Chapter 43

     A figure rushed forward, raised his right hand, hit a crystal with a clatter, and grasped it accurately. All the movements were completed in one go. Immediately after, a miracle happened- there seemed to be suction under his feet, and the vertical building was like a flat ground to this person. It only took a few seconds to climb from the bottom of the building to the top and swiftly grabbed onto Ling Xiao’s collar. The two people together jumped onto the platform.

     Ling Xiao didn’t know why he suddenly flew up, and then his feet safely stepped on the ground. The principal, who lifted him all the way up, released his hand and asked Ying Feng who was still on the wall outside, “Are you able to come up by yourself?”

     In response, Ying Feng grabbed onto the edge of the wall, jumped over from the outside, and strode toward Ling Xiao. With that imposing fierce attitude, Yao Tai and the principal had thought he was going to make a move on Ling Xiao. They subconsciously blocked in front.

     Even Ling Xiao himself thought so, but seeing Ying Feng, who unceremoniously pushed the two away and put his hands on his shoulders. And just like this, without warning, kissed him.

     Due to shock, the kiss lasted exceptionally long. Everyone present was stunned, especially Ling Xiao. As the person involved, his brain became completely blank as his thinking ability scattered away to the sky.

     After the kiss was over, Ying Feng let him go. The petrified Ling Xiao stayed in a daze for one, two, three seconds, before softly falling forward. Like he had expected it, Ying Feng firmly and steadily caught him.

     If you say the two viewers were still stunned before, then at this moment it could no longer be described as mere dumbfoundedness. Possibly, it might have been the two’s direct eyes that fixedly stared at him made him uncomfortable. Ying Feng reluctantly explained:

     “I read in the book that this method can hypnotize and relieve emotions.”

     The principal and Yao Tai turned their necks stiffly, looking at each other incredulously before stiffly turned it back again.

     “Do you know?” Yao Tai said bluntly in a tone that was definitely not flattering, “Ever since you became Qizhu, in my opinion, the only thing I could compliment, is that you had mastered all the skills of Qizi at a god-like speed.”

     Ying Feng automatically ignored the sarcasm in her words and hugged Ling Xiao in his arms. Before he was able to take a step, he was stopped by the principal.

     The principal was much more calm after all, and had already walked out of the shock from just now, “Will you leave him to me?”

     Ying Feng looked at him puzzled.

     “I want to try to persuade him, after all, we are both Qizi. It may be easier to communicate.”

     Ying Feng considered it for a while and sent Ling Xiao in his arms forward to the principal. The principal was a little embarrassed, “I can’t carry him.”

     The lack of adequate rest for a long time had greatly reduced his physical strength. The current principal in this aspect that required endurance to hold others couldn’t even be compared to an ordinary Nestling. That set of movements was already his limit.

     “Where do you want me to send him?”

     “Just the medical room is fine. I will be there, waiting for him to wake up.”

     When Ling Xiao woke up, only the principal was by his side. He didn’t know how he fell asleep, but the memory before falling down was still there. The two things were so close apart, he would rather believe that the kiss was a dream.

     “You’re awake,” the principal saw Ling Xiao at this moment, thinking of himself who woke up in a daze many years ago at a loss.

     “Principal?” He looked down at the bed under him in confusion, “Why am I sleeping here?”

     “You fell asleep so I asked Ying Feng to send you here.” His equally light gray eyes made Ling Xiao feel relieved. “Are you feeling better now?”

     Ling Xiao nodded hesitantly, forgetting that he didn’t take the initiative to jump down.

     “So, do you want to visit someone with me?”

     “Who?”

     “Your good friend, Lan Sheng.”

    ***

     This was the first time Ling Xiao had been to the CDC. He originally imagined that the center should look like a hospital, but after arriving, he realized that it was more like a prison.

     “Long time no see,” A man in a white uniform greeted them personally outside the main entrance.

     “If I can, I hope I will never see you in this life,” The principal smiled and greeted him, and introduced him to Ling Xiao. “This is Dean Qian Ji of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He was my attending physician back then. Never had I thought he would be promoted to a Dean.”

    “Is it unexpected for a doctor to be promoted into a dean, or more incredible for a patient to be the principal?” Qian Ji said sarcastically, “Time looks like it has gone back a hundred years to when I was still worried about whether you can survive. Who would think of today? You have already become the head of a school.”

     “Then I really failed your expectations,” The principal joked.

     Qian Ji smiled slightly at his joke, then gently patted Ling Xiao on the back, “Is this the student you mentioned in the message?”

     “Yes.”

     Qian Ji turned to Ling Xiao, “Your principal told me that Lan Sheng, who was admitted to the hospital not long ago, is your friend? He is a very strong person. I can’t let you meet, but I can allow you to see him.”

     Ling Xiao knew nothing about this, and under Qian Ji’s leadership, he walked all the way from the main entrance to the main building.

