Eldritch Horror Theatre

‘This guy really does whatever he wants!’

Lanaya swallowed her words, entirely caught off guard by Fu Qian’s bluntness.

Jia Yi was certainly annoying, but making such a naked threat would do them no favors once the Academy found out.

Not to mention he had already been reported by the Sword Comprehension Institute.

But she had to admit that seeing Jia Yi—who had been speaking in sarcastic riddles for ages—now utterly choked for words brought her an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

“Director Jia, if there are no further issues, we’ll head back and report in.”

Lanaya stood up with a radiant smile, offering no further explanation.

...

“How exactly did you figure out there was a problem with Ruan Shuo?”

Lanaya asked as she drove them back.“In his report, Jian Jingzheng practically described you as a demon in human skin.”

“I was actually just guessing, but I had to act expediently in an emergency.”

Fu Qian recounted the entire process in detail.

“Getting bogged down in arguments with those people would have dragged things out forever, so I chose a more efficient method.”

“...And what if you guessed wrong? Did you not consider the consequences?”

“Then I’d be wrong.”

Fu Qian looked completely unbothered.

“It was just a bluff. If there hadn’t been an issue, I wouldn’t have actually followed through with the attack.”

“I could have just explained that I’d smelled too much of the stench over at Apocalypse and it had messed with my head. I’m working for the cause, after all; it’s not like they’d arrest me.”

Wow.

Lanaya pressed a hand to her forehead, speechless.

“Alright, I’ll try my best to smooth things over when we get back. But knowing how things work, someone will likely pull you in for a talk later. You’d better prepare yourself mentally.”

“Thanks. Speaking of which, I actually have a question. Isn’t this sword intent ridiculously strong?”

Fu Qian clearly hadn’t taken her warning to heart, moving straight to the issue he cared about most.

“That Ruan Shuo was only at Tier 7 Peak, yet once his sword intent flared, his lethality jumped to at least the Tier 5 Standard. Isn’t that kind of boost entirely unreasonable?”

“I used to think the Sword Comprehension Institute was a bit too large, but if they can all achieve effects like that, they might actually be understaffed.”

“I really don’t know much about that.”

Lanaya shook her head.

“But if you think about it, the rise of the Sword Comprehension Institute has only happened over the last few years. Sword intent truly is miraculous, but it has always been something you can only chance upon, never actively seek. Over all these years, the number of people in the Sword Comprehension Institute who have managed to comprehend it still hasn’t broken double digits.

“Li Weixuan was one of them, and I don’t remember the power being quite so exaggerated back then.

“It’s only been in these past few years that the number of people comprehending sword intent has started to increase.”

‘It used to be something you could only chance upon?’

‘Yet I’ve already seen three in just the past two days alone, and their power completely eclipses what it used to be.’

‘Did something specific happen in the past couple of years?’

‘This is getting a bit fishy.’

...

As it turned out, Lanaya’s assessment was entirely accurate.

Not long after returning, Fu Qian received a notice instructing him to report to a specific conference room.

When he arrived, he found one man and two women already seated on the dais. One of them was a very exasperated-looking Lanaya.

Meanwhile, a haggard Jian Jingzheng sat off to the side, glaring at him.

“Professor Fu, we have asked you here today regarding recent events.”

The severe-looking woman seated in the middle motioned for Fu Qian to take a seat, getting straight to the point.

“First, we thank you for your efforts during the investigation. However, you have also been accused of employing violent methods, up to and including assaulting a fellow instructor.”

“We would like to confirm—are these descriptions accurate?”

“Oh?”

Fu Qian cast a glance at Jian Jingzheng, who subconsciously looked away.

“Yes, I inflicted Instructor Jian’s injuries.”

...

The interrogator’s expression went cold.

“Since you admit it—”

“The sequence of events just might have been a bit different from how Instructor Jian described it.”

Fu Qian cut her off.

“I don’t know what the standard operating procedure is at the Sword Comprehension Institute, but when Instructor Jian realized the student was compromised, he actively tried to stop me from detaining the suspect. That was why I attacked him.”

“Nonsense! Are you accusing me of covering for him?”

Hearing Fu Qian’s claim, Jian Jingzheng instantly bolted out of his seat.

Fu Qian scoffed, not even bothering to look at the man.

“Even as someone who doesn’t know how to wield a sword, I could sense the anomaly on Ruan Shuo. Are you telling me Instructor Jian, one of your own experts, couldn’t sense it? Nobody is going to believe that.”

“Furthermore, will Instructor Jian admit that when I asked him to verify the traces of transcendent materials, he didn’t move a muscle before instantly declaring there was no issue?”

“Did this really happen?”

The three on the dais turned to look at Jian Jingzheng almost in unison.

“Professor Jian, you certainly didn’t mention this in your report.”

‘I...’

Jian Jingzheng’s face flashed from pale white to bright red.

It was true that he hadn’t bothered to inspect it, but it absolutely wasn’t the cover-up Fu Qian was accusing him of.

Such a tiny area was obvious at a glance to anyone who wasn’t blind, and he had been annoyed at being ordered around by this guy.

He never expected that minor negligence to become the very weapon used against him.

“I also wonder if Professor Jian mentioned that once Ruan Shuo realized he was exposed, he didn’t try to run at all. He prepared to use the two of us as blood sacrifices for his sword.”

“I don’t know if letting such a dangerous individual run loose among the students is what Professor Jian wants to see.”

...

The people on the dais had clearly watched the footage provided by the Yuan Clan and were fully aware of Ruan Shuo’s sheer brutality.

Fu Qian’s actions might have been a bit reckless, but leaving a figure like that among the students would have led to unimaginable consequences.

The three of them exchanged a few glances before the woman in the middle spoke again.

“Additionally, you made violent threats against the head of the Yuan Clan.”

‘Jia Yi really did come crying to them.’

‘Understandable. This was one of the few ways he could actually rebel against his fate.’

“Yes, I threatened him.”

Fu Qian admitted to it completely openly once again.

“Director Jia was dragging his feet, and I believed that cutting through the entanglement swiftly was in the Academy’s best interest.”

...

The three immediately understood his meaning.

While the culprit turning out to be someone from the Academy was a situation no one wanted to see, since it was an established fact, the faster they produced results, the better it reflected on the Academy’s stance.

That director’s intent was not hard to guess. His refusal to accept the Academy’s findings was, at its core, an attempt to sacrifice the Academy’s credibility to cover his own back.

“Alright, we understand.”

That topic was swiftly closed.

“Lastly... someone mentioned that you’ve been harassing a student?”

“Ji Liushuang? That’s pure slander!”

Fu Qian looked highly indignant.

“She had some doubts about her cultivation and was simply seeking my advice.”

‘Seeking your advice? You just admitted you don’t even know how to use a sword!’

‘What could Ji Liushuang possibly seek your advice on? Skincare routines?’

‘Though given the age on your file, you do maintain yourself surprisingly well.’

However, since the student in question hadn’t raised a complaint and no one had been hurt, they could only offer a mild warning.

...

“Alright.”

After a brief discussion amongst themselves, the trio looked back at Fu Qian.

“We have a clear understanding of the situation now. Lastly, is there anything else you would like to say?”

‘Is it my turn?’

“There is.”

Fu Qian’s brow twitched upward.

“Could you assign Ji Liushuang as my student?”

“...Why?”

This left the entire panel utterly shocked.

“She’s wasting her talent over at the Sword Comprehension Institute.”