Chapter 518: Nighttime Visitors (4)

"What is it?" Luo Qi saw the expression on Liu Xiuyun's face. "At this point, Mage Liu, you don't still think the Lotus Burner is just an urban legend, do you?"

Liu Xiuyun met Luo Qi's gaze; although looking into the eyes of a Mind Mage was a major taboo, he did not look away during their confrontation. He had never been a man who would easily back down.

"Lotus Burner. This is you using Qionglin and your own Magic power to vent your personal grievances."

Luo Qi looked at him in silence, his young face composed.

"Of course, you have that right," Liu Xiuyun said, staring straight at Luo Qi, his jaw tightening further. "But this is not a good start."

Luo Qi tilted his head back, his gaze shifting from Liu Xiuyun's face to look up at the ceiling; the gold threads on the ceiling had already dimmed, and the old-fashioned sofa beneath him still had springs, making it uncomfortable to sit on. This place was an imitation of Liu Xiuyun's office, and his office was as old and stiffly uncomfortable as the man himself. But there was no one perfect in this world, and he could only waste time with these people whose flaws outnumbered their merits. "I don't have any time left," he muttered complainingly.

"What?" Liu Xiuyun asked vigilantly.

"Time is money, sometimes time is life, and wasting time is as shameful as leftover food," Luo Qi said.

Liu Xiuyun glared at him angrily.

Luo Qi sprang up with a "Whoosh," pacing around in Liu Xiuyun's office, bypassing Liu Xiuyun's Western-style fireplace, glancing at the bookshelf nearby, and grabbing a book with irritation. "You actually read human books? *Only the Paranoid Survive*? My god, do you still not think you're stupid enough? You're already more stubborn than a donkey; ten stupid donkeys aren't as paranoid as you. The only one who can be more stubborn than you is my brother, though you must never tell him I said that!" He stuck out his tongue and tossed the book straight into the fireplace with a flick of his hand.

"Luo Qi!" Liu Xiuyun roared in indignation. "That was my personal property."

"Yes, yes, you can go find my guardian for compensation," Luo Qi said. "But here's a little tip: my parents are currently on the run, so finding them is a bit difficult." Liu Xiuyun stared at him, speechless; he had never encountered such a vile Mage. He had originally thought that a Mage reaching the level of Wusu was already the limit.

Luo Qi spun around in place and turned to face him. "Do you know that the Lotus Burner is looking for the Seal Land?"

Liu Xiuyun froze.

"You know about the Seal Beast." Luo Qi observed his face. "A Mage of your level knows of the existence of the Seal Beast... Sure enough, you know. I think you should know that most of them are very dangerous, just like the Scavenger of Qionglin, which can provide security for Qionglin, and even ordinary Mages are no match for them. What do you think the Lotus Burner wants to do by finding these things?"

Liu Xiuyun's lips trembled slightly; the words he was about to speak made him feel disgusted, and he instinctively resisted this answer. "They want to purge the Mages who do not agree with them."

"Let me say the possibility you don't want to voice for you," Luo Qi said softly. "They might also be planning to eliminate humanity."

"No, that is simply too insane." Liu Xiuyun tensed his face tightly, as if Luo Qi had said a disgusting profanity that insulted the entire race of Mages.

Luo Qi's gaze swept over his entire body, making him uncomfortable. "They are crazy to begin with, crazier than an adult male Teddy. Do you really not know why they named themselves the Lotus Burner? Or do you think we are all holy little elves? Mr. Gandalf?"

Liu Xiuyun's face was a mixture of anger and disgust, struggling to maintain his dignity in front of a brat who kept offending him; this was hard work.

Luo Qi was unimpressed. He looked at Liu Xiuyun for a few moments, giving him time to think and accept it, while he himself leaned against the bookshelf, his eyes fixed on the fireplace.

His little black cat approached Liu Xiuyun vigilantly, walked past his trouser legs, and changed positions to observe Liu Xiuyun from different angles with those yellow eyes. Liu Xiuyun lost his composure and glared at it. The black cat seemed to grasp his disgust; its spine arched, and a threatening purr issued from its throat. "Go away." Liu Xiuyun wanted to drive this hellish kitten away.

The black cat spat at him. He looked at it with disgust, thinking it would spit out a hairball coated in saliva. Instead, he smelled a pungent, corrosive odor; the cat had spat on his leather shoe, and a hole was instantly burned through the tip of his shoe.

"It's not a cat!"

"Such keen observation," Luo Qi teased. "Don't provoke it; next time it might spit in your eyes."

"You really are a subpar child," Liu Xiuyun accepted his sarcasm and retorted bitingly. "Even the cat you keep is so ill-bred—a cat that spits."

Luo Qi was amused. "Mage Liu, you should think about those larger and more dangerous animals that could fall into the hands of the Lotus Burner at any time."

"I will follow up on this matter," Liu Xiuyun said reluctantly, the reluctant part being that the person who brought it up happened to be Luo Qi. "But that does not mean I will cooperate with you."

"No problem," Luo Qi said. "Wishes are all beautiful, and I have many beautiful wishes, too—I hope all of mine can come true!"

Liu Xiuyun understood his sarcasm with difficulty but clearly enough, and he glared coldly at Luo Qi. This boy was as annoying and irritating as a boy, but on the other hand, he was like a terrifyingly calm man, walking step by step on a path he had long since planned.

"Mage Liu, I explained these things to you to make you feel better, so that you can exert more subjective initiative when cooperating with me," Luo Qi said quietly.

"I may not be able to accurately understand human vocabulary like 'subjective initiative'," Liu Xiuyun said cautiously.

"It means," Luo Qi looked straight into the middle-aged Mage's eyes, "that although I could destroy your mind and turn you into my marionette, what use is a marionette other than making people laugh? I am not a narcissistic person; I am not even very gregarious. I don't like to dress myself up as a god and let a bunch of puppets lick me."

Not knowing what Luo Qi was thinking of, he spat on the ground with disgust when he reached this point. Liu Xiuyun looked at the saliva that had fallen onto the carpet and looked up at him with disgust. "Du Zhengyi is indeed an honest man; he wasn't wrong. The more some people get to know you, the more they will loathe you."

"I'm so hurt. Hearing you say that, I've actually been stabbed in the back by my brother," Luo Qi said with a gloomy expression. "He will suffer my crazy revenge."

Liu Xiuyun did not respond; he already knew that Luo Qi's words were a mix of truth and lies.

Luo Qi continued, "It's time for a good cry!"

Liu Xiuyun looked at him in astonishment.

Luo Qi said with a straight face, "I guarantee it will scare the Qionglin War God out of his wits."

(End of chapter)