     “This place has changed a lot,” The principal looked at the buildings along the way as he walked. He remembered that when he left, some buildings were not what they are today.

     “I think when you were here, almost all the houses were demolished. As soon as you left, we immediately applied for funds to the superiors and repaired the entire center.”

     “Don’t listen to him exaggerate,” The principal helplessly said to Ling Xiao.

     “Just knew you won’t admit it, so we had specially kept the evidence,” He led them to a ward and said to Ling Xiao, “Look, this is the room he lived in.”

     This room—no, to be precise, the prison was extremely small, with nothing but a single bed inside. It was enclosed on all three sides, while the side next to the corridor was made of cold railings. Ling Xiao took a closer look and found that the material of the wall was exactly the same as the material used in the training room. However, what was shocking was that on such a solid wall, there were traces of strong force hitting everywhere. Some were even sunken, going as far as half a foot in.

     “Why is there nothing inside?” Ling Xiao couldn’t accept what he saw for a while. He originally thought that even if the center’s environment was not comfortable, it would at least allow people to normally live in.

     “This is because no matter what’s in it, it will all end up being smashed. Additionally, any inconspicuous object may be used as a tool for self-harm,” Qian Ji saw the principal sinking into contemplation toward the room and quietly pulled Ling Xiao, motioning him to leave the principal alone.

     “Your principal lived there for six years,” Qian Ji said when he walked to a place where the other party could not hear.

     “That long?” Ling Xiao was shocked. If it was him, even living six days in that environment would be unbearable.

     “From the day he was sent in until he left was for six full years. The day he left this room was also the sixth anniversary of his admission.”

     “How could this be…” Ling Xiao couldn’t believe it.

     “We once thought he would not be able to leave that room, unexpectedly, he was able to walk out of that room. We once thought he wouldn’t live long after he went out, but he continued to overthrow our expectations every year,” Qian Ji’s appreciation came from the bottom of his heart, “Your principal is a really respectable person. Even today everyone still mentions him in awe.”

     Ling Xiao only knew that the principal, as an undeveloped Qizi, had lived independently from the Qizhu for many years. He had even secretly joked about him before, but never he did expect his life would be so harsh.

     “I think he was also a figure in Bikong back then. Together with Fu Yao, he was called Tianxiu’s Hope of Tomorrow. He received the attention of the military when he was only in the elementary academy. He had a bright future.”

     “It’s a pity that fate is so fickle. Fu Yao has found the most suitable life partner for him and now both of them shine brightly in the military. However, because of one wrong decision, your principal has not even been able to develop his body.”

     “The two young people, who had attracted much attention in the past, ended up like clouds and mud. Every time they recall them, they can’t help but feel regretful.”

     Qian Ji sighed full of emotion and saw the principal walking toward their direction.

     “The silence is over?” He deliberately changed into a relaxed tone.

     “Why didn’t you repair that room?”

     “Such a place of commemorative value must of course be kept intact. Every time a newcomer comes in, the center will take you as an inspirational example and tell them that one day they will leave here. Although you are gone, your spirit will always be glowing like heat, shining the future generation.”

     The principal smiled bitterly, “What an honor for me.”

     “Since we’re done mourning, let’s move on.”

     They walked along the corridor and met more and more people along the way. Ling Xiao passed by one ward at a time and saw many people behaving strangely. Some were lifeless in their eyes, some were muttering to themselves, some were screaming violently, and some were banging their heads against the wall like they couldn’t feel pain. The more they saw along the way, the heavier they felt.

     “Patients who come here for treatment have to sign a contract when they are admitted to the hospital. There are two types of contracts: absolute contract to seek life, and free contract to seek death.”

     Ling Xiao didn’t understand, “What is a free contract?”

    “The so-called free contract is an agreed term that is very loose. We will try our best to help the patient survive, but once he finds it unbearable and wants to give up, the center will respect their decision.”

     Qian Ji pointed to those who were wearing medical gowns who were free to come and go, and said, “They are the contractors. Healing is luck, but most people will never go out of this door again.”

     “What about the absolute contract?”

     “The absolute contract is a crucified agreement. No matter what happens, no matter what the patient asks, we must ensure his survival, no matter what means are used.”

     “The pain of the absolute contract is hard to describe in words. Few people would choose to sign it. Your principal signed the death agreement back then, and so did he.”

     Qian Ji stood at the door of a room. The railing of this ward was completely down. Ling Xiao walked over and saw Lan Sheng.

     “Now that you know how strong your friend is, you should be proud of him.”

     The moment Ling Xiao saw the long-lost person, tears almost fell. He was forcibly pressed onto the bed, howling and struggling in pain. Surrounding him, are three medical staff forcibly confining his limbs, even though it seemed to be difficult.

     “Why,” Ling Xiao couldn’t understand, “Why didn’t you give him a tranquilizer?”

     “What you see now is him in the daytime, relying on manual control as much as possible. While tranquilizers can only be used at night when the symptoms are more severe. Tianxiu people build resistance to drugs very quickly, and the tranquilizers dose he is using now is already ten times the normal amount. We cannot increase it anymore beyond that amount.”

