Eldritch Horror Theatre

Time ticked by, second by second.

Brother Honma certainly displayed top-tier composure. Even with his entire face submerged in the soup bowl, he didn't make a single sound.

He even shifted his posture to rest more comfortably.

"Don't do anything crazy!"

But Fu Qian's sudden move gave Naya a start.

The situation was already chaotic enough; she absolutely couldn't just stand by and watch Fu Qian drown the man.

"How is this doing something crazy?"

Fu Qian flashed the smile of a psychopathic killer.

"This is a legitimate technique. Haven't you heard of extreme pressure application?"

"Brother Honma firmly believes we won't kill him. He knows that no matter what we do, we will definitely stop before he reaches his limit."

"That gives him the confidence to resist any threat, even deriving pleasure from overcoming his fear of death."

"That is quite logical, really, but it has one problem."

"The word 'limit' is a very serious concept. People who haven't experienced it can't define it so casually."

"Before you reach that point, are you really so sure your self-control can suppress the fear?"

"Won't you have even a moment of doubt—wondering if I might actually ignore the consequences and kill you?"

Just as Fu Qian finished speaking, the head he was holding down seemed to twitch, but immediately returned to stillness.

"Brother Honma is really enjoying himself."

Fu Qian sounded incredibly pleased.

"No need to thank me. It's the least I could do."

...

Watching this absurd scene, Naya clenched her fists, unsure how to react.

"This is the importance of laying the groundwork."

Fu Qian shook his head as he looked at her.

"If I had done this straight away over at Qiao Yanchuan's place, you likely would have attacked me by now."

Phew!

After glaring at Fu Qian for a long moment, Naya finally let out a slow breath.

"Didn't you say time was tight? And yet you're doing this here?"

"That's because the route I've chosen is likely the most efficient."

Fu Qian let out a string of low chuckles as he spoke.

Meanwhile, Brother Honma, currently in the midst of a peak experience, suddenly shuddered and blew out a stream of bubbles.

"Alright, he's reaching his limit! Pull him up and we'll ask again," Naya said coldly.

"How could he be?"

Fu Qian's expression was exaggerated.

"I can feel it. Brother Honma is completely high out of his mind right now."

...

Naya looked down at Honma. It was just as Fu Qian said; the man was in a strange state of tranquility.

Within the faint sounds he was making, it even seemed like he was laughing.

But at the same time, streaks of blood were already appearing in the clear soup.

"Enough! If you keep this up, something's going to go wrong!"

Naya was a fierce woman. Seeing that Fu Qian remained unmoved, she chose to intervene directly.

However, the moment she moved, a dark red whip covered in Spikes flashed by. The eerie aura radiating from it forced her back several steps.

At the same time, Fu Qian increased the pressure with his other hand, and Honma's body stiffened in response.

"My apologies, my strength control isn't the best."

Though he apologized, there was not a trace of guilt on his face.

"Next time, I might just snap his neck."

Naya, who was just about to charge in again, stopped dead in her tracks upon hearing that, not daring to make another reckless move.

"No matter your reasons, doing this is going to cause a lot of trouble for both of us!"

Since force wouldn't work, Naya could only try to reason with him again.

"I know, but it doesn't matter."

Fu Qian's smile didn't falter.

"Why don't you learn from Brother Honma?"

"Since you can't do anything, you might as well find some amusement in it. For instance, why not guess how long it will take for him to reach his limit?"

Urgh!

As Fu Qian spoke, Honma's body jerked again, as if he were engaged in some kind of mental struggle.

After a brief moment of struggle, the man's movements suddenly became violent.

Unfortunately for him, due to the absolute gap in strength, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move a single inch.

"Is this what they call being so happy you kick your feet?"

Looking at Honma's body, curled up like a shrimp, Fu Qian nodded as if he understood perfectly.

Thump, thump!

Unable to move his head, Honma began frantically slapping his hands against his surroundings.

Meanwhile, Fu Qian noticed another phenomenon: the man's body seemed to be rapidly switching between two states, alternating between tense rigidity and limp exhaustion.

Fascinating!

It wasn't until the slapping of Honma's palms had completely lost its rhythm that Fu Qian finally pulled his head up and tossed him over to Naya.

She caught the near-dead Honma and patted him a few times with a complicated expression.

A Mid-Tier Transcendent's healing abilities were quite effective. Honma soon broke into a violent coughing fit, spitting out mouthfuls of bloody water.

"You... What do you... want to know... I'll... talk..."

He struggled to speak before he had even caught his breath.

"It seems Brother Honma's cultivation isn't quite enough yet. It looks like he couldn't reach his limit."

"Besides, I appreciate your sincerity, but I don't have anything to ask."

...

At this, even Naya was stunned.

The man was finally willing to talk, and now he didn't want to ask?

Seeing Honma's near-despairing gaze, she felt a momentary pang of pity for him.

"You have thirty seconds to think about what you want to tell me."

Just then, she heard Fu Qian continue.

"Then I'll decide whether or not I'll continue 'helping' you with my next step."

...

"I joined a month ago."

In fact, it didn't even take ten seconds for Brother Honma to organize his words.

"I heard about the Masquerade from a friend, so I sought out Qiao Yanchuan on my own and received an Invitation Letter."

"But I'm different from most people. What I experienced was a different kind of pleasure."

"Later on, this special Masquerade was held once a week, and the number of participants increased rapidly."

"Jia Yi joined slightly after I did, but he could essentially only be considered a fringe member."

"As for who he had conflicts with, I genuinely don't know..."

"Is that it?"

After Honma quickly finished speaking, Fu Qian offered no comment. He simply looked at the soup on the table, which was now only half full.

...

That sight instantly caused Brother Honma's mentality to crumble a bit. His brain immediately went into overdrive, recalling another matter.

"Right! That woman who was talking to you earlier—she's the most popular woman at the Masquerade."

"Most popular? Does she have some special, outstanding qualities?"

Fu Qian tried hard to recall.

"In terms of appearance, she isn't actually pretty to that extent. But she has one incredibly important advantage—she is the wife of a certain big shot."

"Understood. A status bonus."

Fu Qian immediately grasped the implication.

"So, who is this big shot?"

"It's Qiao Yanchuan!"

Seeing that Fu Qian was interested, Honma's spirits instantly lifted.

"That woman is his newlywed wife."

Newlywed wife?

Fu Qian realized something.

"When did Old Man Qiao get married?"

"About four months ago."

...

Naya, who had been listening to their conversation in speechless exasperation, couldn't help but look over at this.

Four months ago. Wasn't that when Qiao Yanchuan met the Silver-Masked Person?

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