The Obligations of the Elderly - chapter 34

Chapter 33

Dizzy and disoriented, Gong Si felt as if his body had been torn apart, floating in the air. He kept gathering his body parts in the void until he found the most important one-his head. Only then did he feel his soul snap back into place.

He suddenly opened his eyes!

And was greeted by Xi Liu’s smiling face.

The scene was so familiar that, for a moment, he almost thought he was at the school poolside, lying on a lounge chair-the spot where he and Xi Liu ate lunch every day.

He often dozed off there, and every time Xi Liu woke him, it was always with that same smiling, downward gaze.

“Go away.” He said it out of habit, and as he pushed himself up from the ground, the soft sensation under his palm told him this wasn’t the school.

Looking around, he realized he was lying on a large bed, in a spacious, unbelievable room. The bedding and walls were cream-colored, the floor wooden, and beside the bed lay a snow-white fur rug. An exquisitely embroidered screen divided the room in half. He glanced to the right-

There was a huge window.

Even the window frame was intricately crafted. Outside, a meticulously manicured garden scene, with light snow drifting from the sky…

From this angle, it looked like a frozen painting.

His memory snapped back. Remembering what happened before he passed out, Gong Si leapt up and pinned Xi Liu to the bed!

“Damn it! What did you do to me? What ‘Pact Formed’? Aren’t you a User? Why would you Form Contract with an ordinary person?!” Gong Si shook Xi Liu by the neck, face twisted in rage.

Xi Liu let Gong Si shake him, and only spoke when Gong Si collapsed, exhausted, onto his chest, panting heavily:

“I was surprised too. The only explanation for this is that you’re not an ordinary person at all!”

“You’re lying!” Xi Liu pointed at Gong Si, accusing first.

“If I’d known you were a Vessel, no one would’ve let you into that room, and I definitely wouldn’t have asked for your help! At the critical moment of Form Contract, you grabbed my hand yourself-that’s the key move for the contract. So, we ended up signing it.”

“I’m a Vessel?” Gong Si was stunned. “Impossible! The school physicals before age eighteen test for this every year. I’ve never been flagged as having the potential to be a User or Vessel.”

“How would I know~? If you weren’t a Vessel, how could you sign a contract with a User?”

“Not only did you help Ah Ji gradually adapt to my energy signature, you also soaked with him in the hot spring for twelve hours. That alone would be fine, but between you two, your acceptance of my energy signature was even higher than Ah Ji’s!

During Form Contract, Ah Ji still showed rejection to my energy signature, but you didn’t resist at all-not the energy, not your body! You even actively pressed your hand over. I couldn’t move then, just waiting for the contract. The moment your hand came over, the contract was signed!”

After speaking, Xi Liu sighed.

He didn’t spell out his grievances, but anyone listening would feel: he really did seem quite innocent!

Gong Si carefully recalled what happened during the Contract Ceremony. It really did seem like he’d lost his balance and grabbed Xi Liu’s hands? He’d just wanted something to steady himself, but-

A huge cold sweat formed on Gong Si’s forehead.

Did he disrupt Xi Liu and Ah Ji’s Contract Ceremony?

The result was that he stole Ah Ji’s User, and also Xi Liu’s Vessel?

After all this chaos, Gong Si had learned a bit about the world of Users and Vessels. He quickly realized a bigger problem:

“Where am I supposed to find Ah Ji another rich, powerful, and dying old ruler?”

Then he glanced at Xi Liu, feeling the problem was even bigger: “God! What grade of Vessel am I? Weren’t you about to die? Can I meet your needs?”

Xi Liu just gave him a weak smile, not answering.

Instead, another voice came from the room.

“We don’t know yet. We’re waiting for you to wake up and take the test.” It was Elder Xie’s voice. Following the sound, Gong Si saw him standing by the left side of the screen, holding a tray-with a ball on it?

White, looking like it was made of some alloy or plastic. Gong Si immediately thought of the Tester at Qiu Xia School, though this ball was much smaller.

“Your age is already over eighteen. Although there’s no record in history, there have actually been a few Vessels who Awakened after eighteen.

They were ordinary people with no abilities, but after being stimulated by a powerful User, the relevant genes were triggered and they suddenly Awakened. However, without exception, all were Waste Vessels of almost unranked grade. In this situation, your chance of surpassing Mr. Gong Siji is less than 0.000001%. The probability of being ranked below C is as high as 99.999999%.

But since you’re already Master’s other half, for Master’s future treatment, we must still know your ability value.” Elder Xie said, his face drooping.

His tone was still cold, but Gong Si noticed the subtle change-he now addressed Gong Si as “you.”

“Other half and all that… Don’t say things that cause misunderstandings.” Gong Si brushed off his goosebumps, then released Xi Liu, noticing he’d wrinkled Xi Liu’s collar and even helped smooth it out.

“I’m supposed to use that thing in your hand to test?” Not one for beating around the bush, Gong Si said to the elder, “I still think you might be mistaken. I’m really not a Vessel. Maybe the contract we signed didn’t even succeed…”
“Are you doubting the contract between the User and the Vessel?” the old man suddenly said.

