Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Yuan Shan was asking if anything was thrown up?”

After Fu Qian spoke, a long silence fell over the room.

Both Wen Li and Deng Feizhou were clearly shocked by the news.

Taking in their reactions, Fu Qian felt quite satisfied.

Lying required a mix of truth and falsehood. The beauty of this was that he had genuinely spoken with Yuan Shan in private.

If anyone grew suspicious, a simple investigation would confirm it.

Though Yuan Shan hadn’t actually asked that question, he was confident no one would seek her out to verify it at a time like this.

His purpose for saying it was actually quite simple.

Whether the controlled maid from yesterday had come specifically for the Blood of Thorns was still uncertain.

Now, by outright stating that Yuan Shan was looking into similar incidents, he forcefully linked the two together.The man before him, Deng Feizhou, was undoubtedly well-connected. Fu Qian was sure his words would quickly spread throughout Shangjing.

If the mastermind truly had ties to the Blood of Thorns, discovering that the Night Watchers had already fixed their sights on them... he really looked forward to seeing their reaction.

If there was no connection, then such petty tricks would likely cease for a while, eliminating some distractions for him.

Of course, if the news didn’t spread at all, that would be even better—it would prove Deng Feizhou was highly likely compromised.

”Have you encountered a similar situation before?”

Deng Feizhou pondered for a long time before finally speaking.

”No. That person merely had their head blown off in front of me.”

A head blown off...

”Since Yuan Shan asked that, it seems the Night Watchers possess information we don’t.”

”If she is truly that concerned, I think you should share the details of yesterday’s incident with her.”

”I thought the same.”

Fu Qian looked at him with a smile.

”I thought going out was too dangerous before, but since I’m already out today, I’ll take a trip to the Night Watchers Base later. Hopefully, this clue holds some significance for them.”

”Let’s hope so.”

Deng Feizhou sighed.

”It has been years since Shangjing was this restless. Yuan Shan must be under considerable pressure.”

”You are right to be mindful of your safety. Especially you, Wen Li—you could easily become a target.”

”Yes, don’t worry.”

Wen Li nodded seriously.

”Has this sort of thing happened before? A guard’s mind becoming so twisted just from looking at something... it sounds almost unbelievable.”

”The complexity of the transcendent world far exceeds your imagination.”

Deng Feizhou shook his head.

”In fact, I received solid news over the last couple of days. Henrik was not guarding a standard materials warehouse, but rather the Restricted Zone, which is specifically used to store dangerous items.”

”The Restricted Zone...”

Fu Qian interjected.

”I believe I’ve heard that term. Supposedly, someone broke in there the day before yesterday, but I never understood what the Restricted Zone is used for.”

”It is normal that you wouldn’t know. That place has always been a secret of the Night Watchers. As the name suggests, the Restricted Zone is where dangerous items are kept.”

”Not everything in the transcendent world is good. Over the years, as the regulators of the transcendent world, the Night Watchers have collected a great many dangerous items.”

”The most hazardous category among them is undoubtedly the corpses of transcendents.”

”Corpses?”

Wen Li looked surprised.

”Correct, but not all transcendents. Generally speaking, only those who suffered irresolvable pollution and cannot be properly buried after death need to be sealed inside.”

”I understand now. That’s why something happened to Henrik—what he faced every day was never just standard materials to begin with.”

A look of realization dawned on Wen Li.

”Yes. In truth, after years of being sealed and purified, the pollution on most corpses gradually dissipates. However, there are always some special cases where the pollution doesn’t weaken. Over the years, it breeds something even more dangerous instead.”

Deng Feizhou took a deep breath.

”It is said that the item Henrik stole this time grew from the corpse of a demigod.”

”Of course, what he intends to do with it remains unknown.”

No wonder the Restricted Zone looked like that. It was basically a giant lead coffin!

Fu Qian thought to himself after hearing Deng Feizhou’s explanation.

Looking at it this way, did Henrik take something from a demigod’s corpse, causing the rest of it to mutate?

That item, needless to say, must be the Blood of Thorns.

To think that the very thing I’m looking for actually grew out of a demigod’s corpse... that’s rather horrifying.

This must also be why Yuan Shan isn’t out hunting people and has stayed at the Base all along—she needs to help suppress the veins spreading throughout the Restricted Zone.

With that, the basic situation has been sorted out.

Today has been quite fruitful.

...

”Are you heading to the Night Watchers Base? I’ll go with you.”

Wen Li didn’t bother the elder for much longer. After chatting for a bit, she took the initiative to bid farewell. The moment they stepped outside, she made the offer.

”Aren’t you going home?”

”Home might not necessarily be safe right now.”

Wen Li smiled helplessly.

”It feels like there’s a dagger at my back. I barely slept last night, but strangely, I feel more at ease by your side.”

”Understandable. Speaking of which, this Uncle Deng of yours is quite powerful.”

”Mhm.”

Wen Li nodded.

”Ever since I can remember, Uncle Deng has been a Mid-Tier Transcendent. Like me, he had an acquired awakening, and he is also considered a Psychic Type.”

”No wonder he keeps such a low profile. It seems he doesn’t want to run into Henrik either.”

”No one would want to be targeted by a madman.”

”Though I’ve changed my mind a bit just now.”

”Why?”

Wen Li looked confused.

”I just had a faint intuition that this old man Deng isn’t very supportive of me seeking out the Night Watchers.”

”You noticed it too?”

Wen Li was startled. She leaned closer and whispered.

”Actually, I also suspect Uncle Deng has other information that isn’t convenient to share with us.”

”Earlier, when you mentioned Yuan Shan, I clearly felt Uncle Deng’s emotions fluctuate significantly. He seemed quite surprised and confused. I didn’t expect you to pick up on it too.”

As I thought.

Emotions were something Fu Qian couldn’t currently perceive; he wasn’t Wen Li, after all.

Another reason for his earlier spout of nonsense was precisely to utilize her emotion-sensing abilities.

If Deng Feizhou truly knew nothing about the parasitic incident, the most he would have felt when Yuan Shan was mentioned was a bit of oddity. His emotions shouldn’t have shifted too drastically.

But now Wen Li confirmed that he had experienced a clear emotional fluctuation at that moment.

Comparing his behavior before and after, his reactions seemed a bit contrived.

Even his suggestion for Fu Qian to seek out Yuan Shan carried the suspicion of him rushing to distance himself.

I’ll have to keep an eye on him going forward.

”Are we going straight back then?”

Naturally unaware that she had been used once again, Wen Li looked at Fu Qian and asked.

”Sure.”

”Miss Wen!”

Just as the two were about to set off, a shout suddenly rang out from a distance. Looking up, they saw a familiar face.

It was Chen Mingfei, the man they had met at the banquet, hurrying over with a team of people.