Chapter 512: Seven-Day Hearing (12)

Liu Xiuyun walked through the woods, sunlight slanting through the gaps in the trees, dust flickering and chasing the disturbed air currents between the tree gaps. He raised his head, his gaze following that current; someone had used Magic in the woods. He followed the force field of the Magic and searched, seeing several young Mages playing with a ball in the trees. Their young figures flashed between the tall trunks, and a one-way sound-insulating barrier stood nearby. He stopped to watch them for a while, then left before they discovered him.

He returned to the hall, wandered there for a while, and finally turned into a corridor. He stood at the end of the corridor for a moment, silently admiring the afterglow of the sunset outside the window. Not long after, a door nearby opened, a young man walked out, and looked at him for a moment with emotionless eyes.

He turned to look at the young man, who was as cold as an ancient blade. He realized, without thinking, that he had already lived for a century, yet he seemed to have more vitality than the man before him.

Du Zhengyi spoke his first sentence, "You woke Luo Qi up."

Liu Xiuyun was stunned; not only was Du Zhengyi indifferent to meeting him here, but he was actually carrying a sense of dissatisfaction.

He had not expected the conversation to start this way, and suddenly did not know what to say, looking stiffly at the most famous young person in Qionglin.

Du Zhengyi frowned impatiently, doing him a favor, "Luo Qi said you came to find me."

"Yes," Liu Xiuyun nodded.

"Don't do this next time." Du Zhengyi raised his hand and knocked on the door panel, "This is called knocking on the door; it is the most common way to call someone out."

Liu Xiuyun felt his blood pressure rise all at once, unable to keep his composure.

Du Zhengyi continued, "Don't use this method to test Luo Qi."

Liu Xiuyun looked into his eyes; he could not see any emotional fluctuation in Du Zhengyi. Those eyes were fearless and never hesitant.

"I assure you I had no such intention."

Du Zhengyi looked at him for a while and finally nodded.

"Has Luo Qi's body not recovered yet?" Liu Xiuyun asked. He suddenly thought that none of them had cared about Luo Qi's health for a while, and he could not help but feel a bit guilty. It seemed that all of them had subconsciously assumed the reason for Luo Qi's absence was merely an excuse he had found to avoid attending the Hearing in person.

Du Zhengyi's expression became a bit more patient, "He is recovering, he will be fine. It's just that his body is still very weak right now, and we hope he can recover for a while longer."

"Does he need to stay away from crowds to recover?" Liu Xiuyun still had some understanding of the physiological characteristics of Mind Mages.

Du Zhengyi nodded, "You want to talk to me? Let's go somewhere a bit further away; the emotions of strangers will disturb him. Forgive me for speaking bluntly, Mage Liu has a very volatile temper."

Liu Xiuyun swallowed a breath, reminding himself not to be unfortunately proven right by this little brat, and not to explode in front of him immediately.

Du Zhengyi had already turned and started walking. Liu Xiuyun followed behind the young man. They walked in silence for a stretch, passing through the corridor. Du Zhengyi was silent, his gait steady, his slender body carrying an elegant rhythm in motion; he could not help but think of a cheetah. When that creature traveled through the forest, it had the same posture—graceful and confident, carrying the control gained from occupying the top of the food chain for years. He was very annoyed with Du Zhengyi—everyone was annoyed when they saw him—but he could not help but admire him.

They stopped at the Teleportation Point at the end of the corridor. Du Zhengyi took the lead on the destination, and they ended the teleportation in a corner of a tropical rainforest. The surroundings were full of noisy insect chirps, and huge broad leaves blocked everything around them.

Du Zhengyi turned to look at him, silently waiting for him to speak first. He suddenly did not know what to say again; he could not vent his frustration of these past few days and his doubts about the Mage Society to a junior, could he? He felt awkward because of this silence, but found that the young man was more patient than him. Du Zhengyi did not urge him, waited for a while, and suddenly pulled a cigarette from his pocket, "You don't mind, right? I've been about to suffocate these past few days."

Liu Xiuyun was taken aback and shook his head.

Du Zhengyi glanced at him, "Luo Qi's lungs have just finished regrowing; the Doctor won't let me smoke near him."

"You have been with him the whole time?"

Du Zhengyi smiled, took a deep drag of the cigarette, and exhaled, saying with annoyance—though not truly that annoyed, "Yeah. Guess how many people are interested in him? Killing him is one option. Being able to control him is another. A rare commodity, isn't it?"

