Eldritch Horror Theatre

"Help me investigate..."

Once she processed what the man in front of her had just said, Ji Liushuang made no effort to hide her shock.

"Why?"

Having accidentally poked a hornet's nest and failed to bluff her way out unscathed, she had already prepared for the worst.

True, she was the so-called daughter of the Ji Clan, but his actions and his unfathomable Rank made her seriously doubt how much deterrence that title carried.

He had, after all, stopped her while fully aware of who she was.

Yet a man like this was actually offering to help her?

"It's simple. You just mentioned that you don't care about anything but your mother's safety, so I don't think we have any irreconcilable differences."

Fu Qian naturally understood Ji Liushuang's state of mind perfectly; he had even prepared an answer for this exact question.

And given her suspicions regarding her mother's situation, Classmate Liushuang was obviously doing everything in her power to investigate.

Since there was no conflict of interest, she made for a perfect entry point.

That was the logic for a mutually beneficial cooperation. From a purely personal standpoint, given their friendship, casually lending a hand with this was no problem at all.

"I understand..."

Faced with Fu Qian's reasoning, Ji Liushuang pondered for a long moment. Surprisingly, she looked as though she actually believed him.

Although she was oblivious to their supposed friendship, purely weighing the pros and cons, this man's highly secretive behavior meant he was undoubtedly preparing some sort of plan, and it likely targeted the Ji Clan.

Now that she had stumbled upon him, his reaction was completely understandable.

At the same time, killing her outright was probably not his preferred choice, as that would likely ruin his plans.

Instead, he seemingly wanted to make her an accomplice, using the guise of helping her to keep her under his control and even have her provide him with intel.

Acceptable.

Ji Liushuang made up her mind in an instant.

Under the circumstances, this was far from the worst outcome.

At the very least, she would stay alive to see her mother again, and she would have room to maneuver.

"Alright. What do you need me to do? And how should I address you? The codename 233 might be a bit inconvenient."

"I like polite young people."

Fu Qian was highly gratified that Ji Liushuang had worked through her mental journey so quickly. He gestured for her to take a seat.

"However, as I said before, I'm the one helping with your investigation right now. The question should be what you need me to do for you."

"As for a name, just call me Andiel."

What do I need you to do for me...

Although Fu Qian's logic was perfectly sound, Ji Liushuang was clearly still taken aback.

She recovered quickly, however. After a brief thought, she guessed that he simply didn't want to expose his intentions too early.

"My situation is actually quite simple. I only have some initial suspicions, which is why I wanted to investigate."

She got straight to the point.

"Not long ago, my mother suddenly fainted while taking a walk alone. The family and the Gospel Team arrived at almost the exact same time and saved her."

"She's fine for now, and the follow-up reports didn't mention anything suspicious either."

"However, when I spoke with her after returning home, she couldn't remember what happened at all. That makes me suspect that certain information is being hidden."

"Hidden by your family?"

Fu Qian listened intently and nodded.

"...Why do you say that?"

"You said it yourself—the Gospel Team is controlled by the Ji Clan behind the scenes. At best, they only operate with relative independence."

"Yet even so, you're forced to beat around the bush just to exploit that tiny bit of independence. That means, in your eyes, there's no one left to trust within the family."

Fu Qian casually laid out her predicament.

"That's right. I'm worried that they've collectively covered this up and instructed the Gospel Team to cooperate."

After a brief silence, Ji Liushuang confirmed his guess.

"I'm becoming more and more convinced that working together will be a pleasure."

Fu Qian let out a rather hearty laugh.

"However, everything requires a motive. If you suspect your family of doing this, they must have a purpose."

"That's what I don't understand either. Although my mother has been under near house arrest these past few years, I can't think of a single reason for them to do this."

Ji Liushuang shook her head.

"But my intuition tells me they're hiding something about this incident, and it's a tacit agreement among everyone involved. That's also why I fought so hard for this in-person meeting."

Girl, you're sounding more and more like a charlatan!

Still, the intuition of a Lucent Sword Heart was indeed worth taking seriously.

As he marveled at this, Fu Qian looked thoughtful.

"Is there anything else?"

"No. The information I had access to was limited to begin with."

So this was the only anomaly Ji Liushuang had discovered since returning home?

Given her level of concern for her mother, she must have done everything in her power to investigate, without missing a single detail.

Had Silver Mist Manor really been this peaceful lately?

In any case, if he wanted to screen for anomalies based on recent events, this was seemingly the only starting point.

"First of all, unfortunately, what I said earlier is true. I really didn't pay any attention to the accident at the time, so I can't give you any information. But we can try approaching it from a different angle."

Fu Qian quickly made up his mind.

Was he actually trying to come up with a plan for her?

His current demeanor clearly caught Ji Liushuang off guard.

"What angle?"

Right after asking, Ji Liushuang suddenly remembered something.

"If possible, I'd prefer to keep my mother out of this as much as possible."

"Don't worry, it'll only involve you."

Fu Qian waved a hand dismissively and pointed at his own face.

"While investigating your suspicions, you are attacked by a mysterious assailant."

...

Fu Qian's idea was undoubtedly in line with his unique style, relying heavily on fishing in troubled waters.

Judging by Ji Liushuang's rapidly shifting expression, she was clearly giving its feasibility serious thought.

Her current investigation was at a stalemate, with no meaningful progress in sight. To everyone else, the incident was seemingly already a thing of the past.

But if something were to happen to her during her investigation, the matter would undoubtedly be brought back to the table.

"But if we do that, you might be in for a lot of trouble."

A moment later, however, she frowned at Fu Qian, failing to understand his motive for making such a high-risk suggestion.

"Don't forget about the Night Watchers."

"Of course I haven't forgotten."

Fu Qian sounded entirely unconcerned.

"For you, whether the Ji Clan seeks the Night Watchers' help over this sort of incident is a crucial point in verifying your suspicions, isn't it?"

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