Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was truly hard to imagine that Yuan Shan, who couldn't even fry an egg, could raise a cat with such a sleek and glossy coat.

Fu Qian studied the tuxedo cat, which looked to weigh at least ten jin. The creature completely ignored his scrutiny, stubbornly keeping the back of its head turned toward him.

Su Gao had specifically pointed this out—not to question Chief Yuan's compassion, of course, but to subtly remind him that there was a fourth person in the room.

That was right. As far as Fu Qian was concerned, there was a ninety-nine percent chance that the entity on the floor was named Henry.

The Old Man could actually turn into a cat!

The real question was, why would he turn into a cat?

Last night, after Henry gave up on tracking him, Levin had taken over almost seamlessly. In theory, as far as Blazing Rainbow was concerned, this traitor had outlived his usefulness.

Once Levin stepped in to block him, the situation was completely under control. The entity had absolutely no need to force the Old Man to go running to the Night Watchers with a report or anything of the sort.

Furthermore, judging by Su Gao's reaction, the Night Watchers were indeed completely unaware of his interactions with this master and disciple duo.

As a newly advanced Tier 2, Fu Qian could sense that the figure before him hadn't just undergone a simple change in form.

Aside from still retaining his Rank, the Old Man was clearly trapped in a highly peculiar state of distortion. It made one wonder if he still retained the ability to fight.

"You've raised him well."

Out of a desire to respect the aged and honor the wise, Fu Qian ultimately held back from calling out 'Henry' just to see what would happen. He also refrained from asking Chief Yuan where she usually kept the cat.

"He doesn't seem to like me very much, though."

"It's nothing personal. He's been ignoring everyone today."

Yuan Shan had clearly been keeping a close eye on Fu Qian's reactions.

Yesterday, her teacher had warned her that this guy was already Tier 2.

If even Su Gao could sense something was off, she didn't harbor any illusions that Fu Qian would genuinely believe this was just a cat.

Fortunately, there wasn't a hint of lingering hostility in Fu Qian's tone regarding last night's conflict. Yuan Shan silently breathed a sigh of relief and offered an explanation.

"He lost control of his emotions a bit last night, so I forced him to come back with me."

Ah?

This actually caused a considerable ripple in Fu Qian's own emotions.

Did that mean... Yuan Shan was the one who had laid hands on the Old Man?

With such a glaring gap in their strength, how had she managed that?

Could it be that the Old Man had some specific fatal weakness that he had intentionally entrusted to his student?

What would he gain from that—preventing himself from losing control?

A thought flashed through Fu Qian's mind.

Henry had previously called himself filth, and it was later proven that he was easily influenced by his covenant. To guard against this, had he handed something over to the person he trusted most?

"Of course, I just gave a little nudge. He still had to be willing to come back on his own."

Seeming to understand Fu Qian's surprise, Yuan Shan slowly added another explanation.

The source of the distortion and transformation came from the Old Man himself; he had simply handed her the switch.

Fu Qian instantly understood her meaning.

That indeed made much more sense.

Still... patricide, master-killing, acting as a traitor. What was wrong with the people he associated with? Had societal morals decayed to such an extent?

For a moment, Fu Qian deeply lamented that human hearts are no longer pure.

Naturally, he was just mocking the situation inwardly. He knew exactly why Yuan Shan had done it.

"I see. It looks like I misunderstood. I thought he was turning his back on me out of disgust, but thinking about it now, he obviously knows I'm not a bad person. That's why he's so relaxed and bold."

Chief Yuan was truly a woman of her word. She had promised to ensure his safety, and even after nearly taking a shot from him, she had still decisively stepped in to restrain her teacher, whom she deemed overly impulsive.

Her slight apprehension right now was completely understandable. Henry likely had no combat power at the moment, and yet Fu Qian and Su Gao had inexplicably tracked them down to their doorstep.

Considering Henry's prior actions, if Fu Qian really wanted to retaliate, she probably wouldn't be able to protect him.

In fact, hiding out here instead of responding to the Night Watchers' operations was probably for that exact reason.

In this 'unknown' little hideout, she could maximize her teacher's safety.

...

As soon as Fu Qian spoke, Yuan Shan's expression shifted, and she blinked at the cat on the floor.

The feline maintained its air of disdain, not even sparing her a glance.

'Chief Yuan, there's a reason you're being despised!'

Seeing this, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

Yuan Shan's reaction to his sudden appearance couldn't be called sluggish, and her response had been commendable. Even her stance on protecting her teacher was remarkably resolute.

The only problem was that her reading comprehension was terrible. She hadn't grasped her teacher's intentions at all.

