Two or Three Events in the Last Days 007
Chapter 7: Qi
As soon as Zhou Yu mentioned going into town to buy more supplies, Zhao Chenghuai became unhappy. He grumbled about how there was no need to buy so many things and how it was a waste of money. Zhou Yu glared at him and patiently laid out her analysis of the current situation. Unable to argue against her reasoning, Zhao Chenghuai had no choice but to let her have her way. Still, Jing Lin could tell that Uncle Zhao was not truly opposed to the idea. It was simply the frugal mindset that many rural people had developed over a lifetime.
After dinner, the Zhao family accompanied Jing Lin as he carried Le Le to the village doctor’s house. The old doctor was also surnamed Zhao and was already over sixty years old. Most of the children in the village called him Grandpa Zhao. When Jing Lin arrived, the doctor’s family was eating dinner by candlelight. Several villagers from other corners of the village were also sitting in the main hall receiving IV drips.
Jing Lin greeted the family and sat down on a bench with Le Le in his arms, intending to wait until Dr. Zhao finished eating before discussing Le Le’s symptoms.
Unexpectedly, Dr. Zhao noticed Le Le immediately.
He set down his chopsticks and walked over. After carefully examining Le Le and asking Jing Lin several questions, he shook his head and told Jing Lin to take the child home.
Dr. Zhao said, “I’ve seen quite a few cases like Le Le’s in town these past few days. Young adults, children, and elderly people alike. Under normal circumstances, we could have run tests with medical equipment. But because of the power outage, most of the hospital’s functions have been paralyzed. We can’t perform any meaningful examinations at all. As far as symptoms go, they simply appear to be asleep. Unfortunately, I am completely at a loss.”
Zhou Yu gently touched Le Le’s rosy cheek, her face full of concern. “So we’re just supposed to let him keep sleeping? He won’t eat anything. How can he possibly get by on nothing but water?”
Dr. Zhao sighed helplessly. “At the moment, there’s nothing else we can do. We can only hope he wakes up on his own.”
Night had completely fallen. Unlike the bright moonlit sky of the previous evening, thick clouds covered the heavens tonight. The moon was hidden, and not a single star could be seen. As they walked through the village, there was not the slightest trace of light anywhere. The darkness was as dense as black ink.
Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Because everyone felt helpless about Le Le’s condition, the mood on the walk back was heavy and subdued. When they returned to Zhao Zhiwen’s house, Zhou Yu brought out two old-fashioned oil lamps and had Zhao Zhiwen escort Jing Lin and Le Le home.
After arriving back, Jing Lin placed one of the oil lamps in the bedroom. Then he lit a candle and went to the kitchen to heat water. He carefully wiped down Le Le’s body, washed himself, and finally lay down on the bed beside him. He did not sleep the entire night.
Jing Lin’s parents had died not long after he was born. Back then, people had said that he brought misfortune to his relatives.
When he was old enough to understand such rumors, he had cried in fear after hearing them. Later, his grandfather and older sister had comforted him, telling him that those people were talking nonsense. His grandfather had even gone to confront the people spreading the gossip.
After that, at least as far as Jing Lin knew, those rumors were never openly discussed again.
Even so, every child in the village except Zhao Zhiwen had avoided him like the plague. After his grandfather passed away, he could still sense the strange looks that many of the older villagers gave him.
Then his sister died as well.
For a long time afterward, he had repeatedly wondered whether there was any truth to those old rumors. Otherwise, why had every close family member in his life left him so early?
When he first took Le Le in, Jing Lin had been deeply conflicted. He blamed himself for his sister’s death. He loved his nephew and wanted to care for him, but at the same time, he feared that somehow he would bring harm to him as well.
Now Le Le had fallen ill. The child kept sleeping and would not wake. Outwardly, Jing Lin said nothing. His expression remained calm, and there was little change in his demeanor.
But only he knew how crushing the pressure had become. The fear that he might somehow lose his nephew, too, weighed on him so heavily that he could barely breathe. More than anything, he feared the day he might call out Le Le’s name and receive no answer at all.
Having gone an entire night without sleep, Jing Lin’s eyes were red and swollen. As usual, he gave Le Le some warm water to drink and applied ointment to the red bumps covering his body. Then, carrying Le Le in his arms, he went to the small village shop, bought some incense, candles, and joss paper, and set out to pay his respects to his deceased relatives.
