Chapter 00017: A Gift (Grateful to Master Qi Tian of Rain Fairy)
# A Gift (Grateful to Master Qi Tian of Rain Fairy)
Chapter 17
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 17: A Gift (Grateful to Master Qi Tian of Rain Fairy)
When Jing Jue opened his eyes, he wasn’t met with an unfamiliar ceiling.
Instead, he found the tear-streaked face of the youngest member of the Lu family, who was grinning and shouting back over his shoulder, “Mom, Second Brother is awake!”
The familiar smell of disinfectant permeated the air, and a commotion echoed along the corridors.
Jing Jue looked around in confusion and soon realized he was in a hospital room.
Beside him, the third brother sat at the bedside, dabbing at his homework with tear-filled eyes, not even having the time to cry.
His gaze then fell on Lu Ma, whose worried expression revealed that she had been up all night, without a moment’s rest.
Jing Jue tried to remember how he ended up here, but the throbbing in his head made it difficult.
It wasn’t just the lack of spiritual energy he was feeling; he realized he had also drunk far too much the previous night.
God knows how much wine he had consumed.
When he tried to recall that chaotic night, it felt almost hazy, as if it belonged to another world.
The only clear memory was of someone at the table patting him on the shoulder and laughing uncontrollably while he was retching, saying things like, “Jing Jing is such a loser!” and “Come on, let’s have another round! I’ll teach you how to drink properly!”
Coming back to reality, Jing Jue felt a daze settle over him.
So, his troubles hadn’t come from the criminals, but the safety bureau had brought him to the hospital?
Was there still any justice in this world? Was there any law?
“Jing Jue, you’d better tell me the truth,” Lu Ma said, her face dark and stern, as she tugged at his ear and asked coldly, “What were you doing last night? I warned you to think this through. The little dog has already told everything.”
“Ah?!” Jing Jue was taken aback.
He glanced at Lu Fang behind Lu Ma, whose face was bruised and smeared with iodine, and attempted to save face, “Uh, well, it seems like I drank a bit too much. After that, I remember… Ouch! Lu Ma, I was wrong! Please be gentle!”
“Still trying to lie?!”
Lu Ma roared like a lion, the sound echoing loudly as she delivered a slap to the back of his head. “The officer has already told me everything! That little bastard, bringing you to drink and then brawling! If it hadn’t been for the good deed, I would have gone to the police station today to bow my head and apologize! And you, covering for him!”
“Ah? Oh, yes! It seems like that’s how it went!”
Jing Jue said, wiping cold sweat from his brow as he glanced at Lu Fang, who was making faces at him.
He thought to himself, I'm not the one who knows that Brother Fang killed everyone at some nightclub and wiped out a criminal organization all by himself.
“Right, right! It was all Brother Fang’s doing!”
He started to shift the blame, tears and snot flowing freely, “I’m innocent, Lu Ma! You can’t blame me!”
It was Lu Fang who was doing the killing.
All the heads rolling were collected by that dog of a person.
He had merely helped wipe the monitoring logs and stepped on the gas a couple of times; besides, that snake he had killed didn’t seem to be a protected species.
Round it off, wasn’t it none of his business?
Lu Ma still had a soft heart, especially towards her ‘good child’ Jing Jue.
Usually, she wouldn’t resort to the rolling pin, mop, or broom she used on the “little dog.” Even the two slaps to the back of his head were mostly on his neck, lacking any real strength.
It was clear she wasn’t fierce enough to truly discipline him.
Seeing Jing Jue recognize his mistake and promise not to repeat it, Lu Ma’s tone softened after scolding him. “The doctor said that with your condition, you need to stay in the hospital a few more days. You need to stay put during this time, you’re not allowed to go anywhere, understand?”
“Ah?” Jing Jue was stunned. “But I’m fine! Look, I’m full of energy! Wait, Lu Ma, hold on.”
No matter how he protested, it was useless.
There’s a kind of sickness called “your mom thinks you’re sick.” When Lu Ma gets stubborn, she’s scarier than a mother hen, refusing to let Jing Jue pay even a single cent for the hospital fees or tests.
Not only that, she insisted on going home to prepare a chicken for him to eat for recovery.
As for the drooling “little dog” beside him… all it gets is chicken bones!
“It’s quite lively here.”
A tall figure leaned against the doorway, knocking on the hospital room’s door with their fingers while looking in with a smile that was half amusement, half seriousness.
The familiar motorcycle jacket and riding gear made Jing Jue’s scalp tingle once more.
Wen Wen!
“Excuse me, just a quick interruption,” she said with a cheerful smile, “I’m here to take a statement, won’t take long.”
Lu Ma ached to thank her a thousand times, but after everyone else had left, she leisurely dragged a chair over, propped her legs up, and retrieved a can of beer from her pocket, handing it to Jing Jue. “How about a little drink to help you feel better?”
