Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Your hand!"

Unexpectedly, a simple movement from Fu Qian drew a gasp of shock from Veil.

She stared at his right hand in alarm. A puncture wound went straight through it, and faint traces of blood were still seeping out.

To Veil, this was simply incomprehensible.

Though she had no idea what path he cultivated, in her eyes, the mysterious figure before her was at least a Tier 4 powerhouse.

It was hard to imagine anything in the Small Town capable of hurting him.

Moreover, transcendents typically possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. Even if a wound in a non-lethal spot didn't fully heal in a short time, it shouldn't still be bleeding.

How could this be? Veil covered her mouth, subconsciously sensing danger.

"Are you... all right?" she asked cautiously.

This was the truth. The task had progressed, the dinner had suited his tastes perfectly, and he was genuinely in a good mood.

As for the injury on his hand, he had absolutely no intention of explaining it.

To Veil, however, Fu Qian's relaxed tone meant something else entirely.

He is satisfied with this outcome?

Just a hand injury is already considered a very good result?

Just what on earth is he dealing with?

Veil was instantly fraught with worry, hesitating over whether she should take her younger sister and flee.

...

Early the next morning, roused by a knock at the door, Fu Qian climbed out of bed, brimming with energy.

He glanced at his hand. The wound had completely healed, leaving no trace behind.

This was actually a very slow recovery for him.

Normally, a minor injury like this would heal in the time it took to yawn.

That peculiar hollow state had drastically hindered the wound's healing process.

At the same time, Fu Qian also heard Veil tossing and turning upstairs.

It was obvious she had spent another whole night without sleep.

Young people really are full of energy! Fu Qian mused as he went to open the door.

Standing outside, aside from the maid who had delivered his meals previously, was an acquaintance.

Grace? Fu Qian looked at the noblewoman in the plain dress, thinking to himself that it couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

No matter how he looked at it, the woman before him was the same Grace who had been talking to empty air about Nate at the banquet yesterday.

Veil's distant relative is actually her?

Right now, however, Grace's eyes were clear, and she carried not a hint of that hollow feeling. She seemed like a completely different person from last night.

And this very much alive middle-aged noblewoman was looking him up and down with a slightly suggestive gaze.

"Mr. Fu Qian? Good morning!"

"Hello, Madam. Please come in," Fu Qian replied with a smile.

Grace's transformation naturally reminded him of the earlier scene at the hospital.

He had clearly discovered the existence of the hollow back then, but upon rushing to Guzman's ward, the Sir had been acting completely normal as well.

These people seemed to follow some sort of pattern that allowed them to switch between two states.

He could only say that things were getting more and more interesting.

"I heard a handsome guest had arrived, which kept me yearning all night, so I came right over as soon as I woke up," Grace said, covering her mouth with her gloved hand to stifle a giggle.

"I thought Daisy was exaggerating earlier, but she wasn't exaggerating at all!" Letting her gaze wander over Fu Qian's face once more, Grace motioned for the maid, Daisy, to bring the breakfast in as she stepped inside.

Just then, footsteps sounded from upstairs; hearing the commotion below, the insomniac Veil had simply decided to get out of bed.

"Aunt, why are you here?" Seeing Grace, Veil's expression turned slightly unnatural.

"How did you end up looking like this?" Grace frowned, holding Veil's face to inspect her dark circles.

"Did you not rest well?" As she spoke, she cast an intentional—or perhaps unintentional—glance in Fu Qian's direction.

You're overthinking things, Fu Qian noted inwardly, naturally understanding the implication behind her suggestive look.

He could somewhat guess the real reason behind Veil's insomnia.

It was highly likely that his injury yesterday had fueled her overactive imagination.

Seeing Grace's actions, a flush of red crept into Veil's pale face.

She felt the bashfulness of being misunderstood, but more than that, she feared offending Fu Qian.

It's really not what you think! This man is an extremely dangerous individual; his appearance is entirely deceiving! Veil cried out in her heart, subconsciously grabbing Grace's hand.

"It's nothing. I just went to Lotte's place yesterday."

"You met with Lotte?" Grace froze for a moment, clearly not expecting this to be the reason.

When the maid returned yesterday and told her a young man had arrived, she had been quite delighted.

She had come to take a look first thing this morning, and upon seeing him, found she liked him very much.

But she certainly hadn't expected Veil to have already visited Lotte.

"Are you planning to leave?" Grace asked instinctively.

She was very familiar with the personalities of the two sisters, and also knew of Veil's identity as a transcendent.

If Lotte knew Veil was here, it was highly likely she would cause a scene.

No wonder Veil hadn't slept well. It seemed she had been overthinking things.

"No need," Veil said, shaking her head.

"Lotte doesn't object to me staying here."

"Is that so? Well, that's not bad," Grace said, her tone both surprised and relieved.

"It seems that child is slowly growing up."

"Mhm." Veil didn't explain further, taking a seat beside Grace.

She hadn't dared to hope Fu Qian would keep them company, yet unexpectedly, he sat off to the side with keen interest, showing not a hint of impatience.

"This is Mr. Fu Qian." Seeing that Grace was clearly interested in him, Veil could only bite the bullet and introduce them.

At that moment, Veil also noticed that the wound on Fu Qian's hand had completely healed.

"We've already met," Grace said, looking at Fu Qian with a beaming smile.

"My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I am Grace, Veil's aunt."

Just as I thought. Fu Qian cast a glance back at Veil.

"Hello. Veil never mentioned that you were her aunt!"

"You know me?" Grace immediately looked surprised.

"Mr. Nate mentioned you to me. He said you've been counseling him lately and even suggested he drink a few more glasses of good wine," Fu Qian said calmly, recalling the conversation he had heard at the banquet yesterday.

The reason he specifically brought up Nate was to test a theory.

Fu Qian was very curious whether she remembered the things she said in her other state, or if the two states were completely disconnected from each other.

"You know Nate?" Grace's surprise deepened for a moment, followed by a long sigh.

"He is such a pitiful man!"

"Indeed. I originally wanted to visit him last night, but after thinking it over, I decided not to disturb him," Fu Qian said while observing Grace's face.

"Good thing you didn't, or you probably would have found an empty house," she said, breaking into a smile.

"He was drinking with us last night. He wasn't at home."

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