Henry hadn't looked back at him once since he arrived. Wasn't that posture obvious enough?

Once he had somewhat recovered his wits, Henry would have definitely realized what was wrong with him last night. He would know that Fu Qian was the target of Blazing Rainbow, a completely innocent bystander.

And an innocent bystander who was willing to follow a Night Watcher right into the net just to prove his innocence—how bored would he have to be to seek revenge at this time, in this place?

The posture he had maintained from the start abundantly demonstrated his lack of concern about the situation.

Of course, by the end, it was probably mixed with a healthy dose of contempt for his beloved disciple.

Fortunately, with that gentle reminder, Chief Yuan had clearly caught on.

"Would you like some more?"

A moment later, she beamed brightly, her excellent mood fully restored as she offered Su Gao more hospitality.

Though she wasn't sure how much Su Gao knew, Su Gao's initiative in pointing out the cat earlier had thoroughly demonstrated her stance. She was clearly standing firmly on her employer's side.

As far as Yuan Shan was concerned, all her momentary misgivings had been erased.

"Yes, please. Thank you."

Su Gao didn't reject the kindness, even thanking her with absolute earnestness.

"Have you been working hard lately?"

Watching Chief Yuan bustle off again, Fu Qian resumed his casual chat with Su Gao.

"It's tedious, but not hard."

Su Gao smiled and shook her head.

"Some targets are very cunning, and they have good luck, too."

So she was still doing the work of hunting down criminals, then?

Life wasn't easy for the lawless transcendents, especially with such a dedicated Demigod Realm enforcer on their tail.

Fu Qian thought for a moment, pulled out a Die, and handed it over.

"They say carrying this around can bring a little bit of good luck."

"Hmm..."

Su Gao looked down at the Gambler's Hand Bone.

Whether due to its crude appearance or its almost imperceptible supernatural aura, it was honestly hard for anyone to think it was particularly valuable.

The same sentiment could be seen on Yuan Shan's face as she returned.

However, its unique material meant that Su Gao didn't hesitate or act coy. Her amber eyes looked straight into Fu Qian's as she picked it up from his palm.

"Thank you."

...

"Although the storm has seemingly passed, the investigation into what happened yesterday hasn't actually stopped."

Having a little trouble understanding Su Gao's reaction, Yuan Shan still waited a few seconds before breaking the silence.

"It would be best if you left here quickly."

The advice she gave Fu Qian was incredibly blunt.

"I will."

Looking up, he could see from the expression on Su Gao's face that she clearly supported this as well.

His gaze drifted past her shoulder, staring out at a night sky that seemed far too empty, and Fu Qian accepted the suggestion.

...

Sure enough, it was gone.

A short while later, after bidding farewell to the two women and the cat, Fu Qian chose the fastest method of departure.

The moment he took off his mask and returned to the Warehouse, he immediately walked deep into the shelves.

After some searching, the fruit of his labor from The Abyss last time—the item designated 1-015—was indeed missing.

He didn't know what methods the Warehouse had employed, but it was clear that Blazing Rainbow's latest spy device had once again been scrapped.

For the time being, Fu Qian didn't move again. He simply sat there, listening to the dead silence.

He waited until a bloody hue swelled over the Emissary Mask, gradually thickening.

At that moment, he packed away the equipment he had just taken off one by one, then put the Emissary back on.

...

"The sun is up."

The Shangjing Little Shop did not open today, as was customary.

The proprietor, having just returned travel-worn and weary, was currently standing on the second floor, admiring the sunrise.

Like a massive fireball, the sun slowly crested over the horizon.

The warm, soothing rays blanketing his body heralded the start of a beautiful day.

Fu Qian, his colorless state now fully dispelled, offered a sigh of praise as he raised a Transparent Longbow.

"Let's begin."

A few seconds later, a rust-like hue reeking of blasphemy violently exploded across the surface of the warm sun, plunging the dawn into gloom.

As his skin turned translucent once again, Fu Qian silently evaluated what emerged next—the most glaring, eye-catching Dark Moon in the entire sky.

[SAN Value -10]

Five seconds later, the Pseudo-God Incarnation on his hand flickered, and his Rank climbed again...

Another five seconds passed, and he donned his second mask...

The Cool Ring he had just taken off and set aside...

Aside from the clamor stirred up by the celestial phenomena, it was still utterly silent to his ears.

His expression didn't change as his chest writhed, tearing open to reveal a maw packed with razor-sharp teeth.

Fu Qian picked up a murky eyeball from the pile of items in front of him and casually tossed it in.

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