The Obligations of the Elderly - chapter 38

Chapter 37

“You call this a fish tank?” Pointing at the vast, seamless glass wall ahead, Gong Si looked at Xi Liu.

“Mhm~” Xi Liu nodded with a smile.

“This is practically on par with an aquarium-no, this place is even bigger than an aquarium. At least, it’s way bigger than the aquarium at the Threshing Ground.” Gong Si declared confidently.

Having never left the vicinity of Lengshui Town, the only aquarium he’d ever visited was the one in the town center. He’d thought that place was pretty good, but this one was far superior. He didn’t know much about other things, but he could tell the difference in material quality-this “fish tank” was made of much more advanced materials, and its design was in a completely different league from the town’s aquarium. Not to mention, the town’s aquarium was always packed, while here, it was just him and Xi Liu.

Thinking of the lakeside building he’d seen outside, Gong Si wondered if maybe this entire building contained nothing but this one “fish tank”-nothing else at all.

Truly, what a display of wealth!

Xi Liu had already sat down in the room.

Only then did Gong Si realize the room wasn’t empty-at the very least, there was a chair, a wide, plush leather chair that looked extremely comfortable. Sitting in the chair, Xi Liu waved Gong Si over. When Gong Si approached, Xi Liu stood up and offered him the seat, pressing Gong Si down into the chair.

“Try it out. This chair is really comfortable-the seat can be adjusted. You can sit or recline.” As he spoke, he demonstrated for Gong Si, and before long, Gong Si was lying back in the leather chair.

It was like lying on a cloud-Gong Si thought. In this position, his entire field of vision was filled with the water inside the “fish tank,” making him feel even more surrounded by the sea.

Xi Liu lay down as well. Since there was only one chair, he lay on the carpet.

So, one person on the chair, one on the carpet, both lying on their backs, quietly gazing up at the deep-sea-like waters above. After a long while, Xi Liu finally spoke again:

“At first, it was Xie Kai who built me the first house that was like a fish tank. Of course, he didn’t actually build a fish tank-it was a water room, meant to let me experience the Water Element.”

“Most of the Users in my family are Water Type. They said that in this situation, there was a high chance my ability would be Water Type. Even though it couldn’t be tested, Xie Kai still built this kind of room for me, so I could experience what it’s like to be surrounded by water.”

“Not only that, haven’t you noticed there’s a lot of water here?”

“They say places with lots of water are rich in the Water Element. Even if I’m not Water Type, the part of my energy that belongs to Water Type would be stimulated, which is good for my body. After all, Water Type is famous for being gentle and having healing power.”

Blue ripples of water shimmered across Xi Liu’s face as he gazed at the water, slowly recounting his past.

“As for healing power… my body didn’t really get much better, nor did I become a Water Type User. But I did come to love the feeling of being surrounded by water.”

“Don’t you think it feels great to just space out here?”

“It’s quiet, peaceful. You can think calmly, or just empty your mind and think of nothing at all.”

“I even installed a sound system here-top of the line.”

“Oh…” Gong Si murmured, gazing at the water above him, feeling as if his whole being was melting into it.

“Later, I’ll add your fingerprint to the lock. You can come here whenever you want. I won’t come by for a while, so you can have the place to yourself-to space out, or think, however you like. How about it?” Xi Liu said to him.

Before he could refuse, Xi Liu continued, “What Xie Kai and the others said does make some sense. Your younger brothers are all Water Type, and Qiu Xia’s Ice Type is actually Water Type too, so there’s a very high chance you’re Water Type as well. There’s so much water here-it’s perfect for you to spend time alone. Maybe, if you stay here long enough, you’ll suddenly sense the Water Element.”

“Also, this place is great for sleeping. Whenever I can’t sleep, I come here, and after a while, I always get a good rest. You’ve been too tired these days-your dark circles are showing. You really should spend some time here and get a good sleep.”

He’d thought of everything so thoroughly that Gong Si couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

Looking at the watery space around him, Gong Si suddenly asked, “Since you call this a fish tank, why aren’t there any fish?”
What he said was true-the ‘fish tank’ was completely empty. Not only were there no fish, there wasn’t even a single strand of aquatic plant. It was spotlessly clean, nothing but water and more water.

As soon as he finished speaking, the stream below retorted:

“Who said there are no fish? Look-”

Gong Si looked around in confusion, and suddenly, when he saw something, his eyes widened!

One by one, black dots appeared in the water from all directions. At first, they were tiny circles, but they grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. Each one expanded and stretched, sprouting tails and then heads. Gong Si watched as, in a matter of moments, the black dots transformed into jet-black fish!

And not only that-

As these little fish swam in the water, they occasionally bumped into each other. Almost at the instant their bodies touched, they merged into one, and in the next second, two fish became a single, larger fish!

Inside the ‘fish tank,’ this collision kept happening, until finally, only one fish remained.

A fish with an enormous tail, its entire body black as ink…

It moved very slowly, swimming leisurely in the tank, as if it were the sole ruler of the entire water domain.

“What is this…” Staring at the unbelievable scene before him, Gong Si sat up.

The fish was so huge that it nearly covered the entire front glass wall! It looked so vivid that at first Gong Si thought it was a real fish. But after watching for a while, he realized it wasn’t a fish at all, but a dense black mist. Rather than a fish, it was more like the silhouette of a fish, or perhaps a fish-shaped black hole.

Amazing! Gong Si’s mouth hung slightly open.

Xi Liu’s slender, pale fingers tapped lightly in the air, and the giant fish broke out of the ‘fish tank.’ It swam slowly, its massive body filling most of the room, until it reached Gong Si.

Under Xi Liu’s guidance, the ‘fish’ gently tapped Gong Si’s outstretched finger with its huge head.

Then, with a flick of its tail, it soared into the air, passed through the glass, and returned to the ‘fish tank’!

“It’s beautiful!” Gong Si murmured.

Xi Liu laughed, “This is the fish I keep.”

“It’s a fish I created from energy.”

“Do you like it?”

He asked Gong Si.

Gong Si nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on the giant fish in the tank.

“If you like it, you can keep it. This fish can stay in the tank for a few days; after a while, it’ll disappear. But it’s fine-if you want to see it, I can make one for you anytime,” Xi Liu said to him.

Still staring at the slowly swimming giant fish, Gong Si suddenly thought of something. He turned to Xi Liu and said,

“Actually, I keep fish too. I brought them from my hometown. Um… can I put them in this tank?”

“Of course. The opening to the tank is on the ceiling-there’s a door over there. Open it and you’ll get to the top. Just walk over and put your fish in.”

“So Gong Si, you like keeping fish~ I’ll add some Ornamental Fish in there for you later. After all, the ones from outside look prettier.”

Without waiting for Gong Si to refuse, Xi Liu picked up a box, took Gong Si’s fingerprint, waved his hand, and left the room.

“Take your time to think here, and get some sleep. I’ll leave for now.”

With that, Xi Liu considerately disappeared.

Gong Si sat in the leather chair for a while, then lay back down.

At first, he really did want to do as Xi Liu said and feel the Water Element around him. But the giant fish swam so slowly, so hypnotically, that as he watched, sleep crept up on him. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and Gong Si fell into a deep sleep in the leather chair.

He had a dream.

In the dream, he seemed to be in a sealed room, surrounded by water-oppressive water, with no exit in sight. He felt like he was about to suffocate. He struggled and struggled, and suddenly! A door appeared ahead! An open door! In stark contrast to the darkness inside, there was light outside the door!

Gong Si ran quickly toward the door, and just as he struggled out, he saw a hand, and then…

A pair of scissors.

The person was holding a pair of scissors in their hand.