The Obligations of the Elderly - Chapter 22

Gong Si recalled that he had once done something in front of Ah Ji-or, to be precise… it was Big Head who had done something in front of Ah Ji.

One weekend afternoon when none of the younger brothers were around and there were no guests, Big Head came back after catching some fish. For some reason, he was in a leisurely mood. He set up a small fire by the pond and started grilling fish.

Gong Si placed Ah Ji on a stone covered with a blanket, planning to go to the back and pick some vegetables to grill as well. He had barely walked away for a minute when, perhaps because the fish was too fatty, the fish oil dripped onto the firewood, and the previously gentle fire suddenly flared up high.

It scared Ah Ji terribly!

Just as Ah Ji was about to start crying, before Gong Si could rush over, Big Head leapt up, splashing a lot of water from the pond, and landed right on the fire.

The fire went out.

After that, Ah Ji was no longer afraid of Big Head. Not only was he unafraid, but he also became very close to Big Head. Every day, whether he had something to do or not, he would go to the pond to play with Big Head. Over time, Gong Si’s trust in Big Head’s babysitting skills even surpassed that of Dong Chun. Not only did Big Head keep Ah Ji away from the pond, but whenever Ah Ji tried to crawl away, Big Head would use various methods to draw him back. Basically, as long as Big Head was there, Ah Ji would always stay steadily within the circle by the pond that Gong Si had designated, never exceeding the boundary.

Because of this, Big Head got more chances to be fed. After a while, unfortunately, he didn’t get any fatter from all the eating, but Ah Ji did put on a little weight.

That was a bit of a digression.

What Gong Si was mainly thinking about was how Ah Ji knew to use water to put out a fire. Other than that one time, nothing similar had ever happened at home, so he shouldn’t have known this method.

Looking at the raindrops falling from the sky, and then at the lively little fat fish darting among the drops, Gong Si opened his mouth, but in the end, only caught a mouthful of rain.

Was the rain born from the obsession with putting out the fire, and the fish shape because he liked Big Head so much? he wondered.

The little fat fish finally had enough of swimming, wagged its tail, and darted over from a distance, finally diving into Gong Si’s arms-or more precisely, into the baby sling he was wearing. However, in his current fish form, he couldn’t seem to fit perfectly into the sling. The little fat fish struggled for a while and, perhaps tired, finally transformed into the appearance of a baby in Gong Si’s arms, sitting with his little bottom up on the sling.

Gong Si absentmindedly held him in his arms.

“My god… this is truly incredible…” Soaked by the heavy rain, the Dean’s wig had been washed off by the downpour, but he didn’t care at all. He simply looked at Gong Siji in Gong Si’s arms with an expression of awe.

“At least S-Class, maybe even SS-Class! To be able to transform into a Vessel on his own without a User, that requires a potential value above S-Class!”

The entire staff office on the floor, all drenched in the rain, were just as amazed and even shocked as he was.

The rain brought by Ah Ji covered a vast area-the entire teaching building was raining, indoors and outdoors, all shrouded in a torrential downpour. Students and teachers who didn’t know the reason all ran outside in confusion.

Those who did know the reason were all on the same floor as Gong Si and the others. However-

Looking at the scene before them, bathed in the densest rain, not a single person wanted to leave. They just watched and watched…

Their faces dreamy.

“I don’t know what Legendary-Class is, but to me, this child before my eyes is my legend.”

Looking at Ah Ji, there seemed to be a light in the Dean’s eyes.

Ah Ji looked at him, not understanding.

Ah Ji was a little different from usual now.

He did look almost the same as usual, but his outline was indistinct-or rather… not quite complete. Half of him was skin-colored, the other half as transparent as water. Through him, one could see the distorted folds of Gong Si’s clothes.

His outline blurred into the surrounding rain, making him look like a doll made of rain.

“All right, I understand.” Supporting his little bottom, Gong Si put a new diaper on him and tucked him back into the sling. Facing his older brother, Ah Ji, feeling a bit tired, pressed his forehead against his brother’s warm chest and fell asleep.

The rain finally stopped.

“Do you… want to test him?” Gong Si thought for a moment and pointed at Ah Ji in his arms, asking the Dean.

“No, there’s no need. The equipment here wouldn’t be able to measure it anyway.” The Dean shook his head.

Shaking the water off his wig, he put it back on his head, then turned around and said sternly to the staff behind him, “What happened here today must be kept secret. Regarding this child-”

He pointed at Ah Ji. “Not a word about his abilities can be leaked. Otherwise, you all know how terrifying it would be if an S-Class Ability User decided to pursue this.”

At these words, everyone’s bodies stiffened, and they all nodded.

Then the Dean turned back to face Gong Si, speaking in a heavy tone: “This is all I can do.”

“I won’t say anything, and these people most likely won’t either, but there’s no way to keep this child’s matter hidden.”

“He has already Awakened.”

“The Awakening of any Vessel above S-Class cannot be concealed from the Users of this world.”

“Those without Vessels, those Users who are desperate and waiting, are unimaginably hungry.”

“They are eagerly awaiting the birth of powerful Vessels, to possess them, to contain them, to gain greater Energy…”

“They will keep coming.”

“Not just them-their families, friends, competitors…”

“From now on, your family will likely know no peace.”

“Be prepared to receive these uninvited guests, because you cannot refuse them.”

“Choose the best candidate among them.”

“That is the only advice I can give you.”

The Dean spoke to him with a heavy expression.

At that time, Gong Si still didn’t fully understand what this advice truly meant. But soon-

Wave after wave of uninvited guests arrived.

PS: Dong Chun is indeed a Water Type Vessel who has Awakened, but that rain was not brought by Dong Chun. The one who brought the rain was…

Ah Ji.

Vessel Levels:
F < E < D (Low Grade) < C < B (Medium Grade) < A (High Grade) < S < SS (Superior Grade) < SSS (Legendary-Class)