Eldritch Horror Theatre

If it had been daytime, Brother Taylor would have most likely been lying around playing dead; there would have been none of this initiative on display.

Concealed in the dark, Fu Qian was highly satisfied with his earlier decision after successfully watching the suspect flee.

Taylor quickly straightened his back, but he still found a corner to hide his figure, carefully observing his surroundings.

As he moved, Fu Qian noticed something unusual slip from Taylor's body.

It looked like a piece of gray cloth about the size of a tabletop. Semi-transparent with irregular edges, it was hard to tell at a glance if it even possessed a physical form.

Yet, for such an unassuming object, it exuded the distinct feeling of a rather high Rank.

Taylor must have wrapped it around himself earlier, which granted him the High Tier ability of Shadow Shuttle.

Right now, the gray cloth clung to Taylor's back like a tattered cape.

Even just hanging there, it was clear that Taylor's aura was significantly concealed.

...

Fu Qian didn't actually think Taylor was trying to escape.

They hadn't interacted much. Beyond noticing that the man was a bit simple-minded, Fu Qian didn't know much about this future star of the Blood Clan.

But judging purely from the current situation, Taylor had no reason to run.

If he hadn't committed that series of vicious incidents, setting aside his willingness to take the fall by fleeing, Grantham would never allow such a thing to happen.

Otherwise, even if the truth came out later, the Gulade Family would be finished in Shangjing.

And if Taylor really was the one behind those tasteless acts?

Then he had even less of a chance to run away.

Given Gulade's current situation, one misstep would mean a lot more than just getting run out of Shangjing.

When that time came, even with his 24-karat pure-blood status, Grantham would undoubtedly be more than happy to offer him up as a sacrifice.

So, even with a few artifacts on hand, there was absolutely no chance he could actually escape.

Furthermore, judging by the situation earlier, there were no Blood Clan members lurking outside Taylor's residence. In a way, this showed that Grantham was quite confident in his innocence.

Wait a minute. Speaking of innocence, was Brother Taylor about to tarnish his own reputation right now?

...

In that brief moment, Taylor had chosen a direction and taken off at a sprint, with Fu Qian naturally following quietly behind.

Ahead of him, Brother Taylor finally came to a halt.

Even from a distance, Fu Qian could smell the stench of alcohol and vomit.

This place was familiar. If he remembered correctly, he had been here not too long ago.

It was where he, Chief Yuan, and Su Gao had discovered Ambor's first victim.

Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings.

He had to admit, it was certainly a lively spot.

Even though the night was still young, flushed men and women could already be seen occasionally stumbling to the side to vomit, or even pitching forward and passing out completely.

It was a prime location for predators looking to take advantage of blackout drunks. Brother Taylor running off to a place like this was a highly sensitive move.

And right now, using the cover of night, the man had slipped deep into the neon-lit revelry.

...

Was he trying to find the real culprit and prove his own innocence?

Unlike Taylor, Fu Qian had abandoned any attempt at stealth. Under the cover of his mask, he swaggered straight forward.

Under the filter of the night, people's tolerance for strange outfits was noticeably much higher.

Following Taylor's footsteps until the man quietly concealed himself in a corner, Fu Qian observed the scene and came to his earlier conclusion.

Though he hadn't entirely merged with the shadows, the cover of darkness and the effects of his cape reduced Taylor's presence to an absolute minimum.

Concealed in a corner in this manner, Taylor had his gaze locked onto a certain woman.

She was currently slumped over a bench in a rather indecent posture.

Judging by her exposed profile, despite the heavy makeup, she was quite young, and her clothes were relatively conservative. She was simply completely unconscious at the moment.

Though he stared unblinkingly, Taylor was clearly not interested in her; instead, he paid close attention to every male who approached.

Given the time and place, Taylor clearly considered her suitable bait, hoping to use her for Waiting by the Stump for a Hare.

It wasn't a brilliant strategy, but it was certainly the kind of thing a hot-blooded youth would try.

No wonder Brother Taylor, despite his advanced years, shared a reputation on par with teenage prodigies.

It was good for young people to have hot blood, but if Brother Taylor had any real sense of danger, he would know that it would be incredibly easy for someone to turn this situation against him, leaving him unable to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

As Fu Qian mused, the minutes ticked by. Well over half an hour passed, yet the situation Taylor was hoping for never materialized.

Throughout this entire time, the drunk woman, despite her muddled state, had somehow managed to shoo away several groups of people who approached her.

She even managed to stubbornly stagger to her feet and hail a cab, leaving the circling wolves deeply disappointed.

Brother Taylor was clearly even more disappointed; he had just watched a high-quality piece of bait slip away.

However, even as the car door closed and it drove off, despite a brief moment of hesitation, he didn't make any underhanded moves to stop her.

...

'Whether he was worried about being discovered or not, at least he has some principles!'

Witnessing this scene, Fu Qian offered a silent word of praise and immediately stood up.

He didn't head toward Taylor. Instead, he turned to leave, relaxing his tightly suppressed aura just a fraction as he did.

Almost instantly, Fu Qian sensed Taylor locking onto him.

Without turning his head, he quickened his pace, rounding the corner and slipping into a secluded alleyway.

Such a simple ploy to lure the enemy out would hardly work on anyone with real jianghu experience.

Fortunately, Brother Taylor had none.

"Where do you think you're going?"

As he rounded the third corner, Fu Qian felt his right foot grow heavy, firmly seized by what felt like living shadows, as a voice rang out.

'So he actually knows how to hide his identity.'

Without struggling, Fu Qian stopped and looked at the figure stepping out from the corner.

Compared to earlier, Taylor was now wearing a mask.

Unlike the one on Fu Qian's own face, this mask was exquisitely crafted. Shaped like a butterfly about to take flight, it even left half of his chin exposed to preserve its aesthetic design.

'Truly elegant by nature, huh? Still refusing to keep a low profile even now?'

Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

And evidently, Taylor was also staring blankly at the mask on Fu Qian's face.

Such was the awkwardness of an outfit clash.

"Taylor Gulade?"

Quietly mocking him in his head, Fu Qian ignored the question and asked back in a deep voice.

"You really do know who I am!"

Taylor sounded more delighted than surprised. With a flip of his palm, the shadows writhed and entangled Fu Qian's other foot as well.

"I think you need to explain exactly how you managed to pull this off."

"Of how I recognized you?"

Facing the heavy threat in his words, Fu Qian let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeves.

"I've long heard the great names of Northern Jiang En and South Taylor. Today, yours truly has come specifically to seek your guidance."

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