Eldritch Horror Theatre

Clearly, Ji Xun didn’t understand this younger family member well enough.

At this moment, Ji Liushuang’s tone held no trace of confusion; there was obviously no internal struggle or anything of the sort.

”Oh, they came looking for you just now?”

Fu Qian appreciated her candor, naturally playing along with his question.

”Mm.”

Ji Liushuang showed absolutely no intention of hiding it.

”Ji Xun came to see me personally, just now.”

”As expected of a Demigod Grade Ash Descent, its concealment is truly excellent!”

Fu Qian shook his head in admiration.

”Indeed. Even among all the family members who inherited the bloodline talent, he’s among the very best.”Ji Liushuang obviously didn’t suspect that Fu Qian had actually heard them.

She never dared to underestimate the strength of the man in front of her, but as a demigod, Ji Xun’s control over Ash Descent was absolutely trustworthy.

Even if Andiel were stronger than him, sneaking in without being discovered was highly unlikely.

It was a very rational judgment. Unfortunately, Ji Liushuang had no way of knowing that the man in front of her possessed special frequency-tuning techniques.

”So, who are you looking for?”

At this point, Fu Qian tactfully refrained from asking what they had discussed, instead picking up directly on her words.

”The Rebirth Club. Have you heard of this organization?”

Sensing his tact, Ji Liushuang cast a glance back at him.

”Of course!”

Fu Qian’s tone immediately turned serious.

”This organization has been very active lately. Rumor has it that one of them has successfully advanced to the Demigod Realm and is secretly orchestrating quite a few things.”

”Are you saying they were actually involved in your mother’s accident this time?”

”Yeah... It seems they have some sort of tacit agreement with the Ji Clan, and during a minor incident, my mother was caught in the crossfire.”

”So that’s how it is.”

Fu Qian spoke in a tone of sudden realization.

”No wonder Ji Xun and the others are hiding it so carefully. Even though the Rebirth Club hasn’t been targeted by the Night Watchers, they’ve always danced wildly on the edge of the red line. If the Ji Clan has any cooperation with them, it’s only right to keep it a secret.”

”And this seems like a good thing for you. Your mother’s incident was just an accident, so you don’t need to worry about anything else. Ji Xun probably told you the same thing... but it looks like you don’t quite agree?”

”Exactly. I want to find that person.”

Ji Liushuang’s reply was flat but resolute.

”I confirmed long ago that my mother wasn’t hurt. Whether it was intentional or not never really mattered.”

”My purpose for returning this time is to ensure that something like this never happens again... even as collateral damage.”

”In the eyes of Ji Xun and the rest, you’re definitely failing to consider the big picture.”

Fu Qian remarked with a sigh.

”The big picture...”

Ji Liushuang gave a cold smile.

”If the theoretical current family head can be casually toyed with and bullied in the name of this ’big picture,’ then I think this family has some issues with its decision-making. Someone needs to correct it.”

”Lacking principles and being purely profit-driven will neither win respect nor last long.”

”Now that sounds like the next family head.”

Fu Qian listened intently before offering a solemn appraisal.

”There’s a path further in...”

His comment left Ji Liushuang in silence for a moment, right up until she guided Fu Qian onto a walking path over the lake.

The path wasn’t very wide. Aside from the moon, their only illumination came from the firefly-like Lantern in Fu Qian’s hand, but this posed no issue for either of them.

From the moment they stepped outside until now, the two had genuinely just headed straight for the distant foot of the mountain, paying zero attention to the distance.

...

”Family head, inheritance rights—these things are incredibly boring to me... just like the things Aunt Miller worries about.”

Ji Liushuang was no longer as fearful of the Lantern in Fu Qian’s hand, gazing instead at the indescribable colors within it.

”I want to drag this person out and help them understand the price of something like this happening again, regardless of whether it was collateral damage.”

”Words hold no power in matters like this.”

I certainly agree with that.

Ji Liushuang’s meaning was simple: she wouldn’t accept any explanations. She only wanted to ensure that similar incidents never happened again.

And the way to ensure that was to guarantee any similar incident had a negative impact on the ”big picture.”

”I understand your demands. So, what’s your offer?”

Fu Qian didn’t comment further on Ji Liushuang’s explanation, shifting directly into a bargaining stance.

They say darkness makes people open their hearts. Under the cover of night, Ji Liushuang indeed spoke much more, her emotions less restrained than before.

But as a smart girl, she was far from being as fragile as she appeared on the surface.

Inviting him out late at night—that courage alone was exceptional.

Speaking her mind so directly right now while smoothly testing his reaction was perfectly normal for her.

”It’s simple. I’ll help you find what you’re looking for.”

She seemed slightly disappointed, but after a moment of thought, Ji Liushuang spoke very seriously.

”How do you know I’m looking for something?”

Fu Qian asked with great interest.

”You went to great lengths to get in here, yet you’re clearly unfamiliar with most of the people. And even after witnessing a lineup with at least two demigods, you still show no signs of giving up.”

Knowing he was testing her, Ji Liushuang quickly analyzed the situation.

”Putting it all together, I concluded that you most likely aren’t trying to harm someone, but rather looking for something right here in this manor.”

”So I figure there’s no one more suited to help you than me. I’m intimately familiar with every corner of this place.”

Ji Liushuang spoke with absolute confidence.

”Makes sense, but it’s not enough.”

Fu Qian’s critique was equally confident.

”...I also have my theoretical status as the future family head.”

Ji Liushuang didn’t seem too surprised by Fu Qian’s difficult nature. After a slight hesitation, she continued.

”It might be discounted somewhat, but it can still be exchanged for a lot of things.”

”Deal.”

Fu Qian agreed without missing a beat.

”Good self-awareness is the foundation of cooperation. Do you have any other requests?”

”...Unless it’s absolutely necessary, please don’t kill anyone.”

Ji Liushuang let out a sigh of relief.

”Sure.”

”So, do you have a plan?”

”I do.”

He already has a plan...

Ji Liushuang fell silent again for a moment.

”What is it?”

”First of all, the two of us can’t possibly dig three feet into the ground ourselves. Especially with our movements restricted, we still need to rely on your family to apply pressure and force the other party to show themselves.”

”The problem now is that between the Rebirth Club and your mother, your family clearly thinks the Rebirth Club carries more weight. Their bias is obvious.”

”To change that, we just need to add a little weight of our own to the scales.”

”So what can we add?”

Ji Liushuang nodded, agreeing with Fu Qian’s assessment.

”The Rebirth Club.”