Chapter 325: The Invisible Man

Luo Qi pondered the Old Mage's terrifying story and couldn't help but shiver. If Pei Shu hadn't told the story so casually—as casually as if he were talking about what he had for breakfast—the sheer horror of it might have scared him into wetting himself.

"A Curse." Luo Qi savored the eerie aftertaste of the word in his mouth; Zheng Hanbin surely hadn't done many good deeds in his life, so perhaps this retribution could be considered fair. "Does the Venerable believe that curses truly exist? What exactly is a curse?"

"Child, not everything can be explained," Pei Shu said. He summoned a cup of thick tea for himself and started a fire between them, dispelling the chill of the Highland morning. "Our ancestors were omnipotent; most of what they did far exceeds the scope of our understanding. To believe one can explain everything is a form of arrogance, and to put it practically, it is also a waste of time."

Luo Qi blinked. "I might be an idiot. I don't quite understand to what extent I should reference the legends. According to this legend, those who profane the Sacred Mountain will be drowned in their own blood, their tough internal organs will turn into flowing blood-water, the Sacred Mountain will peel off their skin, turning them into a Blood-Red Ghost, and their soul will wail on the snowy mountain for eternity. Zheng Hanbin did indeed turn into a pool of blood, his organs melted, his skin burst open, and he suffered massive internal and external hemorrhaging, so he was indeed drowned in his own blood. Then... then I don't understand, do I need to cross-reference the last sentence? His soul wailing on the snowy mountain for eternity—is this... is this a literary rhetorical device, or... or is it describing a real existence?"

Pei Shu looked at Luo Qi, his gaze carrying a hint of study, as if he were evaluating a rosy apple to see if it was a delicious one or a rotten one with worms inside.

Luo Qi blinked, looking calmly and studiously at the greatest Venerable in the Mage World; he was absolutely certain this man could decide a person's life or death. Then, Du Zhengyi kicked him, and he turned his head to look at his brother blankly.

"Finish what you're saying; don't leave your words half-spoken and let people take you for a fool," Du Zhengyi said, a flash of threat in his eyes.

Pei Shu was startled, his gaze shifting to his student, then back to look closely at Luo Qi. That big, broken child put away his foolish expression, revealing a cunning smile, and licked his lips. "Venerable, there really is a ghost here. If that ghost happens to be Zheng Hanbin, then I'm going to be scared to death."

"What are you talking about?" Pei Shu asked, puzzled.

"Besides the four of us and Mage Kawa, there is another person here," Luo Qi said. "I saw him from afar, and Du Zhengyi also sensed some traces of his existence, but Kawa refuses to admit there is anyone else here. If it were before, I wouldn't care if there was one more or one less person somewhere, but since things have reached this point today, I don't think I'm being paranoid."

Pei Shu didn't speak for a long while; Luo Qi could see him turning his brain at high speed, rapidly evaluating all possibilities.

He added fuel to the fire by complaining again, "Kawa didn't investigate at all; in his eyes, I'm just making trouble out of nothing."

"The territory of the Highland Mages, especially this building, is covered in Sensing Magic, connected to Kawa's brain through crystals. Every move everyone makes here is clear in his mind, so it is understandable that he doesn't think an investigation is necessary," Pei Shu explained.

Luo Qi exchanged a look with Du Zhengyi, both of them somewhat shocked. Luo Qi had received many shocks, but he chose to speak of the least important one. "What? He's actually that shameless? We have no privacy at all, and he didn't even tell us. That's so improper! Especially since there are women among us!"

Pei Shu sighed. Anyone who wanted to get serious work done with Luo Qi would feel exhausted, yet Luo Qi was full of energy and could branch off into tangents infinitely.

However, Du Zhengyi's "automatically exclude Luo Qi" function had come online a long time ago and was running well, completely undisturbed by Luo Qi. He thought calmly for a moment and said, "In that case, in principle, there is no possibility of a person moving here without triggering the alarm."

Pei Shu nodded.

"Unless it's an invisible person," Du Zhengyi said casually.

"Invisible person?" Luo Qi became serious. "A Mind Archmage?"

Luo Qi became completely anxious; Du Zhengyi had no answer, so he immediately turned to Pei Shu. Only when he saw Pei Shu shake his head did he feel a sense of relief.

"Invisibility is another ancient legend," Pei Shu said.

Luo Qi didn't know what he was talking about; everyone knew that a Mage could more or less achieve invisibility. He believed Pei Shu could absolutely make them all not look at him.

"I know what you are thinking, child. But a Mage's invisibility is not true invisibility," Pei Shu said slowly, like an old professor returning to his classroom. "A Mage's invisibility is deceiving the brain; in essence, it is still a Telepath controlling someone else's brain. Human imaging technology can capture us, and Mages can also perceive it by relying on various detection magics, especially the Highland Mages' Sensing Magic, which cannot be deceived."

"The Venerable means..." Luo Qi struggled to understand, "This kind of invisibility is... true invisibility, existing without being able to be sensed? Does he need to open doors? Do we need to splash dog blood when we encounter him? I'm not joking; I mean, does it actually exist, and can it be touched?"

Pei Shu glared at this student who was off-track but always on the right path. "I think splashing dog blood should be useful."

"Oh," Luo Qi said, then lowered his head to ponder. "If that's really the case, I was able to see him, maybe that safety was just luck. Perhaps he temporarily lifted his invisibility to do something at that time, but if he is still here now..."

"Teacher, I really don't think true invisibility exists," Du Zhengyi said. "Sometimes the result looks like that, but the method to achieve it is very simple. I believe someone must have achieved so-called invisibility using a very simple method, it's just that I haven't thought of it yet. Also, Teacher, I really feel that Luo Qi is particularly good at dragging others down to his level; in short... don't pay too much attention to him."

"Are you saying I'm an idiot? Don't argue with an idiot, because the idiot will drag you down to his level and then defeat you with experience?"

"So there is such a saying; it's truly enlightening," Du Zhengyi said nonchalantly.

Pei Shu rubbed his temples. "Zhengyi, have you finished writing your detailed mission report?"

"Basically finished," Du Zhengyi said. "I'll give it to you right away."

"You also sensed that there is someone here?" Pei Shu asked.

"Yes," Du Zhengyi said, "but he is definitely not here right now."

Pei Shu nodded. "I will talk to the Highland Mages. They haven't encountered an enemy for hundreds of years; they may have forgotten the dangers of the world."