LRAB Chapter 91 Dean Taber!
Chapter 91 Dean Taber!
Chapter 91 Dean Taber!
Zhang Chulan and Lu Xiaobai entered the house.
The earth-shattering screams from the Lu family troupe outside could still be faintly heard, but the atmosphere inside the house was completely different, quiet and solemn.
Zhang Chulan glanced at them:
Seated at the head of the table was Tian Jinzhong, the advisor, and next to him was Lu Jin, the old master, with a furrowed brow.
The old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei stood beside Elder Tian, his face calm.
The two foreign visitors in the guest seats were the most eye-catching.
On the left is an elderly man dressed in a simple white monk's robe, most notably his long hair that almost reaches his waist.
With his long, snow-white hair and thick beard, which flowed like a silver waterfall, he exuded an aura of wisdom and experience.
On the right is a middle-aged man with a straight posture, dressed in a pure black suit.
His face was angular and sharp, his expression was unusually serious, his lips were tightly pressed together, and his eyes were sharp and deep, like a silent black rock.
When Lu Xiaobai appeared, the two visitors' eyes immediately focused on him.
The old man with the white beard looked surprised at first, but then his eyes were filled with deep love and relief.
Although the serious-looking middle-aged man in black still had a stern face, his tightly pursed lips seemed to loosen slightly, and a hint of warmth flashed in the depths of his sharp eyes.
"Dean, mentor."
Lu Xiaobai stepped forward, nodded slightly to the two familiar elders, his voice still cold, but the sense of estrangement had vanished without a trace.
He first respectfully greeted Dean Taber, then turned his gaze to another person, offering his greetings.
Dean Tabor slowly stood up and carefully examined the boy in front of him, as if to confirm that this was the child from his memory.
A relieved smile appeared on his face, but deep within that smile lay an unyielding bitterness.
"Little Bai—" Dean Tabor's voice was hoarse with the weariness of life, his tone much like that of a grandfather who hadn't seen his grandson in a long time, feeling both heartache and an irresistible urge to scold him: "You child!"
"You didn't even tell me you were going back!"
He reached out and, as he had done countless times before, patted Lu Xiaobai's shoulder with a firm touch, his words laced with deep concern: "These past few years—do you know how many people have worried about you?"
"Everyone in the academy, especially us old folks, is worried sick! You can't even send us a single magical email to let us know you're safe? You're getting more and more inconsiderate as you grow older!"
He looked closely at Lu Xiaobai's face, which was almost unchanged from when he left a few years ago, and even more desolate, and the bitterness in his heart intensified.
Thankfully, that lively and mischievous little rascal has finally grown up and become more composed and stronger.
The bitter truth is that the price of this growth is far too high.
"He left the academy without a word, and then secretly stuffed all your research findings and notes on magical technology into the academy's restricted library section —"
Dean Taber's voice lowered, filled with deep self-reproach and heartache.
"Do you really think we old folks are blind or stupid? Can't you see what you're up to? You're so stubborn, you won't listen to any advice!"
"They always try to shoulder everything themselves! They take all the danger upon themselves!"
"We know that the pain, the feeling of losing someone important, must be like hell."
Dean Tabor's eyes were filled with heartache.
"But you should at least tell us before you do anything!"
"Let us help you, or—at least let us know where you are and what you're doing? Do you think we old folks are just for show?"
He sighed heavily, his white beard trembling. "We've lived this long, what haven't we seen? Even if we die at the hands of those dark sorcerers, it's our destiny and our duty!"
"But what about you?"
"You're so young! Your life has just begun!"
"You still have so many wonderful things to experience! What if—what if something really happens to you, what will we old folks do—what will we do—"
Dean Taber looked at the silent boy before him, the words stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken. A huge sense of guilt welled up in his heart again.
The academy suffered a devastating blow and its reputation was tarnished, leaving a single child to bear the weight of hatred and the heaviest burden.
He was clearly the one who was most injured and most in need of protection during that disaster!
The black-clad mentor stood half a step behind Dean Taber, remaining silent.
Beneath his serious face, his clenched fists betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
He looked at Lu Xiaobai with a complex expression, a mixture of sternness and scrutiny, but deeper still, an indescribable heartache.
Lu Xiaobai stood quietly, head slightly bowed, enduring Dean Taber's "lesson" which was full of reproach and endless love.
He neither argued nor refuted; he simply listened silently.
The room was completely silent.
Everyone watched this scene in silence.
Lu Jin frowned, deep in thought. Tian Jinzhong's advisor's eyes were full of pity.
Zhang Chulan looked at the white figure with mixed feelings, and for the first time felt a deep sadness and loneliness from this cold "Lu Xiaobai".
The old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei remained calm, his gaze profound.
Outside the house, the members of the Lu family troupe were still shocked by the photos they had just seen, but the conversation inside could be heard intermittently. In particular, words like "black magician," "pain," "trouble," and "hatred" aroused their strong curiosity and worry.
"Brother Er Gou!"
Bai Shixue couldn't help but whisper a question to Wang Ergou beside her, her face showing confusion and unease.
"You've seen a lot, you've been abroad, tell us, what exactly is a black magician?" Huh? That sounds terrifying!
The other kids also gathered around, staring longingly at Wang Ergou.
However, Wang Ergou's expression was very strange.
His brows were furrowed, his eyes darted around, as if he were lost in some kind of memory, and his expression was somewhat complicated.
"Ergou?"
Seeing his strange appearance, Zhi Jinhua couldn't help but call out softly again.
"Huh? Oh!" Wang Ergou suddenly came to his senses, looked at the curious and nervous gazes of his companions, took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, forced a smile on his face, and his eyes remained extremely serious.
"Excuse me, I just remembered something."
His voice was deep and serious, like never before. "Since you want to know, then I'll tell you a story from the past that I overheard while I was abroad."
"That was when I was in England, trying to perfect 'Rainbow Flow,' and I met a local magician friend."
"Once, when he was drinking, he drank a little too much and told me about something that happened in their magical world—"
A very tragic and very secretive event.
Wang Ergou's voice became somewhat hoarse, and he took another deep breath: "Which year—"