Chapter 211: The Lower Levels
Zhuang Xu’s attitude clearly showed he didn’t want to say more, so Xu Zhi didn’t press further.
If he was willing to mention it at all—and even gave her one of those “experimental pills”—then it probably wasn’t some secret. Maybe this doctor had some connections or encounters in the past.
Not long after, Qi Yanxin returned. She didn’t have much money left, yet still chose to buy Xu Zhi a new set of clothes and a hat.
It was a slightly oversized baseball cap. Once worn and pressed low, as long as Xu Zhi lowered her head a little, her eyes were mostly hidden.
“All right, the medicines and instructions are all here. If there’s nothing else, you can head home. Come back next week for a follow-up.”
A weekly checkup was considered quite frequent. But given how severe Xu Zhi’s condition was, if the clinic offered inpatient service, she’d probably be in the ICU already. Coming every day, however, would be too much of a burden—so once a week was the best compromise.
When the black cap was placed on her head and Qi Yanxin wheeled her out of the clinic, Xu Zhi noticed gazes constantly following her.
Or rather—not her, but the wheelchair.
Once they got back “home,” Xu Zhi couldn’t help but ask, “Are wheelchairs rare here? It felt like everyone was staring at me.”
Qi Yanxin replied while tidying up the medicine, “They are rare. Most people who get diagnosed with limb injuries choose prosthetic augmentations. The basic ones on the black market aren’t expensive—and they can even increase strength and mobility. Some people who are perfectly healthy still go through modifications. Almost no one uses wheelchairs anymore.”
“Prosthetic augmentations?”
Another thing that didn’t exist in the Federation.
“Okay, let’s take your prescribed meds first, then I’ll make dinner. After eating, rest for half an hour before taking the next batch.”
Qi Yanxin had things planned neatly. She’d already sorted the different medications into separate sections in the cabinet according to their schedule.
Listening to her, Xu Zhi couldn’t help twitching the corner of her lips. How long had it been since she ate properly—or since taking medicine had become her full-time job? Truly, what goes around comes around.
But the real irony was—Xu Zhi couldn’t hold anything properly with her left hand, and even her right hand trembled when she tried to lift a cup. Eating and taking medicine by herself was barely manageable, yet she stubbornly insisted on doing it alone.
What a joke. Being fed medicine like a helpless patient? That’s just humiliating!
“By the way,” Qi Yanxin added, “starting tomorrow, I’ll be at work during the day. I’ve asked Ranran to look after you—remember her? She lives next door.”
Xu Zhi nodded slightly. After taking the medicine, she finally asked the question that had been bugging her for a while. “What’s the ‘Academy of Light’?”
Qi Yanxin looked at her in mild surprise. She hadn’t expected that question—but it wasn’t something that needed secrecy. “Well… you could say it’s a kind of academy for transcendent beings.”
“But not just that. There are many academies like it, but the Academy of Light is… special.”
“To put it simply, it’s the best and most prestigious one.”
“Many important figures graduated from there. The Academy itself houses numerous powerful transcendentals and the most complete records of transcendental knowledge. Everyone dreams of getting in.”
“After all, entering means your future will literally be… bright.”
It did sound impressive—a monopoly on talent, really.
“What does it mean that the Academy of Light withdrew from the Lower Levels?” Xu Zhi asked again.
Qi Yanxin’s expression dimmed. “It means they no longer recruit students from places like ours.”
Ah. So they’d been abandoned.
“Why?”
“I’m not too sure. Probably because people from the Lower Levels rarely have good potential for transcendence.”
Qi Yanxin was just a scavenger. She knew the basics everyone knew, but nothing deeper.
“Then why was the weather forecast wrong the day the Academy withdrew?”
Qi Yanxin blinked. “Was it ever right before?”
Xu Zhi’s questions were all about “common sense.” Thankfully, they weren’t hard to answer.
“The day they announced the withdrawal, there was a riot down here. The Meteorological Bureau got caught up in it—that’s why the forecast was off. Normally, it’s accurate. They need to monitor the seasonal mists.”
“Seasonal mists?” Xu Zhi caught on immediately. She hadn’t expected to hear that word—mist—again, even after leaving Cloud City.
“I’m not sure what it really is. I just know that every time the seasons change, those mists appear irregularly. Everyone must stay indoors when that happens. People say it’s because of the mists that there are so few transcendentals in the Lower Levels.”
Qi Yanxin’s tone showed she was recalling the few scraps of knowledge she had.
“I see… So how long until the next season change?”
“This one just passed less than two months ago, so maybe another month or more? It’s unpredictable, though—sometimes it comes early. The forecast will say.”
Qi Yanxin couldn’t be certain, and Xu Zhi simply nodded.
“Tomorrow, when I’m gone, stay close to Ranran. Everyone around here’s familiar, but sometimes scavengers from other areas sneak in to steal. Don’t underestimate her just because she’s young—she’s a modified human. She can handle petty thieves easily.”
The woman’s tone carried obvious worry.
“Got it.” Xu Zhi sighed. She was fully aware of her physical state—fighting anyone was out of the question. A strong gust of wind could probably knock her over.
In a place like this, surrounded by strangers, no one was going to bail her out if she got herself in trouble.
“All right. Any other questions? If not, I’ll start cooking.” Qi Yanxin’s voice was patient and warm. Even when Xu Zhi asked what must’ve sounded like childish or obvious questions, she never showed any irritation.
“One last thing.”
Xu Zhi actually had a lot of questions, but from their talk she could tell Qi Yanxin didn’t know much beyond surface-level things. So she picked just one more.
“Why do they call this place the Lower Levels? Because it’s poor?”
She’d heard the term many times.
“No,” Qi Yanxin shook her head, smiling faintly. “Because it is the lowest level.”
Seeing Xu Zhi’s confused look, she added gently, “Due to the seasonal mists, the rich built their cities above us—in the sky. What we see as the ‘sky’ isn’t the real sky, it’s the foundation of the cities above.”
“All those rainy days? That’s their waste water—filtered a bit, then dumped down here as rain.”
Xu Zhi frowned. So it really is the ‘bottom rung,’ huh? And worse than she’d imagined.
“Then why not just call it the Upper and Lower Levels? Why say ‘bottom’?”
Maybe finding her question a bit amusing, Qi Yanxin chuckled. “Because there are six layers above us. We’re the seventh—the very bottom.”
