Chapter 103: Our Boss Sent Me to Beg for Your Help!

Majiang returned to the main room and sat down on the chair facing the door at the round table. A book was spread open on the table. He rested both arms on the armrests of the chair, his whole body looking as if it were slumped into the chair. The book was not being read, but whenever someone started to speak, he would firmly raise a hand with the aura of a Doctor at work, sternly signaling them to shut up.

Du Zhengyi looked at Luo Qi and pointed his chin in Majiang's direction. Luo Qi walked over to the Doctor without a care. "Doctor, our boss sent me to beg for your help!"

"Useless, get lost," Majiang said.

"Doctor, what does the wanted poster say about our boss?" Luo Qi cheekily pulled up a chair and sat at Majiang's table. The black cat crawled out of his pocket, jumped onto the table, stepped on the pages of Majiang's book, and lay down there.

Majiang stared at the cat. The black cat stretched out a paw, licked it, and rolled over on the book. "Sending a cat to act cute, do you have no shame?"

Luo Qi gave a grand, smug laugh. "You didn't see my glorious performance today; it was all thanks to the support of my cat brothers. Three Battle Mages, all defeated at my hands. That idiot Venerable inside didn't even dare to show his face, and the two Peripheral Mages keeping watch outside didn't even dare to get close."

"Really?" Majiang asked skeptically. Although he was ninety percent disbelieving, if a Venerable, three Battle Mages, and two Peripheral Mages had truly appeared at the same time, even if Du Zhengyi had managed to escape by luck, it was unlikely he would be in such a relaxed and casual state now. He looked up and glared at Du Zhengyi, questioning him.

Du Zhengyi nodded.

"You've got to be kidding," Majiang couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. "He just went around with a circus like that?"

Luo Qi spread his arms dramatically, as if a magician taking a perfect final bow.

"I've never seen my grandfather have anything to do with animals," Guan Xinyue said curiously from the side. "Can you let me hold the cat?"

"You'll have to ask for its free will; I can't control their consciousness too much or too precisely, it's not very comfortable. But this cat has a nice personality; don't touch that fat orange cat," Luo Qi said. Watching Guan Xinyue carefully reach out to touch the little black cat, he turned his head back and smiled slyly at Majiang. "Or should I tell you about my heroic feat?"

"Go ahead and tell me, I'll broaden my horizons," Majiang said.

Luo Qi perked up and recounted his battle with vivid, embellished detail. Majiang had nothing to say, finding it unbelievable even as he thought about it, and finally asked, "What did you call the Venerable? An idiot?"

Luo Qi was startled, knowing he had gotten a bit carried away. With Du Zhengyi, nothing was ever a big deal, but other Mages were not like that.

Majiang sighed. "Do you know that once the process of appealing Li Xu is finished, you will have to return to our reality? The final hurdle will very likely be the Committee requiring you to accept questioning in person."

"Questioning in person?" Luo Qi nearly jumped up.

"Do you know that in your current state, it's not even certain if you can pass the Mind Mage test?" Majiang said. "One slip-up and you'll give yourself away, and both you and your father will have to undergo investigation. Your father might be excessive, but at worst he just loses the trust of Qionglin; you, however, could be recorded as a problem youth. From then on, Mind Mages will constantly evaluate you, and you might end up being classified as a High-Reaction Mage along with your beloved boss."

"What?" Luo Qi's eyebrows shot up. "I thought they just disagreed with Du Zhengyi accusing Li Xu and were pinning my disappearance on Du Zhengyi! Why are they also calling Du Zhengyi a High-Reaction Mage? Are they crazy? I heard he's a Battle Mage too, and has brought many High-Reaction Mages to justice."

Guan Xinyue, having successfully earned the right to hold the cat, stroked the little black cat and said, "Isn't that like the common scene in American dramas? The capable detective is eventually framed as a criminal."

Hearing this, Luo Qi pondered for a moment and turned to look at Du Zhengyi, who was still standing at the door. "Is there any evidence?"

Majiang also looked toward Du Zhengyi, but before Du Zhengyi could speak, he regained his confidence and said, "Even if there is evidence, it must be forged. We just need to produce evidence to refute it. Once Pei Shu returns to work, relying on his prestige, he will gain the support of more Mages. Otherwise, people who work earnestly will have no way to get things done."

"They don't have any evidence," Du Zhengyi said in a low voice. "Their main evidence is that my partner casualty rate is too high, and that I have used force to injure people too many times."

Majiang looked at him, stunned, and was speechless for a moment.

"What are the standards for 'too high' and 'too many'?" Luo Qi asked, frowning.

"It's roughly the average, or..." Du Zhengyi paused, "or perhaps I am too willing to do dangerous things. They believe my behavior is because I have excessive aggression and a bloodthirsty heart."

"What is that? What is the standard for a bloodthirsty heart? What kind of situation counts as a bloodthirsty heart? That's a load of crap, just like trying to examine whether someone is a good person or a bad person—where is the standard? Does a flash of evil thought count? Besides gods and Buddhas, who dares to say they have never had an evil thought?" Luo Qi said angrily. "I've always really wanted to kill Zhao Zhiyan! Damn, that felt good to say."

No one answered him. Majiang looked at him in surprise. He ignored Majiang's gaze and sat there, seething with resentment.

Guan Xinyue said in a low voice, "I think this is like asking if Du Ge actually ate two bowls of rice noodles, right?"

Luo Qi met her eyes, and both of them felt a bit disgusted at the same time, shivering slightly.

"What?" Majiang said. "What kind of reference is that again? You two are always saying things we don't understand!"

Luo Qi said in a low voice, "Let the Bullets Fly, a movie. Never mind it, I feel uncomfortable just thinking about it."

Guan Xinyue said, "Me too."

"There is no need to prove one's innocence," Luo Qi muttered. "Everything that forces someone to prove their innocence is a setup; they just want to force you to your death."

Majiang nodded. "Luo Qi isn't stupid; he's right. I think Fan Shi wants a 'groundless' accusation. This matter might ultimately be targeting Pei Shu."

"Did the other Venerables not speak up for Du Ge?" Guan Xinyue asked. "Aren't there nine Venerables in total?"

"The duty of the Venerables themselves is to evaluate Mage ranks and adjudicate good and evil. They are somewhat similar to supreme judges in a broad sense," Majiang said. "I don't know how many of the other Venerables have been lobbied by Fan Shi, but in terms of procedure, they cannot make Fan Shi withdraw the request for investigation. However, according to what I gathered this afternoon, the department heads, except for Zuo Yu, mostly support Fan Shi, and a small number are remaining silent."

"Zuo Yu?" Du Zhengyi was slightly surprised. Thinking of that Great Mage he had always looked down upon, he didn't know what to think for a moment.

"Hmph." Luo Qi suddenly sneered. He was startled, and Luo Qi said, "I'm a Mind Mage too, you know. Maybe one day I'll be able to dig into their brains, dig out everyone's dark little secrets, and write a beautiful notebook."

No one spoke. Finally, Majiang smiled. "I'm actually looking forward to it a little."