Chapter 28: Severing the Tail

In the past, Fu Lan would never have allowed himself to get entangled in such a dispute.

He was the type who, upon seeing a fight at a street food stall, would pay his bill immediately and whisk his wife and child away. He avoided any spectacle of street brawling; even if he were in a rush to work, he would rather take a detour of several hundred meters than get caught up in the chaos.

But today, he had just finished feeding the sphere-beast and was already in a foul mood; running into that old woman on his way out had only added to his irritation. And not long after, he had encountered this foul-mouthed "Crazy Lao Ba." If he backed down again, he knew for certain he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Besides, this guy had insulted not only him but his student as well.

He blasted the group with a high-pressure water cannon, forcing them to shield their faces, though no matter how he adjusted the angle, half of them remained out of range. They cursed and charged through the water jet. By the time they were frantically launching their counterattack, Fu Lan had already dropped the hose and slipped away with Shi Ningyu.

"Damn it, stop right there!" Crazy Lao Ba bellowed in rage.

He tried to give chase, but slipped on the spot and fell hard, wincing in pain. Reaching down to touch the ground, he realized a thin layer of ice had formed over the puddles. His underlings couldn't move either; many found their shoe soles frozen to the pavement, resulting in twisted ankles when they tried to force their way forward. Those who weren't frozen solid slipped and fell just like Lao Ba the moment they took a step.

"Hahahaha..."

The laughter drifted back from afar. Shi Ningyu ran backward for a few steps to admire their pathetic state. By the time they managed to steady themselves, the two were already out of sight.

They stuck to winding, narrow alleys, running for nearly five minutes until Fu Lan, out of breath, was forced to stop. He leaned against a wall, gasping for air. The smile that had graced Shi Ningyu’s face the whole way vanished, and she watched him with deep concern. "Are you alright?"

"I... I'm fine..." Fu Lan clutched his chest. There was no sharp pain; it was likely just ordinary exhaustion. After a moment, his breathing stabilized, and Shi Ningyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're a bit weak, Teacher Lan. You need to train more," she teased, trying to hide how anxious she had been. "But we ran at least a kilometer—that’s as much as any physical fitness test. It’s exhausting..."

Fu Lan listened carefully to the sounds on the main road. Fortunately, there was no roar of motorcycles. He straightened his baseball cap, found a convenience store by the roadside, and bought two energy drinks, handing one to Shi Ningyu. "It’s a shame I had to make you use your magic."

"Just spraying water wouldn't have delayed them for long. Don't worry, they're covered in filth themselves, so they wouldn't dare report us. Besides, that bit of ice will melt quickly."

Seeing Fu Lan struggle weakly to twist the bottle cap, Shi Ningyu sighed, took it from him, and unscrewed it with two fingers. "But I really didn't expect you to strike first. I thought you’d try to talk them down."

Fu Lan took the drink, stared at it sadly for a long time, and finally steeled himself to take a sip. "I really couldn't stand the sight of this Lao Ba anymore. I couldn't hold it in."

"Right! Just knowing that the purest goods in the city come from a loser like him makes me feel like I’ve eaten shit!" She quickly raised her hand to clarify, "I haven't actually eaten it, it's just a metaphor!"

"You don't need to explain that part..."

"Sigh, that bastard has really corrupted me. He keeps spewing such garbage that whenever I run into him, I start thinking about excrement..."

Although there was no rule stating that a mage had to be as refined as the white-robed wizards in fantasy stories, Crazy Lao Ba’s lack of decorum made Fu Lan uncomfortable. Moreover, the theoretical knowledge required to refine magic embers was significant; studying formation arrays was no simpler than attending university.

Take Shi Ningyu, for example. Even though she dropped out of school after high school, Fu Lan believed that with her memory and learning ability, she could easily have gotten into a top-tier university if she had put her mind to it.

Therefore, Fu Lan found it hard to imagine how someone could remain such a street-thug after long-term study of magic. Could it be that Crazy Lao Ba possessed unparalleled talent in refining? He couldn't help but ask Shi Ningyu.

"Hmph, that? That’s just his disguise," Shi Ningyu said with disgust. "He intentionally pretends to be that kind of loser so people will confuse him with that banned short-video influencer."

"Which one?"

Shi Ningyu clicked her tongue, expertly found the video, and lent her phone to Fu Lan, letting the out-of-touch middle-aged man catch up on an outdated meme. Fu Lan held the phone at arm's length, frowned after watching, and couldn't help but ask, "Does this... serve any purpose?"

"As disgusting as it is, you have to admit it works," Shi Ningyu said dejectedly. "Just looking at him, don't you think he's just an idiot not worth worrying about?"

"In reality, he’s quite strong, especially in defensive magic. His main tactic is to stack his armor thick enough to taunt you to your face, then launch a sneak attack once you get frustrated. His elemental magic is decent too, though nowhere near as good as mine. Of course, he's most famous for his cooking..."

Fu Lan pondered this seriously. "Personally, it only lowers my opinion of the man. If we were to actually fight, I wouldn't underestimate him."

"That’s for the best," Shi Ningyu continued. "But besides confusing enemies, the main purpose is to make it easier to run away. Remember when you met me at the bar?"

Recalling the 'minefield girl' from that night, Fu Lan nodded.

