Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

"I'll arrange it!" Qi Yan readily agreed.

Having received the promise, Qi slightly raised his head to gaze at the three figures in the distant clouds.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Emotions are truly a strange thing. No one can say for sure when or why they are born, or under what circumstances they will deepen."

Qi Yan, my real name isn't actually Qi, but I've forgotten my true name and started a new life with Qi as my new beginning. As for the origin of this name, it's because of a little guy.

"Tell me more details," Qi Yan said excitedly, ready to watch the drama unfold.

"I may disappoint you, because my encounter with the Qi family was quite uneventful."

Qi gradually became immersed in his emotions, and his golden eyes revealed his reminiscence: "I was born from a wisp of breeze dyed golden in the morning light. After my birth, I wandered aimlessly on this land, taking things as they came, until one day I stopped in the mountains to rest for a while."

But my slumber was interrupted by a little creature. I discovered that the mountain landscape I was in had changed, now covered in thick snow and ice, and beside me, just like now, a little creature was huddled in my fur for warmth.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yan couldn't help but scratch Qi Liang's sparse fur, and exclaimed in surprise:

"Won't I freeze to death using you to keep warm?"

"When I don't consciously control my body temperature, I'm still warmer than ice and snow."

Qi paused, his tone becoming both amused and exasperated: "And that little guy's actions were a bit outrageous."

How outrageous is it?

"I'm on par with you."

They all spoke with solemn respect.

Qi said slowly, "That little guy was actually hiding in my fur to avoid the wind, while constantly pulling out my fur to start a fire and keep warm."

"...Awesome!"

"After he found me awake, he looked up at me with a sincere expression and told me that he was helping me clean the loose fur. He even used the domesticated wolfhounds in his tribe as an example to try to persuade me to turn over so that he could pull the softer fur on my belly."

"...Awesome plus!"

"I was too lazy to pay attention to him and was going to go back to sleep, but... he accidentally started a fire and the fire spread directly to me... sigh!"

Even with Qi's temperament, he couldn't help but sigh at the end.

Hearing this, Qi Yan finally couldn't hold back his barrage of complaints:

"Big White, do you seem to have some misunderstanding about the word 'ordinary'?"

Chapter 877 The Ruperts and Their Big Dog

Qi tilted his head, somewhat unable to understand Qi Yan's complaints.

"That little guy is indeed a bit slow and his way of thinking is a bit outrageous, but it's just a fire, it won't affect me much."

Qi showed great tolerance and was genuinely unconcerned that his fur had been set on fire.

Qi Yan couldn't help but feel embarrassed: "You're already in a bind, and you haven't even been affected yet... What's next?"

Seeing Qi Yan press for answers, Qi continued his story:

"Then the little guy hurriedly took off his clothes to put out the fire, at the cost of his clothes being burned as well."

Then he got even colder, curled up into a ball and hid in my fur, and then suddenly realized something.

"There was snow all around; he could have used it to put out the fire."

Qi Yan couldn't help but look up at the sky.

He was somewhat confused. How could the Qi family lineage continue from generation to generation with such an ancestor? Oh right, the only true descendant of the Qi family lineage left is Qi Lin.

Qi Yan shook his head, suppressing the utterly awful joke in his mind, and continued to wait for Qi's story.

Without keeping him waiting long, Qi quickly snapped out of his reverie and began to recount the rest of the story:

"Although my body temperature is a bit higher than that of the snow, the little guy was still freezing after losing his clothes."

Seeing that he was about to pluck my fur to make clothes, I had no choice but to pick him up and carry him down the snow-capped mountains to find his tribe.

"You're quite helpful."

"I have absolutely no interest in displaying ice sculptures in my home where I sleep."

Qi argued with a touch of arrogance, then quickly changed the subject: "The Qi clan's tribe is not hard to find. That little guy just got lost in the mountains because he was playing. After I sent him back to the tribe, he received a warm welcome from the Qi clan."

