A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Characters Formed by Light Spots

But when Luo Tianwang looked carefully at the tortoise shell again, there wasn’t a trace left. He thought maybe the room was too dim, so he carried the shell outside into the sunlight and examined it several times, but still saw nothing. It was just an ordinary tortoise shell pattern.

Yet he clearly remembered how that strange character had looked. Luo Tianwang quickly ran back inside, put the shell back in its place, then rushed to his room, pulled out a sheet of draft paper from his schoolbag, and sketched that odd character with a pencil.

However, once he drew it, he found that no matter how he looked at it, it didn’t resemble what he had seen earlier. He remembered it vividly—every stroke matched what he had seen—yet somehow, it still didn’t look the same.

Scratching his head, puzzled, he tried drawing it several more times on the same page, but not one came out right. Frustrated, he stuffed the paper back into his bag.

“Tianwang, you’re up?” Xiao Chunxiu had come back with garlic and a handful of green peppers, and was surprised to see Luo Tianwang scribbling at the table.

“Grandma, have we eaten yet? We’ll be late,” Luo Tianwang said.

“Your grandpa hasn’t returned yet. He’ll be taking you later,” she replied, calmly preparing breakfast.

“Grandma, I can go to school on my own today,” said Luo Tianwang.

“How could that do? You haven’t fully recovered yet. What if you fall asleep on the road? You were just dozing off on the ox’s back earlier,” she said with a kind smile.

“I’m fine now.” His eyes flashed with both stubbornness and grievance.

Seeing this, Xiao Chunxiu felt a pang of pity. “Then go check if your grandpa’s back. Breakfast isn’t ready yet.”

Tears welled in his eyes. “Everyone else is already at school…”

Her guilt deepened. “Grandma’s at fault. Starting tomorrow, I’ll cook earlier so your grandpa can take you sooner, all right?”

“I want to go by myself! I can go by myself!” Luo Tianwang said angrily.

Just then, Luo Baolin came in with a bamboo basket of pig fodder after putting away the ox.

“You came back just in time—Tianwang wants to go to school by himself,” Xiao Chunxiu said.

“Oh? You’re up already?” Luo Baolin was surprised to see his grandson looking lively.

“Ask your grandpa if you can go alone,” Xiao Chunxiu urged, pushing the hard decision onto him.

“If Tianwang wants to go, let him. He’s grown up—he’ll walk to school on his own from now on. Just don’t fall asleep on the road,” Luo Baolin said with a smile.

“I won’t.” Luo Tianwang clenched his small fists.

By the time he reached school, Zhao Pingshui had already begun teaching. Surprised to see him come on his own, the teacher didn’t scold him for being late, only said:

“Tianwang, try to come earlier in the future.”

“Yes.” Embarrassed, Luo Tianwang nodded.

Although he tried hard to stay alert, he couldn’t even finish one class. Sleepiness overwhelmed him, his eyelids heavy, and after a brief struggle, he collapsed on his desk and fell asleep.

Seeing this, Zhao Pingshui sighed. He had noticed the boy’s stubborn effort, but in the end, willpower couldn’t overcome illness.

As soon as Luo Tianwang drifted into sleep, he sensed even more light spots around him. Even the golden ones had multiplied, while the green ones were more numerous still. Groups of light spots streamed into his body, then slowly seeped back out through his pores. Following them, he entered a strange place where countless light spots gathered together.

Suddenly remembering the character, Luo Tianwang had a wild idea—to use the green light spots here to form that symbol.

But although there were many, they were as scattered as grains of sand. Just as the strokes began to take shape, the lights quickly dispersed. He simply couldn’t control so many at once, like a child trying in vain to hold onto a plateful of soybeans.

This place was strange: light spots constantly flowed in and out. Yet some lingered, clustering together as if they had chosen it as their home.

When Luo Tianwang awoke, the classroom was empty. Stepping outside, he realized everyone was at gym class. The P.E. teacher was also Zhao Pingshui, who doubled as their language teacher, art teacher, and music teacher.

“Tianwang, catch!” Luo Zejun suddenly shouted, hurling a basketball straight at him.

Following the voice, Luo Tianwang saw the ball looming larger and larger before his eyes. Still groggy, his reactions were slower than normal. The ball was too fast—he couldn’t dodge it in time.

But just as it was about to hit his head, the light spots clinging to his body surged together. Even those inside his body rushed outward, forming that same strange character he had seen earlier, like a shield. The basketball seemed to freeze in midair for an instant, giving him enough time to grab it with both hands.

To everyone else, it looked like he had reacted with lightning speed and caught the ball effortlessly. None of them could see the light spots in front of him.

Stunned, they couldn’t believe how quick he was.

“Give me back the ball!” Luo Zejun shouted after a moment’s shock.

Luo Tianwang dribbled it twice, then threw it toward the hoop. Unfortunately, his strength wasn’t enough, the ball didn’t even touch the backboard.

“I told you to give it back! Didn’t you hear me?” Luo Zejun demanded angrily.

“It’s not your ball,” Luo Tianwang retorted, annoyed.

“You—!” Luo Zejun charged forward, glaring at him. But instead of fear, Luo Tianwang felt a rush of hot-blooded energy. If Luo Zejun dared swing, he was ready to fight.

“What are you two doing?” a shout broke out. The two boys, like firewood about to spark, were doused by a sudden bucket of cold water. They immediately quieted down.

Later, when Luo Tianwang fell asleep again, he discovered that all the light spots he had stored were gone. Summoning that character had completely drained his reserves.