Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Is the conflict really that serious?”

Wen Li’s words piqued Fu Qian’s interest.

Her appearance, her mannerisms, her speech.

From any angle, she was the absolute picture of a young lady from a wealthy family.

It was hard to imagine her talking about slapping someone across the face.

”Heh.”

Wen Li offered a weak smile and sighed.

”It isn’t exactly a direct conflict, but he has definitely caused me quite a bit of trouble, and he’s quite unlikable himself.”

Trouble?

Fu Qian had a pretty good idea of the issue.”A marriage alliance?”

”You really are sharp, Mr. Fu. You guessed it right away.”

Wen Li gave Fu Qian a surprised look, appreciation written across her face.

Anyone else receiving such praise from a beautiful woman would likely be walking on air.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian was completely unmoved.

Having dealt with Young Master Qin for so many years, he knew perfectly well that for these second-generation heirs, commercialized expressions were practically an innate skill. Whether it was surprise or flattery, its credibility was highly questionable.

”Yes. I know many people envy my background, but being born into this kind of family means having no control over a lot of things. Sometimes the pressure is so suffocating I can barely breathe. Can you understand that, Mr. Fu?”

”I can imagine.”

Fu Qian nodded.

”But I generally attribute that kind of sentiment to having too much free time and a full belly.”

Wen Li’s face instantly froze.

”You were born into a wealthy family, not a family of immortals. Did you really expect a life completely free of worries? Look on the bright side—at least you don’t have to sell off vast amounts of your time, energy, or even your body, working yourself to the bone just to earn a bite to eat.”

”You even have plenty of time to act deep and brooding while enjoying that full belly.”

”Uh...”

Wen Li remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

”You see things so clearly, Mr. Fu. Your relaxed and candid nature is enviable.”

”No need to be envious. Being relaxed comes from having the strength to back it up.”

...

”Indeed. My survival today is entirely thanks to you. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone exchange blows with Mister Ji without losing the upper hand.”

”Oh?”

Fu Qian’s interest was piqued.

”What tier is that Mister Ji?”

”Well... shouldn’t you know that better than I do?”

Wen Li looked a bit confused.

”From what I know, Mister Ji was already a Tier 6 Transcendent five years ago, and his strength is even more unfathomable now.”

That middle-aged man surnamed Ji was already at Tier 6?

Fu Qian furrowed his brows.

After exchanging blows a few times, he was confident that Old Ji was absolutely no match for him. Calculating it this way, didn’t that mean he was at least a Tier 6 Transcendent himself?

The Thug was terrifying to this degree!

With that reflection out of the way, Fu Qian turned to look at Wen Li.

”Speaking of which, I’ve been wanting to ask. You’re a transcendent too, and rumor has it you’re on track for Tier 6. How can you be this fragile?”

”That is the frustrating part of the Psychic Type.”

Wen Li gave a bitter smile.

”The rumors are actually true. I am indeed close to Tier 6. But compared to you physical types with your copper heads and iron arms, the Psychic Type is simply too weak.

”There are nine tiers for a transcendent. The seventh, eighth, and ninth tiers make up the Low Tier, while the fourth, fifth, and sixth make up the Mid Tier. Before advancing to the Mid Tier, the improvement in a Psychic Type’s vitality is quite negligible.

”Furthermore, my ability is rather unique. It’s almost the least offensive kind within the Psychic Type, so...”

”No need to be envious. Playing a meathead warrior has always been a man’s romance. Speaking of which, what exactly is your ability?”

This was the first time Fu Qian had heard someone completely describe the transcendent system of this world, so naturally, he wasn’t going to pass up the chance to learn more.

”Mirror. You can think of it that way.”

Wen Li didn’t try to hide her secret.

”I can perceive the emotions of the people around me. Joy, anger, sorrow, hatred, desire, and so on.

”These emotions from those around me are projected onto me like a Mirror. The stronger the emotion and the closer the distance, the clearer the projection.”

”On one hand, it makes me highly perceptive, so I’m not easily deceived. But at the same time, for a very long period, this ability caused me a great deal of trouble.

”I was forced to feel the emotions of others at all times, to the point where my mind was on the verge of collapsing.”

”In fact, that is why I despise Ye Yang. If I get even a little close to him, the things I sense are incredibly unpleasant!”

”You are different, Mr. Fu. Although your strength is too great for me to perceive much, I can confirm at least one thing: you truly harbor no ill intent.”

”I see. It seems you communicated with your father just now?”

Fu Qian said. This ability was indeed somewhat novel.

”Of course. Otherwise, how could my father have left with peace of mind?”

