Chapter 335: So What If It’s ’For the Common People’? I Can Say That, Too.

"That’s right. It’s me. We meet again, Prince Li." Qi Suian’s voice issued from the Fei’s mouth.

It was only natural that the other party recognized the Fei. Qi Suian hadn’t bothered to hide it.

He had no intention of hiding his identity, either. After all, they didn’t even know who he was.

To this day, across several worlds, no one had ever learned his name.

"You tracked me down so persistently. You’d better have a good explanation."

"Otherwise, you’d better hope the Emperor of your Yunhan Dynasty can show up in the nick of time to save you again." Qi Suian’s tone was completely blunt.

Hearing this, Luo Yu gave a bitter smile. "May I ask why you are spreading this plague?"

Luo Yu wasn’t sure if Qi Suian knew the truth, so he was testing the waters first.

"Why are you beating around the bush with me?" Qi Suian sneered, then said, "Your Emperor is the one with the problem."

"The cause is the Immortal Spiritual Root. I’m not wrong, am I?"

As he finished speaking, Luo Yu’s expression barely changed. "It seems you do indeed know the truth about the Insect People. That must be why you’re spreading the plague."

"That’s right. I discovered it long ago. The vast majority of the Mage Families I destroyed had been hollowed out into insect nests."

"As for the source of the Insect People, do you know it comes from Spiritual Roots taking over bodies?" Qi Suian fabricated a cover story, painting himself as a hero of justice.

"Of course, I know. His Majesty was the one who informed me. Right now, His Majesty is in dire peril. I implore you, for the sake of the world, please save His Majesty." Luo Yu’s heart leaped with joy.

’This man really does know the root of the problem.’ He pleaded without a moment’s hesitation.

When Qi Suian heard this, he was almost impressed. ’This guy’s got some nerve, trying to guilt-trip me with the fate of the world.’

"When I was wiping out insects, nobody jumped out to tell me to do it ’for the sake of the world.’ Now that it’s your Emperor, you want me to save him."

"And why should I?" Qi Suian shot back.

He wasn’t a human from the Spirit Root World, so of course he wouldn’t buy into the Spirit Root World’s grand moral arguments.

"His Majesty is an Immortal Mage. If an Insect Person possesses him, who in the world could possibly be his opponent? If you would be willing this time..." Luo Yu quickly explained Luo Geng’s importance and uniqueness.

Qi Suian, of course, wasn’t buying it. He cut the other man off. "You’ve got it all wrong. He’s an Immortal Mage, yes, but where does his power come from?"

"The... Spiritual Root?" Luo Yu said hesitantly. "You mean to say that from the very beginning, the Immortal Mage was never one of us Mages, but a Spirit Root Insect Person?!"

By the end of his sentence, Luo Yu’s eyes were wide with shock.

"So you need to be clear. Are we saving the Immortal Mage, or are we saving your Emperor? The two are not the same," Qi Suian said mockingly.

This statement wasn’t particularly ambiguous. For anyone else, the two could be considered the same. After all, Spiritual Roots of the upper, middle, and lower grades, without an outbreak of the spiritual root sickness, were a normal source of Extraordinary power.

But the Immortal Spiritual Root within Luo Geng was a different matter entirely.

"I can’t save an Immortal Mage. The moment a villain like me, who slaughters Spiritual Roots, shows up, I’d probably be beaten to death on the spot."

"But if it’s your Emperor, perhaps there’s still a chance to save him."

"It’s just that the price... will likely be very high," Qi Suian said.

Saving someone? Why would Qi Suian lift a finger for free? He wasn’t about to do unpaid labor just because the other guy uttered some noble phrase about ’the sake of the world’.

Did they really think he was some great philanthropist?

Besides, what did the fate of the world have to do with him? He wasn’t a Spirit Root human, nor was he the ruler of the Yunhan Dynasty. Qi Suian would be perfectly happy if they all dropped dead.

"What do you want? Please, speak plainly. As long as it is within the Yunhan Dynasty’s power, we will not hesitate to help." Hearing the word "price," how could Luo Yu not understand what Qi Suian wanted?

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t afraid of the man making an exorbitant demand; he was afraid he’d refuse to help at all, no matter what.

"There’s a Bandit Stronghold up ahead. Go wipe it out for me first. Don’t leave a single person alive."

"If you do that, it won’t be too late to continue our discussion," Qi Suian stated his demand.

This so-called Bandit Stronghold was, of course, the camp of the fourth batch of survivors.

"This... Very well. Please wait here for a moment." Luo Yu was puzzled. ’At a time like this, he wants me to go wipe out a Bandit Stronghold?’

As for whether they were real bandits or not, Luo Yu couldn’t care less.

He then went directly to the location Qi Suian had given him and saw the Bandit Stronghold at a glance. By the looks of it, it seemed quite well-established.

"No wonder it’s called a Bandit Stronghold. It’s likely a remnant from the rebellion." Luo Yu’s expression turned cold.

He had seen ordinary village stockades before, but this one was different, especially being so far from civilization and with its people bearing all sorts of weapons and armor.

This was normal. After all, the survivors had just been fighting a war in the Sacred Artifact World, so they had developed a degree of military discipline.

That was how Luo Yu spotted the problem.

He then easily annihilated the entire stronghold.

It was true that his strengths were in defense and recovery, but that was in comparison to other First-Grade Mages of the same level; his strength and agility were relatively lacking.

But this group of survivors hadn’t even reached the level of Third-Grade Mages. No matter how lacking he was, wiping them out was a piece of cake.

After taking care of it, he rushed back immediately. Seeing that the Fei controlled by Qi Suian was still waiting for him in the same spot, he finally asked, "The Bandit Stronghold has been destroyed. What are your other demands?"

