The Obligations of the Elderly - Chapter 23

There were many more strangers in Lengshui Town.

The only inn in town, which used to be empty and had no business at all, was now packed full. Those who couldn’t get a room even filled up the Threshing Ground’s guesthouse. Several times after school, Gong Si went to buy meat, only to be told by the butcher that the day’s meat had already sold out.

Fortunately, Big Head could fish, otherwise their family really wouldn’t even have meat to eat.

No matter where they stayed, all those people had only one destination in Lengshui Town. Heaven knows, Lengshui Town was no tourist attraction-just countryside scenery with lots of land and few people, and townsfolk who seemed extremely cold to outsiders. Even so, more and more outsiders gradually appeared in the fields and on the roads. These people did nothing, just wandered around as if taking a stroll, making everyone in town anxious and uneasy.

At first, everyone wondered if some travel magazine had recommended Lengshui Town. But after searching through all the travel magazines, there was no such information. Although those people were wandering around, they didn’t look like travelers at all. Recently, children didn’t dare to play around after school, and parents would come to pick them up.

Gong Si, with remarkable foresight, turned the family’s book house into a membership system: only previous regulars could come to read books.

The front door was also locked. Each old customer had a key, so they would come, unlock the door themselves, and lock it again when they left.

Just when Gong Si thought they would remain at a stalemate like this, someone finally couldn’t hold back and was the first to knock on the door.

It was a middle-aged man with a sinister air, accompanied by two people who looked like attendants. As soon as he entered, he stated his purpose:

“Let me see your younger brother, the S-Class one. If he meets my requirements, I want to Form Contract with him.”

The visitor was clearly not friendly. He and his attendants all looked fierce and menacing. Gong Si’s heart sank, and as he was wondering what to do, a white car pulled up beside them. Another person got out, followed by even more attendants, and walked over to them.

“Don’t bother with that country tycoon. Their family has nothing but money. How about considering me? I’m younger, my family is wealthy and influential, and I guarantee your brother will grow up healthy~”

The newcomer was dressed in a white suit, looking every bit the playboy, and his words were even more so.

“Don’t pay attention to those two. They’re just Controllers, and yet they have the nerve to come see an S-Class Vessel?” Another voice interrupted from the side.

This time, it was a young man, at most in his early twenties, who looked a bit scholarly. He came alone, with no convoy or bodyguards, but there was a proud look between his brows, and Gong Si didn’t get a good impression from him.

“I’m twenty years old, the top Dominator at Ciqing Academy, and I want to Form Contract with your family’s S-Class Vessel.” Although he was introducing himself, his self-introduction was full of arrogance.

Gong Si didn’t respond. He knew he didn’t need to answer, because the fourth group had already arrived.

This one was also young and proud, but he brought a convoy of bodyguards. Not only that, his convoy was so aggressive that they directly bumped the other cars parked by the roadside out of the way!

“Don’t mind him. He’s just a Dominator with no background. Even if he’s capable, it’s useless without connections. He can’t protect his own Vessel, and in the future, he’ll be picked apart himself.” The man said this as he walked over, smiling.

“May I come in for a cup of tea?”

“What about those people?” Gong Si pointed at the people beside him.

The man smiled again. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them. You only need to invite me in.”

He was telling the truth. Gong Si could already see his attendants pushing the others away. Apparently, his influence was indeed great, as the others didn’t dare say a word and just left.

But if what he said was true, he would probably be even harder to turn away…

Seeing that the other party was about to come in, Gong Si couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat on his forehead.

Until he heard Qiu Xia’s voice-

“I’m afraid that won’t do. Previously, a Mr. An came to the academy to find me, hoping to find a suitable Vessel for his only son. I agreed to consider it.”

“Mr. An? An Cheng? Hmph!” The man snorted coldly. “Whatever conditions he can offer, so can I. Why consider him and not me?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t consider you. We just need to compare.” Qiu Xia replied.

