Chapter 95: The Heping Street Neighborhood Office (3)

The office corridor was just as dilapidated as the outside, the floor paved with outdated, slightly greenish artificial marble tiles with broken edges. But behind a door at the end of the corridor, it was as if time had quietly flowed backward; Du Zhengyi pushed the door open, his leather shoes stepping onto a luxurious woven carpet.

He looked up to survey his surroundings. The room was dimly lit, with bamboo blinds rolled halfway up the windows, outside of which were heavy layers of paulownia trees and vines. Candlelight flickered on several bronze lamp stands. Against the north wall stood two bookcases, and on a small side table sat a celadon spring vase, in which a sprig of plum blossom was displayed. To the east was a local twelve-panel screen, densely separating the inner and outer areas, with shadows faintly visible inside.

"Is that Zhengyi?" a slightly familiar voice called out, the tone relaxed and casual. "Come over."

There was only one person inside.

Du Zhengyi frowned slightly and walked over slowly. Circling the screen, he found a rosewood desk placed against the north side, with an armchair behind it and two official's hat chairs on either side. Directly in front, two cloisonné embroidered stools were set on the floor. Behind the desk, against the wall, was a long table with a small marble screen on top and a pair of blue-and-white porcelain vases on either side. On the wall above the long table hung a plaque inscribed with the four characters: "Sparse Paulownia, Clear Echoes."

On both sides of the long table were two rosewood bookcases, and a row of official's hat chairs was placed against the screen partition. Under the south window was a table with two chairs. This was likely an office, but judging by the seating, it also resembled a conference room. Yet, the quiet elegance within, carrying the flavor of a hundred years of accumulated time, looked like a study no matter how one viewed it.

Mage Fan Shi stood by the table, wearing a dark cyan robe with a cloak over it. Though the sleeves were wide, his posture remained as straight as a pine. He was getting on in years, yet he was still the youngest among the Nine Venerables—lean, capable, and full of energy, his eyes bright and piercing.

"I didn't expect such a remote office to be decorated with such taste," Fan Shi said with a faint smile, voicing Du Zhengyi's own thoughts as if he had seen through his mind at a glance.

Du Zhengyi returned the smile. Because Fan Shi was wearing formal robes, he had no choice but to bow and raise his hands in an old-fashioned salute.

Fan Shi was the youngest of the nine living Venerables and the last to join their ranks. Perhaps because he hadn't been a Venerable for long enough to get over the novelty, he always dressed according to the most formal standards, regardless of the occasion. Given his status, others had no choice but to follow suit with the most formal etiquette. If you happened to be wearing a T-shirt or flip-flops at such a time, it would be more than just a little embarrassing.

Furthermore, all Venerables had tattoos on their faces marking their lineage status. This was tradition, nothing more. Venerables usually used Mental Induction to disguise and hide these ancient marks. Only Fan Shi was the exception; he was the only one of the nine who displayed his tattoo on his face every day. Even now, Du Zhengyi could see the tattoo occupying the right side of his forehead and the upper half of his right cheek. It consisted of many abstract lines, and it was impossible to tell which primitive forms they were variations of. Du Zhengyi had to admit that this tattoo actually added a touch of rugged masculinity to him.

Du Zhengyi was familiar with all nine Venerables. His habit of not taking people seriously had not yet extended to the Venerables, who, in his view, had always been able to uphold justice. However...

However, Liu Li had not come after all. This was very strange.

"Please, sit," Fan Shi said politely.

But in such a layout, Du Zhengyi felt that no matter where he sat, it would feel inappropriate, as if he were a young student listening to a teacher's lecture. Moreover, Fan Shi did not seem to have any intention of sitting down himself, which made it feel somewhat like an interrogation.

"Mage Liu Li had something come up at the last minute," Fan Shi said, seemingly noticing Du Zhengyi's distrust and deciding not to press the issue, instead offering an explanation. "There was a bit of trouble at the school, but it's just a minor matter between students."

Du Zhengyi nodded but did not speak.

The scene became slightly awkward. Fan Shi was likely not familiar enough with Du Zhengyi to know that some people could truly maintain a poker face in front of a Venerable. They stared at each other for a long time. Fan Shi seemed somewhat moved; he turned to look at the "Sparse Paulownia, Clear Echoes" calligraphy on the wall and suddenly said, "'The cicada drinks the clear dew from the drooping tassels, its clear sound emerges from the sparse paulownia. Dwelling on high, its voice travels far, not by the aid of the autumn wind.' I presume this is the source of these four characters?"

"I suppose so," Du Zhengyi said, his tone revealing a complete lack of interest in ancient culture.

Fan Shi was unaffected by his attitude and continued, "Drinking clear dew, perching on the paulownia—this is a state of life worth pursuing."

Du Zhengyi had nothing to say. He had always dedicated himself to solving problems. To him, a state of life was just a piece of Binary Code—1 for existence, 0 for non-existence—only these two states.

A Mage was never good at philosophical thinking; he was a standard Mage.

"There is a difference between being aloof and being unruly," Fan Shi said, looking him straight in the eyes.

Oh, so this was a reprimand.

"When Pei Lao was training you, he focused too much on the techniques of killing. I think it was a bit excessive. Even the humans on this continent have started to emphasize quality education; we cannot always be so stubborn," Fan Shi said calmly.

"But the one who is 'aloof' is just a bug, isn't it?" Du Zhengyi said coldly. "I could recite this poem about the cicada by Yu Shinan when I was six."

For a moment, it was as if ice had frozen in the air. Fan Shi was slightly taken aback; he surely did not like being spoken to this way. But then, deep flames seemed to ignite in his eyes, as if Du Zhengyi's performance was exactly to his liking. He looked as delighted as if he had seen a sizzling, succulent piece of steak.

A flicker of vigilance crossed Du Zhengyi's heart. He watched Fan Shi, his deep-seated instincts causing him to quickly review Fan Shi's service record and technical characteristics. He was not a Mind Mage, which was a slight relief, but once a Mage reached the level of a Venerable, they could no longer be described by any single type of Mage.

Fan Shi had earned a reputation as a promising youth long ago and had become a Venerable at a relatively young age. Du Zhengyi had always found him easy to deal with. Perhaps because he was younger, he was easier to communicate with, and he lacked the eccentricities of other Venerables. He was also one of the few Venerables still willing to handle mundane affairs, overseeing the highly sensitive Internal Control Division within Qionglin, and managing the supervision of Execution Mages, Battle Mages, and even Gushan Guards. Du Zhengyi was, of course, under his supervision as well, so this was not their first such conversation. Du Zhengyi had a good impression of him, partly because he never acted rashly in such a sensitive position.

In fact, if one recalled, it was the Great Mages who headed the Internal Control Division under him who often acted rashly, causing quite a few problems and being replaced frequently. Every time a problem escalated, this Venerable Mage would personally step in to clean up the mess.

"That is exactly what I am worried about," Fan Shi paced back and forth in front of him. "Du Zhengyi, you have become far too inflated."