"I want your Emperor and all the First-Grade Mages in the world to cooperate with me in killing the Immortal Spiritual Root."

"Secondly, I want the Yunhan Dynasty to issue a Spirit Destruction Order to exterminate all Spiritual Roots." Qi Suian stated his two demands.

At the same time, he checked the number of survivors. It had changed to 0. That was a pleasing sight.

He wasn’t afraid of large numbers, only small ones. They were just too hard to find.

"Your first condition is not difficult, but the second... I’m afraid that’s impossible."

"If His Majesty were not indisposed, he could have suppressed any dissent with his power as an Immortal Mage. But that’s not possible now."

"The moment that order is issued, I fear the entire world will rise in rebellion." Luo Yu hadn’t expected Qi Suian’s second demand to be so severe.

If it were promulgated, it would be tantamount to making an enemy of every Mage in the world.

"Seeing as you did me a small favor, I’ll tell you this."

"If the Spiritual Roots are not eliminated, the disaster will never end."

"What ’world will rise in rebellion’? In another month or so, I reckon all these Spiritual Roots will have turned into Insect People, and the Mages will be nothing but insect food. You might as well just wait to die."

"I’ve made my terms. Since you won’t agree, I’ll be leaving." After speaking, Qi Suian had the Fei turn and leave immediately.

This was a classic case of playing hard to get. The other party was sure to agree.

The logic was simple. If they dealt with it, at worst the Mage Families would be dissatisfied and rebel. A great purge could suppress them.

But if they didn’t deal with it, Qi Suian might not die, but the Spirit Root humans were doomed for sure.

"Wait! We can discuss this, we can discuss this." Luo Yu’s idea was to rescue Luo Geng first and then aim for a "soft landing."

Qi Suian’s demands were for a "hard landing." Even if the problem was solved afterward, the Yunhan Dynasty would be critically wounded, or might even be destroyed.

That was a future he did not want to see, which was why he had said what he did.

"There’s nothing to discuss. Agree, and we join forces."

"Don’t agree, and it’s no skin off my back. I’m not the one sitting on the throne. It doesn’t matter to me how many people die."

"You talk a big game about ’the sake of the world,’ but in the end, you’re not even willing to give up Spiritual Roots. I suppose that’s because you’re a Mage yourself." The sarcasm in Qi Suian’s voice grew heavier.

This made Luo Yu’s expression slightly awkward. What Qi Suian said was a little too true.

He had brought up the ’sake of the world,’ but in the end, he had contradicted himself for the sake of Spiritual Roots and the world of Mages.

"What you say is absolutely right. It was I who was shortsighted. On behalf of the Yunhan Dynasty, I accept both conditions." Luo Yu immediately tried to recover.

Clearly, those two conditions were his bottom line. There was no room for negotiation.

"It’s just that the common people are suffering from the plague. Since you are the one who spread it, I wonder if you have a cure?" Luo Yu changed the subject.

"This plague of mine specifically targets Spiritual Roots. People are just collateral damage. And let’s not even mention whether I have a cure; even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you."

"Letting the people of the world suffer a little is for the future of the Human Race." Qi Suian also took the moral high ground, claiming he was doing this to eliminate the Spiritual Roots.

"But this action will also cause Mages and commoners to die as innocent bystanders. They are blameless." Luo Yu continued, "In three days at most, the Court’s Exorcism Order can be spread throughout the land. At that time, we won’t need a plague to eliminate the Spiritual Roots."

"Do you even believe that yourself?" Qi Suian was speechless. How could he not know the nature of the Mage Families? This touched upon their fundamental interests; how could they possibly implement such an order?

"The purpose of the Exorcism Order is to announce the truth and use the plague to get rid of the Spiritual Roots."

"You aren’t thinking of just issuing some vague, ambiguous decree to try and fool me, are you?" Qi Suian wasn’t much of a politician, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t see through it.

"I wouldn’t dare. It’s just... that..." Luo Yu had indeed been thinking just that. This way, the plague would be gone, the conditions would be met, and he could also ensure the Yunhan Dynasty wouldn’t become a public enemy.

After rescuing Luo Geng, the Immortal Mage, what could Qi Suian possibly do?

He’d just be furious and eventually leave on his own.

He understood deeply that power was the key.

"There’s nothing you wouldn’t dare. Even if you rescue your Emperor, do you think he can still be an Immortal Mage?"

"It’s the Immortal Spiritual Root that makes him an Immortal Mage. Without the Immortal Spiritual Root, or without any Spiritual Root at all, what do you think he’ll be?" Qi Suian twisted the knife.

At that, cold sweat beaded on Luo Yu’s forehead.

He really hadn’t considered this problem. It wasn’t like this in his plans.

Instead, he had envisioned Luo Geng, with the help of numerous Mages, suppressing the Immortal Mage entity, returning as a powerful figure, and then bringing order to the world.

This was an idea born from his lack of understanding of the true nature of Spiritual Roots.

After all, Mages never traced the Spiritual Root system back to its source, thinking only of pursuing greater offensive power, Defense, and so on.

"Any other questions?" Qi Suian asked.

"No." Luo Yu looked as if all the strength had drained from him, his expression turning to one of helplessness.

Without an Immortal Mage to keep order, the Yunhan Dynasty simply couldn’t hold on. Having held power himself, how could he not know the state of the world?

The Mage Families and Warlord rebels had only been intimidated by force, not truly subdued.

"In that case, let’s go to the Celestial Sea Capital together." Qi Suian paid no mind to the other man’s state, concerned only with how he himself would handle this thorny issue.