Chapter 168: Negotiation

Du Zhengyi pulled the curtains completely shut and adjusted the air conditioner to keep the room at a more comfortable temperature. "There's no need to be so worried; there haven't been any signs of things spiraling out of control so far. Why are you still acting like some backwater wizard, getting the creeps just hearing the words 'Mind Mage'? You're a Mind Mage yourself—are you afraid of looking in a mirror?"

"If I may answer, I'm actually afraid of myself when I go crazy," Luo Qi said, earning a flick to the forehead from Du Zhengyi.

He rubbed his forehead and sat cross-legged on the sofa, hands resting on his ankles, looking for all the world like a frog.

"How could there possibly be an unregistered Mind Archmage?" Luo Qi said indignantly. "This whole thing just doesn't make sense."

"In time, you will become an unregistered Mind Archmage. Since your father managed to do it, there's no reason others can't. There are very few people who are truly one-of-a-kind. Since you exist, you are certainly not an isolated case; there must be other examples similar to you," Du Zhengyi said.

"Nonsense, I am one-of-a-kind." Luo Qi started acting unreasonably whenever he was in a bad mood. He crossed his arms over his chest, stewed in his own nameless frustration for a moment, then deflated and said, "Do you think this person could be Clownfish?"

"Actually, there is a high probability that he is Clownfish," Du Zhengyi said, deep in thought.

Luo Qi looked up at him, like a primary school student waiting for a teacher to explain.

Du Zhengyi glanced at him and continued, "Three years ago, this Mind Mage was someone whose origins couldn't be traced, and Clownfish is also someone whose origins even Shui Xiansheng cannot trace. However, since he could be sent by the Lotus Burner to kill us, he is certainly no ordinary person. Especially since among the people he wants to kill is an Advanced Telepath like you, the possibility that the assassin sent is also a telepath is very high. Don't you think that looking at it this way, these two people have a great deal of overlap?"

Luo Qi nodded; he knew that what Du Zhengyi said made a lot of sense.

Du Zhengyi continued, "Shui Xiansheng's information must come from within the Lotus Burner. It is possible for insiders to know Clownfish's true identity, and Shui Xiansheng never sells false information. In this light, he has actually told us an important characteristic of a Mind Master. Luo Qi, this welcome gift he gave you is not light in weight."

Luo Qi nodded earnestly and said distractedly, "I really am adorable."

Du Zhengyi couldn't help but laugh, but thinking of the current situation, he quickly reined in his smile. "I have a premonition that whatever is about to happen in Ganzhou will be no small matter. I want to go and see. This feeling of being left on the sidelines is truly hard to bear."

"No!" Luo Qi said immediately and vehemently. "No, we've already trusted Wen Lin on this matter. Just believe that the world will keep turning without you. Wen Lin and the others aren't fools, they have enough manpower, and they aren't conspicuous. Let's just wait until he has further news before we make plans."

Du Zhengyi pondered for a moment without saying anything immediately. It was already rare enough that he had deigned to consult with Luo Qi; he couldn't even remember ever discussing a course of action with any other colleague.

But Luo Qi waited thirty seconds without hearing any feedback and immediately bristled, jumping off the sofa and roaring, "What exactly do you want? There have already been two precedents, and this time even *that* person has come out—where else are you trying to go? Do you not know who you are? I'm a nobody, I'm a person who doesn't exist on any record, but who are you? You're Du Zhengyi! You're a damn stadium floodlight, you know that? You can't hide anywhere you go; you can light up a whole street as bright as day!"

Luo Qi roared angrily at Du Zhengyi. He had forgotten who Du Zhengyi was, unable to care anymore, and was so angry that sweat was beading on the tip of his nose. Du Zhengyi looked down at him from above with a cold, sharp gaze. Luo Qi stared back at him, full of fury, refusing to show any weakness.

Who knew that Du Zhengyi would suddenly hiss, drawing a sharp breath, and say in a low voice, "Little one, you're like a powder keg."