“He’s already given me his situation and the conditions he can offer. I hope you can provide the same-a sort of résumé, or you can think of it as a bid. We won’t necessarily choose the one with the best conditions, but we will definitely choose the most suitable one. After all, the Vessel you want is our brother.” Qiu Xia said to them.
“Can you all hear me?” Qiu Xia suddenly raised his voice.

“Please submit your situations and conditions to me in written form. My Eldest Brother and I will review your information and select the most suitable person. Before that, please do not visit us lightly, lest misunderstandings arise and unnecessary disputes occur.”

As Qiu Xia spoke, he gave that person a slight smile, then walked inside and closed the door.

The moment he closed the door, Qiu Xia’s expression became extremely serious:

“Eldest Brother, I’m afraid we really need to choose a User for Ah Ji as soon as possible. Otherwise, more and more people will come, and we can’t delay for long. Right now, the reason they haven’t made a move isn’t because they’re concerned about us, but because they’re wary of other Users. The balance between them is what keeps things peaceful for now. But once a stronger User appears, someone might just try to snatch him!”

Gong Si was startled by his words. After all, he was just an ordinary person and had only just learned a bit about the world of Users and Vessels. His first instinct was to refute Qiu Xia, but thinking back to what had just happened, he realized Qiu Xia’s words were definitely not alarmist-if anything, Qiu Xia might even be understating the situation.

Although most people in this world are ordinary, true power and wealth are held by the minority of Users and Vessels. And because of the relationship between Vessels and Users, it’s fair to say that Users hold the real control.

These Users use their abilities to earn far more money than ordinary people, occupy far more important positions, and gradually gain much greater influence.

Places like Lengshui Town, a remote small town, are places Ability Users disdain to visit, and no powerful Ability User has ever emerged here. But in other places, in big cities tightly controlled by Ability Users, Users have carved out their own spheres of influence.

“A User like me, born in a small town, usually finds their Vessel during their school years. Whether you can sign with a powerful Vessel depends entirely on luck, so there’s no such thing as gaining abilities first and then looking for a strong Vessel. Those Users who still have no Vessel at this stage but have abilities are mostly from families that already have Ability Users and have established their own influence-in other words, Users with ‘background.'” Qiu Xia explained to his brother.

“Most of those people awaken from a young age. Once their abilities are found to be strong, their families start keeping an eye out for powerful Vessels to sign with. The stronger the family, the more they want to find a powerful Vessel for their descendants. If they can’t find the ideal one, they keep waiting. A Vessel of Ah Ji’s level is extremely rare. Once discovered, even if the attributes don’t match, they still want to sign.”

“After all, they don’t care whether the Vessel can reach its full potential-they only want their own abilities to be maximized, and they want the strongest Vessel to boost their power.”

“With family backing, money, and influence, they might really resort to snatching. If they’re extreme, they might even make all of us who could be Ah Ji’s guardians disappear, so they can become Ah Ji’s guardian themselves.”

“There are plenty of such cases in history.”

Qiu Xia frowned slightly. Clearly, after learning about Ah Ji’s ability level, he had done a lot of research.

“That’s… shameless?” Gong Si’s face twisted.

“Yes. Compared to them, we’re just kids, while they’re all adults.” After thinking for a moment, Qiu Xia said this.

“That Mr. An… did he really come to the academy to look for you?” Gong Si suddenly thought of this.

Qiu Xia nodded, not intending to hide it: “Not just him. Five groups have come to me. Mr. An is the most influential among them.”

“Once a Vessel of Ah Ji’s level awakens, within a certain range, all Users of the same level will sense it, whether they have a Vessel or not. Even if they already have a Vessel, they can tell other people who don’t, so that’s why so many Controller-level Users have come knocking, even though the most suitable for Ah Ji is actually a Ruler-level User.”

“Ruler?” Gong Si was stunned.

Qiu Xia nodded lightly again: “A User one level higher than me. Like an S-Class Vessel, Ruler-level Users are also extremely rare.”

The two brothers looked at each other, then their gaze finally fell on Ah Ji, who was crawling all over the play mat in his diaper, and they both sighed deeply.