Thirst

"Achoo!"

Qi Yuan rubbed his nose, sensing the target getting closer. He had originally wanted to ask Yu Anhe about something, but ever since Yu Anhe had told him not to contact him unless it was urgent, he hadn't even been notified about the ancient spirit doll debriefing (crossed out) summary meeting.

Luckily, he ran into Wei Zhiming. This was perfect timing.

When he heard that Wei Zhiming was planning to leave Dragon Country for a while, Qi Yuan immediately used his illusion ability to influence him.

This old Biden was truly a master of caution and silencing people. He could silence those he could, and avoid those he couldn't. No wonder Qi Yuan hadn't seen him once in all the time he'd been in Jidu.

If the two of them had met even once...

With his mind-reading ability activated, Qi Yuan's cover would have been blown instantly.

Provoked by the illusion, old Biden had just reached the door when he calmed down and was about to turn and leave. If Qi Yuan hadn't stopped him quickly, this guy would definitely have run away.

But thinking about it, it made sense. If Wei Zhiming wasn't a coward, he would have sent people to provoke, gang up on, and silence Qi Yuan long ago. Qi Yuan wouldn't have only just found out who he was.

This villain wasn't following the usual script!

As Qi Yuan was marveling at this, Wei Zhiming arrived at the front gate of the Qi family villa.

Being controlled by someone's illusion was tantamount to being told your life could be taken at any moment. And it wasn't just once, but twice. Wei Zhiming wasn't a saint - he couldn't possibly remain unmoved.

If the first illusion could be dismissed as Qi Yuan being bored and mischievous - his volatile temperament and fondness for seeing others in distress was well-known after the Sakura Island monster's self-destruction - Wei Zhiming had forcefully suppressed his anger, figuring that losing his composure would only please Qi Yuan.

But the second hint was a direct and clear instruction, forcibly changing his course of action.

"What does Qi Yuan want?" Wei Zhiming wondered, following the hints to Qi Yuan's residence. There was no use resisting anyway, so he might as well find out what the other party wanted.

The front gate creaked open, and Wei Zhiming's face darkened to the point it could almost drip water.

As everyone knew, Qi Yuan's ability was illusions.

Unless his subordinates also had SS-level or higher abilities, they couldn't escape his perception. But that was almost impossible.

Eliminating the incorrect options left only one answer.

He was still in an illusion.

If Qi Yuan planned to communicate in the illusion, why didn't he appear? If he planned to talk in reality, why was Wei Zhiming still in an illusion?

So, Wei Zhiming easily deduced one thing: Qi Yuan was toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse.

Clenching his fists, veins bulging, half-moon marks embedded in his palms, Wei Zhiming weighed how to act to make Qi Yuan lose interest and abandon this boring game.

However, this time he really misjudged Qi Yuan. Using the illusion was merely to demonstrate absolute dominance and gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Opening the gate to let Wei Zhiming in was because going down to open the door was troublesome and would lower his prestige.

Wei Zhiming walked step by step into the hall, shame and powerlessness weighing on his mind.

If only he had real power, if only he had a body that wouldn't age, if only he had great strength, he wouldn't be at someone else's mercy like this.

To be toyed with by a young upstart at over fifty years old was truly a great humiliation.

His rage seemed about to erupt from his chest, but constrained by reality, he could only forcibly suppress his anger and ask, "What did you want to see me about?"

"You prefer to talk standing up?" Qi Yuan gave him a strange look, shaking his head as if to say, "What an odd habit you have."

The damage wasn't great, but the insult was extreme.

Wei Zhiming's blood surged, his blood pressure spiking, as he remained silent.

Qi Yuan used his telepathy to sense his inner struggle, which roughly translated to "You little brat, what are you playing at?" and "I've already backed down this far, what more do you want?"

A hero in decline - normally one would go through the motions of lamenting this before moving on to trickery and deception.

But Qi Yuan's mind went straight to trickery and deception, skipping the formalities entirely.

He curled his lips into an ambiguous smile, just short of producing a pie chart to analyze the various emotions. "You're so confident about me, you're not even going to pretend?"

This tone and attitude didn't match his outward appearance at all.

They hadn't even formally met before this, wasn't Wei Zhiming being too hasty in assuming Qi Yuan knew everything?

Wei Zhiming sat down in the chair, now having calmed himself. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Someone who could control monsters through the internet and create illusions without a trace, while also having significant forces behind him.

Such a formidable character had been investigating him all along, yet only "invited" him at the moment he was about to leave.

To still harbor hope in this situation would only be providing amusement for Qi Yuan.

The reason he had allowed Qi Yuan's provocation to anger him so easily was because he was so close - the progress bar at 99%, stuck on that last 1% when Qi Yuan found him.

Young, powerful, the object of his envy appearing before him with such a superior attitude - it was hard for Wei Zhiming not to lose his psychological balance.

Even Qi Yunzheng in his prime had only made him envious briefly, and that envy was mixed with regret at not being born in the right era.

Qi Yuan gave him a complex look, indicating that his sentiments were misplaced.

People are constantly changing. Back then, when he met his uncle, it was still a time of vigor and brilliance. Now he had grown old, his desire for power and divinity even stronger than before.

If his current self met his uncle from that time, he might not be free of envy.

Having clarified the other's desires, whether to deceive him or not didn't matter - Wei Zhiming was just a second ancient spirit doll.

The only difference was that one sought power of its own accord, while the other was being forced to upgrade.

Qi Yuan didn't waste words, going straight to the point with a confident tone: "You want power."

Wei Zhiming was equally direct, "What kind of power?"

Since Qi Yuan didn't plan to expose him or throw him in jail, he must want to use him or cooperate with him. Wei Zhiming felt that Qi Yuan's gaze seemed able to penetrate his inner thoughts and see through his desires, so he didn't bother to hide anything.

Qi Yuan smiled slightly, three words causing the man before him to experience a mental earthquake.

"The Masked Man."

Wei Zhiming's body didn't move, trying hard to conceal his shock, but his eyes and trembling fingers betrayed him.

It felt as if a massive earthquake was occurring in his mind.

No wonder... no wonder!

No wonder Qi Yuan was so much stronger than ordinary people, so this was the reason!