Chapter 138: Ghost

"I'm going to kill Luo Qi!" Majiang said as he squeezed through the thicket. He could have vaulted over the treetops like Luo Qi, that wouldn't have been a problem, but the issue was that he couldn't let Guan Xinyue walk through the thicket by herself, nor could he leave her alone in the woods to wait for them, so he had no choice but to clear the path.

"Once we find Luo Qi, no matter what you two say, I'm going to slaughter that troublemaker."

Du Zhengyi was in the tree directly above him, carefully examining the traces Luo Qi had left behind, looking just like an old hunter checking for signs of a civet cat.

"How far could Luo Qi have run? He should be able to stop once he realizes he's lost, right?" Guan Xinyue asked worriedly, though she was mostly worried about caterpillars in the woods falling onto her; she had already screamed countless times along the way. She tried her best to restrain herself from being too embarrassing in front of the two Mages, but the moment she caught sight of a caterpillar, a scream would just jump right out of her throat.

She said irritably, "I want to kill him now too. Doctor, you're a Doctor, you must know many ways to kill without a knife. How about you and I, let's find a time when Du Ge isn't around and work together to finish off Luo Qi?"

Majiang was very interested in this proposal, slowing his pace to discuss with Guan Xinyue how they could finish off Luo Qi behind Du Zhengyi's back, as if Du Zhengyi weren't right above their heads at this very moment.

After a while, Guan Xinyue said with certainty, "Luo Qi will definitely stop once he realizes he's lost."

"How so?" Majiang asked.

"He'll stop and wait for his boss to save him," Guan Xinyue said, kicking a stone into the mountain stream beneath the trees. "You say Luo Qi doesn't trust people? It's actually not that serious. Once Luo Qi develops trust in someone, he basically won't doubt them again, so winning his trust, honestly speaking, is worth it. It's just that it's quite troublesome afterward, because according to my observations, Luo Qi needs his boss to care for him every three hours on average. My family once had a baby stay with us, so I know that babies need to be fed every three hours."

Majiang burst out laughing, "What you're saying is kind of interesting."

"Of course," Guan Xinyue said earnestly, "Luo Qi doesn't trust you that much because his primary caregiver is the boss; you can only count as his secondary caregiver, and you have too many demands on him."

Majiang chuckled, looking up to observe Du Zhengyi in the tree, who for some reason had suddenly stopped and was standing in the tree looking down at them.

"What's wrong, Du Zhengyi?" Majiang said with a smile, "You aren't being that protective of your own, are you? What's wrong with saying a word?"

"Quiet," Du Zhengyi frowned impatiently.

"What is it now?" Majiang said.

But Guan Xinyue immediately shut her mouth; her few experiences following Du Zhengyi had made her develop the habit of doing exactly as he said whenever he was serious. As soon as Du Zhengyi's face fell, she would worry that it was another critical moment.

"I sense Luo Qi," Du Zhengyi said in a low voice. He looked at the woods behind Majiang and Guan Xinyue; the wind blew and the trees swayed, yet the birds were silent.

"Is Luo Qi nearby?" Majiang said, his voice also dropping; he knew Luo Qi was not in the immediate vicinity.

"I can feel his Yajian," Du Zhengyi said, looking up toward the distance behind Guan Xinyue, "I don't know why he suddenly intruded into the periphery of my Yajian."

Guan Xinyue couldn't help herself and whispered to Majiang, "Three hours."

Majiang smiled and glanced at her too, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Du Zhengyi take a deep breath. His smile faded, and he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. I can only feel fear, anxiety," Du Zhengyi muttered, "Is he trying to tell me something? Fear, fear, fear, and severe anxiety. Ah..."

Du Zhengyi's expression changed. A strange wind blew from the depths of the forest; he raised his head, closed his eyes, and inhaled the damp, gloomy scent in the wind. Cold blue Ice Flame suddenly appeared in his hands.

Guan Xinyue let out a scream at the sight. Majiang grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side. Caught off guard, Guan Xinyue slipped and fell into the mountain stream beside them. Just as her hands landed on the stones by the water, she caught a glimpse of a figure in her peripheral vision. She lay on the ground, turning her head with a stiff neck; a dark man was standing behind her, as if he had been standing right against her.

Her teeth chattered, and a terrified shudder spread through her entire body. The man's eyes seemed to flash with fire; in this moment, she finally realized how realistic those paintings of hellish ghosts were. His eyes were chilling; she could barely see what he actually looked like, and she didn't dare look into his eyes, yet she lacked the ability to even turn her head away. He stared at her tightly and excitedly, as if among the three of them, he had picked her out to strike at first glance.

A flash of light suddenly streaked over her head, like a Lightning Technique; she discovered in terror that the bolt had passed almost right against her scalp, and her hair was even floating due to the electric field. In this terrifying instant, everything seemed to slow down, everything became clear, and she even smelled the peculiar scent of the air during a lightning strike. But then she realized that it was Du Zhengyi attacking the ghost behind her. This attack saved her, and that thing behind her—assuming it was a person—flickered and vanished.

"Teleportation?" she heard Majiang say. His large hand reached out at the same time, pulling her up as if she were a ragdoll and dragging her to his side. She managed to feel a bit of safety, but she had seen Du Zhengyi use Teleportation and knew how eerie and terrifying this ability was; even Majiang might not know where to dodge.

"No wonder the information Luo Qi sent was so anxious," Du Zhengyi said slowly, and Guan Xinyue finally managed to catch her breath.

His voice remained steady, and even the tone he usually spoke in hadn't changed, but the situation was actually far from optimistic. He glanced at Guan Xinyue, who was nearly paralyzed and could only stand by leaning on Majiang. She was too weak, and even Majiang himself was just a Doctor; his companions had always been a burden in his battles, but he had never dealt with a High-Reaction Mage in such an unfavorable situation. He didn't know where Luo Qi was either; he couldn't imagine how Luo Qi had discovered the presence of a High-Reaction Mage. Special Energy Fields sometimes attracted High-Reaction Mages with unstable mental states; ever since he had Luo Qi, this "good luck charm," he really had been having terrible luck. He hoped Luo Qi could understand the situation right now and know that the best strategy was to run away immediately; he really couldn't look after anyone else.