Chapter 331: Mage Hashi

"Brother, I've mutated."

"You haven't," Du Zhengyi said impatiently. "None of us felt our hearing improve. Only you have undergone a change, so you should think about what makes you different from others."

"I have more heart than others!"

"Your Telepathy ability is stronger than others. Don't put it so strangely," Du Zhengyi said.

Luo Qi pursed his lips.

"There must be something here that enhances your Telepathy. You couldn't have heard the two of them whispering from so far away; otherwise, we would all feel it's very noisy right now. What you supposedly heard must have been their thoughts as they spoke; the spoken words intensified the strength of their Yajian," Du Zhengyi said.

"Meaning, you didn't hear our voices; you heard the clear Yajian when we spoke," Majiang explained with a smile. He was still lying on the floor, having made himself a comfortable nest with a pile of cushions. Beside him sat an exquisite and ornate silver water bottle, several delicate silver water cups, and a plate placed on a cushion, though it was filled with various kinds of beans. Majiang's lazy and idle manner was completely out of place with the Highland Mages in the hall.

Luo Qi glared at him. "You look just like a Grand Sultan of the Ottoman Empire."

"Who?" Majiang asked. "A Mage?"

"Illiterate," Luo Qi muttered.

Majiang turned back to ask Guan Xinyue, "Do you know what he's saying?"

Guan Xinyue shook her head, uninterested.

Luo Qi shrugged. "No kindred spirits."

"Maybe it's a game," Guan Xinyue offered an alternative answer to Majiang. "The Rambutan of the Ultraman Empire."

"That's something to eat, right?" Majiang asked, puzzled.

Du Zhengyi interrupted their nonsense. "Majiang, do you feel your Telepathy ability has improved?"

Majiang lounged on his comfortable cushions. "This one needs to think about it."

"Doctor!" Du Zhengyi said.

"I carefully... felt it... it seems... no." Majiang rolled his eyes. "No, can I go back to reading my book?"

"Fine then," Du Zhengyi said. "Asking him is useless; his level is too low!"

"Wang..." Majiang started, then thought better of it and swallowed the 'bastard' that was to follow. "Go ask the Highland Mages. They'll become active once they come here in a moment. Look over there, over there, those few lunatics facing the wall, posing in a posture waiting to be executed."

"That is facing the wall in Meditation," Luo Qi couldn't help but say.

"Even if it is, have you noticed that there are particularly many flowers and plants near them? They weren't placed there before, but now they are specifically placed near them," Majiang said. "I felt a particularly strong Energy Field when I walked past them, so I found a spot furthest away from them. Look at my area again, yes, that spot surrounded by three screens. The two people sitting opposite each other in the middle are clearly debating. The others look like students, all watching and seemingly taking notes. See it?"

Luo Qi and Du Zhengyi looked over there, and Luo Qi said, "Saw it, so what?"

"You see there are no plants around them at all," Majiang said. "So..."

Du Zhengyi nodded in understanding.

Luo Qi turned his head to look at Majiang in surprise. He looked like he had just come to a comfortable place to enjoy himself, focused on reading his book; he hadn't expected that he had already observed the surroundings.

Majiang added, "Look at Kawa. Ever since those Highland Mages returned, he has been talking to the Old Mage currently in front of him. Although these Highland Mages all have a decent temperament, making it a bit difficult to distinguish social status among them, my intuition tells me that he is the one in charge here. You can go talk to him later."

Luo Qi finally understood. Majiang wasn't just spouting nonsense here, nor was it because he felt his room was cramped and stifling. He had come here immediately when the Highland Mages returned to observe the situation for them.

Majiang continued, calm and composed. "These Highland Mages all look similar in style, but that's just at first glance. Just like how yellow-skinned people seeing white-skinned people for the first time would think they look similar in style, but upon closer inspection, there are many different personalities. The Highland Mages are the same."

Du Zhengyi nodded and followed Majiang's guidance to look around.

Luo Qi couldn't help but say, "You can even see personality in them? Isn't their greatest personality that they have no personality?"

Majiang glared at him, though he was quite proud; he made Du Zhengyi and Guan Xinyue laugh.

"Alright, the greatest personality—did you notice there are no females among them?" Majiang said.

Luo Qi turned his head to look around; there were indeed no females as far as his eyes could see. He had always felt this was a place for cultivation. However, he said offhandedly, "Maybe the Highland Mages' robes are too strange; the girls might be embarrassed to have half their bodies exposed, it would expose a sensitive point."

Guan Xinyue said quite provocatively, "It's also possible that this branch of you Mages has always reproduced by mitosis, asexually."

Luo Qi laughed out loud.

"Uh, Xinyue?" Majiang said. "Friendly reminder, there might be more than just Luo Qi in this hall with that kind of problem. Those few facing the wall in reflection might also be able to—hear—what you said."

Guan Xinyue froze and shut her mouth, displeased.

Majiang continued, "See that bald guy over there, the one with a beard? His mental state doesn't seem too good; he has been eating continuously. I guess that's the class you're going to take. Starting tomorrow, you might be one of the people facing the wall. Just thinking about it puts me in a good mood. Good thing I've already graduated."

Luo Qi looked at Du Zhengyi, shocked, bewildered, and panicked, so scared he was almost incoherent.

Du Zhengyi looked at him with some sympathy. "Let's go say hello first."

Luo Qi was extremely unwilling, almost like a child going to kindergarten for the first time, wishing he had to be dragged by his parents before he would go forward.

Du Zhengyi pulled him toward the fountain at the core of the Highland Mages. The most Mages were gathered here; although they were busy with their own affairs, there was a rhythm of harmonious coexistence. When they were still some distance from Kawa, the Mage beside him turned his head to look at them. Du Zhengyi paused slightly, and the Highland Mage, whose age was hard to determine, nodded, signaling that they could come over.

Luo Qi followed Du Zhengyi over. The Mage nodded and smiled at them, introducing himself first: "My name is Hashi. Are you the students sent by Pei Shu?"