Eldritch Horror Theatre

Knock, knock!

Back in Yuan Shan's high-end apartment, the daylight outside the window was already bright.

Fu Qian immediately glanced down at himself before stepping aside to pull on the bathrobe he had taken off earlier.

Before he could even tie the belt, a knock came at the door.

"Fang Xun?"

At the same time, Chief Yuan's tentative voice called out.

"I'm here."

Fu Qian answered with complete naturalness.

In truth, the moment he returned, he had noticed Chief Yuan's hesitant footsteps lingering outside.

Deciding not to linger and heal up on the Half-Step Moon had definitely been the right call.

Otherwise, returning any later and running stark naked into Chief Yuan as she checked his room would have done real damage to his pristine reputation.

"...Are you alright?"

Fu Qian's response had clearly given Chief Yuan a fright.

The proof was the way she abruptly stopped turning the doorknob, caught completely off guard.

She must have assumed the room was empty. Calling out had just been a polite formality before letting herself in to check.

Of course, aside from the fact that Fu Qian hadn't actually been there initially, there was another reason for her misjudgment.

The moment he threw on his bathrobe, he had briefly activated the Blood Crusade, concealing his presence once again.

He only dropped the state when Yuan Shan knocked and called for him, successfully projecting an elusive presence.

Truth be told, in his current condition, the toll of using the Blood Crusade was rather heavy. Fortunately, the effect didn't disappoint.

...

"What could possibly be wrong?"

Facing the stunned Yuan Shan, Fu Qian asked through the door with feigned confusion.

"I just... felt like your room was empty, so I wanted to check," Chief Yuan admitted after a brief hesitation, choosing honesty.

She was clearly bewildered.

"Oh, I was just taking a shower."

Fu Qian lied without missing a beat.

"Maybe after washing away the grime and returning to my true self, with a heart free of hindrances and attachments, I accidentally stumbled into the Realm of Selflessness."

...

Click!

Without waiting for a reply, Fu Qian pulled the door open.

Chief Yuan was indeed standing there with a clenched fist, looking like she was a second away from smashing the door down.

His utter nonsense had clearly failed to convince her.

But as she scowled at him, that anger instantly melted into sheer shock.

"You, you... what happened to you?"

Chief Yuan, who wouldn't flinch in the face of a Divine Emissary, actually stammered.

She couldn't be blamed for her reaction. Right now, Fu Qian was barely maintaining a human shape.

Anyone coming home to a sight like this would be reeling.

"What is it?"

Fu Qian asked, his tone still the picture of innocence as he glanced down at himself.

"Wearing a bathrobe after a shower is perfectly normal, isn't it? I just didn't expect you to get back so quickly."

...Is this a fucking bathrobe issue? Did you take yourself apart piece by piece to wash yourself?

The sheer audacity of his words seemed to reboot Yuan Shan's brain. She took a deep breath.

She obviously didn't buy a word of his nonsense. Her gaze sharpened, sweeping over Fu Qian's Frankenstein-like body before a sudden realization dawned on her.

"You didn't... knock on that Lantern of yours again, did you?"

She honestly couldn't think of anything else that could mangle him this badly.

Judging by both his ghastly appearance and his flickering life force, he had suffered massive trauma. This wasn't some prank meant to scare her.

Along with the question, her eyes subconsciously searched the room behind him.

"An egg?"

She didn't find any trace of the Lantern. Instead, she noticed something else.

Fu Qian had left his latest prize out on the balcony to catch some sun.

Yuan Shan instantly sensed the object's Transcendent nature.

"How is that possible?"

Fu Qian flatly denied her earlier concern, walking over to fetch the egg.

"If I'd really knocked on the Lantern, would this place still be so tidy?"

Fair point...

Yuan Shan was instantly persuaded.

If it really had been the projection of an ancient Deity, the collateral damage wouldn't have been limited to his body alone.

Besides, no matter how unreliable this guy was, he surely wouldn't do something so reckless in a densely populated area.

"So how exactly did you end up like this?" she demanded.

"Because of this."

Fu Qian rotated the egg, aiming the broken opening at Yuan Shan.

"Things got a little out of hand when I pulled it out."

Is that so...

From this angle, Yuan Shan had a clear view of the metallic liquid inside, which only deepened her shock.

"The properties of this thing are quite unusual. Where did you get it?"

Chief Yuan clearly knew nothing about it.

Taking in her reaction, Fu Qian breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Her response basically ruled out the possibility that his little crime had been discovered and she had rushed over to arrest him.

"You tell me."

Fu Qian pantomimed reaching into thin air.

"The place where you keep the Lantern?"

Yuan Shan instantly recalled their conversation from last night, connecting the dots to find an explanation.

"It's actually an instant connection to a dangerous realm? And this time the situation was unstable, so you suffered a backlash?"

A dangerous realm...

Fu Qian nodded slightly at the phrasing.

"You could certainly say that."

"...I told you before, crossing space in this world is rarely reliable."

Yuan Shan's expression turned grave, her thoughts apparently aligning.

"Of course, I know that even after ending up like this, you probably won't learn your lesson. Anyway, why go through so much trouble to pull this thing out?"

She clearly hadn't overlooked that basic logical issue.

"To be completely honest, I didn't expect to pull this thing out either."

Fu Qian's answer was perfectly honest.

So the situation really had spiraled out of control...

With her suspicions verified, and considering he hadn't damaged anything other than himself, Yuan Shan decided not to dwell on it.

"This thing might be relatively stable, but it's clearly still affecting the surroundings. You'd better put it back as soon as possible."

"I'll do it shortly. Just remember to keep this a secret for me."

Fu Qian touched his face, confirming that the dozens of muscles required for a smile had fully regenerated, then flexed them into a warm, harmonious grin.

"Don't worry, I won't breathe a word of this, not even to the teacher."

Yuan Shan promised without hesitation, shooting him a sideways glance.

Chief Yuan was indeed a woman of principles.

Fu Qian marveled silently; this had to be the reward for his cooperation with the investigation.

With Old Man Henry's endorsement of his innocence, he had clearly earned much more trust as a strategist. Chief Yuan didn't mind offering him a little extra cover.

Of course, even if Yuan Shan did leak the news, it would still be acceptable to him.

If the Night Watchers truly suspected he was tied to the commotion at the Blood Lake, they would probably send an expert who knew the lake's secrets—giving him the perfect opportunity to chat.

It just wouldn't be quite as friendly.

When he made the request, he had been perfectly prepared for either outcome. It was almost a pity Chief Yuan was so accommodating.

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