Chapter 204: Beacon Tower

Luo Qi grabbed at his hair, desperately trying to straighten out all the information, "Let me organize this from the beginning. Did we just say that to open the tomb of an Ancient Divine Beast, what is needed is the bloodline of the Du Clan and a Mind Mage who holds the Secret Language of Qionglin?"

"That should be correct." The old warrior's single eye stared gloomily at the void behind Luo Qi, as if looking into the depths of this world, at those endless secrets buried since the beginning of time.

"This is a double-insurance policy, just like how humans handle weapons of mass destruction; when opening them, it often requires several people with the highest clearance to be present at the same time..." Luo Qi suddenly lowered his hands, leaning back against his chair in exhaustion, and let out a long sigh as if he had just had an epiphany, "Right, just like human weapons of mass destruction, they are the Mages' weapons of mass destruction against humans. That is why Mr. Zhao dared to say the Lotus Burner's goal is to control the human population scale—a simple, brutal, and direct method."

"Who is Mr. Zhao?" Wan Pei asked in a low voice.

"The Lotus Burner's young and successful King of Clowns." Luo Qi said with a cold sneer, "Though the clownfish around him is truly..."

Luo Qi stopped there, the cold sneer on his face freezing over. He remembered the clownfish; he had almost forgotten that he was the person who attacked Du Zhengyi three years ago. If there had been any doubt before they met, there was no doubt left after meeting him.

"You met the clownfish so soon?" The old warrior's complexion was as if covered in winter frost, "If even half of the legends about him in the Black Market are true, it is truly not easy that you were able to escape unscathed."

Luo Qi thought of the still-sleeping Du Zhengyi, his eyes aching slightly, "It can hardly be called escaping unscathed." He did not want to continue, nor did he want Wan Pei to keep pressing him for details, "When did the Black Market discover the existence of the clownfish?"

"From the time he appeared on the scene until now, it has only been about three years. It hasn't been long, and not many people know about him yet." Wan Pei said, "But if he knows the Secret Language of Qionglin, have you considered that there might already be a major problem within Qionglin?"

"Logically speaking, for such a secretive matter, given Qionglin's style, I'm afraid only Pei Shu should know the Secret Language." Luo Qi said, "This also deepens my suspicion of Pei Shu."

Wan Pei thought carefully for a moment before saying, "Even if Pei Shu isn't exactly likable, I think we should be cautious about suspecting him. There is no real logic to saying he has any connection with the Lotus Burner."

Luo Qi said, "That's not what I meant. Besides, the clownfish is a Mind Master the likes of which I never imagined could exist; he directly strangled that Old Soul. If he can kill that thing, perhaps controlling it wouldn't be difficult either. As for that old soul, I have seen Guan Yushan copy a part of his own consciousness into a crystal, but the crystal could only last for a while after being activated."

"High-Energy Crystals that can last for a thousand years are very rare; they can no longer be made now, so it counts as a lost craft." Wan Pei said casually, "I didn't expect it to still be there."

"I am wondering if Pei Shu, who is always good at planning, leaked the Secret Language of Xingtai Mountain and the existence of Xingtai Mountain on purpose because he sensed some clues." Luo Qi said slowly, his voice growing lower, "Xingtai Mountain is empty; it hasn't been a Seal Land for a long time. It is a trap guarded by an old soul and a Mind Master."

"It is indeed a trap there." Wan Pei admitted.

"It is also a beacon tower," Luo Qi murmured, "Once something goes wrong, it proves that someone intends to activate the sealed Mage weapons, and the other underground seals will no longer be safe."

"That is possible, and this is also why Pei Shu has always been highly respected." Wan Pei said, though he stubbornly added, "Even though I don't like him."

"He is not likable, and perhaps that is why Guan Yushan lost his life." Luo Qi said uncomfortably, "The Lotus Burner thought Du Zhengyi knew more, which is why they set an ambush at Xingtai Mountain."

Du Zhengyi believed that the Old Soul's directional mental interference was modified by Guan Yushan, but since the clownfish appeared there, Luo Qi now began to suspect that it was set by the clownfish himself; he was a Great Mage of a higher level than Guan Yushan. This trap was set specifically to attract and capture Du Zhengyi, and his interest in Du Zhengyi suddenly increased because...

Luo Qi froze, "A double-insurance policy: the bloodline of the Du Clan and a Telepath."

The old man raised his eyes to look at him, already understanding what he meant, "Those who know the inside story think your goal is to seal the weapons."

"Damn it." Luo Qi blurted out, "The news that Du Zhengyi is hanging around with a Telepath must have already spread."

"Everyone knows Du Zhengyi is with a Mind Master." The old man's single eye flashed with a humorous light, "There is another version that says Du Zhengyi abducted a goddess from Wushan; as everyone knows, the goddesses of Wushan are all Telepaths. The Black Market has already started circulating little stories about Du Zhengyi and the goddess."

Luo Qi swallowed, barely suppressing the panic that Du Zhengyi would chop him to death, and managed to pull the topic back to the main point, "Judging from Du Zhengyi's reaction, Guan Yushan was still guarding something else."

"That is not something an old warrior like me would know." Wan Pei said.

"There is one more question: Guan Yushan's granddaughter is missing, and I have to find her. I think this question must be inferred from what value she actually has. Mage Guan put important information into a High-Energy Crystal for his adopted human granddaughter, but the decryption of this information has hit a snag. I am starting to wonder if he also shared another part of the important information with his Mage granddaughter, who is very likely also a Telepath."

The old warrior smiled slightly, "Do you not understand? The best place for a Mage to hide things is a High-Energy Crystal, but an even better place is a person's brain—a Mind Mage's brain."

As if enlightened, Luo Qi suddenly realized, but he felt an even greater sense of unease. As a Mind Mage, he knew that it did not take very long to pry open a Mage's brain.

He pushed his thoughts down, "One last question, Grandpa, how much longer can Du Zhengyi live?"

The old man was taken aback for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat sorrowful, "He told me he could at least live to middle age."

"Oh." Luo Qi said, that wasn't too bad; a hundred years would be fine. "Then... were you living during the decline of the Du Family?"

"Those past events, let them remain with me." The old man said gently, "Mortals need death; only through death can one achieve a true conclusion. Those who are alive, those who come later, have no need to keep remembering these things."

Luo Qi did not ask again; he knew that his own affairs were already reaching the limit of what he could bear. "Perhaps I still have time to find a way to keep him alive."

"A piece of advice, child. I know you might be an extraordinary existence, but being good to others is enough; do not go out of your way to do things 'for' others." The old man said, "Otherwise, I wouldn't know if telling you these things today was right or wrong."

Luo Qi bit his lip and nodded slightly.