Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 899: Chapter 897: Rotten Flesh (18) Chapter 899: Chapter 897: Rotten Flesh (18) Caught on the spot?

What had I said before? During a sensitive period, proving one’s innocence involves quite a bit of risk, and see? Hasn’t it just been proven?

Fu Qian blinked and instantly understood the likely plot development.

“Hotel?”

While it had little to do with him, the morning news was quite explosive.

Judging by Wen Li’s expression, she was clearly shocked as well.

“We haven’t gotten to that point yet, it happened outside the bar.”

Wen Li shook her head, her tone quite emotional.

“To be honest, I still find it somewhat unbelievable even now.”

“But the source of the information is quite reliable. It’s said that last night he snuck out of his house, tried to hide and look for prey, and got recognized by someone, then failed to escape…”

Taking the risk to prove his innocence and then attempting to flee when discovered because it was hard to explain seemed like something Brother Tyler would do. Each step perfectly made things worse, which was to be expected of him.

Fu Qian nodded, unsurprised.

“The information was disseminated by these civic-minded individuals, right?”

Being able to hold Tyler, who had tried to escape and was carrying an Extraordinary Item, these helpful people must not be simple, possibly teams from major organizations looking for an opportunity.

And Brother Tyler had truly blundered straight into their hands.

“Yes, given that the Night Watchman doesn’t have much ground to block the news, quite a few people are aware by now.”

Wen Li clearly got his point and sighed softly.

“Anyway, Tyler’s in some trouble this time. Do you think he’s innocent?”

“Yes.”

Fu Qian replied decisively.

“Brother Tyler is just not the brightest, he still carries a bit of pride.”

“Besides, fools have their own kind of luck. Though the situation may seem dire, perhaps there’s a silver lining?”

After resting for the night, Fu Qian was undeniably hungry and devoured his breakfast with gusto during the chat.

“A silver lining?”

As Wen Li saw Fu Qian enjoying his meal, she felt reassured but didn’t quite grasp his meaning.

“It’s never easy to prove one’s innocence, but what if new victims emerge while he’s caught?”

Fu Qian casually mentioned.

And if there were traces resembling those of the Bloodline Clan at the scene, the smell of a setup was unmistakable.

“If that really happens, it would be a stroke of fortune amidst misfortune indeed.”

With that explanation, Wen Li quickly understood and nodded in agreement.

However, simultaneously, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

How come Mr. Fu had instantly thought of this? He hadn’t come back particularly early yesterday…

“Anything else in the news?”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian apparently wasn’t ready to explain further.

“…Yes.”

Wen Li’s expression turned even more peculiar.

“Just today, Jiang En, a once genius member of the Jiang Family, dramatically returned home early in the morning.”

“Many people speculated he might have broken through his bottleneck, returning as a king, but it turned out quite the opposite—he declared his disenchantment with progress and his intent to abandon the path to transcendence, even to remove himself from the family.”

“The Jiang Family certainly doesn’t agree, and it’s said to be quite the ruckus now.”

“I see.”

Fu Qian listened thoughtfully but silently approved.

Brother Jiang En must have had a sleepless night after his return, right?

While he didn’t have to worry about being exposed for the time being, since the ceremony wasn’t completed yesterday to achieve transformation, today’s challenge would undoubtedly be a headache for Jiang En.

What’s the best way to deal with someone who comes and goes without trace and is mentally unstable yet powerful?

Staying home doing nothing surely wasn’t the way, and even if he hid with his family, not only would it be dishonorable, but he’d likely be sought out directly, which might create an even messier scene.

Given this, Jiang En had chosen an unorthodox strategy—using the guise of leaving the family to hide within it.

First off, this meant that even if he wanted to go, the Jiang Family wouldn’t let him off easily.

At the same time, he had shown his indifference to transcendence, which was known to all.

When the Grand Fate Ming Emperor eventually came to challenge, whether it was avoiding the battle, going through the motions, or outright conceding in defeat, it could all be attributed to his disheartened rise above it all.

Even if the ceremony was completed in a few days and he ascended to the Middle Tier, it could be explained as a sudden breakthrough after letting go of obsessions, perhaps even a good story.

This was indeed a clever move of retreating in order to advance.

Amidst his thoughts, Fu Qian finished his meal and stood up, collected and graceful.

“So where does the Jiang Family live?”

…

With less than five hours left until the mission countdown ended, Fu Qian, who had left Wen Li’s residence, restored the image of the Grand Fate Ming Emperor and strode brazenly along the street, not avoiding the scrutinizing gazes around him.

Despite his somewhat eccentric appearance, the tolerance level in a big city like Shangjing was high.

And those who truly knew of the Grand Fate Ming Emperor himself, Brother Tyler was probably still assisting the investigation without being released, Jiang En had hidden away, and as for the others—Fu Qian was waiting for the others.

Jiang En’s maneuver may have been clever, but it was never the focal point.

What he was about to face next was the most interesting part.

With yesterday’s maneuvering, if representatives of the powerful such as Daneta didn’t act, it would be truly strange.

And given the tense situation, they were unlikely to hide much, so he was likely to witness much more.

…

It turned out, the grandfather he carried with him was indeed reliable.

As he continued without stopping, Fu Qian noticed something changing in his surroundings.

What is that stench?

Sniffing the strange and indescribable odor in the air, Fu Qian soon realized it was emanating from the people around—including himself.

It was difficult to describe the odd smell, a bit like spoiled ham.

Surely this couldn’t be the rotten flesh mentioned in the mission Introduction?

Fu Qian sensed an invisible force driving passersby away from the area quickly.

Of course, some people did the exact opposite.

As he walked, Fu Qian recognized a familiar aura approaching.

Although there had been changes in appearance, he recognized at first glance that it was last night’s secret trade meeting’s host.

As expected, the elite were out in force, and this one seemed to be the highest-ranked among them.

Fu Qian paused, eyeing the old man who was heading straight towards him.

White-haired and kind-faced, he moved with an air of being beyond worldly concerns.

“Grand Fate Ming Emperor, a pleasure to meet you. May I inquire as to your destination?”

Even in action, the old man was uninhibited and elegant. Arriving in front of Fu Qian without pause, he threw a punch with smooth grace.