Curse Mage Zhao He / Rose Flame Acquired

Of course, that was only because the two of them were standing in the elevator as it slowly climbed. The confined space had sent Tang Yue's thoughts wandering, though she didn't let a thing show on her face.

Lu Jun beside her looked tense, too. A tall, beautiful older woman stood close by, her faint fragrance drifting over to him. They were alone together, and men and women were naturally drawn to each other. It was hard not to let his imagination run wild.

He suddenly wondered if he'd been too forward. Who asked to go into a girl's room the very first time they met?

Fortunately, the elevator reached their floor and the doors opened, letting them both breathe a sigh of relief. Lu Jun had lived with his older sister for years and had often encountered situations like this, so he quickly collected himself.

Tang Yue wasn't a little girl anymore, either. She kept her composure and opened the door with easy confidence, gesturing inside with a smile. "Come in. I've checked the room already. It's completely safe and private."

Lu Jun walked in and glanced around quickly, without looking too closely. The room was very clean, and he didn't see any strange personal items lying around.

Lu Jun sat properly in a chair and kept his eyes forward. Facing Tang Yue, who had plopped down on the bed, he asked seriously, "Are you tracking Zhao He, the Curse Mage wanted by the Magic Association?"

"I am." She looked at him in surprise. "Why? Zhao He has killed plenty of mages, but we haven't been able to find any evidence. Now he happens to be connected to the drought in Xishui Town, so the Adjudication Court sent me here."

"My target is a tricky one, and I need help. The nearest adjudicator is a long way off, so I thought of you."

"The problem is..." Lu Jun spread his hands. "He already found you and poisoned you. You're deeply poisoned."

"Ah..." Tang Yue didn't object right away. She frowned. "I was worried about that too, so I take Antidote Potion every day. I haven't felt anything wrong with my body so far."

At that, Lu Jun fell silent. Suddenly, he wasn't sure how to put it. He tried to be tactful. "Is it possible the drug takes effect slowly and doesn't harm the body?"

"A slow-acting drug that isn't toxic? How could that still be called poison..."

Tang Yue was baffled. Then, as a worldly woman, she caught on. Her mature face flushed as she stammered, "Y-you mean that kind of drug? Impossible! Wait... how do you know?"

Uh, Lu Jun was stumped. He couldn't exactly say he'd read ahead.

Fortunately, Tang Yue didn't press him. She merely muttered to herself, piecing it together. "That's right. The bodies of the female mages Zhao He harmed all showed signs of assault."

Her expression shifted. If she really had been drugged, that would be a huge problem. There was no antidote for that kind of drug yet; she could only wait for her body to fight it off.

And she didn't have a female friend she trusted completely. Even if she did, that friend would be far away, while Zhao He was lurking nearby.

Lu Jun, however, stayed calm. "Don't panic. I'll deal with Zhao He. And the drought in Xishui Town was caused by a Fire Element Spirit Seed. The Demon Hunting Alliance already knows about it, and several teams are on their way."

"I happen to have my eye on that Spirit Seed, too."

"Of course," he added after a pause. "To be safe, stay by my side."

Lu Jun couldn't help feeling helpless. He had the Mind Element and could soothe Tang Yue, helping suppress the effects, but he couldn't explain that outright. As far as she knew, he had the Curse and Water Elements. Tang Yue had probably asked him to deal with Zhao He for that very reason.

At his words, Tang Yue felt strange. She was a little afraid to stay with Lu Jun. He was a boy in his teens, at the peak of his energy and curiosity. Could he really hold himself back?

But after thinking it over, she didn't have any other options. Compared to letting Zhao He have his way or getting picked up by some stranger while she was alone in a hotel, Lu Jun was a hundred times better.

If not for their age difference, she might have given in back then.

Tang Yue gritted her teeth in the hotel room. "Fine. I'll stick with you. Even if I lose everything, so be it. It's better than being violated by some scumbag."

The resentful look in the beautiful, mature woman's eyes made Lu Jun's scalp prickle. Oh no. Did she think he'd come all this way just to take advantage of her while she was helpless?

