Chapter 300: The First Mage

A cluster of firelight illuminated the ancient stone bridge over the river, where an old man stood with hair as disheveled as a lion's mane. He was slightly hunched, his hands tucked into the pockets of his clothes. He wore a set of dark blue plaid pajamas that looked like flannel, thick and comfortable.

Luo Qi opened his mouth in surprise; the First Mage looked as if he had just gotten out of bed and stepped through space to appear before them.

"Teacher?" Majiang took two steps forward, looking at the newcomer with some surprise. "You came straight here? Oh, right, Teacher, Fan Shi! Did you run into Fan Shi?"

"I know what has happened," Pei Shu said. His deep gaze passed over them, looking toward the towering fire behind them. This Ancient Town was destined to be destroyed; even if the First Mage stood here, it was of no use.

Luo Qi looked nervously at the First Venerable of Qionglin. The Venerable seemed not to notice Luo Qi at all; he watched the fire in the Ancient Town for a moment, then withdrew his gaze to look at his two students.

"Teacher! Fan Shi!" Majiang persistently tried to draw his teacher's attention. "Fan Shi! If we delay any longer, he might get away. He caused such a huge incident; we certainly can't just let it go, right?"

"What would you have me do?" Pei Shu looked at his student.

Majiang said without a second thought, "I think the Cube under Qionglin is the perfect place for him."

Luo Qi thought so too, though he suspected the matter would not be that simple.

"You truly are a good Doctor; the way you solve problems is like performing surgery," Pei Shu said calmly, his voice carrying a gentle mockery. "Fan Shi is a Venerable, and there are some complex power issues to resolve within this."

His gaze turned to Du Zhengyi. "A lot has happened lately."

"Yes," Du Zhengyi replied, the two short words truly all-encompassing.

Luo Qi waited nervously. Pei Shu nodded at him, very indifferently, as if merely greeting him. He looked at the young girl standing behind them. "This is Guan Yushan's granddaughter?"

"Yes," Majiang added, "the one... who cannot use Magic."

"I understand," Pei Shu nodded. His hands were still in his pockets as he looked up wearily at the fire scene. "This place is already destroyed, so be it. You should go home."

What? Luo Qi was secretly shocked. Should he be glad he wasn't considered important? If Pei Shu was such an unperceptive person, then everything he had thought before might be wildly wrong. Or, at the very least, was the Progenitor Mage who had made contact with the Aliens—the Progenitor Mage who had existed vaguely throughout the river of time—not Pei Shu?

Not the First Venerable of Qionglin? Not the wise mentor trusted by the masses?

Du Zhengyi was not particularly enthusiastic about going home either.

"I think the issue of Fan Shi should indeed be resolved first. A lot has happened during this time, and for safety reasons, there are some situations I did not include in the briefing submitted to you," Du Zhengyi said thoughtfully, subconsciously glancing at Luo Qi.

Luo Qi understood his meaning; with Pei Shu standing here, he must have already sensed Luo Qi's energy, so it was best not to assume he knew nothing.

"And there are some small matters regarding Luo Qi..." Du Zhengyi said.

"What Li Xu did to him cannot be considered a small matter," Pei Shu looked at Luo Qi with sympathy. "You made a sacrifice to help us uncover the Lotus Burners within Qionglin."

That was it? Luo Qi was secretly astonished; was he just going to let it go like that?