When the Cultivation Grounds Looks Homey

Chapter 222: When the Cultivation Grounds Looks Homey

"..As such, please help me take care of the kids as if they are your own, Elder Jaya, Bro Tanahan, Sis Melur, Little Pelanduk, everyone. I trust you and all my brothers and sisters here."

Arash looked at the Bateqs surrounding him deeply as he held on to his good brother, Tanahan's hands. 

He made sure to include as many Bateqs as possible within this circle before releasing the final Origin SPE he accumulated. It was for this very moment, and he did not skimp for this round. 

There was no way he would leave his kids in an uncontrolled environment. Danger could appear in many forms, and he especially worried about pedos. He would never rule out something like that.

Arash had painstakingly greeted every single one of the Bateqs and engaged in small talks for the sake of spreading the SPE around. Including the trackers and hunters, he judged that he had almost covered everyone together with the Elders. He heard that there was a small number of Bateqs outside that he couldn't reach; about 5%. These were people responsible for today's foraging and hunting. But he believed that the other 95% would protect his kids in the event of such danger.

The SPE-infused commands were simple;

You must not hurt my daughters in any way or form.

You must protect my daughters from harm's way.

You must care for my daughters' needs, well-being, and happiness.

In the eyes of the villagers, Arash was so humble, amicable, and kind; he went the extra mile to get to know everyone. His eyes showed that he genuinely treated the villagers like his own kin. These feelings filled everyone's heart with gratitude laced with wonder. It then transformed into a feeling of kinship and protectiveness.

Every one of the Bateqs now had the burning desire to care for and protect the man's children as if they were their own grandchildren, daughters, little sisters.

This little family deserved that much. 

"Let's go, Tok."

Seeing how the bluish-tinted SPE swirled rampantly and entered every one of the villagers gave Arash a sense of peace and assurance. 

At the very beginning, he did send a few to his own daughters to loosely control their willfulness. They could be quite a handful when they were too excited. Their attitude can be a little too much to outsiders. He didn't want something like what happened with Madam Lisa to happen again.

He gauged his own condition and sighed.

All the SPE he diligently accumulated for nearly two weeks was close to zero right now. The orbit effect would only appear when the Origin SPE reached a certain concentration. In turn, the passive mental suggestion effect which uses less SPE would automatically activated. Right now, there was only the unperturbed Variant SPE clinging to his body as usual while the buff-like effect was nonexistent. He simply didn't cultivate his Soul Energy enough to have excess.

It's okay. They will reaccumulate again. I can do this. Fighting!

One had to make the investment necessary to get the desired outcome. He smiled as he remembered Hana's favorite word, and positivity. As a realist, he needed this at times to soothe his heart.

"Are you prepared enough this time, Boy?" Tok Silihan observed the extra bag Arash dragged with him as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Of course! There's even your share, Tok." Arash grinned mischievously.

"Atta Boy! Good, good!" 

The elder's eyes turned into two crescents, showing how satisfied he was with the Boy's thoughtfulness.

The brisk walk was less assiduous as compared to before since Arash had anticipated the amount needed through previous experience. The nightly excursions to perform tests in public areas helped improve his stamina too. However, the back pain from having to walk through a very cramp tunnel was still the same. 

Arash could only grit his teeth and push himself like before while feeling slightly ashamed of himself for being weaker than the elderly.

Their persistence was rewarded with the breathtaking scenery of the all too familiar stunted bonsai-like colorful trees surrounding a small emerald pool. The faint fog covering the underground cave accentuated the glowing salt crystal pillars, giving an ethereal environment. 

Arash took a deep breath and exhaled while feeling refreshed. Although it was a cooped-up little underground cave, the air wasn't stale and it felt so fresh. 

Tok Silihan sniggered, "Love the Spiritual Energy here, Boy? Put extra effort to make it your own this time."

"I will put my 200%, Tok. Before I discuss with you my plans, let me rearrange my stuff a bit, ya."

Arash smiled cheekily as he turned left and right. 

...

..

.

Thirty minutes later.

The corner of Tok Silihan's lips twitched as his eyes were round like boiled eggs. 

There was a plastic mini shelving unit filled with two sets of cutleries and two small-sized aluminum yellow Korean-styled ramen pots, a 27-inch cast iron pan, and two metal mugs with covers. 

Beside it, there was a big plastic of different flavored RTEs, some instant beverages, boiled eggs, and two family-packed instant noodles! There were even extra seasonings arranged on one side of the shelf.

Arash adjusted the bright blue-colored tarp covering the dirt floor where the shelf was placed while nodding in satisfaction. Nearby, an S-hook with a fluffy white towel was dangling over a branch from the largest tree. Lastly, he placed a small water dipper with his toothbrush set in between the branches. 

The ethereal little cultivation grounds look 'homey' now. 

 "Perfect!" Arash clapped as he chuckled lightly.

Ample amount of food and ways to clean himself a little bit. 

To defecate, he felt that he needed to go out of the little underground cave to prevent any mishaps. He would discuss with Tok Silihan when the time came.

"Tok! Are you hungry? Let me make the best curry-flavored instant noodles for you. Come, come, I need your hand!"

