmother, who was known for her unyielding ways. He did not know the reason for their departure, and his grandmother always told him that he would know in due time. However, that was eleven years ago now.

Despite the stern upbringing, Kura developed a love for hard work and physical labor. At the age of eighteen, Kura found himself working as a construction laborer. It was here where he met a prostitute and lost his innocence. He developed a strong liking for wine and women and spent most of his hard-earned money on them. Despite this, Kura remained grounded and pragmatic, with a positive outlook on life.

Kura had no burning or fervent desires. He took pleasure in honest work, the occasional companionship of a woman, and his true passion, the appreciation of wine.

Kura's work as a construction laborer in the village mainly involved manual labor, such as carrying heavy building materials and assisting skilled craftsmen in constructing buildings and structures.

And on this day, like any other, Kura was working hard, lifting heavy objects in anticipation of his weekly paycheck.

As Kura lifted a massive stone slab into place, he heard a strange voice behind him. "Young man, have you ever heard of the tales of cultivation?"

Kura turned around to face the source of the voice, an elderly man who seemed to have materialized out of thin air. He was dressed in simple robes and carried a wooden staff, his face lined with age and experience.

Kura raised an eyebrow. "Cultivation? You mean like farming?"

The elderly man chuckled. "No, not like farming. Cultivation is the art of improving oneself through spiritual and physical training until one becomes a true immortal."

Kura rolled his eyes. "Ah, yes, the stories my grandmother used to tell me. I'm sorry, but I have real work to do."

The elderly man sighed. "I understand your skepticism. But what if I told you that there is a world beyond this one, where cultivators reign supreme and can perform miraculous feats?"

Kura scoffed. "I'm sure you believe that, old man. But I'm a construction worker, not a child who believes in fairy tales."

The elderly man's voice rose with passion. "What if I told you that in the world of cultivation, power is everything? That cultivators can possess unimaginable strength, capable of performing feats that would make even the gods envious? With enough dedication and training, you could become one of these cultivators, harnessing the power of the universe itself to achieve greatness beyond your wildest dreams!"

Kura was about to dismiss the elderly man's words again when something in his tone caught his attention. There was a sincerity in his voice, a conviction that couldn't be faked, or perhaps the old man had simply lost his faculties, which was the more obvious answer.

He was bored anyway, so he let the old man ramble about 'the wonders of the cultivation world' while working.

This became a daily routine as Kura found himself listening to the old man's tales day after day. Kura was probably the only man in town willing to endure his company, although he wasn't really listening.

The elderly man would visit him at the construction site and explain the intricacies of cultivation to him in great detail. He spoke of cultivators who could move mountains, control the elements, and even live forever. But the elderly man's favorite topic seemed to be the strength of the soul and how those who underestimated the power of the spirit would never achieve true greatness in the world of cultivation.

Kura was fascinated by the elderly man's words and couldn't help but wonder if there was more to life than the mundane routine of his construction job.

Kura found himself scoffing at the thought of actually being fascinated by the elderly man's tales. He couldn't believe he was considering the possibility of a world beyond his mundane routine of lifting stones and carrying bricks. Yet, despite his initial skepticism, he couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to the old man's words about the power of the soul in the world of cultivation.

He must've been going crazy, he thought.

Kura couldn't help but be intrigued by these tales, despite his own doubts, imagining that perhaps there was more to life than the simple existence he had always known.

Kura wasn't just a simple-minded laborer. He was well-built due to his work and had a natural curiosity that often led him down unexplored paths, which also led him to the company of women. Kura had always been content with the limited horizons of his small village, but the old man's tales seemed to gradually change his mind. He thought he was going crazy, just like the old man.

One day, Kura found himself alone with the old man, who had taken him aside for a private conversation. "Young man, have you ever thought about what you truly want in life?" the old man asked.

Kura paused for a moment, considering the question. "I don't really care. I have women, I have wine; I don't need more in life. I don't want to experience any more than that because it only brings trouble. But why are you even asking, old man? Are you not getting that the only reason I let you ramble on in my vicinity is because I am bored of lifting bricks and just want to get it over with and enjoy some wine or women or maybe even both, haha!"

