Chapter 594: Awakening

Dreams, or perhaps memories, drifted away slowly. Luo Qi did not realize how Shi Xiansheng had disappeared; it was only after he snapped out of the long incantation that he saw the sun behind the woods like a falling star. In an instant, the light and shadows tilted, and the darkness behind the trees was like dripping, expanding ink. He remembered that encounter and was suddenly overcome with emotion, wanting to shout for Shi Xiansheng. Calling out to a phantom was foolish to begin with, and besides, the tree where Shi Xiansheng had just been standing was also swallowed by the darkness. He had accepted a kindness from a predecessor; although it was a coincidental meeting, he was still deeply moved, wanting to thank her and express his gratitude for her gift.

He lingered for a moment in this collapsing fragment of memory, silently pondering that someone like Shi Xiansheng probably did not seek a word of thanks. She had chosen calmly between life and death, and had prepared for her affairs after death with dignity and propriety. Luo Qi slowly thought about how he truly admired people like her; even when swept up by a torrent, they remained resilient. Not even death could be their end; the seeds they left behind could continue to take root and sprout after they died, and their will would one day be fulfilled.

The first ray of Sunlight in the morning draped the snow-capped mountains in a golden crown. The Mage camp had already awakened, and the slight vibrations of cleansing spells echoed throughout the camp. Du Zhengyi walked slowly around the perimeter of the camp, carefully checking if the Boundary Magic had captured anything, and paused for a moment outside Liu Ziyi's tent. The girls were also up; Guan Xinyue was already able to walk out of the tent, her body recovering faster than Mahjong had estimated. Connecting to a Mage's brain—it was unclear if it had overloaded Guan Xinyue's human brain or what—but Guan Xinyue's mind seemed to only be able to slowly recover its functions. This time, her mind was clear and her speech was articulate, but her sense of balance was not very good. As soon as she stepped out of the tent, she pitched forward to the left, as if her left brain were heavier, and Liu Ziyi worriedly pulled her back.

"Where is Luo Qi?" Seeing Du Zhengyi, Guan Xinyue thought of Luo Qi and casually wanted to slander him, but her brain did not seem to support her running several functions at once. Especially since she got angry the moment she thought of Luo Qi, the combination of factors made her almost vomit, and she hurriedly covered her mouth.

Du Zhengyi took a step back, "Your symptoms look just like a hangover."

"It is a bit," Liu Ziyi also agreed, saying it really did look like a hangover. She felt a bit relieved; after all, this was the trouble she had caused, and she had been feeling anxious, feeling sorry for Guan Xinyue.

"I've said it a hundred times, it's not your fault. If you want to blame someone, blame Luo Qi; he's a jinx," Guan Xinyue said irritably. She avoided the sunlight; even the faint morning sun made her uncomfortable. She couldn't put her finger on it, but her head felt dizzy, as if she couldn't walk in a straight line, yet some of her senses seemed to have been magnified, and even this little bit of morning light made her uncomfortable. But even if she was uncomfortable, she would be even more uncomfortable if she didn't curse Luo Qi once.

A figure blocked the morning light above her, and she let out a sigh of relief, grateful from the bottom of her heart for the Mages' height. The person who came was Wusu; she subconsciously reined in her shrewishness and tried to stand a bit steadier. Wusu greeted her gently and politely, but she felt like vomiting again, so Liu Ziyi reported her physical condition for her.

After a few words, Wusu turned to Du Zhengyi, "Your subordinates asked me to come over and ask you if it's time to set off."

"Why wouldn't we set off?" Du Zhengyi said, looking at Wusu skeptically, feeling that he had said something redundant. Mages' actions were generally efficient and concise, meaning they would set off at about the same time without needing to be as long-winded as humans, nor did they need coordination between superiors and subordinates; one command, one action—this was the superiority of high-efficiency individuals.

Wusu looked at him, "Because we encountered an obstacle."

Du Zhengyi reflexively wanted to check the detection magic, and Wusu said in time, "Luo Qi is still lying in the middle sleeping, and they don't dare to wake him, so..."

Guan Xinyue let go of the hand covering her mouth, "Luo Qi is a light sleeper; doesn't he never sleep in?" She met Du Zhengyi's eyes, "Except when he's injured?"

Du Zhengyi turned and walked toward the center of the camp. The Battle Mages had almost finished cleaning up the ground, and only one sleeping bag remained lying on the ground in the middle of the camp. From a distance, it looked as ominous as a body bag.

Du Zhengyi's long legs reached Luo Qi's side in a few steps, flipping Luo Qi, who was lying on his side in the sleeping bag, over, his hand touching Luo Qi's warm neck. "Luo Qi?" he called out in a low voice.

Luo Qi's body jolted, and he gasped for air, as if he had been keeping himself in a state of low oxygen just a moment ago.

"Luo Qi?" he called out anxiously.

Unknowingly, the other Battle Mages were all facing this direction, observing calmly. This was a strange place where anything could happen, and a Mind Mage would surely be the most sensitive and most easily targeted by Ancient Magic.

After a full sixty seconds, Luo Qi finally gave a clear response, a vague tone that sounded like an "Hm?"

Du Zhengyi relaxed slightly and said tentatively, "Time to get up." He waited. Several Battle Mages looked at each other; in their careers, they had witnessed some Mind Mages suddenly lose their sanity. Often, after a single loss of consciousness, a Mind Mage would suddenly never be able to return. Suddenly, whether he could understand and respond to this sentence became very important.

Luo Qi had no reaction; his head rested on Du Zhengyi's arm, and his whole person was plunged into a strange, deep sleep. A Mage's six senses made it difficult for them to be people who couldn't be woken up. Xiang Qian, who had originally been standing in the distance talking to Wen Lin, had his expression change at this moment, and Xiang Qian turned sharply and walked toward the center of the camp.

"Luo Qi." Du Zhengyi shook Luo Qi, becoming anxious again.

Shaken, Luo Qi had a slight reaction, slowly opening his eyes a little, looking at Du Zhengyi in a daze.

"What's going on?" Wen Lin asked Shi Qian beside her in a low voice, "Has Luo Qi fallen into chaos so quickly?"

Shi Qian's face was pale, staring at the two people in the center of the camp from afar.

Everyone was staring, watching Luo Qi's every move, watching him look blankly at Du Zhengyi, and then his eyeballs turned slightly, his gaze seemingly passing over Du Zhengyi to the golden-crowned snow mountain behind him.

"Luo Qi." Du Zhengyi called him in a low voice.

Luo Qi moved his lips weakly, as if he had finally found the ability to speak, as if he had gathered all his strength at this moment and used all his willpower, he opened his mouth and said a sentence. The highly focused Battle Mages heard it clearly—"Damn it, what time is it? Brother, what are you putting on an act for? Don't you sleep until the sun is at its zenith every day?" Du Zhengyi threw him back onto the ground, "Get up!"

"Not getting up!" Luo Qi rolled over and said angrily.

Du Zhengyi kicked him in the butt in annoyance, "Get up!"

Luo Qi twisted angrily in the sleeping bag and said with finality, "Not getting up!"

(End of chapter)