Eldritch Horror Theatre

In truth, Fu Qian knew exactly why this Brother Taylor from the Gulade Family had shown up at his door.

Barring any surprises, Huang Zhixun had already slinked out of Shangjing in disgrace over the Gan Zuoxun incident.

And since he was the mastermind behind the incident, the Gulade Family was undoubtedly displeased with him.

But no matter how bold they were, they wouldn't dare make a move against him directly.

Showing up at his door like this was merely a probe and a display of their stance—something along the lines of, "We've got our eyes on you."

This was entirely routine. Nothing strange about it.

The strange part was that Taylor clearly had no intention of actually selling the notebook, yet he had still placed the item right in front of him, even at the cost of exposing his ancestor's shameful diary.

This behavior was undoubtedly peculiar; it was hard to believe his only goal was finding an excuse to walk through the door.

Thus, Fu Qian figured that getting him to look at the notebook was the actual goal.

Besides, The Bookstore's business reputation had already reached a glorious rock bottom; he didn't need to worry about dragging it down any further.

On top of that, he was genuinely curious about the contents recorded inside.

Your style...

Hearing Fu Qian's words, Taylor went stiff, suddenly recalling this man's reckless, unbridled style.

Between refusing to sell by force and buying by force, there really wasn't much distance.

The problem was that the notebook was a vital artifact to the family. He only had the authority to safeguard and use it; how could he possibly let this bastard keep it here?

"Mister Fang, considering your actions, I am well within my rights to take any necessary countermeasures."

The Blood Clan gentleman was genuinely anxious now, no longer bothering to conceal the threat in his tone.

"Be my guest."

With a sharp ping, Fu Qian casually flicked a coin right at the man's chest.

"If you feel the price is unfair, you can always file a complaint with the Market Supervision Bureau."

"You..."

Taylor's glare was murderous. His knuckles turned white as he pressed his hand down on the notebook, and the entire room seemed to faintly dim, as if night were descending.

Unfortunately for him, Fu Qian completely ignored this thunderous rage. He reached out, tugged the notebook free, and leaned back in his rocking chair.

Crunch!

Taylor's five fingers, now sharp as daggers, slammed heavily into the counter, sinking in as easily as cutting through tofu.

The quality really isn't bad!

Fu Qian stared down at the notebook in his hands with genuine surprise.

He had just yanked it out from beneath Taylor's sharp claws, yet it hadn't sustained a single scratch.

It was clearly no ordinary item.

Bastard!

Taylor glared fixedly at Fu Qian's head, his killing intent practically tangible. Unfortunately, he just didn't have the courage to smash the man in the face.

Right. Theoretically speaking, the guy in front of him was forcibly robbing his family of a precious artifact. It wouldn't be out of line to just attack him directly.

But that was only in theory.

The ultimate authority to interpret this situation lay in the hands of the Night Watchers.

And given recent events, he knew exactly how the Night Watchers would interpret it.

Especially since he had explicitly announced he was here to sell the notebook when he walked through the door.

He could try mobilizing all of the family's influence, but that would mean reporting that he had lost the notebook.

Although he had been instructed to come here and probe the man, using the notebook had been his own idea.

No matter the final outcome, he would absolutely be branded as incompetent.

And that was something he absolutely could not accept.

"If Mister Fang wants to read it that badly, then I suppose I can let you borrow it for a few days."

Having reached that conclusion, Taylor slowly pulled his fingers out of the counter, turned, and strode toward the exit.

No need to rush. There will be plenty of opportunities to take it back.

The notebook can't be damaged anyway.

It would be even better if this guy wrote some of his own personal information in it. Then we'd get exactly what we want without any effort.

"Wait a minute."

To his surprise, Fu Qian's voice called out from behind him once again.

"What? Does Mister Fang intend to keep me here as well?"

Taylor turned around, his tone and gaze equally sinister.

What a terrible line. Are vampires all this narcissistic?

Fu Qian shook his head in sheer dismay and pointed at the finger holes in the counter.

"I run a small business. Pay up for the damages."

...

For a few fleeting seconds, Taylor was almost overcome by impulse.

But in the end, he just reached a trembling hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out an exquisite wallet.

After tossing all the cash inside onto the counter, he refused to make any eye contact with Fu Qian and marched out the door.

A startup's first pot of gold always comes when you least expect it!

Opportunity always favors the prepared mind. Reading through those dozens of jin of self-help books really wasn't in vain.

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in satisfaction and unceremoniously pocketed the cash.

Given his current history with the Gulade Family, it was absolutely impossible to laugh away old grudges.

Fortunately for him, their household was deeply unlucky to have produced a talent like Taylor, who had willingly hand-delivered such a prize to his doorstep. How could he possibly refuse?

Speaking of which, the man wanted him to read this notebook so badly—what was his true goal?

Fu Qian rubbed the black cover. It was heavily worn and tattered.

Given the item's sheer resilience, it was honestly hard to imagine what kind of force could have battered it to such a state.

He had originally planned to just run his business in peace, but it looked like he was going to have to go bother Chief Yuan after all.

...

"Mister Fang, long time no see—fuck!"

Chief Yuan was being quite the dedicated worker today, but the moment Fu Qian walked through the door and whipped out the notebook, she immediately swore.

"Stay away from me!"

Nearly jumping out from behind her desk, she held out a palm, signaling for Fu Qian to stop right there.

"It really is."

Once Fu Qian came to a halt with a puzzled look, Yuan Shan peered at the notebook in his hands from a distance and drew in a sharp breath.

"Where the hell did you get that thing?"

"Bought it."

"Bought it? Bullshit!"

Yuan Shan's expression twisted into utter disbelief.

"That is a Gulade Family treasure! Even if they went completely broke and had to sell it off, they would absolutely never sell it to you."

"I really bought it. Cost me a buck."

Fu Qian then proceeded to paint a vivid picture of how Taylor had fallen on hard times and had been forced to pawn off his family heirloom.

"You really are..."

After hearing the whole story, Yuan Shan looked completely at a loss for what kind of expression to make.

"And that Taylor really is... I never expected the Abyss Notes to actually end up in the hands of a piece of trash like that."

"So, want to tell me why you were so on edge just now? Is this thing really that terrifying?"

Fu Qian raised an eyebrow.

Yuan Shan was someone who had seen plenty of the world. For her to have such a massive reaction to a mere transcendent item was genuinely unusual.

"I was definitely on edge, but I wouldn't call it fear. It just creeps me out."

"Do you know the properties of the Abyss Notes?"

"According to the seller, this thing can verify the truth of whatever is written in it. False information can't be retained on its pages."

"That's correct. He actually didn't lie to you about that."

Yuan Shan let out a breath.

"But did you ever consider how it determines whether the contents are true or false?"

How does it verify the truth?

A spark of realization flashed through Fu Qian's mind as he guessed the answer.

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you. That's exactly why it was given that name."

Yuan Shan pointed a finger at it.

"The exact instant you read any of its contents, it simultaneously reads you."

"From that moment on, any information related to you can be recorded into the notebook."

"And take note—it isn't just limited to you writing about yourself. Anyone can write about you, because you've already been recorded."

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