"Lu Qing... what exactly do you mean by that?"
Kuro, resting on Bai Fanxian's palm, trembled for no reason it could name. It was not being squeezed half to death this time, but simply being close to this young woman for so long had made it sensitive to even the smallest shifts in her voice.
"..."
Lu Qing broke into a sweat the moment he met her eyes. He tried to laugh it off like an oblivious old man and steer the conversation elsewhere.
"What did I say just now?... Haha, my memory's going."
He scratched the back of his head lightly.
"Or would you like me to help remind you?"
Creak...
Bai Fanxian's oppressive pressure bore down from above. The elderly man gritted his teeth.
"Your Intent... is it related to gravity or something?"
The guess was not unreasonable. In all his years, he had never once felt pressure like this from anyone. It was as though his body were being crushed toward the breaking point — with nothing he could do to resist.
"..."
Bai Fanxian gave no answer. She stayed where she was, composed and patient, waiting for him to give in. Seeing that the change of subject had gotten him nowhere, Lu Qing gave up and sighed.
"...You're the one who created those portals connecting to other dimensions?"
"..."
Bai Fanxian's question received no answer either. Whatever this matter was, it clearly ran too deep for the elderly man to speak of easily.
"The Border seal under Mount Kienga was also your doing? That explains how you'd recognize my disciple's talisman."
"..."
"Don't be silent like that. I don't care why you created it... what I care about is how."
Right. If Lu Qing truly had that ability, she believed there was some way — with her own power and resources — to open a passage into the Myriad Demon World.
But why wouldn't the old man just come out and say it?
Bai Fanxian narrowed her eyes. She studied the face of the man known as the number one alchemist of the previous era. His eyes were full of hesitation — but behind them sat something heavier still, something that kept his lips sealed.
BOOM!
At that moment, the qi in the elderly man's body erupted all at once. The air beside him began to shudder, trembling so violently it seemed on the verge of tearing apart.
"A small dimension is... collapsing?"
Bai Fanxian murmured.
Taking advantage of the moment her gaze shifted, Lu Qing drove his palm into the center of that shaking air. The space cracked open into a dark, murky dimensional gap. Characters she did not recognize materialized around it in midair, glowing faintly.
"...I'm sorry."
The elderly man spoke softly. What happened next made Bai Fanxian's eyes go wide.
A strange power began to pour from within Lu Qing's chest — light blue in color, drifting like mist. But the moment it spread across his body, it somehow allowed him to move beneath Bai Fanxian's oppressive pressure.
"You..."
Bai Fanxian was taken completely off guard. Because what had appeared before her was none other than what she had spent months pouring herself into.
"...Magic?"
Right. What now covered Grandmaster Lu Qing's body was magical energy!
And not ordinary magical energy either — comparable in strength to what Barbatos had displayed during that alchemy competition.
"...Why do you...?"
Lu Qing said nothing. His eyes held a weight she had never seen in them before. Taking advantage of the moment Bai Fanxian was still reeling, he stepped quickly into the dimensional gap and vanished — and she did not move to stop him.
"..."
"My lady... that grandpa ran away."
Tang Yeye tugged gently at Bai Fanxian's sleeve, certain her lady must be rooted to the spot in shock.
"Mm... I know."
She was not. Bai Fanxian answered with perfect composure.
"Then shouldn't we go after him?"
The little one asked.
"It's fine..." The Dragon Queen, perched on Tang Yeye's head, gave her small wings a few lazy flaps. She used her tiny legs to pat the girl on the head, a soft little thump, affectionate as always. "...your lady doesn't act rashly."
"He couldn't have gone far..."
Bai Fanxian smiled faintly and slowly pushed open the door leading out of the underground reception room. In her mind she was already turning over every possibility that came to her after seeing magical energy emerge from Lu Qing's body.
.
.
.
"Hah... hah..."
In the back alleys of the city's slums, the air began to shudder before splitting apart. A figure came crashing through and hit the ground hard. Grandmaster Lu Qing — drenched in sweat, body worn down — dragged himself to a wall and slumped against it, completely spent.
Fortunately, no one was nearby. Otherwise this would have been impossible to contain.
"That was almost really bad..."
The elderly man pressed a hand to his left chest. The magical energy that had covered his body was drawn quietly back inside and vanished, as though it had never existed.
Forcing open his own dimensional passage was, it seemed, no small risk.
