Chapter 437: Closing the Border

To be honest, the Highland Mages reminded Luo Qi of Du Zhengyi. Although their appearances were completely different from Du Zhengyi—after all, "monk" and "Du Zhengyi" were two words that had nothing to do with each other—the cleanliness and efficiency of their core and their high intelligence were extremely similar. After he finished shouting for help, the Highland Mages didn't ask him a single question; the ten of them neatly and efficiently entangled their Magic Arrays, directly sealing the territory's border and cutting off any possibility of Chi Yu escaping. The majestic fluctuation of Magic Energy almost flipped Luo Qi over in the world of ice and snow he had created himself.

Fortunately, it was so.

But that didn't mean the Highland Mages would let him off the hook. Luo Qi sensed that they didn't even bother to scold him; afterwards, they saved their protests for when Liu Li showed up, dumping their dissatisfaction and punishments directly onto her. After all, this incident directly violated the tacit agreement reached by both sides when the Highland Mages had initially accepted them for refuge. This was how Luo Qi understood it: this tacit agreement, maintained for thousands of years, meant that both sides would respect each other's cultural pursuits, and more importantly, that even if one were to die, one must not harm the flowers and plants of the Highland Mages.

In fact, there wasn't a single Mage from the continent who didn't have itchy hands; Luo Qi himself had seen with his own eyes Zhou Quan strip a cluster of plants bare of leaves just because he was bored. It was only because the Highland Mages weren't that heartless, and since the damage was light, they had forgiven them directly, which led many Mages to not even know that these plants were precious relics from the Ancestor Mages. At the very least, Chi Yu didn't really know. However, no one had done what Luo Qi did—directly destroying at least three hundred square meters of rare plants.

Luo Qi didn't want to recall the ensuing chaotic battle at all; he hadn't seen clearly how the Highland Mages blocked Chi Yu, or how the other Battle Mages were called out to fight Chi Yu. He only had one clear thought in his mind: Du Zhengyi really hadn't been following him in secret; he had indeed left. When people swarmed toward the Dune, Luo Qi turned and rushed back to the hall.

Someone was waiting for him in the hall, and the moment he popped his head out, his arm was grabbed in a tight grip.

Luo Qi was severely frightened and stimulated, his legs going weak, almost causing him to kneel on the ground. The fright was because he thought someone was really waiting in line to kill him—Chi Yu had failed, and now the second person in line was ready to take over. The stimulation was because he thought Du Zhengyi was waiting here for him, and he could elope with him immediately, without any hesitation. To hell with the Qionglin, to hell with returning to the mainstream Magic World, to hell with his father.

His focus finally settled on a pair of glasses and a familiar face bearing a faint anger, and then he realized all his hopes had fallen through.

It wasn't a fright, and it wasn't a stimulation. Damn it, just like life itself, he could never get the best, nor could he get the worst; he could only get the mediocre. Mediocre Mahjong!

"What are you doing?" Luo Qi stared maliciously at Mahjong and said, forcefully shrugging off his restraint.

"You got yourself into trouble again?" Mahjong said angrily. Luo Qi felt a wave of irritation coursing through his body, as if the trouble were something he had sought out himself.

"Yes, I got into trouble again. I hired Chi Yu to kill myself!" Luo Qi said mockingly.

"Don't fucking lie to me." Mahjong lowered his voice and shouted at him, "Are you a victim? Why did you run into the uninhabited desert? You actively sought out the victim status, didn't you? If Du Zhengyi were here, he would have scolded you to death by now."

"Don't fucking mention Du Zhengyi to me, he's already gone!" Luo Qi roared, "What else could I do? That little thug raised by the old fool wanted to make a move on me. Should I wait for him to find an opportunity to strike me in the back one day, or should I take the initiative to draw him out?"

Mahjong was stunned, staring blankly at Luo Qi for a long time, as if trying to see traces of decisiveness, shrewdness, and sophisticated maturity on Luo Qi's face. In the end, he only saw Luo Qi's still-tender little face, the chin a bit pointed, glaring at him with fury, lips tightly pursed in anger.

"You at least," Mahjong said in frustration, "you at least should have discussed it with me. You know, right? It's best not to decide these things by yourself. Even if you succeed, this method of yours is just too risky. If you fail, do you know that you're gambling with your entire life?"

Luo Qi didn't say a word, silently resisting Mahjong.

Mahjong waited for a while, but for some reason, he found that Luo Qi was better at using silence to crush the other person than he was. He had no choice but to speak, saying quickly in a low voice, "I don't care how you see me, but now that Du Zhengyi isn't here, I have a responsibility toward you, and I don't want him to blame me one day. Besides, even without mentioning him, we are friends, aren't we?"

Luo Qi looked up and pondered him; he couldn't trust him unconditionally the way he did Du Zhengyi. Everyone was a Telepath, a Mind Mage; Mahjong read his meaning immediately, and an awkward look flashed across his face. "But—" he couldn't finish, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

It was at this moment that Luo Qi seized the opportunity to turn and run away.

He ran along the hall to the entrance of the Teleportation Point leading underground. Zhou Quan happened to emerge from there, looking confused and dazed, but the moment he saw Luo Qi, the expression on his face immediately became interesting. "You?" he said, "Is it related to you again?"

"How did you know something happened outside? Aren't you always staying underground? Secretary," Luo Qi said with disgust, but he glanced at Mahjong, who was watching him from far behind. He had an uncomfortable feeling, as if he were abandoning the light, abandoning a friend, and going astray. But, fuck, Mahjong was a by-the-book Doctor, and the books he followed were all Qionglin's; he was the standard template of the Qionglin.

Zhou Quan laughed, "Liu Ziyi's monitors are all screaming. She said the Highland Mages have closed the territory, and all permissions to leave have been revoked. The Mages underground are a bit panicked, and I came up to scout the path for them. Did you cause trouble, brother?"

Luo Qi gave up the idea of going down to find Liu Ziyi; he had originally wanted to confirm this matter anyway. Since Zhou Quan had said it, he didn't need to go down, not to mention that there were surveillance devices everywhere below. Now, his right temple was aching particularly badly, right near his eye, as if a vein were pulsing for dear life.

He rubbed his head, "Sooner or later, I'm going to curse them until their balls shatter."

"Who is 'them'?" Zhou Quan asked shrewdly in a low voice.

Luo Qi narrowed his eyes, "Everyone."

Zhou Quan laughed it off, "I'm going to check for news over at Liu Li's office. Are you coming?"