"That was my disguise. The more stereotypical the look, the easier it is to be identified in a crowd, which is good—when you’re targeted by enemies, you can quickly change your appearance to make them lose track of you. Like a lizard shedding its tail. Wait, that’s a bit of a demeaning comparison..."

Shi Ningyu tapped her chin with her index finger, thinking for a moment before rephrasing: "Basically, it’s the same as a magical girl transformation."

Fu Lan felt a chill. "Don't. I don't want to think of Crazy Lao Ba as a magical girl."

"Yue..." Shi Ningyu gagged. "My fault, my fault. Forget I said that!"

It took them a long time to shake off the horrific image.

"Anyway, choosing that loser persona as a disguise just proves Lao Ba has terrible taste and lowers the 'cool factor' of the entire magical world!" Shi Ningyu shook her head vigorously. "Let's not talk about that cursed thing. Just be careful when you go out. He won't dare do anything big, but he'll definitely try to trip us up as revenge."

"Speaking of which, I really regret it," Fu Lan said, clutching his forehead in annoyance. "Why didn't I think of choosing a better alias back then? Now everyone knows my surname is Fu. If I keep doing business, I'm bound to make more enemies. It’s possible that one day, I'll open my door and find an assassin waiting inside."

Shi Ningyu was unimpressed. "What are you afraid of? They know my surname is Shi, too. My nickname was only given to me after others recognized my achievements, and my surname is even rarer—it’s easy to look up. Don't worry, Teacher Lan. As long as you’re careful to shake off any tails when you go home, no one will be able to find your real information. I already considered this and bought the same level of privacy protection for you as I have for myself.

"I might as well tell you now. From now on, keep calling yourself Teacher Fu, and if anyone asks for your full name, say you're Fu Kelin. I've created a fake profile for all your other information, and I'll send it to you later."

Fu Lan was surprised. "There’s such a service?"

"Exactly. The underworld actually has quite a limited way of thinking when it comes to tracking people. You just have to lay out fake information on the routes they’d naturally take. People like us with clean backgrounds are even easier to manage; since we haven't had any prior ties to the criminal world, we don't have to worry about acquaintances selling us out. Even if something happens, the person I hired can handle it. She’s the best professional there is!"

Fu Lan was grateful that she had prepared this for him in advance, but after thanking her, he couldn't help but ask, "Such comprehensive service must be very expensive... how much?"

Shi Ningyu flicked her ponytail with a carefree air. "Don't sweat the details. You're my teacher when it comes to refining, but you're still a newcomer in this business, so you should call me senior. It's only right for a senior to look after a newcomer. Besides, we're partners; if you go down, I go down with you. If you really want to repay this debt, just teach me your secret techniques sooner!"

Well, there it was.

Fu Lan had nothing more to say. He lived by the principle of equivalent exchange and hated owing anyone anything.

"Don't go for the feeding tomorrow. I'll go. If I put in the effort, I can manage to feed them. I'll also scout the situation to make sure the old lady hasn't said anything to anyone else. Let's meet again the day after tomorrow. Once this batch of dogs is born, we can test the new formula. I'll also work on refining my magic output." Shi Ningyu’s eyes shone with determination. "We’re going to make so much money, Teacher Lan!"

Her sudden enthusiasm was a bit much for Fu Lan to handle, so he gave a vague nod.

After parting ways with Shi Ningyu, he started his walk home but changed his route halfway through. Even without Shi Ningyu’s warning, he was always on the lookout for trackers. Even though things had been peaceful for over a decade, he had kept the habit.

[You’re still so vigilant.]

Fu Lan sighed and put on his wireless earphones.

[Since you know it's me, why stay outside? It’s too distant. I’d like to come to your place for a cup of tea.]

Black Coral’s spiritual voice came through clearly. She seemed to be nearby, though he couldn't see her.

"For any number of reasons, I wouldn't let you into my home," Fu Lan replied, pretending to be talking on his phone.

[Right, right, I’m the vampire who can't enter without an invitation,] Black Coral said cheerfully. [It looks like you get along well with your student. Did running away together remind you of your own youth?]

Fu Lan frowned, his tone carrying a warning: "Stop investigating everyone around me without my permission."

[Even if she investigated you first?]

Fu Lan froze and stopped walking. After a moment, he stepped out of the streetlamp's light and back into the shadows. "Don't tell me the details. I can pretend it didn't happen."

Black Coral let out a helpless laugh. [You, you’re always so abnormally stubborn about strange things... just like how you clearly need money, yet refuse my help. Do you think it's cheating? But Chord Heart Stone, the rest of your life has been stolen through cheating anyway.]

"I don't have many extravagant wishes. I just want the past to remain in the past, and the present to remain in the present. I let you help me deal with Lily because that was a grudge from the past." Fu Lan hesitated, then steeled himself and said, "And you owe me."

Black Coral fell silent, then answered gloomily, [How could they ever be separated? Our past forged our present... can a lizard that sheds its tail ever truly say goodbye to its past?]

Fu Lan said coldly, "Don't bring up irrelevant things. Tell me the situation on the other side."

His business-like attitude made Black Coral even more dejected. She answered dryly, [As expected, they extracted your residual magic. When the moon rises tonight, Lily will dispatch 50 bloodhounds.]