Eldritch Horror Theatre

Staff Officer Wen indeed had great foresight.

Seeing Jiang En finally adopt an honest stance to recount his eventful past, Fu Qian nodded to himself.

This was obviously why Daneta hadn't appeared at the trade fair.

Jiang En knew him. If Daneta were discovered, the authenticity of this fortuitous encounter would inevitably be questioned.

Just as Wen Li had predicted, he wouldn't be able to give the item away.

It had to be said that Jiang En had far more brains than Brother Taylor—with whom he shared a reputation—and was quite decisive in his actions.

It was just a pity he thought he had turned back from the wrong path, completely unaware that his guide had long since followed him all the way home—and even brought a group along.

"What happened after you left? Did Daneta have any reaction?"

"As soon as he noticed I wasn't as enthusiastic as I was at the beginning, he became quite displeased, accusing me of wasting a once-in-a-lifetime enlightenment."

Even now, he still couldn't determine why this person had appeared here, or what his motives actually were.

But after their series of clashes from yesterday until now, he had already tasted absolute defeat at the man's hands.

And at this very moment, his intuition told him telling the truth might be the best option.

"But his overeagerness only made me feel more uneasy, cementing my resolve to leave."

Jiang En let out a long sigh.

"To be honest, it was a fairly difficult decision. That future of breaking through the bottleneck was far too tempting... I never saw him again after returning to Shangjing."

"Understandable."

Fu Qian nodded.

Over the course of the day, he had come to understand quite a bit about Jiang En's situation.

He could only conclude that even though Jiang En 'shared a reputation' with Brother Taylor and had also been nurtured with his family's full backing, the two couldn't be spoken of in the same breath.

As a textbook case of a brilliant son from a humble background, the torment brought on by his years stuck at a bottleneck was entirely imaginable.

If not for that, given his mental fortitude and awareness, how could he have been so easily lured by a 'fortuitous encounter' delivered right to his door?

"Even after making up my mind, I realized the matter wasn't over. The troubles caused by the so-called 'true self' still lingered."

"I could even feel them continuing to grow—slowly, but firmly."

"However, worldly affairs are hard to predict. Just as I was exhausting all my strength to purge them, I unexpectedly received a similar enlightenment once more—a ritual to completely control the flesh and spirit."

"But you mentioned earlier that Daneta said this kind of enlightenment only happens once in a lifetime?"

Fu Qian looked thoughtful.

"I can't rule out that he was deliberately being alarmist just to make me focus. Regardless, I found it strange too, but I tentatively chalked it up to the good fortune of a genius."

Jiang En shook his head, offering a self-deprecating smile.

"I see. And then came the scene at the hotel."

Fu Qian didn't pry any further.

"It seems the ritual involved constantly inducing and stimulating the 'true self,' and then suppressing it in reverse?"

"Yes."

Jiang En took a deep breath.

"And that was the least impactful method I could think of. I didn't expect to accidentally harm Taylor. I can only say it was regrettable."

"Furthermore, the process was far from easy. Not only did it drive a person mad, but my body was tortured to the brink of collapse. I didn't dare let the family know, so I had to find a way to sustain myself on my own. Fortunately, heaven never seals off all paths..."

Jiang En let out another long sigh, assuming Fu Qian already knew what happened after that.

"I believe I've shown enough sincerity."

The next moment, he looked at Fu Qian.

"I won't ask you to remove your mask, Wisdom King, nor will I ask why you came here. But if possible, I hope you won't hinder me from completing this process."

"Actually, whether I advance or not has long ceased to matter. This obsession has truly caused me endless suffering."

Jiang En stroked his left arm.

"I won't deny that adopting this posture is to hide from you, Wisdom King, but it is also a thought I've harbored in my heart for years. I truly long for the peace that comes once the obsession fades..."

"That statement isn't sincere enough."

Having listened earnestly to Jiang En's plea, Fu Qian offered a rather regretful critique.

He was indeed a ruthless character who knew when to yield and when to stand tall, but in an attempt to lower Fu Qian's guard to the absolute minimum, his final act had been a bit too theatrical.

How could letting go of an obsession be so easy, especially when he had repeatedly seen flashes of hope?

Given this guy's upbringing, Fu Qian believed that for a very long time, leveling up would remain the best way for him to get a hit of dopamine.

However, everyone had their cognitive limits. There was no need to take a magnifying glass to his flaws; within the scope of his abilities, the guy had already done quite well.

After giving him a mental thumbs-up, Fu Qian snapped his fingers, activating the Decree of Return.

Letting go of an obsession, right? There was actually no need for it to be so complicated.

...

"What do you mean?"

Fu Qian's sudden action clearly startled Jiang En, who was somewhat terrified he might abruptly say something like, 'A person is only completely at peace once they die.'

It couldn't be helped. Judging from his earlier behavior, the man was fully capable of pulling something like that.

"This seat cultivates the Mind-Purifying Bodhisattva Mantra and has always been adept at dispelling mental blockages for others. I have come this time precisely to deliver you."

The mission objective of this trip was to destroy Jiang En's advancement ritual, so the 'beautiful future' this guy envisioned was definitely out of reach.

The greatest significance of Jiang En's earlier honesty was that it showed Fu Qian a way to complete the mission without having to kill him.

His advancement ritual bore a strong flavor of trying to sever the three corpses. The core of the ritual clearly lay in the tempering of his own will throughout the process, so what if Fu Qian just helped him sever them directly?

The result might seem the same, but the ritual itself shouldn't be able to finish, right?

And based on previous experience, the Decree of Return had quite a potent dispelling effect on bizarre things, so it was perfectly fine to use it as a test.

Whether it worked or not would depend entirely on the outcome.

Of course, Brother Jiang En had best pray that it worked. Otherwise, he would have to be physically dispelled.

...

"What did you do?"

Initially still pondering Fu Qian's words, Jiang En seemed to notice something the next moment, and his expression grew somewhat strange.

"As you wished."

Fu Qian replied casually, quietly observing.

Under the Decree of Return, he also realized that the other man was undergoing some kind of transformation... He even caught a scent.

An unpleasant, seemingly familiar scent was emitting from this Child of Destiny.

It didn't dissipate, instead gathering into a condensed mass in the surroundings.

Skin Tempering Realm? But clearly much more powerful.

Fu Qian felt a vague sense of familiarity.

"You..."

Jiang En clearly didn't want to just sit and wait for death, yet before he could make a move, his body suddenly froze.

The flesh and blood on his body twisted bizarrely once again, and in the blink of an eye, a gigantic snake head reappeared on his chest.

The very next moment, the "snake mouth" split wide open, and pure white long feathers were drawn out from the bloody fluid.

A moment later, a translucent humanoid figure appeared before Fu Qian, while Jiang En completely lost consciousness.

Divine Emissary?

Studying the wondrous patterns outlined by the long feathers on the surface of the human skin, Fu Qian felt a transcendent, oppressive force.

For a time, even the effects of the Decree of Return were firmly suppressed.

Through his tireless efforts, had he finally unlocked the mission's hidden difficulty?

"What should I call you?"

Amidst his inward musings, Fu Qian casually called out a greeting.

"You can call me... Wei."

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