Chapter 514: Liu Xiuyun

"Mage Liu, please wait a moment."

Liu Xiuyun stopped in his tracks, and the figure of Du Zhengyi emerged from the shadows of the corner; judging by his expression, he should already have known about his performance at the Hearing.

Du Zhengyi walked quickly toward him, and the few remaining figures in the corridor disappeared quickly after seeing clearly that it was him. Du Zhengyi walked straight up to him, a flash of confusion in his eyes, "Mage Liu, what exactly happened? Or was there something in what I said yesterday that caused you to misunderstand?"

"Mage Du," Liu Xiuyun said, "Bailida suddenly retracted his opinion that Luo Qi was guilty."

"Very wise," Du Zhengyi said casually, looking at Liu Xiuyun with suspicion.

"Mage Du, don't you find it strange?" Liu Xiuyun said.

"The way he originally insisted that Luo Qi was guilty and refused to budge was even stranger," Du Zhengyi said.

"That wasn't strange, that was just annoying," Liu Xiuyun said calmly. "A person as disgusting as him wouldn't suddenly decide to become easy to talk to overnight."

Du Zhengyi's expression changed; he wanted to say something but held it back. "You mean Luo Qi made him change his mind?"

"Mage Du, if you are truly willing to talk to me seriously and think about it seriously, who else could have suddenly reversed his thinking?" Liu Xiuyun said.

"Luo Qi didn't leave his room at all yesterday," Du Zhengyi said stiffly.

"You left with me yesterday," Liu Xiuyun said thoughtfully.

"I don't think..."

"Mage Du, do you think that if Luo Qi wanted to accomplish such a thing, he would lack the intelligence, determination, and ability to act? Yesterday we talked about Luo Qi's character, but we didn't talk about Luo Qi's ability, because in the world of Mages, people have always only regarded Magic Ability as ability. Now let us all speak realistically: how many times has Luo Qi successfully turned the tide when he had no ability at all or when the strength gap was vast? Don't say that these were all because of Luck."

To his surprise, the stern Battle Mage suddenly laughed when he said the last sentence.

He was taken aback, staring blankly at Du Zhengyi. Du Zhengyi suppressed his smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. But... when I first met him in Liu Li's office, that was exactly what Liu Li told me—Luo Qi's Luck is very high."

"What?" Liu Xiuyun doubted his ears were working properly. "Liu Li... Venerable?"

"Yes," Du Zhengyi said. "The Venerable said personally that Luo Qi's Luck is very high, and that is the reason why they assigned Luo Qi to me."

Liu Xiuyun froze for a moment, then came back to his senses and said, "Mage Du, the only thing I believe in is the truth, and the only thing I must ensure is that Luo Qi will not harm society; he will not use his ability to violate the thoughts of others at will. If he is being wronged, I will fight for him to the end because he is the future of our people. But the situation is exactly the opposite; he is proving that he is a very dangerous person, acting right in front of all of us."

"If Luo Qi wanted to do that, he would have done it long ago; among those attending the meeting, only Liu Li and Xiang Qian are perhaps people he cannot overcome."

"Mage Du, Luo Qi may look very much like a child," Liu Xiuyun said suddenly.

Du Zhengyi waited for him, and he continued, "But judging from the files, he is a child who is very good at strategy."

Du Zhengyi was expressionless, merely nodding politely. "Regardless, I respect your opinion."

"Sorry, I have always felt that there is something wrong with Luo Qi. If it weren't for Bailida's sudden change in attitude, I wouldn't want to speculate about a child at will. Regardless..." He repeated Du Zhengyi's words, then insisted on continuing, "Tomorrow I might be able to find key evidence proving that there is a problem with Luo Qi."

"Then, will you return to Qionglin tonight?" Du Zhengyi asked suddenly.

Liu Xiuyun looked at Du Zhengyi in confusion, not grasping the suggestion he had suddenly made.

"Mage Liu, according to your speculation, the person who attacked Bailida will also attack you tonight, won't they? A Mind Mage of Luo Qi's caliber doesn't even need to appear in front of you to twist your thoughts, so you should put more distance between yourself and Luo Qi," Du Zhengyi said.

"Do you suspect him too?" Liu Xiuyun asked, though he knew the answer must be negative.

Du Zhengyi shook his head. "Mage Liu, you not being here is fairer to Luo Qi."

Liu Xiuyun sighed in disappointment, his throat feeling somewhat blocked. "Mage Du, I am not accusing Luo Qi of being guilty. But I believe that with your intelligence and experience, you should also have seen that things are not normal."

"I have seen too many abnormalities in my life; I have already become accustomed to the fact that many abnormalities themselves have no answers. Not knowing the answer does not make me feel uncomfortable," Du Zhengyi said flatly.

"Mage Du," Liu Xiuyun said, "I have heard a rumor that your Psychic Beast belonging to the Fifty-Seventh Institute was teleported back to the institute under accidental circumstances. That Psychic Beast was carrying bloodstains, and someone checked the Psychic Beast's final attack memory and believed the target of the attack was your companion at the time, Luo Qi. Did you ever attack Luo Qi of your own volition? Can I ask you to answer why you did that at the time?"

Du Zhengyi's complexion did not change at all, and Liu Xiuyun realized with disappointment that it was impossible to get any real subconscious reaction from a professional Battle Mage. However, as his thoughts turned, he suddenly realized that Du Zhengyi's silence this time was exceptionally long. He had hit upon a point worth suspecting.

"If I wanted to attack Luo Qi, I wouldn't need to go to such great lengths; his ability to protect himself is equivalent to that of an infant," Du Zhengyi said dryly. "He is a little boy who attracts trouble wherever he goes, and no matter where he goes, he attracts felines; there is nothing strange about being swiped by a lion."

"Let's see it through to the end," Liu Xiuyun took a step back, moved away from the corner, and decided to end this conversation. "I will not leave tonight; I will not retreat from any battlefield."

Du Zhengyi nodded slightly, made no comment on his slightly hostile declaration, and politely took a few steps back before turning to leave.

Liu Xiuyun's clenched fist loosened slightly, then clenched again. His head felt a bit dizzy, and suddenly a chill of fear slowly rose from the bottom of his stomach. He turned his head and looked suspiciously at the empty corridor, suddenly shivering; he hesitated for a moment before walking quickly toward his room. If Luo Qi intended to come for him tonight, he had to be prepared.

Everyone~ Happy National Day!

Happy Birthday to the Motherland!!!

(End of chapter)