Not that it would be bad... No, no, no! He, Lu Jun, was a gentleman! A Mind Mage used his brain to control his body, not his lower half!

He decided to change the subject and break the awkwardness. "Let's not talk about that. I'll go deal with the wanted criminal first."

By then, Tang Yue had covered her burning face with both hands. What on earth had she just said? How could she say something like that? Hearing Lu Jun's suggestion, she quickly nodded.

The two left the inn and soon spotted their target from a distance. He was a handsome young man dressed like a mountain climber, with a sinister air about him. He looked no different from an ordinary person.

But Lu Jun keenly sensed the aura of a curse.

"Wait. Someone's coming."

They followed behind him. Suddenly, Tang Yue sensed something and reached out with her fair hand to take the boy's hand. She cast Shadow Escape and pulled him into the nearby woods, where they squeezed behind a tree trunk.

At first, Lu Jun felt her hand wrap around his like a warm, smooth piece of jade. He gave it a light squeeze; it was soft. Then her warm, voluptuous body pressed against him like a furnace.

The tree trunk wasn't wide enough to hide Tang Yue's curves, so they had to stand very close.

He faced Tang Yue, her heavy breasts pressing against his shoulders. He caught her faint fragrance and looked straight at her slender, pale neck and pointed pink earlobe.

When he lifted his head slightly, he saw her exquisitely shaped oval face. Her bright eyes shimmered with charm, her nose was high and sensual, and her small lips were red and alluring. Her skin was fair and rosy, without a single flaw, even at such close range.

But Tang Yue's beautiful eyes were flustered. Their gazes met, then darted away. Her breath was sweet, and her warm exhalation brushed his face as she whispered, "D-don't look at me."

She was truly embarrassed. It was as if she'd pinned an innocent young man against a tree and was about to pounce on him like a wicked older woman.

Lu Jun could barely take it. Her softness and suppleness pressed against most of his body, and he felt as if he were sinking into cotton.

There was nothing he could do; it was a normal male reaction.

To keep himself from embarrassing himself, he decided to use the Mind Element's Beginner Level soothing spell. A cool sensation washed over him from head to toe, and in an instant he calmed down. His heart was still as water, without a ripple.

Tang Yue had already prepared herself mentally. At her age, she knew what to expect. But she hadn't imagined Lu Jun's body would show no reaction at all. That thing hadn't even twitched.

Her expression changed, and she looked at him strangely. For some reason, even though she was poisoned, she suddenly felt much safer.

"What's with that look? You want me to prove it to you?"

Lu Jun had sharp instincts and immediately understood what Tang Yue meant. No man could put up with that. He glared at her fiercely.

Tang Yue burst into laughter, finding him amusing.

Who would have thought Lu Jun would take it as mockery and, embarrassed and angry, put his hands on her? He wrapped his arms around her slender, supple waist. It was round and elastic, like a water snake's body, and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

Tang Yue felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her body stiffened. Their pose was strange, as though she were holding Lu Jun in her arms. His strong masculine scent filled the air, and, worst of all, the brat buried his face against her and took a deep sniff.

Now she was the one losing her composure, a sudden urge rising inside her.

But before she could grit her teeth and curse him out, he left her embrace, lowered his hands, and pulled away briskly, without the slightest hesitation—like someone who'd had his fun and turned cold.

Bastard! Tang Yue felt utterly defeated. Had she really lost all her appeal?

Then she heard Lu Jun say, turning his head aside, "They're making their move."

At that, Tang Yue took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. With the enemy right in front of them, she let it go for now.

Lu Jun appeared expressionless at first glance, but inside, his feelings were tumultuous. He had to admit that he'd felt a little desire just now. He was a teenager, after all. And her scent... well, it was milky sweet.

He'd had impure thoughts about Lu Mei before, too, but one glance from his older sister had immediately put them out. The pressure of being her younger brother was immense. Her authority had been drilled into him for eighteen years. He didn't know what she thought of him, and although he was tempted, he didn't have the nerve to act on it. So they'd ended up in an ambiguous stalemate.