Seeing Jing Jue’s white face, looking ready to puke, she shook her head helplessly, opened the can, and downed half before burping and saying, “Little Jing, you really can’t handle your liquor. You need to practice.”
Indeed, practice was needed; otherwise, who could compare to her, a veritable jug of beer!
Jing Jue complained inwardly, observing her carefully while testing the waters, “Wen… Supervisor?”
“Why so formal? It’s inconvenient to talk about safety bureau titles outside; just call me Wen Jie, no need for so many formalities.”
Leaning back in her chair, Wen Wen waved her hand nonchalantly. “Don’t worry; I know what young folks like you are worried about. The reports and investigation are already out, and you two are in the clear. The safety bureau has taken care of it; just return to living your lives, like nothing ever happened.”
“Oh, well, thank you so much!” Jing Jue was overjoyed, wishing he could leap up and express his gratitude, thinking that Wen Jie was broad-minded and wouldn’t care too much about his earlier bit of grumbling.
However…
He hesitated for a long moment before finally asking, “Um, those people… what exactly was going on? Were they some kind of vampires or…”
“Bloodthirst syndrome, in the hospital, um, a certain hospital's classification, a pandemic virus ranked 109 in social threat. I know mentioning something like the ‘Nine Catastrophes of the Heavenly Blessing’ will confuse you, so let’s just think of it as a kind of zombie vampire infection.”
Wen Wen said indifferently, “Someone is secretly spreading this virus in Cliff City, causing chaos. Most of those who attacked you were infected with it.”
A large portion of those infected would go see a doctor after falling ill, while some would hide in fear, and others… would see this as a blessing from heaven, even wanting to use it for their own purposes.
And you’ve already seen the outcome: devolving into beasts, ugly and unaware, living as puppets for others while lifeless corpses are offered up as sacrifices after death.”Jing Jue swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine. Not that it mattered why such a horrifying virus was only ranked 109, as if there were 108 even scarier things ahead. The simple fact that bloodthirst was deliberately spread around Cliff City was enough to have him itching to urge Lu Ma and the others to move away immediately.“Don’t worry, just focus on waiting to be discharged.
Go back to school if you need to, go to work, and just live your life like you would,”Wen Wen smiled brightly,“But don’t worry, the little dogs from the Dragon Ritual will not last long.
Just a few more days, and once I put that dog down to dust, it’ll be over.”Saying that, her smile turned slightly meaningful.“Of course, if you’re not at ease and want to personally get involved, I won’t mind.”“No, no, no! I’m, I’m utterly useless! I have no strength to lift a chicken, getting involved will only cost the safety bureau money, so I won’t trouble you!”Jing Jue hastily replied, shaking his head like a drum.“Is that so? What a pity.”Though she said it was a pity, Wen Wen seemed indifferent, not digging deeper into his earlier display of ability and strangeness, simply patting his shoulder instead.“Since you’re sick, you should rest well… Oh, here, take this, consider it a souvenir.”With that, she pulled out a sealed bag from her pocket and tossed it casually onto Jing Jue's bedside. The sharp sound made Jing Jue’s eyelids twitch. He took a look, stunned, rubbing his eyes and gazing again. No matter how he looked at it, the clear sealed bag contained what appeared to be a lady’s watch. And it seemed, perhaps it was… the same ‘Red Wing’ model that Zhu Hong had worn on her wrist last night? 510,000?! As the number hit his mind, Jing Jue felt like he was electrocuted, his ears buzzing:“Is, is this… suitable?”He stared blankly at Wen Wen, beginning to doubt if this woman was simply after his looks. Or had his mind somehow gone awry? But that was 510,000! So much money! Enough for a hundred Jing Jues to grow up, enough for seven Jing Jues to pay off a school loan in one go, enough for one Jing Jue to sell it and buy a seafront apartment in the city, or buy a car he had once only dreamed of driving. No, scratch the car; with that money, he could buy a storefront to rent out, elevating himself to a decent position in the city. So… should he drop to his knees now, offer himself, and serve her diligently? He sat in silence, feeling his eyes sticking, wanting to slap himself twice to break free from his thoughts, withdrawing his gaze and waving his hands,“I can’t accept this; I really can’t!”Quick, take it away; I will definitely have second thoughts. Don’t say another word. Wen Wen was unfazed, not caring at all. This was what the police had collected from the scene according to ‘protocol,’ as a ‘thank you’ gift. Of course, this wasn’t the only item, and they had even given a little extra, hoping she would be lenient and not cause too much trouble. It was unclear how the outside world had painted her as a crazed killer, but she had no intention of letting any of the guilty escape her grasp. Meanwhile, as for the innocent bystanders, provided they could learn to keep their distance, she would not go hunting them down. There are things one shouldn’t touch, it’s best if they can learn that lesson.“Relax; if you don’t want it, it will just be taken by those useless fellows to sell, so it’s better to give it to you.
