Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Mister Fang, are you all right? What happened here?”

When the dust settles, Wen Li finally rushed over in response to the commotion, only to jump in fright at the scattered flesh and blood.

”Nothing much. Someone sought me out just now, saying they wanted to play a game with me—”

Fu Qian said mildly.

”And then he lost.”

”Also, there’s an unconscious maid in my room. Have someone look after her, and it would be best to get her an endoscopy.”

...

Wen Li was visibly dumbfounded. After instructing her people to check his room, she invited him aside to speak privately.

Fu Qian gave her a brief rundown of the incident but omitted a few details, merely stating that someone had controlled the maid to ambush him.

In truth, from the very beginning, Fu Qian hadn’t believed a single word the entity said.Coming straight to his door for a so-called game was, ninety-nine percent of the time, simply a probe to test him.

What could a game of choosing between a red and a green capsule possibly test?

Courage? Character? Or luck?

It was utterly meaningless.

Judging by its subsequent behavior, Fu Qian suspected both capsules were highly likely to be rigged. Swallowing either one would probably end with him sharing the maid’s fate.

The so-called choice was nothing but a misdirection.

Listening to his account, Wen Li turned pale, clearly recalling an unpleasant memory.

It seemed the incident with the soup had left a deep impression on her as well.

He wondered if she would fire all her servants and handle everything herself from now on.

Well... probably not.

”Do you suspect the monster has been lurking in my home for a long time?”

After a long pause, Wen Li finally recovered enough to ask.

”Not too long. After all, you’ve only been here for less than a month,”

Fu Qian blinked.

He was clearly not very good at comforting people; Wen Li’s face grew even paler.

...

Following the game incident, Wen Li grew noticeably fraught with worry.

Previously, she had only focused on the hidden threat in the dark, completely unaware her home had already been infiltrated like a sieve.

As a result, by the time they ate breakfast the next day, the dark circles under her eyes were quite prominent.

”Mister Fang, do you have time today? I’m planning to go out.”

Wen Li obviously had no appetite, setting down her bowl and chopsticks after only a few sips of clear broth.

”You want to go out? It’s not very safe right now,”

Fu Qian pointed out while eating his breakfast.

He had to admit, Wen Li never mistreated her stomach no matter where she lived. The chef’s standards were excellent. Even a simple breakfast featured a variety of dishes, and the aroma alone was enough to stir the appetite.

”Yes.”

Wen Li nodded firmly.

”I know going out increases the risk, but there is someone important I need to visit today.”

”All right.”

Seeing how insistent she was, Fu Qian reluctantly nodded.

Of course, his inner thoughts were the exact opposite of his outward display. He was completely in favor of Wen Li’s plan, ready to raise both hands in wholehearted agreement.

Although they were Waiting by the Stump for a Hare, simply staying at home was clearly not effective enough.

The most efficient method was to move the stump to a place with more hares.

Wen Li took swift and resolute action. After arranging matters at the house, the two of them quickly set out.

In the car, Fu Qian recalled the issue Wen Li had mentioned earlier.

”Speaking of which, from yesterday afternoon until now, have you sensed that malice again?”

”No.”

Wen Li shook her head.

”That malice disappeared on my way to visit you. I really should thank you for that.”

Wen Li forced a smile, though her expression remained a bit stiff.

Just as she was about to say more, her phone rang.

It was Wen Xiuxian. He had heard about what happened on their end and called specifically to check on the situation.

Sitting off to the side, Fu Qian could hear the solemnity in his voice.

Wen Li remained calm and softly reassured her father, stating that ”Uncle Deng” had been taking care of her the whole time. She made no mention of Fu Qian’s presence.

It seemed his earlier guess was correct. Wen Xiuxian most likely had a huge problem with him, and Wen Li didn’t want her father knowing she had hired him as a bodyguard again.

It was human nature and completely understandable.

Fu Qian didn’t mind this at all. Instead, he was quite curious about this ”Uncle Deng” Wen Li mentioned.

He sounded like a person of considerable influence. Wen Xiuxian’s tone was full of earnest requests, indicating deep trust in the man.

”Uncle Deng’s full name is Deng Feizhou. He is the person we’re going to visit.”

Wen Li hung up the phone and took the initiative to explain.

”He is a very powerful transcendent and an old friend of my father’s. He later came to Shangjing alone to establish himself.”

”Before I left for this trip, my father specifically told me to visit him often.”

Mm.

Fu Qian nodded.

At the very least, Wen Li was now a Tier 6 Transcendent. A ”very powerful transcendent” in her eyes definitely wouldn’t be low-level.

The car took several turns before finally stopping in front of a vintage courtyard residence.

Wen Li stepped out and rang the doorbell, and the door was soon opened from within.

Inside stood a tall, thin middle-aged man with slightly graying hair.

Although his facial features were ordinary, the sharp glint that occasionally flashed in his eyes seemed capable of piercing right through people.

Pretty impressive!

Fu Qian evaluated silently. Wen Li hadn’t exaggerated.

”Uncle Deng.”

Wen Li greeted him politely.

Deng Feizhou looked rather stern, giving a slight nod in response.

”This is Fang Xun, a friend of mine. He’s been staying at my place recently, so I brought him along to visit you.”

Wen Li introduced Fu Qian, cooperatively sticking to the excuse that he was just staying over.

Mm.

Deng Feizhou looked Fu Qian up and down a few times without a word, then signaled for the two to enter the house.

Compared to where Wen Li lived, this courtyard residence was undoubtedly much more low-profile, but judging by the interior decorations, the man was either incredibly wealthy or held high status.

”Uncle Deng, I apologize for bothering you again today. I mainly came because some special circumstances occurred.”

As soon as she sat down, Wen Li stated her purpose and began recounting what happened last night, including the fact that she was being stalked.

It was obvious she trusted this Uncle Deng quite a bit.

After listening to Wen Li’s account, Deng Feizhou remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

”Has the Chen Clan contacted you?”

”Yesterday, Chen Mingda came to my place to apologize for the accident at the banquet. He also suggested I move into their manor.”

”He suggested you move into Houhai Manor? That was thoughtful of him, but actually unnecessary.”

Deng Feizhou furrowed his brow slightly.

”I just received news that another member of the Chen Clan was murdered last night.”

”Because of this, the entire Chen Family is furious. They are fully cooperating with the Night Watchers to hunt down Henrik’s tracks. I believe there will be results soon, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

”As for the mysterious figure you mentioned possessing someone’s body, I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”

”Speaking of that, I actually remembered something.”

Fu Qian interjected suddenly.

Remembered what?

Wen Li looked over in surprise, and Deng Feizhou’s gaze grew as sharp as lightning.

”The day before yesterday, I was taken to the Night Watchers Base. Their director, Yuan Shan, personally asked me a few questions. Among them, one was quite strange...”

”She asked me if the Night Watcher who was murdered in my shop had spat anything out at the time.”

Wearing a solemn expression, Fu Qian began to seriously spout utter nonsense.