Sage Immortal Magic

"Then how about we go out and have some more fun after dinner?"

The city was bustling during the day, but most people were at work, and few wandered the streets.

When night fell, lanterns lit up one after another along the streets and alleys, people poured out onto the streets after work, and the night market opened in grand fashion. It was a different kind of lively, thriving scene, one they absolutely could not miss.

Fern especially looked forward to strolling through the night market with Dugu Qing, just like a couple on a date.

"Okay."

Dugu Qing closed the door and lay on the bed until dark, then went to the dining hall for a simple meal.

Fern eagerly took Dugu Qing's hand and led him out onto the street.

The food street and shopping street blazed with light, and crowds streamed endlessly through them.

Fern held Dugu Qing's hand as they made their way through the crowds, her gaze drawn to the stalls lining the streets. She wandered from one to the next, looking around with great interest.

Dugu Qing bought two white fox masks as they passed. They were snowy white all over, with a touch of crimson on the tips of the ears.

Worn on the face, they gave the wearer a distinctly graceful, otherworldly air.

"Do these count as matching couple masks?"

They were only ordinary masks of the same design, yet in Fern's eyes, they seemed to carry a special meaning.

She put the mask on, growing bolder as she moved so close that her shoulder nearly touched Dugu Qing.

"Hmm? Are there too many people?"

First ruling out one correct answer, Dugu Qing thought there were too many people around, so Fern had no choice but to move closer to him.

Realization dawned on him. His expression relaxed, and he continued forward.

The evening breeze brushed their faces as the two reached a fountain, where they spotted a stall selling wishing lanterns.

Men and women all around them made wishes and prayed sincerely. Sky lanterns rose slowly one after another, carrying their hopes into the dusk and adorning the night sky. It was very romantic.

Fern stepped forward and bought the two largest sky lanterns.

"Let's write something!"

Dugu Qing took a pen from the vendor and handed it to Fern.

Fern blushed slightly as she took the pen and wrote her wishes on the white sky lantern.

"I hope my youth lasts forever!"

"I hope Dugu Qing can bring the apocalypse to an end."

"I hope that when Dugu Qing brings the apocalypse to an end, he'll let me meet the Goddess of Creation and obtain an immortal elixir from her."

"..."

Fern carefully wrote her wishes on the sky lantern, every line brimming with love.

Dugu Qing held the pen and gathered his thoughts, then wrote several lines of wishes on his lantern.

"Please let me forget the misfortune of being ten, the confusion of being eleven, the torment of being twelve, the ignorance of being thirteen, the bewilderment of being fourteen... Let me forget all my sorrows, not dwell on the past, and be a brand-new me every day."

After finishing her own wishes, Fern stole a glance at Dugu Qing's and was stunned.

Oh, heavens!

Every one of his wishes was about forgetting. Was Dugu Qing going to soak his brain in water and wash it like a piece of clothing?

How could she allow that?

Dugu Qing already had an immortal's face and an ethereal air, aloof from the world and untouched by mortal concerns.

If he forgot everything now, what would that make her?

"Do I have to die too?"

Beneath her plain white mask, Fern's eyes filled with tears, her fear plain to see. Her vulnerable posture made her a pitiable sight.

Dugu Qing lit the sky lantern. Its wick burned brightly as it slowly rose into the air and drifted away on the wind.

Fern's fingertips trembled slightly, her body seeming to go limp, but she tried to remain composed as she lit her lantern.

The sky lanterns rose one after another and drifted with the wind.

Dugu Qing and Fern clasped their hands together and prayed for their wishes to come true.

Warm moonlight bathed the land, and the clamor of the marketplace continued to reach their ears.

Dugu Qing and Fern walked side by side, spending a leisurely evening together amid the lively night.

A moment later, Fern's eyelashes fluttered. Realizing that what Dugu Qing wanted to forget was the shackles of the past, she relaxed at once and immersed herself in the present, enjoying the beautiful night scenery.

The next day, the five purchased fresh supplies, made their preparations, and set out again.

Not long after they had left the town.

Dugu Qing smiled mysteriously, his body rising three feet off the ground. He floated through the air, needing no feet to travel, only magic, graceful as a startled swan and a roaming dragon.

This was a spell Dugu Qing had only recently developed: Sage Immortal Magic.

Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Sein noticed nothing unusual and continued walking.

Dugu Qing smiled smugly and floated in the air, his sleeves dancing lightly in the wind. Like a wandering immortal, he swept across the sky, a cool, ethereal aura surrounding him, then descended from above to block the group's path.

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was a ghost!

"Everyone! From now on, I won't have to walk. I can just float and fly."

Dugu Qing hovered at his ease, his feet off the ground and a look of relaxed enjoyment on his face as he used his magic.

Fern had been about to scold Dugu Qing for wasting mana. If they ran into demons, wouldn't he be handing himself over to them?

But Dugu Qing's exquisite face was infinitely charming, and his tall figure floated with an unearthly grace, breathtakingly beautiful.

Her words of concern stuck in her throat and turned into indulgent praise, which poured out of her.

"You're so beautiful! I support you, Dugu Qing. If I could see you like this every day, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams."

Life lasted only a few short decades, and Fern was naturally willing to see an immortal floating in the sky every day.

Stark turned his head, regretting that he hadn't learned magic back then, and muttered through gritted teeth, "Show-off."

Sein was the only adult in the party, and his tolerance was at its limit, so naturally he didn't say much.

As long as Dugu Qing turned into Tsunade occasionally, he would support whatever Dugu Qing did.

Frieren felt as though she had become a kindergarten teacher.

She lightly scratched her forehead with a slender hand, a faint sense of melancholy spreading across her features, and spoke gently.

"Dugu Qing, you're using too much mana like that. If we run into demons, it'll be easy to make a mistake!"

Dugu Qing flew through the air, his robes whipping in the wind, his movements graceful and agile.

"Frieren, in the world today, Aura is dead, and Malahat, the only remaining one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, is trapped inside a barrier. The world is basking in peace. What demon could possibly defeat you?"

Dugu Qing praised Frieren as unmatched under heaven in a roundabout way.

Frieren's brow relaxed, and the corners of her mouth rose. "That's true. With me here, no demon would dare hurt you."

"Besides, my Sage Immortal Magic doesn't use much mana. Even flying all day would be fine."

"All right, we know how amazing you are. Let's get going!"

The party set off again, moving slowly but steadily.

Dugu Qing used his new magic to leap up and down like Sun Wukong, and from afar he could see a carriage approaching from behind.

"Congratulations, everyone. We've got a ride."

Frieren, Fern, Stark, and Sein stopped and looked toward the carriage.

The carriage's owner was a merchant from the village ahead. When he saw the group, he warmly invited them to serve as his escorts.

The reward was a Grimoire.

The group boarded the carriage, and Dugu Qing climbed inside as well.

The carriage rumbled along, drowning out the clamor outside.

Dugu Qing leaned against the side of the carriage, closed his eyes, and began his afternoon nap.