Eldritch Horror Theatre

In fact, compared to the ritual itself, Fu Qian was far more curious about where Jiang En had figured this out.

Given the rather twisted nature of its contents, it was hard to imagine he had pieced it all together on his own.

In Fu Qian's view, the most likely source for Brother Jiang En's method of defying the heavens and altering destiny was that group of nobles led by Danetta.

In fact, his entire display just now had mainly been for their benefit.

Given his previous encounters, he had guessed that Danetta, or perhaps others, possessed some special means to observe Jiang En's every move at any time.

Whether it was the bigshots at the trade fair or Danetta intervening personally, they had clearly gone all out to help Jiang En complete the ritual.

Now that Jiang En had been forced into such a predicament and was facing a dangerous figure like him—someone with erratic movements and unknown motives—it was time for them to truly show their hand.

Fu Qian believed that after tonight, a rather spectacular scene would likely be waiting for him the next time he showed his face.

Of course, that was a matter for later. This night had already been long enough.

It was getting late. Even Dayun Mingwang needed his rest.

...

Late at night, inside Wen Li's mansion.

"Mister Fang, you're back."

Resting her chin in her hand, Wen Li looked entirely wide awake. She greeted the figure that suddenly appeared before her with a hint of pleasant surprise.

"A pleasure. I am Dayun Mingwang!"

However, the voice that answered her from behind the mask was different from what she expected. The man even gave a slight bow.

"A pleasure... Mister Fu."

Wen Li blanked for a moment, but she showed no panic whatsoever. She answered with a smile and even switched how she addressed him.

She was right. The voice just now was the exact same one she had heard when she advanced to Tier 6 with the help of her mysterious bodyguard, Mister Fu, before coming to Shangjing.

"Good memory."

Fu Qian offered a word of praise, casually taking off the mask and tossing it aside.

"Quite bold, too."

"Because I don't rely solely on appearances and voices to remember people."

Looking at the rarely seen but much more pleasing face beneath the mask, Wen Li's smile deepened as she tapped her head.

"Did things go smoothly today? You seem to be in a good mood."

"A bountiful harvest."

Fu Qian didn't feign modesty as he sat down beside Wen Li.

"Tomorrow and in the future, the name Dayun Mingwang will surely echo throughout all of Shangjing."

"...It's certainly a mighty and domineering title, but doesn't it contradict your usual low-profile style?"

Wen Li blinked, pushing a plate of fruit toward him.

It seemed she was much more relaxed than usual because he was showing his true face?

The problem was, back when he had dealt with her using his true face, she had taken more than a few kicks from him.

Keenly noticing the change in Wen Li's posture, Fu Qian once again lamented the complexity of the human heart.

Just now, after concealing his aura and bypassing the guards, he noticed that Wen Li's Tier 5 state was already quite stable and settled, so he had casually tested her to see how much her abilities had grown.

The facts proved that, if nothing else, Eldest Miss Wen truly possessed some extraordinary talent when it came to distinguishing the genuine from the fake.

"So remember to keep it a secret."

Fu Qian casually picked up a grape and tossed it into his mouth, not feeling that her comment about him keeping a low profile was inappropriate at all.

"You're hurt? Did you run into some trouble?"

Wen Li had finally noticed the marks on his chest and spoke up in surprise.

"It's fine. I'm just sharing Chief Yuan's burdens."

Fu Qian touched his chest, his tone sounding as though he were giving his utmost with total devotion for the party and the country.

It was a stab wound he had intentionally taken to play along with Danetta.

"Now, I have a question. Under what circumstances do you think a group of people would go to great lengths to help a complete stranger, seemingly asking for nothing in return?"

"To the point where they even rack their brains to hide their intentions when gifting things, making the other party think they obtained it through their own skill?"

Seeing how energetic Wen Li looked, Fu Qian posed this question to her.

"Well..."

Faced with Fu Qian's question, Wen Li frowned in deep thought.

"Although I encountered quite a few instances of people showing favor while supposedly expecting nothing in return as I grew up, it's still hard to imagine someone going to such lengths. However—"

Wen Li paused.

"You mentioned they hide their intentions even when giving things. I can actually think of one possible reason for that. Could it be that if they didn't hide it, the other party wouldn't accept it?"

That made sense.

Fu Qian nodded.

Given Wen Li's background, she certainly hadn't lacked people looking out for her since childhood, and right now, her rich life experience was finally coming in handy.

He wasn't sure when Danetta and the others had set their sights on Jiang En. But obviously, for a down-on-his-luck fallen genius like him, genuinely helping him out shouldn't theoretically require so much effort.

They only needed to present him with a path to make a comeback; they wouldn't even need to say a word.

So for a group of people to make things this complicated, Wen Li's explanation made quite a bit of sense—if they laid it out directly, Jiang En might refuse.

Had Jiang En interacted with them in some way before and grown wary of them?

...

"Of course, there are no absolutes. That's just a guess of mine."

As Wen Li spoke modestly, she seemed to suddenly think of something.

"I just received news that another victim appeared last night. They also had bite marks on their neck... Could it really be related to Taylor? If so, Gulade's situation is going to be even worse."

"Brother Taylor is indeed under a lot of pressure, but he clearly hasn't given up hope."

Wen Li's question instantly reminded Fu Qian of the scene where Taylor had worked so hard to prove his innocence.

Fu Qian didn't actually have any particular issues with his business partner. Leaving traces of the Blood Clan on Jiang En's mess had nothing to do with kicking a man while he was down.

In fact, in Fu Qian's view, stepping on the gas when a situation was exceedingly dire wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

...

After chatting for a while, Fu Qian returned to the room he had already stayed in twice to rest.

It was obvious that Wen Li had arranged for someone to clean it again. She even seemed to have given intentional orders, as the servants deliberately avoided the vicinity of the room, keeping it as quiet as possible.

Of course, the night itself wouldn't necessarily remain that quiet.

There was a very high possibility that Danetta and the others had seen the final scene that Jiang En discovered, and they now knew that a certain Dayun Mingwang was stirring up trouble.

Under these circumstances, how could they allow their careful arrangements to be ruined?

So there was a high probability they would try everything in their power to eliminate this unstable factor.

Fu Qian believed that tomorrow, the moment he stepped out the door, a very spectacular scene would definitely be waiting for him.

...

Completely lacking the self-awareness of someone whose countdown was nearing its end, Fu Qian rested very comfortably.

When he saw Wen Li again the next day, she was sitting at the dining table in a daze, having even forgotten to eat her breakfast.

"Mister Fang, I just received news..."

Realizing that Fu Qian had adjusted his appearance, she obediently changed how she addressed him, then spoke with undisguised urgency.

"Last night, Taylor was apparently caught... at the scene of the crime."

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