Now, with another woman, he seemed much more at ease.

Their usual interactions were fine, but he couldn't handle this kind of physical contact. He was a pure, inexperienced young man, after all.

Lu Jun examined his thoughts and calmed down. At the same time, he sensed Tang Yue gradually settling down beside him.

The two looked toward the clearing and tacitly focused on the task at hand.

In fact, just as they'd slipped into the woods, two teams of Demon Hunters had passed by. At the bottom of a dried-up reservoir ahead, they'd found a Spirit Seed in a crack.

They'd fought over it, and in the end, the four men led by the Dongfang Family came out on top.

The man in a Tang suit, Dongfang Jun, and his subordinates—a cowboy, a scar-faced man, and a playboy—were discussing how to divide the Spirit Seed.

"Hahaha." Suddenly, a laugh rang out. The sinister-looking Zhao He emerged from the woods, his aura surging with violence. He sneered, "Sorry, but it belongs to me. As for the rest of you... if I'm in a good mood, I might let you die a little more quickly."

"What are you supposed to be?"

Dongfang Jun shouted, unafraid. All four of them were Intermediate Mages. Four against one—they had the advantage. Besides, he belonged to the Dongfang Family, one of Magic City's four great families. Who would dare mess with him?

"Heh. It's not as if I've never killed anyone from the Dongfang Family. Oh, right. That Dongfang Qingqing of yours tasted pretty good—not just her body, but the meat, too."

Zhao He looked like a demon as he spoke with a vicious grin.

Lu Jun frowned. He knew that if Black Magic such as the Curse and Shadow Elements wasn't kept in check, it was easy to fall into demonic ways.

The next moment, just as Dongfang Jun was about to attack, Zhao He threw his head back and laughed. "Too late! I got here before you. I already set a trap. This Evil Spider Trap is my gift to welcome you!"

Lu Jun suddenly spotted a mass of dark, murky stuff dropping from somewhere in the treetops. It looked like a black, sticky spiderweb, or perhaps the sticky claw of some creature, slamming down!

Black claws, black webs. When they looked up, they could just make out the horrifying, evil phantom of a giant spider above the descending black trap. Its many eyes glowed with a greedy light that pierced the soul!

The Curse Element Intermediate Magic, Evil Spider Trap.

The four men panicked. Their bodies stiffened to varying degrees. They hadn't even seen the black web, yet something had bound them all over, leaving them unable to move. Their Spiritual Worlds were sealed, and they couldn't activate their Nebulas at all.

Only the soul sight of a Mind Mage or a Curse Mage could see this kind of curse power. Alternatively, one could reach the First Realm in spiritual cultivation.

Tang Yue's face went pale. "This is bad. Those men are done for. Unless there's a Mind Mage here, no one can save them."

Evil Spider Trap had glaring strengths and weaknesses. Once it bound someone, even a mage of the same level couldn't break free. Their souls would be strangled to death, silently and without anyone noticing.

Just like now, Zhao He had used only one spell, and the four Intermediate Mages—each no weaker than him—were helpless.

Its weakness was its long casting delay. The caster had to set it up in advance or weave a trap during battle and lure the opponent into it. All in all, it was a slow-paced Magic System.

Lu Jun's gaze was intent, but he wasn't in the least bit panicked.

Originally, those four would have been killed by having their souls strangled. But things were different now. He was a Mind Mage himself and could definitely save them. The four Demon Hunters weren't bad people, and he could lend a hand without much trouble.

He wasn't a good person by nature, nor was he a bad one.

Tang Yue wanted to save them, too, but there was no hope at the moment. That was what made Curse Mages so vile. Once they cast their Magic, even if the caster was blasted to pieces, it wouldn't weaken the slightest thread of the Evil Spider Web.

"Let's go. He knew we were here all along."

Now that the outsiders were trapped, Lu Jun spoke calmly, pulled away from the woman's warm, soft body, and strode out of the woods.

