Eldritch Horror Theatre

Like hell it was just about drinking!

Though he genuinely had been interrupted that night, too.

"Follow me. We'll talk on the way."

Lanaya glared fiercely at Fu Qian and sighed.

Just remembering what she had seen upon rushing to the scene was enough to ruin her appetite for a good while.

"At least give me a heads-up before you pull something like this again. Do you have any idea how much effort I spent cleaning up your mess..."

"Also, if someone hadn't intervened, Apocalypse and Linghui would have nearly gone to war... The management almost came to blows during several meetings. Actually, no, that guy Cass already did throw hands..."

"In short, it was utter chaos for a good while. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy..."

Riding along in Lanaya's car, Fu Qian gained a preliminary understanding of the fallout from his killing of the Linghui Courtyard mentor, Yi'an, through her barrage of complaints.

"So Yi'an really was the one who did that to Lily, trying to use it to reach the Demigod Realm?"

Amid his thoughts, Lanaya suddenly changed her tone and asked softly.

"Yes."

Fu Qian nodded. It wasn't surprising that she knew.

After Yi'an died, all they had to do was retrace his route. Finding out about that orgy was entirely inevitable.

The anomalies with Qiao Yanchuan and Lily definitely couldn't be hidden from them either. From there, some things were very easy to guess.

"Glad you killed him!"

...

"But regardless, you're still in a bit of trouble."

After bluntly declaring that Yi'an deserved to die, Lanaya started explaining Fu Qian's predicament.

"Even though no one saw it happen directly, your heroic posture on that motorcycle was still caught by a few surveillance cameras along the way. You can't escape being identified as the killer."

"Also, while the evidence heavily suggests the guy deserved it, the Linghui crowd still refuses to accept it and keeps squabbling over it."

No one saw it? Even if the guy who got slapped into the wall hadn't gotten a clear look at his face, there should have been someone else.

Lanaya's words reminded Fu Qian of a certain genius with a Lucent Sword Heart.

It seemed that even though he had explicitly told her he was going to kill someone, Ji Liushuang had still chosen to keep his secret.

"What about the Night Watchers?"

"They don't know much—or rather, they're pretending not to know much. After all, Yi'an is already dead, and Yuan Fang, who handles their daily affairs, has a bit of history with the Academy."

Yuan Fang... Hearing Lanaya say that name put Fu Qian in a momentary daze.

He knew, of course, that Lanaya was referring to the Night Watcher from the Yuan Clan, but the Prophet of the Unseen Hill who shared the exact same name made him truly curious about the latter's origins.

"In short, although the Night Watchers prefer to let us handle it internally, severe warnings are unavoidable. This has given the rest of the Academy huge issues with Linghui, so Linghui's attitude toward you is quite extreme."

Fu Qian didn't say a word, and Lanaya continued.

"They firmly believe Yi'an was innocent and are trying everything they can to prove it."

"Human nature."

Fu Qian wasn't surprised at all. Ni Huayuan, whom he had run into earlier, clearly wasn't an isolated case.

"So they must be gearing up for a fight right now?"

"Not just them. I came over here after getting notified by the Night Watchers. Without a doubt, I'll have to hand a report over to them."

"But regardless, not going straight back to the Academy was a smart move on your part. For one, it deprived the Linghui crowd of a chance to mess with you. For another, showing your face under the Night Watchers' noses first makes the Academy's stance seem a bit more natural... Assuming what you just told me is the truth."

Lanaya stared at Fu Qian with a dead-serious gaze.

"Don't worry."

Fu Qian looked the picture of composure.

"I've never been fond of lying."

...

As they spoke, the two officially entered the Academy's territory.

Looking at the unfamiliar plants and trees out the window, Fu Qian deeply felt his own lack of dedication to his job.

However, this particular route did look a little familiar.

"Are we heading to your place?"

he asked out of momentary curiosity.

"Aren't I facing an overnight interrogation?"

"Everyone is very busy. Do you think coordinating schedules is that easy? Besides, to avoid suspicion, it's best you don't see anyone before then—wait, how did you know this is the way to my place?"

Mid-sentence, Lanaya suddenly realized what he'd said, her eyes going wide.

"Is it possible you brought me back here once after getting drunk?"

Fu Qian casually told the truth.

...

Naturally, Lanaya didn't believe Fu Qian's explanation.

However, she didn't dwell on such trivial matters, directly marching Fu Qian upstairs and even assigning him to the exact same room as before.

"You stay right here. Don't go anywhere until this mess is sorted out."

"Trust me, you absolutely don't want to run into Ni Huayuan and his crew. Those guys excel at being disgusting. And of course, you definitely can't run into the Apocalypse crowd..."

"Why not? Aren't I an upstanding citizen personally endorsed by Cass? My reputation in Apocalypse should be stellar, shouldn't it?"

Fu Qian looked puzzled.

"It's precisely because it's too stellar!"

Lanaya let out a long sigh.

"As the faction with the worst reputation in the Academy, constantly despised by Linghui, your act of directly swatting one of their professors to death undoubtedly earned you a massive following among them. Of course, the most crucial point is that the dead Yi'an left behind some extremely rare experimental materials. Plenty of them are celebrating like it's the New Year."

"Anyway, considering their brains aren't exactly wired right, I don't want to trigger another farce."

It felt like that last point was the real reason.

Fu Qian nodded.

"Thanks for the heads-up. I appreciate the hard work."

"It's just my job. Besides, like I said earlier, a beast like that is better off dead."

Lanaya snorted coldly, then suddenly remembered something.

"But there is someone you really should thank: Ji Liushuang from the Sword Comprehension Institute. Because her sword intent is so unique, she was specifically called in to help analyze and appraise the mental states of the people at the banquet."

"Originally, the Linghui crowd would have been the most suitable for the job, but given their conflict of interest, we had them recuse themselves."

"And that girl worked incredibly diligently. From start to finish, she didn't skip a single person. She was a huge help."

"You have to realize, that was a bunch of guys whose brains were filled with far more than just lust. You can imagine how disgusting the whole process was."

That was certainly true.

The image of Old Man Qiao caressing the scars on his body surfaced in Fu Qian's mind.

Ji Liushuang hadn't mentioned this the last time they spoke.

"Alright, I'll go see her once things here are sorted out. Also, wouldn't just saying 'thanks' lack sincerity? What do you think about me taking her as a disciple?"

"Don't cause any more trouble for me!"

Lanaya, who had been just about to leave, instantly shuddered.

Going to their doorstep to take their star student as a disciple? Wasn't he just offending them to the death? Besides, did he even know how to use a sword?

"Besides, she isn't here right now, so there's no rush."

"Not here?"

Fu Qian made no effort to hide his surprise.

"Yeah. There was an investigation mission to Ye Island not too long ago, and she didn't come back with the rest of the team when it ended. Apparently, something came up at home."

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