     Ling Xiao felt the sorrow souring his nose. He finally understood why Qian Ji would not let them meet. Now even if Ling Xiao stood in front of Lan Sheng, the other party might not recognize him anymore.

     “He has a very serious sleep disorder. It should be said that everyone here is also the same. They can’t fall asleep all night, every night. Even if they do fall asleep, they will wake up very quickly. Many people give up because they can’t bear this. While medicine continues to become more and more developed, it will never be able to help these people.”

     “The Qizhu’s influence on Qizi is too great. Qizi who loses their Qizhu will not have a sense of security throughout their entire life. It is like a water plant whose roots have been removed, drifting day after day until it wilts.”

      “I used to be puzzled as to why Tianxiu people have such a deformed spousal system, so I checked many ancient books and found that the Qizhu’s absolute control over the Qizi is not to deprived Qizi, but actually a concession with Qizi.”

     “Concession?” Even the principal had never heard of this statement.

     “Yes, although most of the words in the ancient books are unclear. However, according to a very rare historical record, the spousal relationship of the earliest Tianxiu people was not like this. Their situation is much crueler than ours. People who love each other have to kill each other to be able to continue. Later generations could not bear such tragedy and that’s how blood contract exist.”

     “In the contents of the contract, the Qizhu transfers part of its soul to the Qizi, while the other partly trades life at the cost of giving up all their rights, and lives as a Qizi for life. This is why the Qizhu can control the Qizi, because what he controls is originally his own soul.”

     “So on the surface, the Qizhu and the Qizi are a relationship between dominance and submission, but in fact, the original intention of the blood contract is the concession made by the Qizhu to keep his Qizi alive, which is an active sacrifice. As for why both parties in love must fight to death in the first place, it is not even recorded in ancient books.”

     “Now you know why it is difficult for the Qizi who are in the developmental stage to survive after leaving their Qizhu, because the souls they obtained from the Qizhu can’t find their owner. The rescue work we are doing now is to go against that death path. Although some people had said that we did this out of humanitarianism, for hundreds of years, after witnessing the suffering of so many people, the word humanitarianism became vague and meaningless to me anymore.”

  After he said this, he sighed, “I’m so sorry that you were forced to share some of my negative energy.”

     “No,” Ling Xiao shook his head, “Thank you for telling me this.”

     Qian Ji looked at him tenderly, “Dr. Yao once told me about your situation. The Qizi who received treatment here are either their Qizhu who died early or they were abandoned. In contrast, you are much luckier than many of them.”

     “Now you have seen everything here with your own eyes. Your principal said that he never wants to see me again. I, too, don’t want to see him ever again, that includes you and anyone else. The CDC was originally a place where you shouldn’t come. Even if you have the slightest chance of suicide, you have to stay far far away. Not everyone can be as strong as your principal. Once most people get in, they can never get out anymore.”

     As if to confirm his words, there was a commotion in the room at the end of the corridor.

     “What’s the situation?” Qian Ji stopped a passing medical staff.

     The other party lowered his eyes slightly, “Patient No. 31 has decided to give up and is making the final confirmation.”

     Qian Ji’s eyes dimmed, and he turned to the principal, “Such a scene, you should be familiar with it.”

     The principal nodded silently.

     He turned to Ling Xiao again, “Let’s go and see too.”

     Ling Xiao and his party followed the medical staff to a place. The Patient No. 31, they mentioned, was in the next room while a female doctor was talking to her. Through the glass, Ling Xiao couldn’t hear the content of their conversation, but could only see her shake her head and then nod her head. After a while, the female doctor walked out.

     She shook her head gently, and everyone present understood the meaning of this action.

     A bell rang above the center, one after another, long and lingering. Under such a tragic and somewhat desolate bell rings, everyone collectively bowed their heads.

     The doctor entered with the needle tube, bowed halfway to patient 31 and then steadily pierced the needle accurately through the white skin into her blood vessel.

     She raised her head, showing her Nestling face and light gray eyes. From waking to death, the color of her eyes was the only change in this life. She was about to bid farewell to this world and start a new life. Perhaps because other people were bowing their heads, her eyes met the only Ling Xiao who looked here.

     Their gaze met as they looked at each other. Ling Xiao was the last sight projected in her retina while in Ling Xiao’s eyes of her reflection, she sweetly smiled to herself.

     Goodbye, Ling Xiao saw her mouthed, even though they had never met before.

     The girl’s body became transparent and little by little disappeared. She finally turned into a beautiful blue soul, just like Ping Zong that morning.

     This was the second time Ling Xiao watched a soul fly away, disappearing into the sky from a place less than two meters in front of him.

     “Did you see it?” The principal quietly placed his hand on Ling Xiao’s shoulder, “This is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Once you have been here before, you will never want to set foot in this place again.”

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Edited by TXY

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