The Elder

Wu Liang Hui woke up with a smile as the birds chirped outside on the trees. The sunlight pouring through the open window. It was the perfect Spring day, thought Liang Hui. His eyes were bright and sharp despite being surrounded by thick dark circles. After gaining the ability to read he'd finally completely read all of the books, reports and diaries he could find in the log cabin. The books held detailed techniques of refining pills and herbal medicine. Some included the precious personal notes of the King but those were too advanced for Liang Hui to currently understand. After consuming the books on the shelves he penned a four page apology letter to Old Li for the late reply. And it only took him sacrificing all of his free time outside of class for two months to complete everything.

He felt so high spirited that he could grab the sun, moon and stars. While stretching it occurred to him that he was alone on the bed. Bai Huya was nowhere to be seen. He had been hoping to spend some time with him as he had been so engrossed in his studies these days that they haven't seen much of each other lately. He bit his lip in thought. Thinking back he had forgotten to ask Bai about his new clothes and sword. The luxurious embroidered silk materials of his long flowing white robes complimented dark tanned skin, his stature tall and straight, hinting of powerful muscles that lay beneath like the mighty warrior Zhao Yun. Wu Liang Hui felt his lower entrance tightened. They really haven't seen each other much since he seriously started his studies and for some reason they were both too tired to do anything when they did meet. Huya would return to the room glistening from sweat.

Deciding that he needed to cool the building heat in his body, Liang Hui flashed into the demi plane. A soak in the cool lake waters before class sounded perfect at the moment. After a quick soak he got dressed and reappeared in his room. When he approached the door he could hear someone talking in a hushed tone. He opened the door to see a surprised old man with a well kept short graying beard dressed like a warrior in black and red robes. The gold embellishments of his armor catching the sunlight.

"Oh!" was all the man could say, his eyes couldn't help but stray to the roof of the housing building only to snap back to Wu Liang Hui a second later. Liang Hui was about to follow his line of sight, " -Good day my boy," he clapped a palm on Liang Hui's shoulder, drawing his attention with his towering stature.

"Little Wu greets his elder," he bowed to the unfamiliar elder in respect, cupping his fist in his palm. After raising his head he thought, "....maybe just a little familiar?"

"Familiar you say," the old man hummed excitedly, the broad smile on his lips reflected in his eyes. He grasped his own chin and twisted his face from side to side, "Have a good look and say."

Wu Liang Hui furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes as he focused on the powerful old man before him. "It feels like I know you, have we met before, elder?" Something about the man's thick eyebrows and smiling eyes seemed familiar like a foggy memory. As they stood there in silence four people held their breath.

After a while he felt his shoulder under the strange old man's palm start to heat up on his shoulder. The man tightened his grip when Liang Hui tried to move away. The man's brows were furrowed and edges of his lips curved up into a satisfied smile. Then the man looked at Wu Liang Hui in delighted confusion, Wu Liang Hui just looked at him in pure confusion which only got worse when the old man merrily clapped him on the shoulder and disappeared in thin air. The one on the roof also silently followed.

"Huh?" Wu Liang Hui just stood there in a confused stupor but he wasn't left alone for long.

"Umm…..Is it safe to come out now?" came a mousey voice from the room next to Wu Liang Hui's. Liang Hui answered in the affirmative and the door swung open to reveal to his surprise, a familiar thin frail youth covered in bandages.

This was the first time since he arrived at the Lightning Sword Sect that he had bumped into one of his neighbors. More importantly, why was he able to clearly hear the youth through the door? Were the rooms not sound proof?????

A deep red spread over his face. All he could do was plaster a fake smile on his face and breathe out a simple greeting through gritted teeth.

"Good morning Brother Lin."

"Good morning Brother Chi," Lin Sha fussed with dull fraying robes, avoiding making eye contact as usual, though now Liang Hui wondered whether there was more meaning to the act than just being shy. "Who were those scary people?" he mumbled, more to himself than to Liang Hui.

"What are you talking about, it was only one strange old man, I think he might've been an elder from the warriors department," Liang Hui chuckled to himself patting Lin Sha on the head, this kid was always so nervous and on edge he thought breathing a sigh of relief. "There was really nothing scary about him."

"Wow, Brother Chi, it's so amazing how you withstand their oppressive aura." The two headed out of the outer disciple housing courtyard side by side.

"Oh well - um, I just focus on my breathing and hold my head up high," Wu Liang Hui scratched his head nervously. In his mind he was holding back on asking Lin Sha, what oppressive aura?

What Liang Hui didn't know was that most mages would avoid dealing with warriors if possible. It was normal for those not in the warrior class to cower before them. Their bodies reeked of blood and emitted a natural murderous aura.

"Ah, no wonder Senior Choi and his friends have it out for you," when he looked over at Lin Sha clearly confused, the boy explained "mages are considered -you know- weak, so it probably feels like a small hare staring down a tiger."