”Actually, as my ability has improved over the years, my perception has grown sharper, and I can now exert a slight influence on the emotions of others. So—”

Wen Li revealed a playful smile.

”It’s rather difficult to go against my will now.”

”I get the gist of it.”

In a sense, Psychic Type abilities truly had their outstanding points. Under specific circumstances, they could provide far more value than physical types.

However, based on what she could currently accomplish, Wen Li’s title of an impending Tier 6 was honestly a bit hollow.

”Actually, sometimes I really wish I didn’t have this kind of talent. It invites trouble, yet I can’t even protect my own family.”

Wen Li sighed, transforming into a Versailles Maiden once again.

”You have to look on the bright side. If you didn’t have this ability, Eldest Young Master Ye might not have even looked your way.”

Fu Qian’s ability to comfort people had always been hell-tier.

A flash of surprise crossed Wen Li’s face.

”You even knew about that!”

”It’s true. Before I became like this, even though we had some business dealings, they barely ever gave us the time of day, let alone actively offered help. But my status as a near-Tier 6 is in name only. They might end up disappointed.”

”No need to sell yourself short. At the very least, the reproductive genes of a Mid-Tier Transcendent are quite valuable.”

”...Thank you for the validation.”

”It’s a pity I never wanted to owe them this favor, otherwise there would be absolutely no room for maneuver. So...”

Wen Li’s expression became more serious than ever before.

”Whether your assistance was a passing whim or for some other reason, I sincerely beg you once more to lend us a hand during the upcoming period.”

Quite sincere!

But you probably don’t know that someone has already asked on your behalf, forcing me into doing this kind of work that I hate the most.

”I’ve already said it. It is my duty, and I am bound by it.”

Fu Qian spoke slowly, calming Eldest Miss Wen down.

”Speaking of which, even if the Wen Family isn’t some noble or aristocratic household, you at least have more money than you could ever spend. How could you not have a single transcendent bodyguard?”

Where there were killers who took money, there were bound to be bodyguards who sold their services. Fu Qian didn’t believe that transcendents were all full of moral integrity.

”You are correct. There is a hidden reason behind this.”

Wen Li’s expression was a bit awkward.

”We did previously hire a transcendent bodyguard at a high price, and his strength wasn’t even far off from Mister Ji’s. Unfortunately, there was an accident not long ago.”

”What accident?”

”He was caught by the Night Watchers.”

...

Something like that actually happened!

”And you call yourselves capitalists. Don’t you run background checks when hiring?”

”The situation was urgent, so strength was undeniably our top priority, even though we knew he was on the Night Watchers’ wanted list.

”We didn’t expect something like this to happen, and it is very difficult to find another one on such short notice...”

”It seems your relationship with the Night Watchers isn’t that great.”

”Our family’s business covers a wide range, and some of it borders on gray areas, so our reputation with the Night Watchers might not be very good.”

Wen Li admitted honestly.

”That’s obvious. If your relationship were even slightly better, they wouldn’t have gone as far as pulling the firewood from under the cauldron.”

Fu Qian let out a long sigh, finally understanding why the Wen Family was in such a wretched state.

The old jianghu Captain Gu had previously guessed that there might be Night Watchers guarding the place, but thinking about it now, he had been way too optimistic.

”So when you took action today, I truly couldn’t suppress the joy in my heart. Anyway, thank you very much.”

Eldest Miss Wen formally expressed her gratitude for the third time.

”Also, please keep the contents of today’s conversation a secret. I don’t want the Ye Family to form too many negative impressions before I advance.”

”Don’t worry, my lips are always sealed.”

Fu Qian agreed without hesitation, then lowered his voice.

”The problem is, have you considered that our current conversation has already been overheard by your admirer?”

What!

Wen Li was immediately startled, her head snapping up to look around.

”No need to look. They’re clinging to the wall outside.”

Fu Qian continued in a whisper, then delivered a kick to the bench Wen Li was sitting on.

Amidst a scream, Wen Li went flying, chair and all.

At the same time, Fu Qian stood up abruptly and let out a loud roar.

”Watch out, assassins!”

As soon as those words came out, the person clinging to the outside wall like a gecko in his perception froze for a moment before scrambling frantically.

Actually, not long after sitting down, Fu Qian had discovered someone on the wall outside.

He didn’t know if it was an effect of his increased inspiration, but his perception was incredibly sharp right now.

The eavesdropper had been exceptionally careful, moving silently and even using a special technique to lay entirely flat against the wall.

Even so, in Fu Qian’s perception, they were as clear as an X-ray.

He even knew who it was—the Little Wolf Girl he had kicked flying the first time he entered this place.

Speaking of which, the Wen Family was truly quite pitiful. Not only had their home base been infiltrated like a sieve by their enemies, but they were even under the surveillance of their prospective in-laws.

