Versatile Mage

Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue went to the middle of the stairs where he had stumbled on the girl previously.

Mo Fan looked at the diverging flight of stairs and saw that the path was overgrown with weeds. Some vines were blocking the path.

There was also a white line across the path, implying it was a prohibited area. The white line felt even stranger the more Mo Fan looked at it, as if it was some kind of seal locking something inside.

Perhaps it was only him, but the path looked eerier under the dim moonlight!

“Is this where you saw the girl?” asked Mu Ningxue.

“Mm, but I saw her first in the afternoon. She went to the temple to look for a young monk, so she chatted with me because I was talking with the monk. I didn’t notice anything odd about the girl at first,” said Mo Fan.

“Most of the monks went down the mountain for some ritual just before nighttime. They told us they will be back in a few days,” said Mu Ningxue.

“I know, or else I would be asking the bald donkey who can see the girl like me some questions. I bet he could easily tell us the truth,” said Mo Fan.

Mo Fan had just learned that the monks had left, leaving only an old monk behind to look after the temple. The old monk was acting strange since he knew about Zhao Manyan’s situation. He kept murmuring about how something was impossible.

“Sigh, it’s my fault too,” Mo Fan let out a sigh.

“Why is that?”

“The girl asked for my name, but I told her Zhao Manyan’s name instead when I sensed something fishy about her, and now Zhao Manyan has lost his soul. I believe the girl needs to know her target’s name beforehand,” said Mo Fan.

Mu Ningxue was surprised after hearing Mo Fan’s explanation. It was her first time hearing about it.

However, frankly speaking, Mo Fan was simply too unreliable. The girl had asked for his name, yet he immediately gave her Zhao Manyan’s name with a straight face and ended up entrapping Zhao Manyan. It was indeed a misfortune to be his friend.

“Let’s go deeper,” Mu Ningxue did not want to waste her time on meaningless speculations. She walked around the white line and proceeded along the weed-covered path.

Mo Fan quickly followed her.

The two ventured further and ended up on the other side of the mountain. They could no longer see the city from here, not even a glimpse of light from the city. The only thing left was the dim moonlight from above, and the calm sea in the distance.

The path was so quiet that they could only hear their own footsteps. Mo Fan was not the kind that could keep quiet, so he went up to Mu Ningxue and teased, “Say, what if we found a small grave at the end of the path with the girl’s portrait on the gravestone?”

Mu Ningxue turned around slightly. Her eyes flickered with annoyance as she said softly, “Do you seriously think I’m Mu Ningxue?”

Mo Fan opened his eyes wide and looked at the girl in disbelief.

Mu Ningxue was too lazy to waste her time on the idiot. She continued down the path. She did not feel anything even when Mo Fan tried to spook her.

Mo Fan finally collected his thoughts and caught up with a smirk, “You got me there. I didn’t know that you’re quite humorous too, hahahaha!”

“The path ends here,” Mu Ningxue halted in her tracks. Her shoes softly tapped the edge of the last step. The place ahead was covered in weeds and yellow soil. There was no visible path nearby, nor did it look like someone had been here before.

“Err…it seems like the path is only half-constructed. Somehow, they never finished it,” Mo Fan felt dumb when the scene from his imagination did not come true.

That being said, where did the girl go?

“I believe there’s nothing interesting here,” said Mu Ningxue.

“Guess I’ll have to do that…”

“Do what?”

“Miyata! Miyata! Can you hear me? Miyata… can you please come here, I have to ask you something!”

Mo Fan’s voice was extraordinarily loud on the mountain. The echoes persisted among the woods. The stray dogs down the mountain immediately started barking after hearing his call. Their endless calls echoed on the mountain!

Mu Ningxue looked at Mo Fan with her eyes saying, “Are you dumb?”

The truth was, his calling was completely useless.

Left with no choice, the two took the same path back. As they were approaching the stairs, a soft breeze came from the distance, sweeping at the flowers and grass on the mountain. Mo Fan sharply captured a familiar fragrance.

“Wait a second,” Mo Fan called Mu Ningxue. He glanced at the patch of wild chrysanthemums on the slope.

“What now?” asked Mu Ningxue.

“I remembered that the girl was holding a basket. She told the monk that she had plucked some herbs that could be mixed with tea. I remembered its smell, I think it’s the same fragrance from these wild chrysanthemums,” Mo Fan pointed at the stalks of wild chrysanthemums swaying on the slope.

The wild chrysanthemums were a faint yellow. They seemed like the ordinary kind, yet their fragrance was different from the perfume of ordinary chrysanthemums.

Mo Fan climbed up the slope and approached a small patch of wild chrysanthemums. He crouched down and sniffed at the flower.

Mo Fan was about to turn around to talk to Mu Ningxue but stopped when he caught a glimpse of Mu Ningxue’s dress and legs in the corner of his vision. “This must be it.”

Mo Fan extended his hand to pluck the flower. He decided to keep a stalk to himself, even though he had no idea if it was useful…

“Are you sure? There are so many flowers here,” said Mu Ningxue.

“I’m sure, my nose is…” Mo Fan suddenly paused in the middle of his reply.

Mu Ningxue’s voice came from down the slope even though she was standing beside him. This meant that she never came up the slope with him, thus the dress beside him…

Mo Fan was not the timid kind, he quickly raised his head and moved his face close to the person standing beside him!

As he expected, the beautiful face of an innocent girl was standing close to him.

If the girl had not appeared less than a meter away all of a sudden, Mo Fan would be dazzled by her looks too. She did indeed have a unique charm.

Mo Fan initially thought the girl’s face would suddenly turn spooky or reveal her true appearance of a demon creature at close distance, yet she remained charming even after he stared at her for some time. Her delicate appearance reminded him of Liu Ru when she was still a weak girl, without the melancholy expression.

“Mi…Miyata?” It took Mo Fan some time to utter the name.

“We have met again. Is she your friend? She’s so pretty, even I am a bit jealous. May I know her name?” Miyata had a faint smile. Her squinted eyes looked extremely pure and innocent.