"Aren't they afraid of you?"

"...They mistook me for a wild wolfhound from the mountains."

"...They even threw bones at me... Ugh!"

Qi poured all the sighs he had accumulated throughout the year into this one day.

Seeing Qi Yan laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking as he lay among his fur, Qi shook his head and continued talking to himself:

"I spoke up and refused their kindness, which attracted even more onlookers to watch this talking wolfhound spirit of mine."

To get me to talk more and satisfy their curiosity, they brought out more bones. The tribe's domesticated wolves were eventually drawn over, watching me resentfully, but dared not approach.

"Now they should realize something's wrong, right?" Qi Yan interjected.

Qi was still shaking his head: "They got even more excited, thinking I was the legendary Wolfhound King, and started throwing parties around me."

"Didn't you explain it at all?"

“I don’t think I need to explain anything to a group of humans.” Qi paused here, then added, “In fact, I think that if I explain, they will only get more excited and sing and dance even more joyfully.”

Qi Yan: "...I thought my arrival would make me an exception for the Qi family in this land, but I never expected that Qi Lin would be the exception."

“But it’s very interesting, isn’t it?” Qi said with a smile.

“Indeed!” Qi Yan nodded in understanding. “It’s like when a human sees a group of ants dancing around him and offering up a pile of dead insects, anyone would stay and observe them closely.”

So that's how you got to know the Qi family?

"Yes, I stayed and became a lay... wolfhound in the tribe."

Qi's tone carried a hint of helplessness, but more so of doting: "These creatures, which seem so small and fragile to me, have shown me their passion and resilience."

Because I can speak, the tribe established tribal rules to consider me as one of their own, and wrote me into their genealogy, giving me the name I have today using their surname.

Then I watched as the house they built for me took shape day by day, watched them return from hunting in droves, cutting off pieces of their prey and bringing them to me, watched their children play and frolic around me, growing up day by day.”

At this point, Qi's tone revealed an undisguised smile and ease:

“I thought they were making offerings to me, so I asked them if they had any wishes. They were indeed very excited. But after a tribal meeting, they unanimously decided that they wanted me to perform a 'three mouths and a cow' performance at the gathering.”

"Don't tell me you were really acting." Qi Yan couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"This was their wish," Qi said frankly. "I successfully fulfilled their wish. Amid cheers, the adults in the tribe picked up their children and excitedly told them..."

They said, "Look how good your Uncle Qi's appetite is! You should all learn from him, eat well, and grow up healthy..." Ha, a bunch of fragile humans, daring to call themselves my peers.

"Then?"

"After that, my dissatisfaction was resolved."

Qi said jokingly, "As I've lived in the tribe for many years, I've successfully become an ancestor."

Qi Yan: "..."

“I watched the little ones who used to climb on me grow up, and then they would ask me to take care of the new little ones they had grown up. Time seemed to be stuck in a cycle, and I thought I would soon lose interest.”

Qi exclaimed, "But I have observed them for 473 years and still find their life very interesting."

Gradually, I started to think that things would continue like this, which was fine, but then things took an unexpected turn.

"The mirror has appeared?"

"To be precise, He has awakened; He was sleeping deep in the mountains."

Qi Yan guessed, "So His morning grumpiness after waking up led to the battle I saw while lying on the stone coffin?"

This time, Qi didn't rush to answer. The emotions that had been stirring up memories turned somber, even tinged with guilt.

After a long while, He said softly, “The Mirror will not notice the existence of a group of humans. His authority makes him spend most of his time immersing himself in imitation. Do you remember a detail I told you?”

The mountains where the Qi clan lived were originally a relatively cold ecosystem. They were completely covered by ice and snow after I appeared. This was because Jing unconsciously imitated me while she was asleep, which released coldness and changed the landscape of the mountains.

When he awoke, the imitation became even more profound, and the mountains were completely plunged into a desolate, lifeless extinction of ice and snow.