Consider it… compensation for the victims, besides, didn’t you bravely fight against the evil forces?”Wen Wen patted his shoulder, a strange smile on her face.“Especially that famous line; it’s simply resonant.
My colleagues were quite impressed to hear it.”“Don’t say it! I beg you, just stop.”Jing Jue wanted nothing more than to cradle his head in his hands and dig a hole to disappear into, wishing it could lead down to the earth’s core, crying in despair,“I was possessed! That wasn’t me! I swear! I’m not usually like that!”“Whether you usually are or not doesn’t really matter, but that phrase of yours, I truly admire.”Wen Wen’s expression grew serious.“Jing Jue—these days, it’s extremely rare to see anyone who can awaken naturally without the aid of artifacts, who has been chosen by fate, like yourself.
Outside of you, I have seen too many chosen ones possess a sense of arrogance.”“Some believe they have power and can achieve anything, but after facing obstacles, they become more extreme, eventually saying they have no choice but to sacrifice for others and for the future, only to walk down the path of darkness and dead ends.
Others rush blindly toward self-destruction, living well, but preventing others from living.
In the end, it harms both themselves and others, leading to endless calamities…”Wen Wen spoke slowly, enunciating each word.“And so, they all ended up dead.”“…”Jing Jue found himself hesitating, wanting to ask more detailed questions, but looking at her calm and near-apathetic expression, it appeared many of his questions had found their answers. No need to ask further.“Don’t forget the words you spoke, Jing Jue.
And don’t rely on your powers to do bad things.”Wen Wen raised her hand, shaking her exquisitely small fist at him, signaling him,“Don’t be like them.”In the silence, Jing Jue stared at her fair hand, slender fingers, and that seemingly harmless little fist, swallowing audibly. He nodded fervently, obediently like a chicken.“Good, then I won’t consider my efforts a waste.”Wen Wen pushed the chair back, waving her hand in farewell.“Goodbye, Jing Jue.
I wish for you to become someone capable of making a difference.”Jing Jue instinctively wanted to stand and see her off, but upon hearing her last words, he froze in place, nodding seriously,“I will.”And just like that, Wen Wen smiled. She turned and walked away. In that moment, the hospital room fell silent, filled only with the ticking of the clock on the table. Inside the sealed bag, a well-packaged gift, already cleaned and organized by professionals, continued to operate at its own pace, waiting patiently for its new owner to show care and attention. Yet, as Jing Jue held it in his hands, he felt joy mixed with a growing headache. More than five hundred thousand! Over five hundred thousand! In his lifetime, he had never seen that much money before. Now, if he just slipped it into his pocket and took a trip to the black market, he could acquire anything… Well, that was probably impossible. With no proof of purchase and packaging, he’d definitely get ripped off by the middleman. Selling it for even a third of the price would be considered a blessing. Not to mention that if he hadn’t even eaten the meat, he might also attract the thief’s attention, inviting endless trouble. Surely he would not be keeping it to wear, right? Hold on, he already had one. If he wore a second, would the watch get jealous? Moreover, with his poor financial status, even if he wore it, people would think it was a genuine imitation. Nobody would take him seriously. Wait… maybe that’s not such a bad idea? He instinctively looked up, glancing toward the direction of the heavy footsteps approaching the door. A sturdy woman was coming in, one hand carrying a filled thermos, while the other held a large bag overflowing with snacks and tonics, making her way into the hospital room. Even with a bandage on her head, she wore an unyielding smile, as if nothing could break her spirit.“Lu Ma?”Jing Jue smiled back, raising his hand.“I, along with Brother Fang, saved up to buy a small gift for you… Ah, it’s not worth much; it looks flashy and cheap; just wear it, alright? Try it on.”“Oh, finally you understand how to please me?”Lu Ma set her things down and playfully pinched Jing Jue’s cheek, casually taking it,“Don’t think that being sweet gets you off the hook; you still need to stay in the hospital… Don’t always go for these fancy items; it’s a waste of money.”She muttered under her breath, but as she measured it against her wrist, she couldn’t help smiling widely. After slipping it onto her strong wrist, she moved it around a few times, feeling that such delicate jewelry didn’t quite fit her:“Does it look suitable?”“Of course it looks good.”Jing Jue leaned back against the bed, watching her joyful expression.“It suits you better than anyone else.”
Ah, ah, ah! Writer’s block! The dwindling pile of saved drafts is disappearing rapidly, and I can’t think of a word! It’s such a dreadful update, oh no!
(The End of Chapter)