Chapter 453: Leaving a Note

Dim light filtered through countless dark red gauze curtains, casting mottled, blood-colored light of varying brightness onto the floor. The great hall was empty, and the plants winding through the corners of the curtains were the only living things here, radiating a sense of comfort that no one understood.

The Teleportation Point leading to the lower level of the hall flickered, and a dainty black cat appeared on the open ground. It first stretched, then, as if driven by someone, twisted its rear and walked forward very reluctantly. After three steps at most, it suddenly stopped and looked back suspiciously, its cat eyes vigilantly staring at some invisible point. But as an animal, its attention could not stay focused for that long, and it soon yawned again. It turned around, lowered its shoulder blades, lifted its head slightly, and stared ahead. Then, it leaped gracefully into the air, jumping about a meter, and bared its claws, which happened to dig fiercely into the Highland Mage's expensive gauze curtain. It climbed all the way to the top, pulling two threads out of the gauze as it went, looking like bloodstains.

A moment later, two figures appeared one after another on this small patch of open ground, both looking up at the cat.

Luo Qi frowned. Man and cat confronted each other for a second. The black cat let go of the snagged gauze, twisted its body in mid-air, and pounced at Luo Qi's head. Luo Qi let out a low, annoyed growl, and at the very last moment, the black cat reluctantly adjusted its direction and landed on Luo Qi's shoulder.

Liu Ziyi watched the entire process of Luo Qi retracting his detector with the meticulousness and enthusiasm of a Scholar. She looked at the kitten with interest, "A bit hard to manage, huh? My senior brother is even more obedient to you than it is. Why?"

"Why would Du Zhengyi be obedient to me?" Luo Qi looked at her with some vigilance. To go deeper, this could be interpreted as an accusation that he had mind-controlled Du Zhengyi; in another context, it could be an accusation against a Mind Mage.

"Ah?" Liu Ziyi looked at him, confused. "I was asking why a mere cat is actually able to not cooperate with a Mind Archmage."

"Oh." Luo Qi realized and felt a bit awkward for his misunderstanding. He looked at Liu Ziyi again. "Luoruiqi isn't entirely a cat. Its brain structure is much more complex than a cat's, and it has some special Telepathy abilities. Although technically I can completely control it, completely controlling any sentient creature would cause them a certain amount of Mental Damage."

Liu Ziyi showed an expression of understanding and nodded.

The kitten tilted its head, stuck out its pink tongue, and licked Luo Qi's ear. Luo Qi raised his hand and rubbed its neck, muttering in a low voice, "Actually, I don't really have the heart to send it up to scout the path."

"I understand," Liu Ziyi said, assuring Luo Qi, "I won't make that suggestion next time."

Luo Qi glanced at her. The black cat was perking up on his shoulder, its claws gripping his jacket tightly, refusing to go back into his pocket as if it hadn't slept enough. As an excellent cat servant, he complied with the cat's will and carried it as he walked cautiously through the curtains. In the spaces separated by the curtains, one could vaguely see some personal items left behind.

"Do you feel anyone else?" Liu Ziyi asked, following behind him. Luo Qi heard her lifting the gauze curtains from time to time as she walked, curiously peering inside. "How large is the range you can see?"

Luo Qi did not answer. He hesitated as he walked along a small path, wondering if he should waste time checking the Qionglin Office in the corner of the hall. The place where he stood was close to the center of the entire hall. Now he knew what the only fixed fountain in the hall was for; at a time like this, the fountain in the center of the hall was like a landmark that could be used for positioning.

"I am very worried about Guan Xinyue," Liu Ziyi said, following behind him with concern. "She is not a Mage. If no one notifies her when the evacuation happens, she might be left behind."

"Oh, you mean this." Luo Qi turned back to look at her. "She is not here; I cannot feel her. The entire building, including the four botanical gardens here, is empty." The moment he turned his head to speak to Liu Ziyi, he suddenly saw something placed by the fountain.

From a few steps away, he estimated it was a book, a paper book. Highland Mages do not read paper books.

Luo Qi did not hesitate and turned to head straight for the fountain. No one would ever throw things near a Highland Mage's fountain. Located in the middle of the grand hall, even if the Highland Mages didn't say it was sacred, everyone would instinctively avoid it. Except for Guan Xinyue; she had once thrown a one-yuan coin here. Luo Qi didn't intend to tell anyone about this; he silently felt that the Highland Mages might Curse her for it.

When he was one last step away from the fountain, Luo Qi's heart was almost jumping out of his ribs. His eyes were fixed tightly on that Jin Yong novel that should have been lying on his bed, staring until his eyes ached.

Liu Ziyi trotted to catch up. Just as Luo Qi reached out to grab the book, she arrived at his side and asked eagerly, "What did you find?"

"This is my book!" Luo Qi narrowed his eyes, staring at the ink painting on the cover.

"Isn't this Du Zhengyi's book? I saw him reading it all the time recently," Liu Ziyi said subconsciously after glancing at the familiar book cover.

"Nonsense, what's my brother's is mine." Luo Qi swallowed, asserting his ownership, his brain spinning wildly, guessing who it was, and why they had brought it here.

Liu Ziyi wasn't very interested in whose book it was. Her train of thought was consistent with Luo Qi's. "Someone went into your room and took one of your personal items, specifically throwing it in this most conspicuous place. They must want to tell you something."

Luo Qi looked at the name on the cover and said carelessly, "Yeah, maybe they want to tell me that to survive this disaster, I must practice the martial arts introduced in this book. So, first of all, I need to castrate myself." Liu Ziyi's eyes widened. Luo Qi glanced at her and explained, "This is *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*."

Liu Ziyi blinked; his explanation didn't help her much either.

"Forget it, don't mind what I say. Your senior brother can already automatically filter out my nonsense, you should work hard too, Junior Sister." Luo Qi flipped through the book quickly, wanting to see if there was a note tucked inside or words written on the inner pages. But at a glance, there was nothing, only a broken Pine Branch tucked inside, seemingly used as a bookmark. He touched the Pine Branch; it must have been broken off from the Temperate Garden. "When I flipped through this book last time, there was definitely nothing tucked in it, and Du Zhengyi doesn't need a bookmark when he reads."

"So you mean someone intentionally let you see it to convey some information? But why a Pine Branch, can you guess?" Liu Ziyi asked.

Luo Qi shook his head; his mind was indeed a blank.

"Maybe they want to wish me a long life," Luo Qi said with a dark face. "You know, pines and cypresses are evergreen."