On the dried-up reservoir, both sides were startled and reacted in different ways. The mages from the Dongfang Family, trapped beneath the Evil Spider Web, looked delighted. Their lips moved as if they were calling for help.

Zhao He glanced over at the two of them and sneered. "So the rats in the gutter have finally come out. What happened? Didn't feel like sneaking up on me?"

Tang Yue said righteously, "Zhao He, you violated the Magic Association's code and committed a grave crime. Today, you'll be brought to justice."

"Heh." Zhao He stared greedily at Tang Yue. "I suppose I'll have to add two more crimes. The first is murdering an adjudicator. The second... heh heh heh!"

Before he could finish, Tang Yue cut him off with a cold snort. "You mean drugging me?"

"Huh?" Zhao He was taken aback. "You know, and you still dared to come?"

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Before he could react, the unremarkable boy standing to the side suddenly attacked.

"Fearful Haze." Lu Jun's eyes turned black and white. A powerful mental force surged toward Zhao He. At the same time, he secretly used Spirit Ripple Impact. Within the translucent Nebula, a crystalline flying sword hovered: the Mind Sword he'd spent the past dozen days honing.

He'd been struggling to find a target to test it on. Here was one now. A piece of garbage like this might as well be put to use.

A Curse Mage? Zhao He's face changed. An experienced mage, he focused his mental strength, bracing for the red nightmare that could strike at any moment.

He sneered inwardly. He had cultivated the Curse Element for years and reached the First Realm. Challenging him with his own specialty was practically asking to die.

But Zhao He didn't see the Eye of Fear. Instead, a strange, transparent flash of light appeared in his vision. Just as he wondered what it was, a sudden pain tore through his mind. The mental strength he had gathered crumpled like paper and scattered.

It was as if a flying sword had cleaved his Spiritual World in two, or a giant spike had been driven through his crown and used to stir his brain.

"Argh!" Zhao He screamed. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He collapsed on the spot, clutching his head and rolling around. One corner of his Spiritual World visibly crumbled. His Nebulas of two Elements teetered on the edge of collapse, and his Magic Energy leaked away rapidly.

But that wasn't all. Darkness swallowed his vision, and a pair of red, sinister eyes appeared. His heart began to spasm violently.

How despicable! He'd shouted Fearful Haze, but used some unknown Magic instead.

Lu Jun's face was a little pale. That single strike of the Mind Sword had drained more than half the Magic Energy in his Mind Nebula. And after using this blade of mental force, he'd have to spend another dozen days honing it before he could use it again.

To some extent, although it was still called Mind Impact, it already counted as a self-created spell.

Normally, that was the domain of High-Level Mages. Their Magic could begin to break free of its established framework and branch into countless variations. The key lay in their growing affinity with the elements, as well as an improvement in their spiritual cultivation.

But the Mind Element had already met that requirement. What were its elements? For the Mind Element, mental force itself was the element, so Lu Jun could experiment with it naturally.

Of course, the move packed a punch. Zhao He's condition made that clear. One strike had badly damaged his soul, leaving him unable to fight again. If his opponent had been an ordinary Intermediate Mage, wouldn't a single thought have been enough to kill them? This was a trump card.

Mental attacks were unstoppable by Armor Magic Tools, Shield Magic Tools, or even spells like Water Shield, Rock Barrier, and Light Wall. Only mental Magic Tools and spells could block them.

They were practically unstoppable.

Following the principle of striking while the iron was hot and cutting the weeds at their roots, he summoned the Metal Element Shock Gold Sword, walked up to the helpless Zhao He, and swung down. With a wet thud, blood spurted out, and a fine head rolled to his feet.

A few spots of blood stained Lu Jun's face. He felt neither joy nor sorrow. It was his first time killing a person, but he didn't feel anything. In a word, he'd fought Demon Beasts that were more vicious than this.

But something in his mindset had changed. He'd broken through the taboo of fighting his own kind and could bring himself to act ruthlessly when pushed.