The old man didn't even listen to him, talking over him as if he didn't hear what he said. "Yes, I understand. You should go on a journey and travel the world, find out what it has to offer, be unburdened by the restrictions of ordinary life!"

The old man gazed at Kura with a discerning eye. "I sense you have great potential and an audacious spirit," he said. "You may think cultivation is just a fairy tale, but I believe there is something special about you."

Kura raised an eyebrow, both surprised and skeptical, but mostly the latter. "Special? Me? I'm just a construction worker."

The old man smiled enigmatically and raised his voice. "Perhaps! But there is more to you than meets the eye. I hope you can make use of this," whispering the last part to himself while patting Kura's chest.

Kura felt uncomfortable being touched by a random old man he didn't even know the name of until that day. "What are you doing, old man? I don't swing that way! Have you gone completely senile now?"

"Also, quit saying that I'm 'special'; it weirds me out! And I have responsibilities here in the village. Even if the only family I have left is my grandmother, I cannot leave her here all alone, especially not for some stupid reason like traveling the world and uncovering some

"truths" because of the ramblings of a senile old man."

The old man's face fell, disappointment evident in his eyes. "Very well," he said quietly. "But let me tell you, young man, the temptation of cultivation is strong. Once you've tasted its power, it's hard to resist the allure of immortality and eternal youth. The path is difficult, but the rewards are great. It requires dedication, perseverance, and sacrifice, but those who succeed will be able to do things that ordinary people could only dream of."

With those words, the old man turned and walked away, his figure disappearing into the distance.

Kura watched him go, feeling weirded out and confused. "What's the deal with him anyway? He's been talking about this stuff for like two weeks now, and I still don't even know who he is! He won't ever answer my questions and just rambles on about his fairy tales! Bah!"

As he returned to his work, Kura felt a strange sensation in his chest. It was as if something had shifted inside him, some new awareness that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He dismissed it as a trick of his imagination and focused on his duties. "Hah, look at me; he's rubbing off on me. I'm actually getting crazy."

But later that night, as he lay in bed, Kura couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed out on something important. He remembered the old man's tales of cultivation, specifically the cultivation of the soul and the examples of the "techniques" he was always showcasing, and a strange idea occurred to him.

What if he could use that knowledge to become superior to normal people, even if he couldn't become a true cultivator? I mean, trying out those silly techniques he occasionally rambled about would do no harm, right?

With that thought in mind, Kura set about studying the technique that the old man had left him. It was a strange feeling; the old dude described it as inhaling the purity of the world in one big breath and expelling one's own impurities in ten short and quick breaths. Whatever that meant.

Since he was bored out of his mind and wasn't able to sleep that night, he tried out that technique and actually found it kind of relaxing. But after a while, maybe half an hour to an hour into that practice, his head started feeling as if it would split apart if he continued with it. "Aargh! What was that? What the hell is going on? I only continued with this because it was so relaxing! I wanted to sleep with this, but I guess I can forget that!"

He was confused but also a little angry; he thought he must've done something wrong. So he sat down again and continued with the technique. After ten minutes, the massive headache hit him again, but this time he would push through and ignore it. He didn't believe something as stupid as a simple breathing technique could actually harm him, so he continued on.

Kura did so until the headache actually wore off. He felt a sense of accomplishment, but then quickly realized how stupid that sounded. "Heh, I, the mighty Kura, defeated the foe of breath! Hah! I must've gone crazy."

But soon after, Kura found that he was able to see things more clearly. He felt more in tune with the natural world, able to sense the ebb and flow of energy around him. He was full of fear. "What is happening? What are these waves in the air? Am I drunk again?"

The strange power left a deep impression on him. It wasn't the kind of power that cultivators wielded, like in the ancient tales and fables, but it was something nonetheless. Kura found that his senses had sharpened all around; he could also read people's motives and desires with greater insight, as if all was naked before his eyes. His already strengthened and muscular body felt sort of stronger, but not in the sense of lifting strength; it felt more familiar with it.

It was like he was reconnected with a certain inner strength he always had but couldn't really access.

He was weirded out immensely and didn't know what to even feel in this situation.

"I have to talk to that senile old man! Or wait, it seems he wasn't so senile after all!"

The next day at the site, he was left standing, barely able to get any work done, anxiously waiting for the old man.

But he would never show up that day...