Liang Hui paused mid step, if he thought about it, like really thought about it, it all made sense. He had always found it silly that they were all so upset with him over Wang YoYo, after all the two haven't met since that first day. No, they seemed to get even more irritated with him after each meeting (beating) no matter how he tried to reason with them.

F--he had unknowingly been making things harder on himself, why didn't anyone warn him to keep his head down when interacting with warrior class cultivators, not that he would have listened though. He smacked his own forehead. He felt like such an idiot for treating them like regular bullies, it really wasn't wise to stand his ground but it wasn't in him to cower either.

No, he rather take his beating and do all their stupid chores like a fool. They thought that he didn't notice that most of the so called chores on the lists were to be carried out in the Blue forest. That he wouldn't know that they wanted him to be killed by the beasts that lurk there as the sect sat at the borders of two human countries and the rainforest where almost all land beasts on the continent made their home. He had feigned ignorance and used his time spent in the woods to relax alone and also train. He trained in the Ghost Step Technique while no one was watching. They were the reason why he could completely erase his presence while using the technique. Though he had to also thank them as he was able to bump into those traffickers and meet Bai because of them.

he looked up at the building they were standing in front of. It was the only building out of the over twenty something buildings that made up the Hall of Mages that he was actively avoiding, the library. The library in the Hall of Mages was a grand building with 28 floors, its roof curved upwards with layered eaves. The yellowing paint on its outer walls glowed like a beckon calling to him as he passed it on his daily route to class. It was a daily reminder of his sudden illiteracy. He turned to Lin Sha in confusion, " Brother Lin, aren't we headed to class?"

"Class? Was Brother Chi not paying attention to Lecturer Ji, classes are canceled for the next two weeks so we may prepare for the exam."

"Oh," was all he could say as he really wasn't paying the lecturer any mind and was only focused on collecting the print outs. After all, wasn't it Lecturer Ji who said that everything they needed to know was on the print out. Shrugging his shoulders, Wu Liang Hui pushed all those thoughts aside, the time had finally arrived for him to enter the library. He already felt the butterflies in his stomach as he crossed the threshold.

The inside of the library was just as grand as he imagined. The ceiling was at least 3 stories high decorated with frescoes depicting the ever changing sky. The longer he stared up at them, Wu Liang Hui noticed that the clouds were indeed moving. In the center of the lobby was a life sized stone statue on top of a pedestal. The person depicted in the statue seemed almost familiar to him. The man was wearing heavy brocade robes and his long hair was pulled to the top of his head with a dragon pin. The expression carved onto his face was benignant, charming and unquestionably handsome. With a book tucked under one arm he was down on one knee, a hand outstretched as if reaching out to lend aid. Inscribed on the pedestal were words that made Liang Hui's jaw drop.

[King Wu Liang Hui]

[The Greatest Mage]

He almost collapsed onto Lin Sha standing behind him. What shocked him the most wasn't the fact that they shared the same name, no. It was then that he realized why the man seemed so familiar to him. He was that man. No, that man looked like his twenty year old self!

He felt a numbing sensation in his head. This was all too unbelievable! When the system told him that he was a king in his first life he really didn't believe it in his heart, but seeing the proof with his own eyes? It was an inexplicable feeling. He grabbed hold of Lin Sha's wrist and dragged him off to the right wing of the library.

By the time he had slowed down he found himself in the potion section of the first floor. He took a deep breath to calm himself then noticed that he was still clutching tightly onto the little mage's wrist. He sighed in his heart as he watched Lin Sha just standing there obediently without a thought of complaining. He released him then patted him on the head offering him a sincere apology.

Looking around at the walls of packed, chestnut shelves surrounded by stone columns he couldn't help but be in awe of its grandeur. Then in a corner Wu Liang Hui spotted a familiar face. Senior brother Shen was sitting in a corner by the shelves trying his best to make himself as small as possible. Shen Yuan He was one of Choi Hua Jai's lackeys. As he was a senior mage Huajai would usually use him to call Wu Liang Hui over. They would also use the excuse of their senior-junior dynamic to push unreasonable chores onto Liang Hui. It was strange to see the young mage quietly sitting in a corner as he was the type to lord over everyone while his master was away.

"Tsk, it's so unfortunate," Lin Sha spoke up after he noticed that Liang Hui was staring at their senior, "Senior Brother Choi dropped him from his team."

"Team?"

"Yea, their 7th formation team," he sighed distractedly then continued, "he has no more face as he was always boasting about being the only mage on a warrior team.

Do you remember some time ago when there was a break in and some of the warriors were injured? Well it wasn't just Senior Choi and his friends but also Senior Shen. However, all of the warriors recovered in time to participate in the Nianqiu competition. On the other hand….."

Ah, he got it. Shen Yuan was dropped like a ton of bricks in favor of Huajai's little brother Qiusan. No wonder Choi Qiusan was going around like he was walking on air. Wu Liang Hui rolled his eyes. The brat only just barely became a blue level mage with the use of the burning spirit pill and he was already skipping classes to run behind his older brother. Tiger cubs were really fearless!