His tone sounded no different from before, yet Gong Si could hear the solemnity in his voice.

“A User will never mistake their own Vessel. The contract between the two is sacred and inviolable; there can be no false connection. This is one of the truest existences in this world!”

“So, the contract between you and the Master is also sacred and inviolable, no matter how much we may disagree. Do you understand?”

The old man looked straight at Gong Si.

Even though his pupils were not visible, for the first time, Gong Si felt so clearly that he was being “glared at.”

Gong Si was stunned for a moment, then replied, “I understand.”

The old man said no more. He nodded at Gong Si, then carried the Tester over, kneeling on one knee on the floor. He positioned the Tester so that Gong Si’s palm could press down on it comfortably.

“This is currently the most professional Ability Value Tester. It’s not the generic model available on the market, but one crafted by an Ability User, analyzing the subject’s blood sample. From the 3S Legendary-Class Vessels that ordinary testers can’t detect, down to the ultra-low-grade G-Class Vessels that other testers no longer record, this Tester can identify them all.”

“Please place your left hand here, making sure your fingers are firmly pressed down,” the old man explained respectfully, his movements smooth and practiced. “It may hurt a little, but please bear with it.”

Gong Si placed his hand on the device.

He was instantly surprised by the sensation-like plunging his hand into a cloud.

The sphere looked solid, and Gong Si could even see its smooth, delicate surface. Yet when he put his hand in, it felt as if it had entered a void.

Then, he felt his fingers being pricked very quickly-all five at once. It was so light, it was almost painless.

“That’s enough,” the old man said, and Gong Si withdrew his hand.

“The results will be ready in half a day,” the old man continued.

Nodding, Gong Si looked at the five almost invisible pinpricks on his right hand and was dazed for a moment.

“Do you hate me now? Want to kill me or something?” As the old man stood up with the Tester, Gong Si asked, almost involuntarily.

Honestly, if it were him, if Ah Ji had inexplicably formed a contract with a super-weak, totally unsuitable User, he might really hate them enough to want to kill them.

He wasn’t asking casually; he genuinely felt a bit guilty.

Gong Si saw the old man bow to him.

“Since the Master has chosen you, you are the Master’s lifelong other half, our other Master. We will never harbor any negative feelings toward you.”

A completely unexpected answer.

Gong Si was stunned.

Then-

He heard the old man continue, “However, all kinds of training ahead are unavoidable.”

“The Master’s health is in your hands.”

With that, the old man bowed again and withdrew.

“Xie Kai just has that kind of bad temper, he’s a Capricorn…” As the door closed softly, Xi Liu said to Gong Si.

“I think he has every right to be angry.” Waving his hand to show he didn’t mind, Gong Si looked at Xi Liu and said sincerely, “I’m sorry, I messed up the Contract Ceremony.”

Xi Liu was stunned for a moment, then after a while said, “I was at fault too. At the moment of the contract, when I saw you-especially when I heard what you said about Ah Ji… honestly, what I thought was, why don’t we just form the contract ourselves.”

“If the two of us could form a contract, then Ah Ji could keep waiting, wait until he’s grown enough to choose a suitable User.”

“Anyway, I’m old, my energy is too high, probably no Vessel would suit me, so why waste it.”

“Maybe it was because my thought was so strong at that moment, and with all sorts of coincidences, we ended up forming a contract.”

“When you started absorbing my energy, honestly, I was quite happy.”

“That we could form a contract-I was quite happy.”

Xi Liu spoke his mind, then looked sincerely at Gong Si.

Staring blankly at Xi Liu, Gong Si was dazed for a moment, then sighed softly, turning his gaze to the window on the right, quietly watching the scenery. He needed to calm down.

Xi Liu said nothing, just sat on the edge of the bed, accompanying him in watching the view outside.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, until only the scenery outside the window remained.

When he finally turned back, he heard Xi Liu ask, “So? Now that you’ve found yourself becoming a Vessel after all, how does it feel?”

It was a rather provoking question. The two had discussed the issue of Users and Vessels before, and Gong Si had made it clear how much he disliked both.

Although, that was before Qiu Xia became a User.

Gong Si looked down at his hands. “Not good, but not so hopeless that I want to jump out the window or anything.”

He looked up. “But now, I can better understand Qiu Xia, Dong Chun, Ah Ji…”

“And your world.” He turned to Xi Liu.

“Let’s take care of each other from now on.” He reached out a hand to Xi Liu, and as Xi Liu took it, Gong Si looked at him seriously and said, “But let me be clear.”

“Never think that my life belongs to you.”

“My life was not born for you.”

“Even if you are the User, and I am the Vessel.”

As Gong Si said this, he looked rather resolute. Because of the just-formed contract, he still seemed weak.

Weak, yet resolute.

And a bit cold.

Yet it was this Gong Si that left Xi Liu momentarily stunned.

Cold, but beautiful.

That was the deep impression Gong Si left on Xi Liu at that moment.

Even now, he could recall the icy gaze Gong Si gave him then, the fine down on the youth’s smooth cheeks, and the translucent curve of his ear illuminated by the light.
Looking at Gong Si, who was already fast asleep beside him, watching how even in sleep his brows remained tightly furrowed, as if burdened by deep worries, Xi Liu tilted his head slightly, then reached out to smooth some of the creases between Gong Si’s brows.

