Eldritch Horror Theatre

On the evening streets, a desperate rescue was playing out.

As the mysterious figure's search for the assailant turned up empty, the gathering crowd finally realized what had happened.

Amidst the screams, the figure crouched on the ground swayed before coughing up a large mouthful of blood. A mix of red and green quickly stained her chest.

"I'm fine. We need to leave here as soon as possible."

Even with her consciousness fading, Ji Liushuang gritted her teeth and spoke.

'That bastard hit hard,' she thought. 'If I hadn't dodged so quickly, I might not even be able to speak right now.'

"Liushuang, what happened to you?"

Just as the mysterious figure nodded, performing basic first aid and helping her to her feet, someone else hurried onto the scene. His expression changed drastically at the sight.

...

Observing the backup that arrived just a step slower than he had, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

The newcomer was of average build with deep, dark eyes. He bore a faint resemblance to Ji Yicheng of the Heavenly Kingdom. Combined with the familiar way he addressed her, there was no doubt he was from the Ji Clan.

With his background and such perfect timing, writing this off as a mere coincidence would be a stretch.

Ji Liushuang's movements were likely under surveillance, and her private visit to Mister 233 was probably already known to them.

'Choosing this location was the right move.'

"Who is this?"

The man turned his gaze toward Fu Qian, eyeing him with suspicion and uncertainty.

Fu Qian glanced at him, ignoring him completely.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Knowing it was time to perform, Ji Liushuang took a labored breath and acknowledged the newcomer.

"Thank goodness you arrived in time."

She placed heavy emphasis on the words "in time," causing a brief flash of awkwardness to cross the man's face.

"I happened to be handling some business nearby. I noticed a commotion and came over to check."

But the man clearly didn't want to explain further—or perhaps felt it was beneath him. He simply snorted, offering a rather perfunctory excuse.

"What exactly happened? And who is this?"

Unwilling to let the matter drop, he immediately turned his attention back to Fu Qian and repeated his earlier question.

This stranger possessed unknown strength and a bizarre appearance, but above all, his timing was far too suspicious. It had to be investigated.

...

'Her status in the family really is concerning, huh!'

Fu Qian watched the exchange without much surprise, silently lamenting the situation.

"This is Professor Andiel," Ji Liushuang said. "I was suddenly attacked just now, and thankfully he rushed over to save me."

Ji Liushuang offered a calm, indifferent response to her uncle's perfunctory excuse before turning to Fu Qian, making the introduction with complete seriousness.

"Professor Andiel is an instructor at the Academy. He's always taken good care of me... I didn't expect to run into him here."

Academy instructor...

The man offered Fu Qian a slight nod, but as he looked him up and down, he made no effort to hide his suspicion.

"I've been to the Academy myself. I don't recall the Sword Comprehension Institute having an instructor by that name."

"Professor Andiel belongs to the Apocalypse Institute. He just visits our side often."

Ji Liushuang offered this explanation with complete naturalness.

"More than once, he's told me my talent is being wasted at the Sword Comprehension Institute and invited me to become his student."

'Girl... what kind of talent is that!'

'Classmate Liushuang really had her story straight, but this character persona...'

Whatever her uncle was thinking, Fu Qian was left genuinely dumbfounded.

'How can she spin a lie so flawlessly? Did she just copy an existing template?'

...

"Professor Andiel... thank you for saving her."

Obviously, despite the man's extraordinary bearing and his clear status as someone long accustomed to authority, his social circle didn't extend to knowing every single instructor at the Academy.

After a slight hesitation, he accepted Ji Liushuang's explanation for the time being and introduced himself.

"I am Ji Mingzhe, Liushuang's uncle."

"Don't mention it. It was the right thing to do."

Fu Qian nodded slightly, not even bothering to offer any polite pleasantries.

"Setting aside the fact that I'm quite fond of the child, if I left the rising star of the Sword Comprehension Institute to die, Li Weixuan would probably hack me to pieces when I got back."

...

Although his attitude was slightly aloof, the response was incredibly natural, perfectly matching the persona Ji Liushuang had established.

Judging by Ji Mingzhe's reaction, the man temporarily found himself at a loss for how to probe further.

"How come Professor Andiel happened to be nearby?"

After a brief hesitation, he tried a different angle.

"I happened to be handling some business nearby. I noticed a commotion and came over to check."

Fu Qian didn't hesitate for even half a second, directly copying and pasting Ji Mingzhe's own excuse from earlier.

"It's a pity that guy got away."

"...Did you catch any physical characteristics?"

This Andiel was undoubtedly being as perfunctory as possible, but having just used the exact same excuse himself, Ji Mingzhe found he had no grounds to question him.

"No."

Fu Qian shook his head, exactly as expected.

"The attacker was of a very high Rank, and the attack was executed with extreme stealth. By the time I arrived, there were absolutely no traces left behind."

Halfway through Fu Qian's explanation, Ji Mingzhe grew tired of listening and walked over to inspect the marks on the wall behind them.

Despite his somewhat frustrated inspection, he came to a similar conclusion.

"Incredible force, almost as if the wall was struck by a Heavy Hammer, yet there's no trace of the weapon itself... You're lucky you managed to avoid a fatal blow."

Turning back to quickly assess Ji Liushuang's injuries, Ji Mingzhe couldn't find any flaws in the story and drew a sharp breath.

"Liushuang's injuries require immediate treatment. I'm taking her back right now; I'll arrange for people to handle the scene here."

'He's in a hurry to leave. Does he want to avoid dealing with the Night Watchers that much?'

Ji Liushuang and Fu Qian exchanged a silent glance.

"Alright. Professor Andiel, have you finished handling your business?"

She offered no objections to Ji Mingzhe's commanding arrangements.

At the same time, she naturally extended an invitation to her rescuer.

"If it's convenient, please come visit our home. My mother will certainly want to express her gratitude."

...

Seeing Ji Liushuang's gesture, Ji Mingzhe hesitated but ultimately remained silent.

No matter how suspicious he was of the stranger, it was impossible to find a valid reason to stop the girl from inviting her savior home.

Especially since she brought her mother into it. Everyone knew that whenever Ji Xue was involved, Ji Liushuang would become remarkably stubborn.

He could only hope the man would refuse on his own. However, having heard rumors about the culture of the Academy's Apocalypse Institute, he knew all too well that these people's actions could never be judged by common sense.

"I'm done."

Sure enough, under his intense gaze, Fu Qian offered a crisp nod.

"Sure. I'll take you up on that."

'Classmate Liushuang, your life as the young miss of the Ji Clan really isn't all that comfortable, is it!'

Seeing Ji Mingzhe turn his head away without another word after the invitation was accepted, Fu Qian sighed inwardly.

'But that's fine. Just watch as your instructor brings about the return of the Dragon King and dominates the world.'

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