Chapter 80: David, No

"Although Luo Qi did not inherit your height, I suspect he is still more like you," Du Zhengyi said, as if chatting casually. "Not only is his appearance very similar, but Luo Qi also possesses the same peculiar gentleness as Luo Yisheng. That is why when I saw Luo Yisheng, I knew you had not concealed your own physical features."

"For a Mind Mage, not concealing one's features does not necessarily mean one has not performed psychological intervention on others," Luo Ruian did not accept Du Zhengyi's goodwill, nor did he intend to follow the lead of the young man before him to ease the atmosphere. "How can you be certain that I have not incited your emotions?"

"If that were truly the case," Du Zhengyi said coldly, "I probably wouldn't dislike you this much."

Luo Ruian's expression and demeanor remained unchanged, even though he should have been somewhat displeased and impatient. Du Zhengyi looked at him, simultaneously observing his pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, and all his other key indicators, but the result was that there were no changes at all. Yet, sometimes an outstanding Mind Mage is capable of just that; their world develops inward, and their control over their own body can reach a truly astonishing degree.

"I am not skilled at controlling people's emotions," Luo Ruian finally spoke, his tone containing a hint of honesty. "I am skilled at observing the mind, skilled at clarifying the logic of a person's thinking, and seeing through their mental models, which is why I am able to repair damaged Mental Networks. I enjoy doing meticulous work."

He smiled and continued, "However, some people happen to be of the offensive type. They are equally skilled at seeing through people's mental worlds, but they enjoy attacking. Manipulating people's emotions is second nature to them, and driving others is their instinct."

Du Zhengyi stared intently at his eyes. This Great Mage had not come to chat with him; every word he said had a deeper meaning. If he knew the truth, then Luo Ruian's words were like a warning. From Luo Ruian's perspective, this warning was chillingly intolerable. "You haven't even asked me what exactly happened to Luo Qi?"

Luo Ruian looked at him in silence.

"I am not here representing the Qionglin, I am here as Luo Qi's friend, wanting to ask you: why is he an unregistered Telepath?" Du Zhengyi said. "I think only his parents can answer this question for me."

"Li Xu of the Qionglin does not have the ability to unlock Luo Qi's barrier." Luo Ruian's expression finally showed a subtle change, though Du Zhengyi could not quite grasp the meaning of these changes. "Was it the Venerable of the Qionglin who noticed him?"

Du Zhengyi couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head and murmuring in a low voice, "My god, you really are confident. Why isn't Luo Qi like you in this regard? He is quite lacking in confidence."

Luo Ruian also understood his implication, and his complexion finally became difficult to hide as it turned unsightly. Du Zhengyi knew that as fellow Mind Mages who had done similar work, he had likely figured out how Luo Qi's barrier had been pried open.

"Is he alright?" Luo Ruian asked.

"I can understand you," Du Zhengyi said soothingly. "You must have thought that the Qionglin was a reasonable place, where no one would want to do anything too excessive to a minor. So even though I had already notified you that Luo Qi had been brought into the Qionglin in violation of the rules, you didn't take it that seriously."

Luo Ruian looked at him in silence. The confrontation between the two, beyond their words, was like an expanding field of force, even isolating much of the sound of the wind howling across the wilderness.

"Are you trying to gamble?" Du Zhengyi guessed. "If Luo Qi's identity hadn't been discovered in the Qionglin, he would have passed the test and been able to live on as you hoped—as a Low-level Mage, or perhaps, as a human."

"And what is wrong with that?" Luo Ruian's voice suddenly became filled with indignation, and the gentleness on his face and the composure in his demeanor suddenly vanished. "What is wrong with living as a human? I went to great lengths to make Luo Qi like a human life; he can live very well in human society. He is not short among humans, he is smart, has a good appearance, he understands the rules of human society, and he has survival skills. He doesn't have to be a registered slave, forced to serve, forced to do those disgusting things—to dig into other people's heads, to squeeze out other people's secrets, to modify other people's memories, to do all those dirty jobs."

"But he is a Mage! He was born into a Mage family and raised in the world of Mages!" Du Zhengyi also suddenly became angry. "How can you artificially castrate your own child? You make everyone in this world look down on him. Do you know how severe the discrimination is in our world? You actually let him be bullied all the time! He was born this way, and you have absolutely no right to touch him."

"I am his father, so I have the right!" Luo Ruian roared arbitrarily, as if he had become a different person. "Where is my son? Did you steal him out of the Qionglin? Give him back to me."

Du Zhengyi pursed his lips tightly for a moment, then suddenly gave an ironic laugh. "I didn't steal him; he walked out on his own. Your son is actually quite impressive."

Luo Ruian also saw the irony in Du Zhengyi's expression; the glaring contempt he felt for his son's sake made him calm down a little, and his voice returned to its normal pitch. "No one wants their child to have a bad life, but the future is so long; parents need to let their children prepare. There is nothing wrong with suffering a little when young; pain can make a person profound, and hardship can lead to transformation."

"Hardship education?" Du Zhengyi sneered, a rare reaction for him. "I was raised by my teacher, and he also often emphasized the role of pain and self-improvement. But he said that life is truly bitter, so there is really no need to seek out suffering. Heh, I really didn't expect that Luo Qi was raised by a 'tiger mom' and 'eagle dad.' If it were me, such an education might have some value, after all, I am destined to become a Battle Mage. You actually treated him so harshly just so your son could scrape by in human society in the future? Isn't that a bit much? I've heard of raising wolves like that, but I've never heard of anyone raising a kitten that way. It's truly bizarre."

"This is our family's business." Luo Ruian ignored Du Zhengyi's sarcasm. "If Luo Qi's Consciousness Lock has been undone, the current situation must be very dangerous. I must take him back immediately. I am the only one who truly understands his condition."

"Wait, wait, wait." Du Zhengyi leaned back into the sofa and said while pondering, "Let's put that aside for a moment. Based on the ancient principle of helping someone to the end, let's first talk about Luo Qi's treatment plan. He has suffered major mental trauma; to what extent can you help him recover?"

"If you are truly Luo Qi's friend," Luo Ruian said, "I hope you can keep the secret that he is a Telepath."

"What... are you saying?" Du Zhengyi frowned, as if seeing the creature before him for the first time. "You still want to lock his Consciousness World?"