"So, in order to protect the Qi family lineage, a conflict arose between you?" Qi Yan vaguely sensed that things were not so simple.

Qi's silence seemed to confirm his suspicions.

Seeing this, Qi Yan reached out and patted Qi's tail:

"There's no need to dwell on the past. Anyway, Jing has a grudge against our Qi family, so he's doomed."

“But the real reason for the destruction of the Qi clan is me.” Qi closed his golden eyes and said painfully, “After discussion, the tribe had already decided to move away from the ancestral land and find a suitable environment to continue living.”

It was my arrogance that led me to regard the Qi clan as a vassal, and I asked the mirror to stop imitating it. Because of my arrogance and hostility, I was also imitated by the other party, which ultimately led to that battle.

After I risked my severe injuries to put Jing back into a deep sleep and returned to the tribe, I discovered... that because of my impulsiveness, my people had all been buried under the snow by the aftershocks of our battle before they could even evacuate.

Chapter 878 Gods Don't Understand Human Hearts

"Everyone...is dead?"

Upon hearing this ending, Qi Yan's eyes widened in astonishment.

Qi nodded to indicate that Qi Yan had not misunderstood.

But this puzzled Qi Yan even more: "But in the scenes of that memory, I clearly saw the migration of the Qi family lineage."

Qi replied, "Because that was yet another story I wrote on my own initiative."

Lying on Qi's body, Qi Yan could clearly feel the other's body trembling slightly.

Without Qi Yan needing to press further, Qi himself gave the answer:

"I made a decision that I myself cannot explain: I tore my own soul apart and merged it into the bodies of my people, forcibly reviving them from death."

I want to use my own life to ensure that the story of my people can continue. I was just a helpless breeze, and I have made such a big mistake. Why should I leave this land with my broken body to continue wandering?

But... but those who possessed fragments of my soul should have gained immense power, making their lives easier. Instead, they chose to forget me, they abandoned my power, and ultimately perished once more.

"Why is this happening?" Qi Yan asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know either.” Qi buried his head on the ground in anguish. “Maybe they were unhappy with my arrogance and condescension.”

"No, it's just that your people made the same choice as you."

Ling suddenly floated down in front of Qi Yan and Qi: "Sorry, I said I wouldn't eavesdrop, but since this is my dream, I still 'accidentally' overheard your conversation."

Qi Yan gently stroked Qi's tail and smiled warmly at Ling:

“We all know, and we’ve never paid attention to this kind of thing.”

"I can rest assured that."

Ling raised the wine jug, took a sip of wine, and then handed the jug to Qi, asking if he wanted to drink.

Qi shook his head, but kept looking at Ling.

Realizing that the other person was still pondering his words, Ling smiled freely and sat cross-legged in front of Qi:

“Friend, you are right in some ways. Even though you have become a member of the Qi family, you still haven’t changed your arrogant way of thinking.”

Human life is short, so most people consider life the most precious thing. But you may not realize that for these fragile humans, there are many things even more precious than life.

"The cherishing of family, the dedication to faith, the entrustment of emotions, or, in general, love."

Ling shook the wine jug and said eloquently, "Unlike your lofty and aloof love for the world, your love is a kind of pity, while their love is a precious affection that regards you as family."

You don't understand why you were willing to sacrifice your life to ensure the continuation of your people, so you also can't understand why your people made the sacrifice, using their own lives to bring you back to life.

They didn't want to trade your death for their own survival, so they gave you their lives in the hope that you could continue living. It's that simple.

After saying that, Ling glanced at Qi Yan with a somewhat strange expression.

As a deity, it's understandable that Qi Yan couldn't comprehend the emotional details involved, but having traveled with Qi Yan these past few days, she already knew that Qi Yan's thinking was aligned with that of humans.

Why can't Qi Yan understand this feeling either?

Noticing Ling's strange gaze, Qi Yan's expression stiffened, and he turned his head away without saying a word.

Ling chuckled and shook her head, considerately refraining from asking further questions.