Intending to see what the intruder wanted to do, Fu Qian hadn’t exposed them right away.

Now it was about time to strike the grass to startle the snake!

After his roar, alarms blared through the air. Fu Qian grabbed something from the table.

It was a metal Paperweight. Exquisitely crafted and massive, it clearly wasn’t cheap.

He tossed it in his hand like a brick, and the next moment, Fu Qian hurled it at the wall.

Boom!

The Wen Family’s mansion suffered a disaster once again.

Powered by a terrifying force, the Paperweight whistled through the air like a cannonball, easily tearing through the wall opposite him.

The Paperweight, along with countless bricks and rubble, struck the rapidly moving figure behind the wall.

A despairing shriek rang out, and a silhouette plummeted heavily from the wall.

If he remembered correctly, this was the fourth floor, right?

By this time, Wen Xiuxian had rushed over. Seeing the hole in the wall and his daughter on the floor, his expression could only be described as incredibly ugly.

What a familiar scene! No matter how grand a mansion was, it couldn’t withstand being torn apart like this!

Don’t worry. When you see the person on the ground outside, your expression will be even uglier.

At this moment, the professional kick-receiver, Wen Li, had once again stood up strongly. She looked at Fu Qian with a complex expression, then softly comforted her father.

When the group went downstairs together, the infiltrator who had fallen to the ground was already tightly surrounded.

However, it seemed meaningless to surround her. The person on the ground lay motionless, reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

Struck in a vital spot with almost zero protection and then plummeting from the fourth floor, she was as dead as one could be.

Eldest Young Master Ye and his group, who had gone to rest earlier, had already arrived. At this moment, they were staring fixedly at the corpse on the ground, their faces incredibly dark.

”The assassin has been executed.”

Fu Qian didn’t care about his expression in the slightest as he pointed at the ground in a serious manner to claim credit.

”Someone intruded again just now, waiting for a chance to ambush us. Fortunately, I spotted them.”

Regardless of anything else, he had to solidify her identity as an assassin first.

Wen Xiuxian’s expression was a colorful sight.

He wasn’t stupid. How could he fail to notice the abnormality in Ye Yang’s reaction?

Furthermore, with just a little attention, one could see that he was missing a follower behind him.

Did it even need to be said who the person on the ground was?

But the person had indeed been knocked off from the outside wall, so calling her an assassin was absolutely justifiable.

Wen Xiuxian also felt a bit of anger in his heart.

They had just been assassinated during the day, and now they were actually being spied on right on their own turf.

No matter how well he could endure humiliation and shoulder heavy burdens, it was hard to maintain a pleasant expression right now.

”Thank you, Mr. Fu. If it weren’t for you, Little Li would probably have been in danger again.”

After thinking it over repeatedly, Wen Xiuxian finally chose to formally thank Fu Qian.

”I didn’t expect this group to be so patient as to actually return. They truly are impossible to guard against completely!”

After thanking Fu Qian, Wen Xiuxian sighed deeply again and turned to face Ye Yang and the others.

”I apologize for disturbing Ye Yang and Mister Ji because of this. Please forgive us.”

”It’s fine...”

Eldest Young Master Ye didn’t even respond immediately. It was only after being tugged by the middle-aged man surnamed Ji that he managed to force out a sentence through gritted teeth.

”We heard the alarm and came out to take a look, worried something had happened. It’s good that everything is fine.”

The middle-aged man surnamed Ji was clearly much more experienced. He spoke to Wen Xiuxian with a serious face.

”It’s no disturbance at all. We came here to help in the first place, so we should naturally go all out.”

”Thank you for your hard work!”

Wen Xiuxian exchanged a bout of pleasantries with him, seemingly with neither of them noticing the corpse’s beautiful red and blue hair.

Fu Qian knew that this girl had probably died in vain.

It wasn’t that he harbored some immense hatred for Little Wolf Girl and absolutely had to put her to death.

Little Wolf Girl was completely instructed by Ye Yang to eavesdrop. Given Ye Yang’s personality, how could he possibly swallow that earlier slap?

There was a high probability she came eavesdropping for him—to figure out his origins and look for an opportunity to slowly retaliate later.

This was human nature.

But pulling these little tricks directly in the Wen Family’s home showed that they essentially didn’t have much trust in Wen Xiuxian and his people. If the words Wen Li spoke today reached their ears, their subsequent reaction would be hard to predict.

If he wanted to complete his task, he needed to minimize any potential threats to Wen Li as much as possible.

So no matter what angle he considered it from, he had to deter them, ensuring they wouldn’t dare pull any more little tricks in the short term.