Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

—

At noon, Mo Fan and Lingling could not be bothered to go out and eat. They found a spot on the highest floor of the Canton Tower and enjoyed some Cantonese delicacies they had ordered for delivery. They also enjoyed the wind and the sight of the tallest building in the city below their feet.

In front of the tower was Victoria Square. The pedestrians were just little dots below them. It looked like they were standing still even when they were walking.

A pair of golden wings sprang up from Victoria Square. The man soared up past the skyscrapers nearby and continued to approach the tower. He was holding two smoking takeaway boxes in his hands. The pleasant aroma of food was leaking out from the boxes.

“Here you go, fresh rice noodle rolls, beef meatballs, roasted pork buns…” Zhao Manyan placed the food down.

The strong wind blew one of the takeaway boxes away when he was not paying attention. The white takeaway box flew into the distance and floated in the sky above the city. It kept flying higher instead of falling…

“No littering!” Mo Fan said.

“I didn’t mean it, the wind is too strong here. It’s not like I’m the one that suggested eating up here…” Zhao Manyan said.

Normally, if you were the first person to own a car among your friends, you would immediately become the dedicated driver in the group. The same logic applied to Magicians. If you had a pair of wings or achieved the Advanced Level of the Wind Element, you would be in charge of taking away food, delivering stuff, and providing emergency backup.

“F**k me, my roasted pork bun,” Zhao Manyan’s hand had slipped. The smoking bun fell off the tower. He immediately turned to Mo Fan.

Mo Fan ignored his pleading look. He would not use his Space Magic to retrieve a bun that some fool had dropped. He even justified himself, “The air quality in Guangzhou is extremely bad. There’s dust everywhere. If your bun falls a hundred meters down, it’s no different than rolling in a pool of mud. Don’t even think about eating it.”

“Cut the crap, you’re just unwilling to help!” Zhao Manyan was not willing to give up. He loved eating roasted pork buns, and the sweet sensation when the soft texture of the bun was mixed with the juice of the roasted pork. He rose to his feet and dived from the tower after the roasted pork bun like a professional diver.

Mo Fan and Lingling simply ignored him, and continued to enjoy their food. They soon heard people screaming. It was likely they thought someone had fallen off the tower again…

“Have you come up with a plan?” Mo Fan asked.

“I have,” Lingling nodded.

—

—

Mount Wuyi Enforcement Union…

Mount Jueguai was the mountain base of the Mount Wuyi Enforcement Union. Mount Wuyi Enforcement Union was mainly responsible for the areas to the south of Nanling Mountains. Apart from keeping an eye on the One-eyed Magic Wolf Horde, they were also responsible for the safety of Fujian, Jiangxi, and the provinces nearby.

A woman in her forties was alone on the balcony of a building on Mount Jueguai. The sun was shining on the umbrella. The sunlight was already peeking through the umbrella as the sun shifted in the sky, but the woman seemed totally unaware of it. She sat on the chair as her eyes stared at the mountains and a tall cliff leading to a valley in front of her…

“Did they realize something? Impossible, I was being so cautious, there’s no way they could track me down!” the woman murmured. Her eyes were rolling around uneasily.

She grabbed her pants tightly before loosening the grip after some time.

The woman rose to her feet and murmured as if she had made up her mind, “I can’t let them find me!”

A young female Enforcer came up to the woman and asked softly, “Who’s trying to find you? Aunt Cheng Ying, did you hear? Elder Leng Qing of the Lingyin Enforcement Union was assassinated. Apparently, she was killed by the Hall of Assassins. The higher-ups of the Enforcement Union are so mad about it. They have given the orders to hunt down the people of the Hall of Assassins!”

Cheng Ying glanced at the Enforcer. The fierce look in her eyes dissipated after she confirmed the Enforcer was not trying to bait her into saying something.

“I have some matters to attend to, please tell the supervisor on my behalf,” Cheng Ying said.

“Aunt, are you alright? Aren’t you the supervisor now? Did you fry your brain from just spending some time in the sun?” The Enforcer was amused.

“Oh, I am too used to reporting to Supervisor Luo. He was the supervisor for ten years,” Cheng Ying explained.

“I can’t believe Supervisor Luo would fall sick all of a sudden and resign. That being said, if he didn’t fall sick, I bet you wouldn’t have become the supervisor either!” the Enforcer said thoughtlessly.

“Nonsense! Don’t say anything like that again,” Cheng Ying scolded her sternly, her expression dark.

“I’m sorry, the words just slipped out of my mouth,” the young woman apologized immediately.

