"Easy for you to say. Who knows if it might be you." Sorres gave Qi a sidelong glance and then turned to Mr. Rui, "Sir, I think it's better if we check inside the box first." With those words, he didn't wait for Mr. Rui's answer and proceeded to check the contents of the box himself.

As soon as the box was opened, the smile on Sorres' face froze. Inside was a sheet of paper, a very old piece of paper, not the unknown metal sheet he was expecting. Sorres' expression changed, and he pulled out the sheet of paper, threw it at Qi, and demanded, "What is this? Where did the stuff inside go?" His hysterical manner made it seem like he was the rightful owner of the box.

Qi had also always assumed that the box contained those items. But now, there was nothing inside except that sheet of paper, and his face instantly turned pale, his lazy smile disappearing completely. His expression fluctuated for quite a while, then he finally breathed out and murmured, "Well, well, well, indeed a clever trick. I was too careless." He didn't bother explaining anything, as explanations were completely useless. The box was brought back, but the contents were missing. Even if Qi had a hundred mouths, he couldn't clarify this matter. He brought the box back, so only he had the chance to switch the contents. What use was there in explaining under such circumstances?

Sorres stood like a triumphant rooster, head held high, looking down on Qi. In his view, this incident was enough for Mr. Rui to deal with Qi. As long as Qi wasn't happy, Sorres would feel very happy, inexplicably happy. Standing in front of Qi with arms crossed, Sorres raised his chin and said, "Do you have anything else to say?" The satisfaction in those words nearly made Sorres want to laugh three times out loud. However, with Mr. Rui present, Sorres dared not behave too outrageously. He didn't feel his behavior was out of line because he had always been working for Mr. Rui's interests. Even though he had been a little prideful and presumptuous, his intentions were still good.

Qi didn't answer Sorres' question; he was too lazy to talk to this troublemaker, especially under these circumstances where reasoning was impossible. The more he explained, the more Sorres would feel pleased and smear him further. So the most sensible action now was to wait for Mr. Rui to make a decision. Qi shifted his gaze to Mr. Rui; he wanted to know what Mr. Rui intended. At the same time, he believed the contents of the box had been swapped by Axing, so he'd deal with Axing later, although he wasn't sure if Axing would still be around then.

"Have you had enough?" Mr. Rui, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His voice was very deep, so deep that it wiped the smile off Sorres' face.

Collecting the smug smile on his face, Sorres glared at Qi. He trusted Mr. Rui would hand down a reasonable punishment.

"Is it fun to frame your own people?" Mr. Rui looked at Sorres and said slowly. Although he knew Sorres and Qi weren't on the same page, he hadn't expected Sorres actually wanted to push Qi to a dead end. Mr. Rui was aware of Qi and Yu's relationship; even if everyone else betrayed him, Qi and Yu would not. But now, one of his most trusted agents was tarnishing another highly capable operative, which really made him feel heartbroken.

Mr. Rui's simple question left Sorres speechless for a moment. His previous behavior was excessively arrogant, arrogant to the point of openly showing his intentions. Mr. Rui would never allow such a thing to happen.

"But the contents of the box..." Sorres' words were cut short by Mr. Rui.

"I took the things inside a long time ago. These are just what I put in there." Mr. Rui said slowly, his gaze never leaving Sorres. He was quite disappointed with his steward; simply catching an opponent's insignificant mistake, he launched a relentless attack without even knowing the opponent's trump cards—a truly unparalleled fool. Mr. Rui was very disappointed, deeply disappointed.

Mr. Rui's words were a thunderbolt out of a clear sky for Sorres. Sorres originally thought he could completely bring Qi down this time, but he hadn't expected such a surprising turn. With some resentment, he glared at the expressionless Qi; why couldn't he bring this guy down? Each failed plot made Sorres' resentment towards Qi grow even stronger.

Seeing the venomous expression on Sorres' face, Mr. Rui sighed slightly in his heart; this guy was ultimately unreliable. Not only lacking insight but also such a narrow-minded temperament. Giving Sorres a rather disappointed look, Mr. Rui couldn't be bothered to deal with such matters anymore, waving his hand, he said, "You can all leave." After saying this, Mr. Rui felt like he had exhausted all his energy.

Observing Mr. Rui's demeanor, Sorres dared not say anything further, respectfully retreated. Qi, however, remained standing in place, unmoving.

After Sorres had left, Mr. Rui turned to Qi and asked, "Did he just say that to you?"

"He did." Qi nodded. He had reported everything Axing had said to Mr. Rui as soon as he returned. But just after finishing that account, Sorres had barged in, interrupting their conversation.

"What are your plans for the future?" Mr. Rui suddenly changed the topic, clearly unwilling to discuss the key matter further.

"I want to go out for a walk." Qi glanced at the scenery outside the window, "Today's completely severed ties with him, I suppose. He's quite an interesting person."

"You're planning to leave already?" Mr. Rui hadn't anticipated Qi to have such intentions.

Qi nodded, "Yu's matters have all been arranged. I should do what I need to do. When it's time to go to that place, have Yu inform me, and I will go there."

Mr. Rui nodded, "Since you want to go, then go. I know I can't keep you here, so I won't. If you ever feel tired, you're always welcome to come back."

"Thank you." Qi slightly bowed, then slowly exited the room. He had decided to leave and wouldn't linger here much longer. If he continued to stay, he feared greater conflict with Sorres might ensue. For both Yu and himself, he should depart.

"A pity." Qi shook his head, slowly walked out of Mr. Rui's mansion. Now he should go to the place where Axing was trapped to reclaim those five Wind Balls, and if possible, he might see Axing again.

As Qi stepped out the door, Sorres stood nearby, coldly watching him depart. His eyes filled with venomous intent, as if he wished to devour Qi whole. Unfortunately, Qi soon disappeared from his sight, leaving Sorres to snort angrily and attend to his affairs.

Bidding farewell to Mr. Rui, Qi left Carson City. He didn't even say goodbye to Yu, just leisurely walked southward. Free of burdens and schemes, Qi felt an unprecedented lightness, walking briskly. When he returned to the mountainous area, Axing was still trapped there, or perhaps, Axing had never tried to attack the Light Screen. He sat cross-legged, meditating, surrounded by a light blue smoke; from afar, he looked like a hermit.

Upon hearing footsteps, Axing slowly opened his eyes, the smoke around him rapidly retreating into his body. He saw who it was and then smiled broadly, "I didn't expect you to come back."

"I came to collect my things and see if you were still here." Qi waved his hand, the blue Light Screen disappeared, and the five Wind Balls circled in the air before flying back to Qi's side.

"Aren't you afraid I'll ambush you?" Axing asked, seeing Qi retrieve the Light Screen.

"If you wanted to ambush me, you would've broken the Light Screen long ago. Why would you be trapped until now?" Qi replied calmly, then sat down on the ground, facing Axing.

"You've seen the contents of the box?" Axing's face revealed a mischievous smile, as if he were a child playing a prank.

"I did. So you noticed early on." Qi replied, surprised.

"I did. How could I not notice? Unfortunately, it still couldn't be avoided." Axing sighed slightly, stood up, preparing to leave.

"You're leaving already?" Qi looked at Axing and asked.

"Yes, I'm leaving. Time to go back to being a wild man." Axing waved his hand as he walked away, his figure gradually disappearing into the woods.

Remaining at the spot, Qi chuckled softly and chased after Axing.

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