There was a heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon. The skies, which were initially sunny, suddenly turned overcast. The trees shook violently due to the wind; subsequently, a heavy downpour followed, accompanied by the loud sounds of thunder. The entire world was blanketed in rainfall.
Two hours later, the rain stopped. A refreshing coolness contrasted with the raging summer season.
Great-Grandma felt that this was a good day for outdoor activities, as well as a good opportunity to test out her grandson's physical capabilities. She changed out of her shorts into some sportswear, and brought San Wu and Li Xianyu out.
The three of them ran one round around the small neighbourhood, then ventured out to the main road and kept running on. Five kilometers later, Li Xianyu was panting heavily. His legs had turned wobbly as he bent downwards. Softly, he said, "Yamete, yamete. Run slower, wait for me."
Ever since his beautiful Great-Grandma moved into his house, his physical condition had deteriorated to the point where he had double vision even when staring at his phone.
Great-Grandma and San Wu continued to run emotionlessly. Li Xianyu, seeing that the both of them ignored him, stopped to walk. Great-Grandma frowned and walked back, mimicking a motion that she was about to suck another portion of essence out of him.
Li Xianyu panicked and gritted his teeth, widening his stride to catch up with them.
Ten kilometers later, he was beyond tired. His face was drained of colour as he slumped by the roadside, nearly vomiting out his own bile.
"How useless, it was just a short while," Great-Grandma told Li Xianyu in disdain.
"Would I be like that if you didn't take away my essence?" Li Xianyu retorted as he panted.
Although he was not really that fit, he was at the age where he should have been. Ten kilometers should have been easily doable for him, but he did not feel well these few days.
"See, that's what happens when you don't practice qi and stay fit," Great-Grandma chided.
"It's too late for me now," Li Xianyu replied. "Ever since the pearl went into my body, I feel weak everyday. My ancestors' health were all wrecked by you."
This sentence seemed to trigger Great-Grandma. She raised her leg up fiercely and kicked Li Xianyu's butt. "You don't believe I'll beat you to death, unfilial ingrate?"
San Wu watched on emotionlessly. Great-Grandma had said that children should be spanked for misbehaving, but not beaten to death. That was too much.
She would not intervene as long as he does not die.
Li Xianyu was only able to match her verbally, but not physically. Additionally, she was his elder. He could only use his mouth to preserve whatever dignity he had left.
"Slowly then," Li Xianyu got to his feet while holding his waist. "I can't rush things within a few days too. Even the best scriptwriter can't do that."
Kidneys were easily damaged but not easily repaired. It only went one way.
This sentence explained that ailing kidneys were the correct way to awaken a man.
Practicing qi and keeping fit were not things that one could do in a short period of time. The plan now was for him to awaken before he could snap out of this condition.
They found a park which was relatively deserted because of the rainfall earlier on. Great-Grandma decided to teach Li Xianyu some self-defence tricks, but to no avail. Li Xianyu was simply too physically weak to learn. He had evidently passed the age where he could learn these things. He was slow in learning simple techniques. His posture was rigid, and his blows were devoid of strength. Sometimes, he would strain his arm muscles as well.
"It's still useless. You didn't have any foundation since young. It's too late now. We can only wait for you to awaken," Great-Grandma remarked with a frown.
After one had awakened, his cells would transform entirely, just like the characters in wuxia novels.
"I should sign up for a yoga membership, then come and learn martial arts from you," Li Xianyu moved his arms and said.
"Yoga…" Great-Grandma froze. "Sindhu's ancient yoga techniques? It's not like you can learn as you wish."
"Ancient yoga?" Li Xianyu asked.
"It's a way that Sindhu used to cultivate his spirit."
"Oh, that's different from what I meant. Yoga now is like taichi. The former emphasises on posture, while the latter is for keeping fit," Li Xianyu said as he thought of an incident whereby his friend had joined a yoga class to pursue the yoga teacher, only to give women up when he had practiced yoga successfully.
"If you want to train up your waist, I have an idea," San Wu remarked in a serious manner.
Li Xianyu and Great-Grandma turned around simultaneously. "What?"
San Wu replied, "Big Boss has a very good technique for practising qi and training up the waist. It's called 'Times Are Calling.'"
"Times Are Calling? I think it's a fraud based on the name. It's even worse than my capsules." Li Xianyu maintained his skeptical attitude.
"Big Boss says it's very potent," San Wu retorted.
Li Xianyu thought for a while. Since it was the idea of Baoze's big boss, it could have been legitimate. He asked, "How do I acquire it?"
San Wu shook her head. "I don't know. It's the big boss's exclusive technique. It's not imparted to us."
Li Xianyu remarked, disappointed. "It's as if you didn't say anything."
If a technique like this was able to cure his family's hereditary kidney condition, his ancestors would not have passed away early.
"I don't know when I can awaken though." Li Xianyu sighed.
There was no fixed way to predict when a demon descendant would awaken. Some did when they were older, while some were younger. There were many different stories about awakenings.
That night, the three of them had a celebratory meal and headed home. He lay on his bed, beyond fatigued, as his leg muscles ached unbearably. In a dreary state, he heard the sounds of the computer shutting down and a chair moving. Then, there were light footsteps, followed by light closing.
Great-Grandma had gone back to her room to sleep.
He could not sleep despite feeling tired. He lay on the sofa in a daze and felt as if he was floating in space, as he drifted in and out of sleep.
Shit, I forgot to take the capsule today. He suddenly remembered this as he drifted in and out of sleep. He suddenly felt very panicked. Days of effort would be wasted if he were to not take his medicine. Li Xianyu was practically dependent on the medicine now, just like a drug addict.
...
"Li Xianyu, Li Xianyu, Li Xianyu…"
In the darkness, someone was calling his name.
Was it a dream or a hallucination? No, someone's calling me, Li Xianyu thought to himself, as he felt groggy.
"Li Xianyu…" The voice sounded frantic as the speed of the words increased. The voice seemed to want to want to find him.
Familiar… Was it Sister's voice? After this thought popped up in his mind, he felt himself sitting up straight and walking outside towards the living room, barefooted.
Why would Sister's voice be here? Many suspicions popped up in Li Xianyu's mind.
The voice was alluring as it lured him towards its source.
Snap!
In the darkness, the lock snapped open.
As the security gates opened, the reddish-black skies were exposed. In residential estates like this, once one stepped out, he would be able to see the scenery afar. The floor of the corridor was held together by iron fences. Those with a fear of heights did not dare to walk along the outer reaches.
The corridor was dimly lit. Li Xianyu saw a shadow at the other end. Based on the figure, it was someone elegant.
Sister? Li Xianyu walked over in a daze.
The night was long. There was not a single soul along the corridor. There was only a surveillance camera at the entrance of the elevator, pointing outwards at the corridor. If anyone were to access the camera systems, they would notice him as the only person roaming the corridors in the entire block. He took robotic steps towards the other side of the corridor.
With every household he passed, the lights above him would turn off. An eerie atmosphere blanketed the entire corridor.