“Tell the others that I’ll be busy for the next two days. Tell them to report to the Elder if there’s anything important.”

“Sure, but aunt, where are you going?”

“You’re asking too many questions. I didn’t take you from your mum so you can annoy me with your questions. Just do as you’re told! By the way, Leng Qing sent us an encoded message asking for backup. Don’t tell anyone that I asked you to relay the message to the Kunming Enforcement Union, because she specified Kunming as the destination. Now that Leng Qing is dead, the higher-ups will be pointing their fingers around. You must keep it a secret if you don’t want to take the blame!” Cheng Ying warned her.

“Ah? Why would they blame me for it? I was just following protocol!” Su Qingqing asked.

“An Elder has died, so someone must pay for it. If they can’t find the culprit, they won’t be able to explain themselves to the superiors or the Lingyin Enforcement Union. They will surely find a scapegoat, and the scapegoat is usually someone that has made the smallest mistake, even though that wouldn’t even lift their brows normally. A tiny mistake might become deadly, even if you have nothing to do with it!” Cheng Ying said.

“I…I’ll make sure to keep it a secret. Aunt, you’re so nice to me. If you hadn’t been telling me what to do over the past few years, I’d just be a nobody at the bottom. My mother didn’t teach me anything apart from drinking and beating me up. But now, even those that mistreated me before are being respectful to me after they learn I’m an Enforcer now,” Su Qingqing said.

“You’re grateful to me?” Cheng Ying raised her brows and asked the naive young woman.

“Of course!”

“Then I have a favor to ask you, and don’t tell anyone else. I don’t really trust them, especially after learning there’s a traitor among us. I wouldn’t want them to mess with my plan,” Cheng Ying said.

“Not a problem.”

—

—

To the west of Mount Jueguai was the Flying Cliff Bridge between two mountains. A tragedy once took place on the second mountain, so it had been abandoned since. The Flying Cliff Bridge ended up as a decoration.

A young woman was hanging on the side of the bridge. Her legs were dangling above a canyon creek.

“Aunt…” the girl struggled, kicking her legs. Her body was restrained by a special force, preventing her from using any magic. She was no different from an ordinary human.

The rope was tied firmly around her pale throat. Her face was turning blue as her eyes were rolling upward. Her twisted face showed she was suffocating painfully!

“Didn’t I tell you that your soul will live forever if you give up your life? Those with great contributions will rule in the afterworld. You will no longer have to take orders from the others, nor will you suffer or feel inferior. Go, as a Blue Deacon, I present to you the Kingdom of Death!” Cheng Ying said expressionlessly.

Su Qinging was overwhelmed with fear. She did not understand a single word the woman said. She was in great pain and terrified. She did not understand why the aunt who had been kind to her would do something like this to her.

She was born poor and lowly. Her mother would scold and beat her every day, and force her to do never-ending chores. It was her aunt that saved her from her mother after she awakened the Plant Element and enrolled in a magic high school. Her aunt, Cheng Ying, was a splendid Mage. She worked in the Enforcement Union, first as an Enforcer, and now a Supervisor. She had always worked hard. She was perfect, a role model for Su Qingqing, and the person that Su Qingqing respected the most. Su Qingqing always thought of Cheng Ying as her mother, while her biological mother was nothing but a scum!

Why would the woman she treated as her mother do this? What was happening before her was worse than a nightmare. The woman who had given her a new life had suddenly turned into a devil who tied the rope around her neck mercilessly. The grip on her neck gradually tightened. The mother-and-daughter relationship between them over the past ten years did not cause the woman any hesitation, even if she could soften the grip a little, even if she could explain to her why she was doing it…

Su Qingqing tried her best to raise her head. She knew she did not have long to live, but she did not show any hatred. The woman had given her everything, so she did not complain when the woman wanted to kill her. She just wanted to see if Cheng Ying was forced to do it. She wanted to see if the woman was in pain just like she was, to see a hint of unwillingness from her…

But there was none!

None at all!

The woman was like a stranger!

—

A cold wind blew heavily on the corpse like a merciless whip; it gradually lost its temperature.

The corpse hanging from the Flying Cliff Bridge was exposed under the sun swayed as the wind blew. Su Qingqing’s tender skin began to crack from being too dry…

“There’s a plank hanging beside the bridge. It looks like it’s going to fall…” a patrolling officer suddenly yelled.

Another officer took a closer look. “A plank? It…it looks like a body!”

“It…it really is, my Heavens, call for backup!”