Liu Xiuyun did not want to answer this question.

Du Zhengyi said, "I'm going back after I finish this cigarette; I shouldn't be away for too long. But in general situations, Luo Qi can actually handle it himself."

Liu Xiuyun heard his subtle urging and suddenly spoke rashly, "Mage Bailida does not accept any evidence; he doesn't look at evidence at all."

Amidst the smoke, Du Zhengyi nodded, understanding instantly, "The type of person who fears Mind Mages?"

"This is unfair," Liu Xiuyun said indignantly.

Du Zhengyi thought for a while, still not angry, "Not many things are fair."

"What are your plans?" Liu Xiuyun looked at Du Zhengyi in surprise, "You had already thought of this?"

"There is always that possibility," Du Zhengyi said, "I will persuade Venerable Liu Li to put pressure on him."

Liu Xiuyun said disappointedly, "I don't think that will be of much use. Although we are not familiar, if I may ask, what are your other plans?"

"In the next round of the Hearing, or the one after that, I think Qionglin will support my request. Bailida has been following the Hearing; he won't be able to stand it for much longer." Du Zhengyi looked at Liu Xiuyun for a while and continued, "In the first thirty years of his life, Bailida met a female Mage, fell in love, and got married. He was living a good life until a male Mind Mage appeared and stole his wife. I heard that the Mage didn't necessarily use Mind Magic, because Bailida filed a lawsuit, and the Mind Mage Society proved that his wife had not been subjected to any mental manipulation. But I think Bailida refuses to accept this reality; he has hated Mind Mages his whole life."

"You... how do you know these things..." Liu Xiuyun asked in surprise.

"I have my channels. I am a Battle Mage, always dealing with all kinds of people with mental illnesses; collecting information is important," Du Zhengyi said nonchalantly, his mouth still as sharp as ever.

"But if you return to Qionglin now, your safety might not be guaranteed," Liu Xiuyun said, but he cheered himself up, thinking of the thing he most wanted to say when he came here, "If it really comes to that point, I am willing to coordinate with various departments to provide a relatively safe environment for Luo Qi. Although the department I manage is not responsible for security, I have been in Qionglin for a long time and have wide connections. Many departments have their own problems and won't want to take on your affairs at this time."

Du Zhengyi was truly a bit surprised; he hesitated before saying, "Thank you, Mage Liu."

Liu Xiuyun shook his head; he did not want to accept this thanks. Protecting underage Mages should have been his responsibility anyway.

"I would like to ask, Mage Liu, through these few days of the Hearing, have you already come to trust Luo Qi?" Du Zhengyi asked.

"I am a cautious, serious person," Liu Xiuyun said.

Du Zhengyi pondered for a while, "You also don't believe in Luo Qi, but if there is no evidence to prove he is guilty, you don't want to keep holding onto him."

"Guilty?" Liu Xiuyun shook his head again, glaring at Du Zhengyi, "No, I believe Luo Qi is definitely not guilty; at least until now, he has not done anything guilty. Especially with you always by his side, I believe he has had no opportunity to commit crimes. What we want to prove is not whether he is guilty; his energy is too great, and we cannot afford the weight of the crimes he might commit in the future if he is a person with ulterior motives."

"How can the human heart be proven?" Du Zhengyi asked. "There is a poem humans have—'The Duke of Zhou was fearful on the day of rumors, Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne. If they had died in the beginning, who would know the truth of their lives?' There is also a saying: 'Wait until the coffin is closed to pass judgment.' So, until the day Luo Qi passes away, will this kind of entanglement follow him forever?"

"I know you are his friend," Liu Xiuyun said, "I understand your feelings; you cannot stand such things emotionally. But we all need to consider the future of our race, and this is also your duty. Your teacher values you, and I also believe no one is more loyal and devoted than you. The contributions you have made to Qionglin are visible to all. I believe that if one day in the future Luo Qi truly goes astray, you will put duty above friendship."

"Of course," Du Zhengyi said softly, "For as long as I live, I will be loyal and devoted."

Liu Xiuyun did not know why he felt a trace of unease, but this thought was ignored before it could enter his heart. He asked Du Zhengyi, "I would like to ask, for what reason do you believe Luo Qi is harmless? Oh, this is an important piece of evidence gathering, but I don't want to bring this into a formal setting."

"Thank you," Du Zhengyi understood his good intentions and nodded to thank him.

(End of chapter)