Arash dragged the poor elder over who was still in shock. He could only manage to ask in a whisper because if he didn't manage his emotions, he might hit Arash's head.

"What for.."

"After I see you heat the cup from last time, there's no need to prepare a stove anymore, HAHA. Just hold out your hands like this!"

Before Tok Silihan could say anything, Arash immediately put both pots on his left and right hands and urged him to emit heat over his palms. Arash started humming happily as he added clean water and seasonings into both pots. When the soup started to boil, he added the instant noodles and one egg to each pot. Finally, he sprinkled the prepacked fried shallot and rehydrated green onion bits.

Tok Silihan was slurping the surprisingly appetizing instant noodles while having a complex emotion.

He wasn't sure to be angry, to laugh, or to cry with Arash's antics.

But dang, the noodles were so damn good.

...

Elder Jaya sighed with complicated feelings while recalling their benefactor's shining eyes full of trust. Although his body was still fine, he was already in his late 80s. He didn't have first-hand knowledge on rearing little toddlers, especially ones that came from the city.

Arash will always be their benefactor not only because he could tame their capricious Spiritual Healer. 

It was way more than that.

Regardless of other people's opinions, the Tok Batin had sacrificed his whole life for the tribe. In the process, he lost his love in the early years, he lost his children, and finally, he lost his descendants. 

The pain of losing someone, but knowing that they weren't dead was so much worse. To know that they just didn't want to be part of his life because they believed that he didn't care, and was not able to correct them. 

All for the sake of protecting them, protecting the tribe. 

Now, the whole tribe was in trouble due to the lack of talent to continue the legacy, leaving him unable to move on. 

Tok Batin Silihan deserved to be happy. 

Elder Jaya believed that Mr. Arash could breathe new life into the old man's dead heart. He had seen with his own eyes the turbid gaze glowed with vitality a lot more since Mr. Arash was here.

As such, as long as Mr. Arash kept on coming to the village, the Council of Elders would do everything they could to accommodate the generous city dweller. 

At least he didn't just pinpoint at me alone. 

Elder Jaya chuckled in relief while looking at their ace tracker, Tanahan's sorry state. He was flailing around as he awkwardly danced with the 5-year-old in a circular motion while the other little one was over his shoulder, clutching his neck with her tiny legs, digging his nose in the process.

Their benefactor's children were innocent yet vicious little creatures! 

"Tanahan, bring the children to the central area for lunch. Pass them over to Melur. She's in charge of the group kitchen today. Make sure they're well fed, washed, and clothed properly." Elder Jaya reminded Tanahan in perfect Malay. He tried his best to speak the language that the kids understand to make them feel at home.

Since the touch of advancement and technology reached this village, more and more Bateqs of the younger generation were properly educated following the government education system standard. Basic education in Malaysia was almost free, with young hot-blooded teachers sent over from the government to help out the aborigines. This helped the young ones a lot to move up the society once they left the tribe.

As the representative of the Bateqs who handled external communication with outsiders, Elder Jaya had pushed himself to be proficient in the national language. He was quite satisfactory in English and French too for handling foreign tourists, making him the role model of every tribe member. 

"After that, Elder?" Tanahan asked while trying his best to ignore the naughty little rascal digging his left ear next. He preferred to be properly briefed so that he could manage his schedule well.

"Hmmm, today, let's just make the kids get acquainted with the other children of the tribe. Starting tomorrow, let them join the children's herb identification session daily. Get an experienced tracker to standby at all times to prevent any mishap. Kantan would be good since she is on standby starting this morning. Oh, and an attendant as well, for their daily needs. Just dismiss Melur from the cooking group starting this evening and let her concentrate on taking care of the children. Inform Little Pelanduk to assist Melur. Mr. Arash also had personally asked help from them."

In their community, they cooked together what the hunters and trackers brought back. The hunters and trackers got to keep a slightly larger portion of the hunts, while everything else would be shared equally amongst the villagers. Hence, their community was extremely tight and close-knit. 

Learning about the local herbs was essential knowledge for all Bateqs to survive in the forest since ancient times. Elder Jaya decided to treat the girls like Bateq children and give them all the necessary information to survive the wilds. Who knows, they might like to stay here a little longer.

Mr. Arash turned out to be quite fussy with his children as he had personally supervised and explained to all involved with caring for his children. Elder Jaya was amazed and felt somewhat gratified that the benefactor trusted them enough to leave his precious kids to them.

Just like a real family...

Elder Jaya smiled as the words fleeted through his mind unchecked.

"Tok Jaya, how long will Papa work with Tok Silihan this time?"

The 5-year-old asked inquisitively without a trace of fear in her eyes. She was totally at ease with the new surroundings even when her Papa wasn't around. Papa also said to enjoy and be happy during this vacation, although he had to work for a while.

"Tok isn't sure, Little One. Let's give your Papa one week, okay? Don't worry, if it gets too long, Tok Silihan will ask your Papa to stop working and come home to visit for a short while. Meanwhile, be a good girl, and prepared to be an adventurer!"

"Yay! Adventurer!" The two girls copied Elder Jaya excitedly.

As such, the girls would thoroughly enjoy the upcoming days to the fullest.

...