Chapter 201: Chaos

"Immortality seems like a myth. But child, think about what our Magic can do. We can traverse space, we can create objects from the void, we can replicate our own Yajian; why can't we achieve eternal life? With many high-energy Magic combinations joined together, aided by the synchronized power of a Magic Array, is achieving immortality truly impossible?" Wan Pei said in a low voice.

"What did you say?" Luo Qi exclaimed, "A Magic Array?"

"Magic used by many people together—you can't possibly not know about that, can you?" Wan Pei said.

"Of course I know." Luo Qi muttered, his thoughts already racing back to the day they were tricked by Fan Shi into the Peace Street Neighborhood Office. That day, he and Du Zhengyi acted like real partners for the first time, and he gained Du Zhengyi's trust and friendship for the first time. While resting by the river, Du Zhengyi gave him a secret, a secret that might have something to do with his future.

Du Zhengyi told him that numerous Mind Archmages would work for Pei Shu in the First Laboratory; they all worked in coordination. He even learned later that even during the three months Pei Shu was not in the world, he might have been working in the First Laboratory.

He knew that what Wan Pei said was actually very likely to be true.

"If there really is a way to bring the dead back to life, if we actually have Resurrection Magic, this kind of Magic must be very difficult; how much energy would it consume to use it once?" Luo Qi said, regaining his focus. "To put it in legendary terms, this is a Ship Ticket to the Other Shore. But in today's terms, this is just a scarce resource; perhaps not everyone can get a share of this opportunity. But they shouldn't treat this as a secret to keep to themselves, choosing who gets to live according to rules no one understands."

"Big Cat, have you ever thought that Du Zhengyi supports these rules?" the old man said patiently.

Luo Qi pressed his lips together tightly and could not continue.

"Du Zhengyi supports these rules; this is the true embodiment of Du Zhengyi's loyalty." Wan Pei said. He sighed and looked up at the eternal night outside the window. "Perhaps although Pei Shu is unfeeling, he might have also abandoned the chance to enter the Gate of Eternity. Only in this way could he earn Du Zhengyi's respect and recognition, and it is also his loyalty to Du Zhengyi."

"Two like-minded dead men." Luo Qi said sarcastically.

"Perhaps so." the old man said. "I can understand someone of your age; life has only just begun, and not wanting to let go is the normal choice. However, if Du Zhengyi obtained the chance for rebirth, I think you would still lose this friend; he would leave this world."

"Knowing he is living well in some corner of the world is different from knowing he is dead." Luo Qi said stubbornly, but he had already begun to feel depressed, deeply depressed. The secret of Gushan was unreachable, and the person guarding the secret of Gushan was Du Zhengyi himself. He dared not hope that he could truly walk into Gushan and dig out the secret within, let alone that to let Du Zhengyi live, one would have to step over Du Zhengyi's corpse to obtain the secret of Gushan; this paradox was truly ridiculous.

"The only chance and the best solution is for Pei Shu to change his mind." Wan Pei said.

"What exactly are his selection criteria?" Luo Qi asked. This was the first time today he had asked this calmly; the previous times he had almost been shouting in complaint.

"I don't know." the old man said helplessly. "I only know that his chosen targets must be beneficial to the entire Mage race. Perhaps Du Zhengyi isn't 'not good enough,' just 'not appropriate'; his immortality might just not be of particularly great benefit to the entire Mage race."

Luo Qi shook his head dejectedly. "This kind of thinking is really like the Lotus Burners. They keep saying the same thing. I understand a bit now; the Lotus Burners just hope to replace the Qionglin and become the Qionglin themselves."

The old man pondered for a while and said, "Apart from their slogans being a bit extreme, the Lotus Burners are actually not a rare organization in the history of Mages. You are right; they are just some ambitious figures hoping to replace the Qionglin. The Du Family did indeed once support a Venerable, and that Venerable and Pei Shu both had the potential to become the First Venerable at the time. Pei Shu's platform seemed more moderate, but the other Venerable was indeed a man of action, a figure who attracted followers."

Luo Qi was a bit unable to understand. "In this situation, as a descendant of the Du Family, did Du Zhengyi have no psychological barriers when following Pei Shu?"

"I don't know, Du Zhengyi is not some little girl who loves to talk about her feelings." The old man made a face, looking like an old urchin again. "Perhaps Du Zhengyi was more like-minded with Pei Shu; he trusted Pei Shu more."

Luo Qi knew it would be very difficult for him to dig out any more useful information from Wan Pei. He had originally just felt a lack of trust in Pei Shu, but the intelligence he got from Wan Pei was more than he wanted, and more fatal. He thought dazedly for a while, but couldn't reach any useful conclusion. Thinking about it over and over again was also a dead end. More importantly, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that he was wrong, that his premonition had no basis, that Wan Pei had also misinterpreted things, that Du Zhengyi might be seriously injured but wouldn't necessarily die, and that perhaps Majiang would go down in history for curing Du Zhengyi, earning a statue of a divine doctor in the Qionglin or at the school.

The old man seemed to think the chat for today had come to an end, showing some intention to bid Luo Qi farewell.

Only then did Luo Qi think of the real purpose of his visit to Wan Pei today. He hurriedly reached out to stop the old man. "Wait a moment, Grandpa, the matter we started talking about hasn't been finished yet!"

"What matter?" The old man had been immersed in his sorrow for Du Zhengyi and couldn't remember what the Big Cat had wanted to talk to him about when he first sat down.

"It's about the matter of Xingtai Mountain." Luo Qi prompted him. "What exactly is Guan Yushan guarding?"

The old man said nothing.

"I just said, I am no ambitious person; I am not interested in what is buried under Xingtai Mountain."

"Then why do you keep emphasizing it? Child, when things are repeatedly emphasized, the true meaning is often the opposite." the old man said.

"Yes, I don't care about what is buried under Xingtai Mountain, because I know what is buried under Xingtai Mountain."

The old man remained unmoved.

"Under Xingtai Mountain, it is empty." Luo Qi said softly.

The old man looked up at Luo Qi in surprise.

"Someone took the things inside, leaving behind an empty tomb, leaving behind a Guardian Crystal, and even leaving behind a Spirit Guardian."