Yu Hua Tai stretched as high as her 1.5m could possibly allow. The tips of her fingers barely brushed the shelf the book she wanted was on. Just as she was about to give up in frustration, pale, long slender fingers stretched past her and grabbed the book off the shelf.

"Here Little sister," came a friendly and melodious voice near her ear.

She spun around on her heels. Just who was this little brat calling his little sister? She was the Great Yu Hua Tai, the Divine Mage of the Lightning Sword Sect! The words however were stuck in her throat. Her mouth hung slightly agape. He was a deity that had descended from the heavens. This junior was just too handsome! Seeing as she wasn't responding, he reached out and placed the book in her hand before returning to his seat opposite his fellow disciple.

"It seems you have a new admirer. I hope your lover doesn't mind," Lin Sha shyly noted under his breath. Wu Liang Hui blanched.

"What lover, hmph!" In his mind Wu Liang Hui thought this way. Bai Huya never said anything about wanting to be lovers and he wasn't naive enough to assume!

Yu Hua Tai stood at the bookshelf staring at the boys in a daze. If only she was a couple of hundreds of years younger! A pink blush spread across her face.

"He's really eye-catching, right?"

Yu Hua Tai jumped out of her momentary stupor, "Sect Head!" she bowed in greeting. If Wu Liang Hui saw the old man that the sister he was just helping call 'Sect Head' he would receive a third shock for the day and might really end up sipping old lady Meng's soup a seventh time, mission be damned! It was the same old man that was hanging in front of his room earlier.

"No need to be so formal Tai'er," he chuckled then turned back to the direction of Wu Liang Hui's table, "I'm also keeping an eye on that little mage."

Yu Hua Tai turned back to look at the young man again. Her brows creased, she didn't understand what was so interesting about the blue level mage besides his handsome prince-like features. Then she gasped, her head spun to look at the Sect Head once more this time instead of respect and reverence on her face it was suspicion. Did the Sect Head have those kinds of inclinations!? Her expression became complicated.

"Come girl, I came to escort you to the meeting," the Sect Head's broad smile was too blinding for Hua Tai. Her head was too far in the gutter to process so much light. She just numbly followed along to the meeting hall that was on the top floor of the library.

Wu Liang Hui watched Lin Sha from the corner of his eye. The two had spent hours in the library mostly keeping to themselves. Liang Hui was onto his fifth book on green level potion safety guidelines when he got distracted by his thoughts on the mage in front of him. He didn't know what to make of the strange little mage that was always covered in bandages. He got curious and decided to open up the Analysis window.

[Name: Lin Sha]

[Age: 100022]

[Species: Mythical Pearl Moonfish (rare rainbow variant)]

[Level: Green]

"Oh!" He stared wide eyed at Lin Sha. "You're a beast- '' Before Wu Liang Hui could even finish his sentence Lin Sha jumped up and covered his mouth. He shook his head signaling that Liang Hui shouldn't continue. He looked around to ensure that no one over heard what Wu Liang Hui was saying then finally removed his hands.

"Let's go back to my room."

Liang Hui was very surprised by the usually sheepish Lin Sha's behavior. He sat back and watched with furrowed brows as Lin Sha collected their things to head out.

Wu Liang Hui glanced around noting how bare the room was. Lin Sha's room just like Wu Liang Hui's was practically empty but unlike Liang Hui who was hiding his things in his semi-plane, Lin Sha just didn't own much. He didn't even own a blanket to cover himself at night, only some thin graying sheets that looked scratchy. The two sat awkwardly staring at each other as they sipped hot water out of chipped tea cups. Whenever their eyes met Lin Sha would blush and look away. Liang Hui wasn't sure if it was because he was regretting inviting him into his room or if he was remembering all of the embarrassing noises he would usually hear coming from the room next door. In his heart he felt like it was the latter. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"So you're over 100,000 years old?"

Lin Sha choked at the unexpected question. "Y-yes," he nodded his head profusely then continued to ramble on and on. Apparently beastmen gain a humanoid form after 100,000 years. They assume the form of a toddler and from then on grow at the same pace as a human. When he was just ten years into his transformation his family home on the seafloor was attacked by other beastmen. They were looking for him as he was revealed to be a mage. His mother distracted the intruders so that he could escape via the river into the mainland. He was found by Choi Qiusan. That is why he owes his life to the Chois.

Liang Hui didn't know if that was fortunate or not. He couldn't imagine owing anything to the Chois. Besides they didn't strike him as the altruistic type of people that would save someone without reason. However considering the fact that humans treat beastmen like pets or slaves it makes sense that they would save a pretty rainbow scaled Lin Sha. When he first removed his bandages and showed him his face, Wu Liang Hui was amazed. He was beautiful, the sides of his face and part of his forehead were covered in color shifting scales. His beauty coupled with his pure innocence clutched at Liang Hui's heart, he swore to himself that he would absolutely destroy the Chois if anything happened to this little cutie.