Chapter 306: Dropping the Prosecution

"The origin of Clownfish is indeed a mystery." Du Zhengyi took over from Luo Qi and continued to say to Pei Shu, "Does the teacher have any other information regarding his situation?"

"I'm afraid you are the only ones who have truly faced him head-on," Pei Shu said, holding a teacup in his hand and falling into thought.

Luo Qi understood that this meant their side still held the most valuable first-hand information.

"Does the teacher think he could be one of the Mind Mages already registered with the Qionglin?" Du Zhengyi asked.

Pei Shu raised his head from his contemplation. "I have been wondering why he didn't conceal his physical disability. Since he can hide his facial features so well, it wouldn't be entirely impossible for him to hide his limp. Now we all know that there is at least one way to confirm and find him."

Luo Qi let out a "pfft" and laughed. "I don't know, I just feel that precisely because he has a limp, the limp itself has marked his existence. Now when we mention him, we think in our hearts—hey, that cripple. Otherwise, whether Clownfish exists at all, or who he is, would always be a vague matter. He wouldn't be able to be as imposing as he is now, scaring me so much I can't sleep at night."

"What kind of bullshit is that..." Du Zhengyi said in a low voice.

Pei Shu looked at the boy sitting next to Du Zhengyi; looking at him this way, he suddenly no longer looked like a child. If he was a child, he was also a very complex child.

"You mean to say that this matter has no absolute logic or practical reason, and it is just a psychological trait of his at work."

"I think it's a bit like successful people reminiscing about past hardships," Luo Qi explained.

Pei Shu looked at him, puzzled.

"When people succeed, they find many opportunities to give speeches, write articles, review their mental journeys, and review the bitter history of their entrepreneurship," Luo Qi said, biting through a bean with a crunch. "If a person has been a loser all his life, he will bury his poverty, disability, and childhood trauma deep down and not tell anyone. But if he succeeds, these things become the scars of a warrior, and he will be eager to tell everyone. Haven't you seen middle-aged men bragging at the dinner table? How they couldn't afford to eat when they were young, how their grades were bad in school, never mentioning their parents' positions or their father-in-law's status, opening their mouths to say success is all due to their own efforts. I guess Clownfish, he might be very happy to let others know that he is a cripple, yet a cripple can still destroy the world."

"That is an interesting perspective," Pei Shu nodded and said.

"You're afraid to sleep at night?" Du Zhengyi suddenly asked from the side.

"Yeah, Barbie," Luo Qi said immediately, beaming, turning back into a bad kid from a little viper who had seen through life in a second. "You have to read me at least two stories before bed and pat me, then I can fall asleep."

Du Zhengyi was already used to hearing Luo Qi talk like this, but it was very uncomfortable in front of Pei Shu, and the urge to drag Luo Qi over and beat him up kept growing. "However, I think this only explains one thing: it means this person's leg definitely didn't become crippled at school."

"You're right." Luo Qi then realized the troublesome end of this matter. "That means it's unlikely to screen for cripples among school graduates, and the workload to determine Clownfish's true identity has suddenly increased."

"Didn't you think of this point when you were spouting so much nonsense?" Du Zhengyi asked him.

"I want to humbly learn from your pragmatic spirit," Luo Qi said fawningly immediately. He was quite adept at reading Du Zhengyi's expressions, always able to step accurately on Du Zhengyi's critical line and, when necessary, quickly turn back to save the situation.

Du Zhengyi gave him a threatening look and continued, "Clownfish must know we can't track him, which is why he is so arrogant. In any case, publicly letting everyone know his physical defect is indeed showing off his power. He is definitely not among the registered Mages of the Qionglin; we will certainly not find any records of him through official channels. I tend to think his experience is similar to Luo Qi's. Luo Qi is certainly not an isolated case; Luo Qi's situation instead proves the existence of Mind Mages hiding their children, and it is possible that this situation is quite common."

"Are you intending to screen all the children and grandchildren of Mind Mages?" Pei Shu asked.

"I think it's necessary," Du Zhengyi said.

Pei Shu pondered for a while and slowly shook his head. "Have you ever thought that would mean the Qionglin is publicly announcing its distrust of all Mind Mages?"

Du Zhengyi didn't say anything immediately, but his expression was already shaken. This was a place his Battle Mage self easily overlooked, an area he was not good at.

"Oh hehe," Luo Qi laughed keenly beside him. "Politics."

Pei Shu continued, "This prospect could be very dangerous. Mind Mages and the entire Mage society have been barely maintaining a balance. Although there is exploitation and distrust between them, it is a balance after all. Once the Qionglin's official attitude releases a clear signal of suspicion, the result could worsen the conflict and repeat the historical tragedy of the Mind Mage rebellion."

"Venerable Pei," Luo Qi suddenly said. "What do you think the Lotus Burner's series of actions are actually doing? Could they also be waiting for such an opportunity?"

Pei Shu smiled. "If the leaders of this rabble have even a little bit of brains, they won't miss the opportunity for a major social split. In any case, I do not wish to push our Mind Mages into the arms of the Lotus Burner. These cult-like agitators are already very good at brainwashing, and the speed at which they develop their ranks is very fast."

Luo Qi hesitated before saying, "If the matter of me and my parents is made public, it might also create a crisis. Is this the reason why you didn't propose an opinion on how to handle my parents?"

Pei Shu looked at him. The child was staring at him intently, his mouth half-open from nervousness, looking silly. His student was silent, maintaining an impartial and neutral attitude, but in his nervousness, the child was clutching his student's knee with one hand, and his student, who was famously antisocial and unpopular, did not kick him away, but instead seemed to be silently supporting him.

"I do indeed feel there is no need to stir up more trouble at this juncture," Pei Shu finally said.

He didn't preach any grand principles, nor did he declare the noble sentiment of pardoning others. His gaze was profound, and Luo Qi felt as if he had been seen through. The old man in pajamas with messy hair before him seemed to possess the wisdom to discern the entire universe.

"Thank you," Luo Qi said honestly.

"You are a good child. No matter how chaotic the current situation is, how intricate the various forces are, or how many individuals are standing in the game with their own agendas, you are the most innocent and pure one," Pei Shu said slowly, looking at Luo Qi candidly.

Luo Qi bit his lower lip. Pei Shu was the most reliable and honest Venerable; no wonder he could gain Du Zhengyi's unconditional trust. Luo Qi pulled out a smile that was almost innocent, purer than the sixteen-year-old girl Guan Xinyue.