Luo Qi's nerves were pulled tight, and he was in the middle of a rage, ready to take on the harsh words Du Zhengyi was about to utter, but he hadn't expected Du Zhengyi to say something like that. He reacted with astonishment for a moment, his brain out of sync, not quite understanding, only to see the corners of Du Zhengyi's mouth curl up slightly as he actually gave a faint smile.

He was a bit bewildered, suddenly realizing that the other man didn't actually have such intense emotions, and that even that cold, sharp gaze might have just been him teasing him, bullying him for being young. He sat back down on the sofa sheepishly, trying to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible. But the room was only so big; saying he was inconspicuous could only be his own psychological projection. Du Zhengyi slapped him on the head, "Who the hell are you calling a lightbulb? Just because you can talk, right? Just because you can use metaphors?"

"Ow!" Luo Qi cried out, clutching his head in pain, looking at Du Zhengyi with fury, but he no longer had any energy left.

"I can wait a while longer, wait for the reply from Wen Lin's side. But when necessary, I still have to make a trip to Ganzhou," Du Zhengyi said, still taking a step back.

Luo Qi became happy. It was rare for Du Zhengyi to concede, so he quit while he was ahead. "That's right, if the situation calls for it, of course that's how it should be."

Du Zhengyi nodded, and Luo Qi added another sentence, "Anyway, I'm going with you when the time comes."

Du Zhengyi was just about to say something, but Luo Qi interrupted him firmly, "No, now that the other side has brought out a Mind Mage, and that one at that, you need someone to watch your back. This situation isn't suitable for the Doctor to go up there. Although I'm a novice, I'm more suitable than the Doctor in this regard."

Du Zhengyi's expression didn't look good; he had been in a hurry to leave today precisely because he didn't want to expose Luo Qi. "Have you ever thought that in all the battles in history, both sides always want to take out the other's Mind Mage first? Once you follow me too close to the Abyss, you will face greater danger than anyone else. Usually, I have the confidence to take care of you, but facing *that* person, it's hard for me to even protect myself; you have no shield to speak of in front of you."

Luo Qi looked at him as if he were truly thinking, but Du Zhengyi soon realized that Luo Qi was putting on an act. Sure enough, Luo Qi shrugged his thin little shoulders, "Anyway, my legs are on my own body. If you go missing, I'll set off for Ganzhou immediately! Yay!"

Du Zhengyi bit his lip, looking at Luo Qi.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luo Qi asked curiously.

"I'm refraining from scolding you," Du Zhengyi told him, "because scolding you is already useless."

Luo Qi grinned, his eyes full of celebratory spirit, "You used to want to strike me dead; I've finally made progress!"

"Luo Qi!" Du Zhengyi sighed and said, "I'll advise you one more time. Although you've discovered you've unlocked a new, awesome skill and you might feel like you're very powerful, you are still too young. Look at Guan Xinyue, think about how you are actually the same age as her. She is like a mirror image of you; looking at her should help you see clearly just how fragile you actually are. If you were already at the age of Mahjong, with that much knowledge and experience, I would be very glad to have you helping me. I'm saying all this because I hope you understand..."

Du Zhengyi stopped and looked at Luo Qi earnestly. Luo Qi raised his head, waiting for what he had to say next.

"I hope you understand that I am being serious now, seriously telling you that I have never looked down on you. This matter has nothing to do with my opinion of you; it is purely a matter of fact. So please look at this problem with some maturity," Du Zhengyi said earnestly.

Luo Qi maintained an earnest expression, but this expression quickly turned to dullness due to boredom. "Is there more?"

Du Zhengyi frowned. Luo Qi saw that he was about to get beaten again and quickly protected his head, "I know, oh, stop with the nonsense. Don't worry, I've been growing at an accelerated rate, the speed is astonishing, just like I've been fed chemical fertilizer, don't worry."

Du Zhengyi finally gave up on saying anything more to him. Once Luo Qi started talking nonsense, the conversation became meaningless. What could he say? Luo Qi just developed more annoying habits every single day.