Chapter 533: Han Yi (3)

Luo Qi fell into confusion, not understanding the intentions of the person before him. He was also a bit tense; top-tier Battle Mages like Han Yi were like wild beasts. He would not leave room for maneuver like those Great Mages, which would have given Luo Qi a chance to spar with them. Han Yi did not allow others to spar with him, nor did he allow the other party to play tricks or employ strategy. His heavy aura pressed down upon the table covered with a red-and-white checkered linen tablecloth, as if invisible teeth flashing with cold light were reaching for Luo Qi's neck, asking him if he dared to challenge him.

He understood more and more the words Du Zhengyi had warned him with countless times: to understand the seemingly powerful fragility of a Mind Mage. A Mind Mage could not exist alone, nor could they appear on the front lines of a battlefield. He was agitated, but he clearly knew that for a Battle Mage like Han Yi, his neck was indeed too thin.

"Chu Yao... what kind of person was she?" Luo Qi asked gently, hoping he had chosen a good topic.

Unexpectedly, Han Yi countered, "You know her name?"

Luo Qi did not know how to respond to this.

Han Yi smiled strangely, "The last time I asked Du Zhengyi about that name, he said he didn't remember."

Luo Qi suddenly looked up, widened his large eyes for a good while, yet still could not find a single word to say on Du Zhengyi's behalf. This sentence sounded exactly like something Du Zhengyi would say.

"At first, he seemed to have no idea why I was looking for trouble with him. Even though I had sought him out when the incident happened, I suspect he didn't even know I was Chu Yao's fiancé. I looked for him time and time again, yet he never took it to heart," Han Yi said.

Luo Qi had nothing to say. If you could beat them, there was no need to take it to heart; if a problem wasn't a problem, there was no need to solve it—this was indeed Du Zhengyi's style. Du Zhengyi didn't need many reasons to make people hate him.

After a long while, Luo Qi said, "I can understand how you feel. However, you know that it wasn't Du Zhengyi who killed your loved one. That's what I think—considering that Du Zhengyi has been working for the cause Chu Yao served in her lifetime and has never enjoyed any personal life, could you treat this as Du Zhengyi's atonement and let it go? Life is not easy for anyone; if you can let it go, then let it go."

Han Yi looked at him. Luo Qi did not feel any desire for an attack. After a moment, he said, "I think you are sincere in saying these things; you seem to truly understand. Perhaps Mind Mages are just like this."

Luo Qi lowered his head and licked his dry lips. "I am not qualified to advise you on anything. If I were in your shoes, I don't know if I could do better than you."

"I think if the one who died were me, Chu Yao would have done better than I have," Han Yi said.

Luo Qi was slightly startled, catching the fleeting, faint smile on Han Yi's face. The life they once had might indeed have been happy, leaving traces on the man's face to this day. Luo Qi could not help but sigh. After all the rushing, struggling, and confusion of these days, he had almost forgotten the feeling of his heart softening for a stranger. "So, what kind of person was Chu Yao? There are very few female Battle Mages."

"She was a very excellent Mage, in every respect," Han Yi said, then smiled mockingly again, "It's always like this—if it weren't the best, the most optimal resource, how would it be assigned to Du Zhengyi?"

Luo Qi frowned slightly, remembering Du Zhengyi saying that he didn't want any companions, that all companions were just holding him back. Du Zhengyi must have said this more than once, and in more than one setting. The listener would naturally think him arrogant, yet the real reason might be that his work was too dangerous, and the decline of the Magic World made it difficult for them to gather two people to do the most dangerous work. Even so, Luo Qi could be certain that two people were always better than one. The Venerables of Qionglin must have considered this as well, but it was a pity that in the end, Du Zhengyi's assistant could only become part of the combat losses.

"The week before the incident, I proposed to Chu Yao, and she agreed," Han Yi said. "I was too stupid; before that, I even doubted she wouldn't want to marry me."

Luo Qi did not make a sound; he was a bit afraid of hearing these heartbreaking stories.

