Chapter 22: The Water Is Too Deep

Chapter 22: The Water Runs Deep

“I’ve found them!”

The moment Li Wei spoke, Leina was startled.

She pressed urgently, “Where are they?”

“Maple City,” Li Wei replied.

Leina frowned, puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

All she had seen was Li Wei crouching on the ground, sketching something out for a long while—then suddenly standing up and declaring he’d found the missing people.

Anyone else would have thought he was babbling nonsense.

“We should go back now,” Leina said.

Unable to make sense of it, she gave up thinking. As long as Li Wei could help her find Susan, that was all that mattered.

Eager to return, she took a few steps forward—only to realize Li Wei wasn’t following.

She turned. He stood still, rooted in place.

“Why aren’t you coming?”

Li Wei chuckled sheepishly. “Crouched too long—my legs are numb.”

Leina walked back, swept him off his feet in a princess carry.

Li Wei yelped, “What are you doing?!”

“You’re too slow,” she said. “I’ll take you back.”

“The shield and sword on my back make carrying you impossible any other way. This will have to do.”

With that, she strode toward Maple City, cradling Li Wei in her arms.

Inside, Li Wei felt utterly flustered w(Д)w.

After much pleading, he finally convinced Leina to put him down outside the city gates—

otherwise, his hard-earned reputation would be ruined beyond redemption.

Together, they walked toward the gate.

Along the way, Li Wei had already explained his deductions to Leina.

As they walked, he said, “The water here runs deep. Think carefully about the consequences of getting involved.”

“For now, we’re already looking at the lord’s manor and the Warrior’s Guild. Behind them, there may be even greater powers at play.”

“Your father forbade your search for Susan—that means the Goldshield family, if not complicit, is at least aware.”

“A scheme orchestrated by so many factions must have a hidden purpose. This matter… may not be one you can afford to pursue.”

“In my view, Susan and the others likely face no immediate danger. In time, they’ll reappear, resume their lives. You don’t need to keep digging.”

“Continuing this investigation brings nothing but harm—to both of us.”

Midway through, Li Wei noticed Leina had stopped walking.

He turned. She stood with head bowed, deep in thought.

Then she lifted her gaze, eyes locking onto his.

“This no longer concerns you,” she said. “I’ll give you your reward later.”

Li Wei looked at her helplessly. Why wouldn’t she listen?

Did she have to run headlong into the wall, bleeding and broken, before she’d admit defeat?

“Leina!”

A deep voice rang out.

Leina turned. Li Wei looked up.

“Master, why are you here? I thought you were—”

For once, Li Wei saw Leina appear like a daughter—meek, deferential.

He studied the man before him: muscles coiled like ancient serpents, towering frame.

Even standing still, he resembled an unbreakable wall.

*Is this Leina’s master—Owen Kort?*

Li Wei wondered.

Leina glanced at Owen, then at Li Wei. “Master, the spellbook was my doing. He’s not to blame.”

Owen looked at her, calm. “Go back.”

She hesitated, then bowed her head. “Yes.”

Turning, she walked toward the city. Passing Li Wei, she whispered, “My master won’t hurt you. Don’t worry.”

Once she was gone, Owen glanced at Li Wei. “Come.”

Li Wei hesitated—then followed him to the edge of the maple grove, the very spot where he and Leina had first met.

A strange feeling crept over him. Something was amiss.

Owen stood with his back turned. “You’re clever.”

Li Wei opened his mouth to demur—but Owen’s next words crushed any comfort.

“You pieced together the truth from mere fragments. Truly intelligent. But clever men rarely live long.”

Li Wei’s expression shifted. His fingers twitched—ready to cast, to fight to the death.

Even a Great Knight might suffer under such a surprise attack.

Yet Owen said quietly, “Don’t worry. I won’t harm you. Precisely because you’re clever.”

“There are things you shouldn’t know. Forget this. Live quietly as an apprentice mage.”

“As for the spellbook—I won’t press the matter. Learn your spells, then return it to me.”

“Until then—guard it well.”

Li Wei looked up.

Owen was gone.

Vanished without a trace.

Li Wei stared ahead, eyes cold, then turned and walked slowly toward Maple City.

So it was true. Owen’s appearance had been a ruse—all of it, staged for Leina’s sake.

He had never left her side.

Every word between Li Wei and Leina—he had heard it all.

*This is the power of a Great Knight. Terrifying.*

They had walked across open snowfields, flat and unbroken—yet never once had they sensed his presence.

Back in the city, Li Wei made his way toward the Mage Tower.

Leina was safe now.

But himself?

He had stepped into peril.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

“This is the advantage of having connections?”

Leina kept dancing on the edge of self-destruction, yet nothing ever happened to her.

Li Wei, merely for deducing a few truths, had already been warned by Orin.

He realized the deeper he probed into the disappearance of the guard squad, the murkier the waters became.

It seemed as if everyone in Maple City knew—except perhaps him.

No, that wasn’t right. Maybe even the Mage Tower already knew; it was just that Guze and others remained in the dark.

After all, the Mage Tower was one of the most powerful forces in Maple City.

No movement by any faction could escape its watchful eyes—

let alone those of other top-tier powers like the Warrior Guild and the City Lord’s Manor.

Li Wei grew increasingly curious: what secret lay hidden behind this affair?

Out of caution, he decided not to involve himself with anything related to this matter anytime soon.

“Mr. Li Wei, you’re here?”

Jimmy’s voice came, bright with surprise as he spotted Li Wei.

He had just gone to the Mage Tower looking for him, only to be told Li Wei had stepped out—

and now, on his way back, he’d run into him by chance.

Hearing the call, Li Wei turned. “Jimmy, what do you need?”

Jimmy hurried over. “Last month’s payment has come through. I’ve brought your fee.”

Only then did Li Wei remember—it was payout day.

Jimmy pulled a small coin pouch from his pocket and handed it over.

“Your earnings for January total 67,412 copper coins—here’s six gold and seventy-five silver.”

Li Wei tucked the pouch away and nodded. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

After bidding Jimmy farewell, Li Wei returned to the Mage Tower.

First, he reported to Guze, so the old man wouldn’t go searching for him in the maple woods tomorrow.

Guze was reading in his room. He glanced up at Li Wei and said calmly, “Good that you’re back.”

He asked no further questions, made no demands for explanations.

Li Wei took his leave and returned to his chamber.

He sat before his desk, gazing at the spellbook lying open before him, lost in thought.

Though entangled in one great trouble, he had also resolved another.

From now on, he no longer needed to fear exposing the Invisibility Armor spell—

nor worry about revealing his ability to master spells in a single attempt.

Every gain bore its cost. Every loss, its benefit.

(End of Chapter)