Qi, magical energy, physical strength — all of it had been wrung from his body until almost nothing was left.
"...I'm sorry. I didn't want to drag you into this mess."
Lu Qing gritted his teeth. He murmured under his breath while working to steady his breathing, and let his qi begin to circulate again, coaxing strength back into his limbs.
"Oh... I never thought I'd meet an old companion in a place like this."
WHOOSH!
The elderly man spun around. There, standing at the mouth of the alley with his back to the light — blocking the only way out — was the figure of a young man. The instant Lu Qing made out his face, he felt his heart drop straight to his feet.
A part of him thought that if anyone had to find him, he might have preferred it be Bai Fanxian.
Because this man was one of the last people he ever wanted to see again in this life!
"..."
"Is that your real face? We haven't met in so long — won't you greet me?"
The young man smiled faintly. Beneath his cloak, his hand traced a slow circle in the air. Red flames burst from all five fingertips at once, flooding the dark alley with light.
"Even if you deny it, it's useless. The magic power in your heart, plus being able to open a dimensional portal like that — there's no one else it could be."
From those words alone, the elderly man understood at once: this man had been watching him from the very moment he appeared in this alley.
"...It's been a while, Bathin."
"...Fenex."
Knowing he could no longer pretend otherwise, Grandmaster Lu Qing let out a slow breath and spoke the other man's name. When he did, the man called Fenex smiled slightly.
"Ah... never thought I'd run into a 'traitor' like you in this country."
"..."
"...Nothing to say?"
"Even though the lady trusted you that much!"
BOOM!
The red flames leaped to life. Five streams shot from the young man's fingertips, surrounding the elderly man from all sides before detonating in a roar of sound and dark smoke that billowed high into the air.
"...Cough cough!"
Grandmaster Lu Qing burst through the smoke. He wrapped qi around his body to blunt the damage. The heat from those five flame streams was more intense than it appeared — the brick wall that took the full impact visibly melted. He wrestled with the thought of drawing on the magic within him to escape.
"Where do you think you're going!"
SCREECH!
A piercing cry rang out from behind. When the elderly man turned back, he found a massive orange bird — three meters across, its body formed entirely from flame — rising into the air above the alley. The area was sparsely traveled, but Lu Qing knew this would draw attention from the surrounding streets before long.
He doesn't care about anything anymore...
Grandmaster Lu Qing turned to face the young man hovering in midair, eyes blazing with rage. The anger on display spoke of a history that could not be summed up in a few words.
"..."
"Hah... hah..."
The elderly man pushed his qi as hard as he could, using the narrow turns and angles of the alley to dodge the relentless volley of red fireballs bearing down on him.
His gaze dropped to his own chest. He forced himself not to release the magic within him to fight back. Magical energy behaved like qi — anyone whose training had reached a certain level could sense it from a distance. The fact that Fenex had found him here meant there was a real chance other Night Shadow members were nearby.
BOOM!
In the end, age was the obstacle he could not overcome. Combined with his refusal to use magic even once, Grandmaster Lu Qing took a hit full force to the center of his back. His qi rushed to close the wound while blood spilled from his lips.
"...You won't use Bathin's power... are you looking down on me?"
Fenex, now wreathed entirely in red flame, drifted in the air above and stared down.
"Or are you afraid others will follow the trail here? Heh. Don't worry. Besides that newcomer, no one else is in this country..."
He flicked his cloak aside. Both hands glowed deep red, ready to detonate. When he pressed them together, violent surges of magical energy rolled outward — enough to make the buildings nearby tremble slightly.
"What a useless country. Tear half the street apart, and not even a police car shows up..."
"Hah... hah..."
Grandmaster Lu Qing, body giving out, forced his head up to meet Fenex's eyes. And in that instant — his expression froze. The sight of it drew a wild laugh from the young man hovering above.
"Hahaha... scared now? How wonderful, to see your real face make that expression right before you die!"
"Whew..."
"Got an excuse ready? Prepare to confess your sins in hell!"
"..."
"...I'm afraid I can't do that just yet, my old companion."
Before Fenex could release that devastating attack, Grandmaster Lu Qing let out a slow breath and raised his gaze directly upward.
But the one he was looking at was no longer Fenex…
"Right... he needs to confess to me first."
It was Bai Fanxian, standing calmly behind him!