"So I was really very happy. Chu Yao was going to work at Qionglin for a period of time, a classified mission—of course, two-thirds of the work done with Du Zhengyi is classified." Han Yi's face softened a lot. His tone was somewhat like nagging, yet the mockery at the corners of his mouth was even greater—a small part habitually directed at Du Zhengyi, while the larger part was mocking himself—still basking in happiness, naive like a man who wasn't a man, and then the bad news arrived. He would blame himself, thinking he was just a damn fool.

Luo Qi could guess the direction of the story. His chest felt somewhat heavy, imagining the scene where such a cruel thing happened.

"I happened to be free at the time, without much work, lazy like most Mages. I thought I should take advantage of the time while Chu Yao was busy to prepare some wedding matters, at least make a few wedding plans. Getting married on an island is a good choice, and getting married in Qionglin is also very good; it just depended on which one Chu Yao chose. When the bad news came, I was completely unprepared. Who would have thought? They were just working in Qionglin; what danger could there be in working in Qionglin?" Han Yi said.

"What?" Luo Qi broke out of the atmosphere of being forced to listen to a tragedy; he almost jumped up, "Chu Yao died inside Qionglin?"

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind. Had someone rebelled? Had someone recently tried to approach the secrets of Gushan?

"A Sandbox," Han Yi said.

It took a full ten seconds for Luo Qi to understand the meaning of the word, "They had entered a Sandbox?"

Then it might just be an experiment, or probing a newly discovered ancient Sandbox. But Luo Qi thought more of the Sandbox he had just escaped from, which had been modified by Qionglin—a thing that could hardly be called righteous. He felt a bit nauseated. He began to recall how Du Zhengyi looked when he fished him out. Although Du Zhengyi agreed to cooperate with Qionglin, he had still fallen out with them to a certain extent over the use of the Sandbox.

"That is truly a tragedy," Luo Qi murmured.

"I heard that not long ago, you also fell into a Sandbox," Han Yi said strangely.

"I suppose I escaped with my life," Luo Qi said cautiously.

"The situation is very dangerous, I can imagine. Chu Yao's Sandbox collapsed in the end; Du Zhengyi left her inside and left by himself," Han Yi said.

Luo Qi watched him vigilantly.

Han Yi's expression had a subtle change, as if he had grasped something. Luo Qi looked at him, prepared for anything.

"When I met Du Zhengyi in Qionglin a while ago, I realized he was very abnormal."

"In what way was he abnormal?" Luo Qi asked involuntarily, thinking Du Zhengyi had shown signs of physical weakness in Qionglin.

Han Yi continued to complain to himself, "It's a pity that for some people in Qionglin, Du Zhengyi can do no wrong. No one else suspects him; it's always like this. No one has ever thought that perhaps Du Zhengyi should also be punished."

"Oh." Luo Qi gently closed his mouth; it wasn't a physical condition.

"That said, I didn't understand what he was doing at the time. I only knew it must have been him who turned off Qionglin's defenses. But looking back now, he was doing it to take you away from that mentally ill Head of Security."

"I don't remember much," Luo Qi said.

"Of course, you don't remember. But this time, he also took you out of the Sandbox," Han Yi continued, "Du Zhengyi never saved Chu Yao."

"Then what is your demand? Do you want him to fail?" Luo Qi could not help but ask. He was a bit annoyed; did Han Yi just want to come specifically to inform him that he couldn't stand that he was still alive?

"I just find it strange. I have been studying Du Zhengyi. This man has no human feelings, no human warmth. He has his own great cause and great strategy; he is the most loyal follower of the Head Venerable in this world."

"Then you got that right," Luo Qi agreed, dissatisfied yet somewhat gratified.

"Standing from the perspective of the Head Venerable, you are also a peerless tool. Compared to you, they might not even think Chu Yao was a person at all."

"What do you mean?" Luo Qi blinked and said, "Du Zhengyi saving my life was him salvaging state property?"

But at this very moment, Luo Qi suddenly realized that it was the fact that Du Zhengyi saved him that ultimately stimulated Han Yi. So, it wasn't that Du Zhengyi couldn't save people; it was just that he hadn't saved his fiancée.

(End of chapter)