Beware of Chicken: A Xianxia Cultivation Novel

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Had the protagonist been weak, there would have been no issue. But no one would have read this book in such a case. While masquerading as a peaceful farming story, it is still very much a power fantasy -- only an insincere one. The protagonist of the story draws you in, wanting to know more despite his simple and unassuming life.

A giggle broke me out of my examination of my work and I turned to regard the little man who was sitting beside a boar, the creature’s massive bulk shielding him from the sun. The story is a decent twist on the genre (a cultivator works as a farmer, while his farm animals go through the usual Xianxia storyline), but the execution is not good. Also, I think Travis Baldree's narration might not have been a good fit for this story, and may have negatively affected my experience with it. The only reason I finished the book was that it did manage to instill a pleasant, lighthearted coziness in me. Though I did consider quitting a few times. A slow, simple, fulfilling life in a place where nothing exciting or out of the ordinary ever happens…right? At first, I thought that I'd not like it because the name and synopsis made it sound like the protagonist would be too weak for the genre where personal strength is everything.The author has also managed to turn almost every single name into a joke. The rooster, "Big D" thinks his name is "Bi Di," and so on. The innocence of the characters and playfulness of the narrative is one of the main reasons I'm still reading. The first "volume" feels like it's comijg to an end, but I hope to see many more chapters. Hong Ri Zu’s eyes simply glazed over, the little rat looking halfway between terror and wanting to murder something. What compounded his annoyance was Shen Yu’s new hobby—recording crystals.The old man had overheard Jin talking to Yun Ren about recording their journey for them… and promptly decided to clear Mengde’s Crystal Emporium out of every remaining Recording Pane. Ri Zu nodded, smiling at Bi De, while Yun Ren stood up just a bit straighter, examining the pass like a seasoned warrior. Jin Rou (Originally known as Jin Rou, his name is reversed part way through Volume 1 to obfuscate his trail from potential enemies from the Cloudy Sword Sect.)

The cycles continued as they always did. The occasional tremor here, the odd pulse there. Places far, far away from it.Xianghua and her brother were already up, it seemed. Xianghua was carrying a steaming pot of tea ready to serve, clearly meant for them. Both were talking, but Xianghua looked up and tapped her brother, who brightened at the sight of them. It was a crippled, broken thing. Torn open and sundered in ages past. It slept fitfully, and it hurt. Yun Ren nodded and the green tint on the section he was working on intensified. He gazed at the colours, some of which almost hurt to look at, and some he was certain weren’t colours at all, purples and blues he could barely see. When he finally reached the sect, he was labelled as a mediocre talent, and was relegated to performing petty tasks around the sect, like watering spiritual herbs.

I'm having a really hard time describing this, even in my head. It's an isekai story, though only barely. We learn early that the protagonist is from our world, but few details beyond that he's familiar with Xianxia stories and feels like he is in one. Which allows him to hang a giant nope sign on the future he's currently on and find somewhere to live quietly on his own farm. This is it. The cultivation book I have been waiting for. While I like the genre I almost always feel like something is missing. Joy. Happiness. Cultivation is supposed to be taking in the energy of the world to perfect yourself. Why then does nobody seem happy in those stories? If you can see the majesty of the universe why can't you appreciate it's beauty? Gaining power for power's sake seems kind of stupid to me. Yes it is interesting for a while but there has to be more than that. This book is all about that other. This book is about a cultivator who realizes that he shouldn't live to cultivate. He should use his cultivation to live. He goes against the troupe of cultivators taking from the world to become stronger. This person wants to go off and live his life, be a farmer. He doesn't want to have anything to do with fighting to the death or killing monsters. He uses his chi to help the land and finds purpose in life. Balance.I should have known, really. There are a myriad of Daos and they all can lead to enlightenment and immortal ascension. That much is common sense for any xianxia reader. They were still mustering their strength, reaching out over it's length and breadth to bring in more, when the enemy was cast down, and defeated. The feeling of violence faded, and their power relaxed once more. Yun Ren nodded politely and took the tea from her as Gou Ren spoke with Bowu, the younger man looking with interest at the deer meat. The book might just be good enough reading for anyone, but being somewhat familiar with typical xianxia settings and tropes will probably help avoid a lot of confusion. If you know about the generic idea of cultivation realms/stages you're probably good to go. Or at least that was what the cultivation manuals I remember said. Honestly, if the language wasn’t so blatantly power hungry, I would have agreed with them. A bit of travel did people good. New sights and new experiences were something to be treasured.