On a small hillside south of the village group was the local graveyard. Everyone simply called it the grave hill. All of Jing Lin’s family members were buried there together—his grandmother, whom he had never met because she had passed away so long ago, his parents, his grandfather, his older sister, and his brother-in-law.
In the farthest corner of the graveyard stood a solitary grave. Jing Lin stopped there as well to offer his respects.
Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
The grave belonged to an elderly widower from the village. Jing Lin only knew that his surname had been Zhang and had always called him Grandpa Zhang. During the years of political upheaval, he had been sent to their village group for “reform through labor.” After he was politically rehabilitated, he chose to remain in the village. He and Jing Lin’s grandfather had become close friends. When Jing Lin was young and easily tempted by candy, Grandpa Zhang had often bribed him with sweets while secretly teaching him all sorts of superstitious lore—formation techniques, talismans, and other strange mystical practices.
As these memories surfaced, Jing Lin’s heart gave the same heavy thump it had when he first heard the words “apocalypse.”
Suddenly, an absurd thought flashed through his mind.
After finishing the offerings, he packed up the remaining supplies and hurried home.
Jing Lin still remembered the look of satisfaction on Grandpa Zhang’s face whenever he secretly taught him those things behind his grandfather’s and sister’s backs. It was the expression of someone who believed he had found a worthy successor.
Back then, Jing Lin had happily learned whatever Grandpa Zhang taught him. He had always been an excellent student, quick to understand and quick to learn. Countless times, he had heard Grandpa Zhang say that he was naturally gifted in this field.
The problem was that none of it had ever worked.
Even so, while Grandpa Zhang was alive, he regularly tested Jing Lin on what he had learned and constantly reminded him not to neglect the knowledge. At first, Jing Lin took those instructions seriously. In addition to keeping up with his schoolwork, he would set aside time to review everything he had learned about formations and talismans.
Then, not long after Jing Lin entered high school, Grandpa Zhang passed away.
At first, Jing Lin still reviewed the few worn books that the old man had left behind. But as his studies became increasingly demanding, those books were eventually locked away in a chest filled with old textbooks and stored in the utility room, where they remained untouched for years.
After returning home, Jing Lin shut the front gate, laid Le Le on the sofa in the main hall, and went into the storage room to drag out several old wooden chests.
They were filled with books from his school days. Most of the village children sold their old textbooks after finishing each grade and used the money to buy snacks. But because his grandfather had always treasured books, Jing Lin had never sold a single one. Every textbook from elementary school through university had been brought home and carefully packed away in boxes. When his grandfather was still alive, he would occasionally take the books out to air them in the sun. After Jing Lin started working, however, he had far less free time and could only do that once or twice a year during holidays.
He could no longer remember exactly which chest contained Grandpa Zhang’s books. After searching through several boxes, he finally found them wedged at the bottom of one wooden chest.
Two or Three Events in the Last Days (TELD) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
There were three books in total.
One was titled Heavenly Talisman Arts.
Another was titled Heavenly Formation Arts.
The last was titled Lesser Vast Heaven Heart Method.
The first two were the books Jing Lin had actually studied—one taught the crafting of talismans, while the other taught the arrangement and movement patterns of formations.
As for the third book, Grandpa Zhang had merely handed it to him once to flip through casually, saying that perhaps he would never need it in his entire life.
Back in high school, Jing Lin had memorized the contents of the first two books so thoroughly that he could recite them effortlessly. Drawing talismans had once come naturally to him.
As for the formation techniques and their strange footwork patterns, he still vaguely remembered some of them.
Almost unconsciously, Jing Lin stood where he was and silently recited one of the movement chants he could still remember.
As each line resurfaced in his memory, his feet began moving slowly in accordance with the pattern…
Then suddenly, he looked up.
Shock filled his face.
Those same movements, which had always felt completely meaningless before, now seemed different.
As he stepped through the pattern, he sensed a strange rhythm flowing through it.
And along with that rhythm, he felt something else.
A strange current of qi*.
*qi = energy or aura-like energy.
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 of two for the week.
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
Proofreader: Yume
Avid BL reader, editor, and translator with 1 story completed (CLWP) and 1 story in progress (TELD). Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
