Chapter 206: The Missing Luo Qi

Du Zhengyi woke from a nightmare, the lingering ache of a splitting headache still pulsing in his head. He reached out to rub his forehead, then turned his head to see that the blackout curtain was only half-drawn. Morning light filtered in through the sheer curtain on the other side, and he closed his eyes again.

He drew a long breath of air. Majiang and Guan Xinyue heard the sound and walked over. Without even looking, Du Zhengyi asked, "What happened to Luo Qi?"

Majiang gave a dry laugh. "He went to get breakfast; that kid just loves getting up early."

Guan Xinyue was a bit nervous, hiding behind the tall man and tucking herself into the shadows.

"He isn't in the hotel," Du Zhengyi said.

With his lie exposed, Majiang pushed up his glasses, his thick-skinned composure holding firm. "That's strange. How... how did you know Luo Qi wasn't here? He almost never uses any Energy Magic in his daily life."

Du Zhengyi smiled with difficulty. "When Luo Qi is around, my headache isn't nearly as severe." And he wouldn't have nightmares, though that part wasn't so easy to say out loud.

Majiang nodded in understanding. "He is an output-type Telepath, and a gentle, optimistic one at that."

"When he's in a bad mood, being around him is also a trial. To be fair, he is a person of intense emotions," Du Zhengyi said with a faint smile. "Like two sides of a coin."

"Want some water?" Majiang asked. "You still need to sleep a while longer to recover."

"Did you fail to keep an eye on Luo Qi again?" Du Zhengyi asked patiently from his pillow.

"He was just... bored stiff here, so he slipped out for a stroll. He'll be back in a bit." Majiang watched Du Zhengyi's expression carefully.

Du Zhengyi closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Luo Qi could spend an entire day picking at his fingers in a broom closet; how could he possibly feel so bored that he'd go missing?"

Majiang didn't say a word, refraining from arguing with Du Zhengyi. He knew Du Zhengyi would soon fall back into a sleep, and if he were going to throw a tantrum, it wouldn't be today.

Du Zhengyi was indeed powerless, and he asked vaguely, "What day is it today?"

"The second day," Majiang said, looking at the morning light outside the window. Du Zhengyi truly couldn't say anything more and drifted back into a deep sleep.

Majiang let out a breath and turned back to lock eyes with Guan Xinyue. After a long while, Majiang asked, "Tell me, is he being reasonable? Why is he so protective? When has Luo Qi ever been as well-behaved as he claims?"

Guan Xinyue shrugged. "That's just how unreasonable it is. You aren't blind; Luo Qi has always been as obedient as a cat in front of his superiors."

"Do you really not know where Luo Qi went? It's been a full day and night. Girl, if you know, tell me quickly. I'm doing this for Luo Qi's own good," Majiang said, looking at Guan Xinyue with agitation.

"I really don't know." Guan Xinyue sat down on the sofa. "When have you ever seen Luo Qi tell us the truth? With this one here collapsed, Luo Qi would never stay with us just to pick at his fingers."

Majiang sighed helplessly. "Right, this isn't your fault; I was the one who was careless. I saw he was suffering and had a moment of weakness, so I didn't keep watching him."

"Why don't you go look for him?" Guan Xinyue suggested.

"I can't leave," Majiang said. "Du Zhengyi is still in his recovery period and lacks the ability to protect himself; it would be too dangerous if I left too. I just hope Luo Qi doesn't run into trouble. Fortunately, to many people, Luo Qi is still a person who doesn't exist at all; perhaps no one will notice him."

"Then why did Du Ge's illness come on so suddenly? Luo Qi also said there were no external injuries at all, and he just suddenly collapsed," Guan Xinyue said.

Majiang looked at the sleeping Du Zhengyi, lowered his head, and said nothing.

"When will Du Ge's illness be completely cured?" Guan Xinyue asked in a low voice.

Majiang did not answer her, but the lack of an answer said enough in itself.

"Luo Qi must be very miserable."

"Miserable is an understatement," Majiang said. "Do you remember when we had to make you stay away from Luo Qi? An A-Grade Telepath with chaotic cognitive abilities is a disaster. Luo Qi cannot face the suddenly unfolding Consciousness Space; he needs an Anchor Point to stabilize his Consciousness World and rebuild his cognitive abilities."

"What does that actually mean?" Guan Xinyue asked, puzzled. "I can't imagine it."

"It's like... like this real world and the Consciousness World are overlapping, and sometimes it's not just Luo Qi's own Consciousness World—every conscious mind capable of thought in this world is open to him. If Luo Qi stands in a plaza, then the subjective worlds of thousands of humans, Mages, pigeons, and stray cats are all open to him simultaneously. He can look through thousands of pairs of eyes at the same plaza; he can hear the voices of their thoughts, and he can even see their imaginations, their absurd subjective worlds. He can see his own memories, and he can see the memories of others, so when he turns his head, he sees his own past, but simultaneously sees thousands of different pasts," Majiang said.

"Zhuangzi's dream of the butterfly?" Guan Xinyue said. "I think I understand a little. One Zhuangzi and one butterfly, and they can't tell who is who. Even humans often have the illusion of whether reality is truly reality."

Majiang nodded. "Luo Qi is constantly situated in the Myriad Forest, with a thousand mirrors before his eyes. He looks into the mirrors and sees a thousand faces; he must know which face is his own."

Guan Xinyue thought about it nervously. "That's a bit terrifying."

"Take you, for example. If you had a very realistic dream, when you woke up, you might be confused for a moment. How do you distinguish between the dream and reality?" Majiang said.

"I... I would probably think about who I am and where I am. Then I would recall many details; real memories are always clearer than dreams," Guan Xinyue said.

Majiang smiled slightly. "But imagine if Luo Qi had been in the Consciousness World for a long time. He can clearly perceive the details of everyone's memories, the details of the spirit, the details of the body, the details of the soul—so which one is himself? It's as if Luo Qi is constantly having dreams that are as real as his own memories."

"So he needs an Anchor Point." Guan Xinyue finally realized she understood.

"Right, he needs an Anchor Point," Majiang said approvingly. "If a person is a Telepath from childhood and their telepathic ability increases gradually, then the self will instinctively continue to strengthen. For example, the deepest memories of childhood, then constantly layering on top to form branches, and all the worlds of one's life are hung on this tree. But Luo Qi—he suddenly entered the world of high-level Telepaths, and what's worse, his parents implanted a false Anchor Point in his childhood memories."

"So he doubts all of his own memories?" Guan Xinyue covered her mouth in horror.

"Self-doubt is terrifying for a high-level Telepath. In their disorientation, their instincts will engage in self-defense. Low-level Mages and humans would be completely destroyed; that is a hellish scene I dare not imagine. So, according to the style of the Qionglin, Luo Qi is indeed a High-Reaction Mage with extremely high danger, and that has nothing to do with his own good or evil," Majiang said.