Night had fallen. The weakness caused by the Form Contract still lingered; Gong Si had only been awake for a short while-just enough to use the Test Ball and instruct Xi Liu to inform his brothers-before drifting off to sleep again.

Xi Liu stayed in the room, not leaving.

He didn’t turn on the lights, his back against the wall, left hand resting casually on his raised right knee. In the darkness, Xi Liu sat quietly, scenes from the Contract Ceremony replaying in his mind-

To be honest, though much of what was said afterwards was a mix of truth and lies, the moment he saw the person appear behind the drapery during the ceremony and realized it was Gong Si, he was genuinely surprised.

Perhaps there really are many fateful coincidences in this world, strange twists of fate that give rise to so many stories and legends.

At that time, he truly hadn’t expected the chosen one to be Gong Si’s younger brother.

At first, he was resigned to death, unwilling to use a Vessel and thus uninterested in the process. Later, when he became determined to live, he no longer cared who the other party was, his heart hardened. He hadn’t looked at any of the materials Xie Kai had prepared, so he genuinely didn’t know who would come.

Yet, by sheer coincidence, the one who came was Gong Si.

He still didn’t know why, but suddenly Gong Si had become a Vessel.

Others might not notice, but who was he? Gong Si’s Awakening could never escape his notice.

It was just like a perfectly ripe peach, exuding a scent he found irresistible.

From that moment on, he had already made up his mind.

Even though he could tell at a glance that Gong Si was only there to observe, and that Ah Ji in his arms was the real candidate.

Yet Gong Si seemed to completely believe what he said, thinking he’d been forced into the Form Contract…

Ah~ How could someone be so pure?

So pure it was almost endearing.

Heaven knows, he almost never uses the word “cute” to describe anyone over the age of three.

Usually, if he calls someone over three “cute,” it’s just a polite way of saying they’re foolish.

But he truly found this side of Gong Si adorable.

Hmm… When did it start? Was it during the Contract Ceremony? No, it must have been earlier, from the very first day he met Gong Si.

The day he first met that small-town boy with Kitchen Knife Eyes.

Healthy, agile, smart and genuine, and… a little bit cute.

He used to attribute these feelings to the natural attraction between User and Vessel, or perhaps the allure of Water Type abilities.

Even before the instruments detected anything, he had already noticed something unusual about Gong Si’s brothers.

Most likely, they would be high-level Users or Vessels, and Water Type at that.

He thought it was the scent of Gong Si’s brothers rubbing off on him, which was why he’d felt drawn to Gong Si from the start.

But when he finally met Gong Si’s brothers, he realized his greatest interest was still in Gong Si himself.

At that time, he had never considered that Gong Si would become a Vessel-after all, Gong Si truly didn’t have even the slightest trace of a Vessel’s aura.

And in terms of personality, Gong Si really seemed more like a User.

He’d even secretly imagined what Gong Si would be like as a User…

Ah… He’d probably be a perfect fit? But then, a sudden sense of regret welled up in his heart.

Just imagining it made him feel regretful, so he didn’t dwell on it.

So, when he discovered Gong Si was a Vessel, he was ecstatic!

With almost no hesitation, without considering Gong Si’s level, he eagerly formed the Form Contract with him.

Though Gong Si wouldn’t like to hear it, he didn’t know that in this world, when it comes to Form Contracts, no Vessel can force a User; it only happens with the User’s willing consent.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, one hand resting on the armrest, Xi Liu’s fingers began to tap lightly.

“Master, have you really settled on Gong Si as your choice? Not that I’m questioning you, but… his ability value probably won’t be very high. In all of history, there’s never been an exception, he…” Xie Kai had appeared by the screen at some point, looking conflicted. In the end, he chose to voice his concerns.

“I am the User. My Vessel is mine to choose. Before, when you all helped me search, I understood it as your concern for me, your goodwill. But once I’ve made my choice, you shouldn’t question it. Do you understand?”

“Have I slept too long, and you’ve grown used to making decisions for my household?” At this, Xi Liu’s fingers suddenly stopped tapping. The smile remained on his lips, but his whole demeanor changed completely.

Cold sweat trickled down Xie Kai’s forehead.

“I overstepped,” he said quietly.

“You were too harsh with him today.”

“He was just an ordinary person, and thought he would remain so. Suddenly being pulled into the world of Users and Vessels, it’s only natural that he doesn’t understand or finds it hard to adapt. You may be straightforward, but your tone was too severe. I didn’t like hearing it.”

“Yes, Master, I understand.” The old man’s voice grew even softer.

“Mm, be gentler with him from now on. Treat him as you treat me. As for matters between User and Vessel, I’ll teach him slowly.”

“After all, that’s the duty of an elder~”

As he finished speaking, the tapping on the chair resumed.

“Peaches and rice-I prefer peaches.” Xi Liu suddenly heard his Master say.

Full of questions, Xie Kai quietly retreated out the door.

The matter was settled; he knew what to do next.