The mystery of immortality during daylight saving time

Many years later, facing the relentless heat of Singapore throughout the year, Xia Lingshi would simply kneel in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in her bedroom. Whenever this happened, she would always be reminded of that noon years ago, when blood stained the corridors. Back then, the red maples in Auckland were rustling as they fell onto the cold concrete ground. She stood by the railing on the second floor, watching as the young boy who was just one day away from turning 18 and coming of age collapsed beside her feet for the last time. The warm blood flowed over Xia Lingshi’s cold ankles, burning like flames within the palms of her hands, never stopping. Yet outside the window now, there was only the humid, stifling atmosphere created by tropical plants. But in her memory, the autumn breeze still carried the bitter scent of red maples, mixed with that soft, sigh-like sound uttered by the boy before he fell: “Sister…” Xia Lingshi had long lost count of how many times she had passed through that endless fog of time. But every time, that voice was still so clear that it burned against her eardrums. “All my fellow tribesmen can live forever—so why can’t I?” This was a phrase Xia Lingshi had repeatedly uttered since she could remember. At first, it was merely an expression of her confusion. But as she realized that no matter what she did, she would never get the answer she wanted, she finally understood that this wasn’t a question at all—but a statement filled with cruel truths.At the very moment when daylight saving time was implemented, time gently adjusted the clock hands, adding an extra inch of daylight to the world. And it was in this newly extended day that a girl was born. The girl’s mother, Xia Tingyu, named her “Ling Shi”, hoping that her life would be as peaceful and carefree as the fleeting moment when the time zone changed, and that she would always live in a direction illuminated by the sun. The arrival of this girl quickly brought vibrant colors of rainbows to the pristine white walls of the Xia family’s home, filling the entire residence with a warm and joyful atmosphere. Such peace and happiness were not meant to last forever; rather, it is true that moments of happiness are always short-lived. The incident happened on Xia Ling Shi’s 60th birthday. According to family tradition, girls who reached the age of 60 were required to attend a ritual to determine their guardian deity for life. But on her way to the ceremony, Xia Ling Shi was happily holding her parents’ hands, humming a little tune and skipping along cheerfully. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Since she could remember, Xia Ling Shi had always been an observant child. In an instant, she noticed a very faint sound of birds singing—so soft, almost weakly sounding. Without hesitation, she let go of her parents’ hands and followed that faint sound until she found its source.It was a small bird, yet it was different from ordinary birds. It had two long tail feathers that resembled sashes, and its white feathers shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. Upon hearing it, Xia Lingshi immediately thought of that famous poem: “When it first descends from the clouds, it’s like a sudden shock; the white phoenix flutters with feathers as pure as snow. How many places where we once sang and danced—how hard it is to look back and go through them all again…” “Wow, this is a Sashbird! They’re not very common in this area, and its feathers are truly beautiful!” Xia Lingshi’s mother, Xia Tingyu, walked over slowly and instantly recognized the species of this bird. Xia Lingshi didn’t pay much attention to her mother’s identification of the bird’s species; what caught her eye was how desperately the bird flapped its wings yet still couldn’t take off. Perhaps its wings were injured? Otherwise, how could it not fly? Just as Xia Lingshi carefully reached out her hand to hold the bird up so she could examine it, the bird seemed to suddenly notice something and immediately flew away into the sky. Before leaving, it even lightly pecked at her fingertip. “Ouch!” Xia Lingshi hadn’t expected the bird to peck her when it was startled. A small drop of fresh blood appeared on her fingertip before slowly spreading into a faint red stain.“How is that possible!?” Xia Tingyu exclaimed in horror as she saw bright red droplets of blood seeping from her daughter Xia Lingshi’s fingertips. “Mom, what’s wrong with you? Help me please—my finger is leaking this red liquid. What on earth is this?” Xia Lingshi looked at the strange substance coming from her fingertips, feeling both curious and confused. “Red liquid?” Hearing their cries, Xia Lingshi’s father immediately stepped forward, knelt down on one knee, and carefully examined her little hand. Xia Lingshi had no idea what was happening, nor could she understand why her parents were so alarmed by what they saw. She had just been accidentally pecked by a bird, and now these strange, slightly fishy-smelling droplets were appearing on her fingertips. “Go back home with your mom! Now, right away!” Without another second’s hesitation, Xia Tingyu quickly picked up Xia Lingshi and started running towards their house. “Tingyu, don’t be afraid. Give me Lingling,” Xia Lingshi’s father said, his heart filled with worry but trying his best to keep his voice calm. He walked very fast to keep up with them, repeating softly, “Don’t worry… maybe it’s not anything serious…”But Xia Tingyu couldn't hear a single word of comfort at this moment. All she could think about were the bright red blood streaks seeping from her daughter's fingertips; panic had completely taken control of her mind. Instinctively, she hugged Xia Lingshi even tighter and hurriedly quickened her steps, determined to get home as soon as possible to find out what was going on and not dare delay in the slightest. Xia Lingshi, held tightly in her mother's arms, didn't know what had happened, but she knew that both her parents must be extremely worried about her. She promised herself to be good and not cause them any more anxiety or fear. "Mom, I'm fine! My hand doesn't hurt at all. You and Dad don't have to worry about me!" "Mom isn't scared, Mom isn't scared. Ling'er is good girl, we'll be home soon!" What should have been a half-hour journey was shortened to just over ten minutes because Xia Tingyu was so anxious about her daughter. The moment they rushed through the door, Xia Tingyu didn't even have time to steady herself; all she could do was hold Xia Lingshi tightly and shout frantically towards the inside of the house, her voice filled with unmistakable panic and fear: "Mom! There's something wrong with Ling'er's blood! Come down and take a look quickly!"The moment those words left her lips, Xia Tingyu finally burst into tears, shouting out the truth that terrified her the most: “Her blood isn’t blue! It’s red!” Held tightly in her mother’s arms, Xia Lingshi had no idea what that red color meant, nor could she understand why her usually gentle mother was so overcome with panic and loss of control. She obediently stretched out her little hand and gently patted her mother’s tense back, trying to calm her down in the same way adults would soothe a child. Then she turned her head toward her father beside her, her round eyes filled with pure curiosity, and asked in a soft, childish voice, “Daddy, what is blood? Is it something delicious to eat… or something delicious to drink?”