Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1438: Chapter 1436: Artificial Existence Core (6)

“What are you doing?”

Claire had truly heeded the master’s warning not to move, but the eerie scene before her was too much for her to bear.

“Wasn’t it you who just now asked to have them removed?”

Fu Qian continued his movements, inching his hand through the air just above Claire’s skin, casually questioning her.

In fact, she didn’t need his explanation, for she quickly realized herself.

As he moved, the bizarre worm-like pattern on her skin quickly dissipated, absorbed into his seemingly bottomless palm, as if some force was pulling them in.

It was that simple…

Claire stared blankly at her hands, now returned to their fair complexion, a profound sense of relief surged from her heart to her limbs, making her once stiff joints soft.

But the next moment, she could no longer see her hands, as a palm once again blocked her face.

A hand with an unusual sheen.

The distance was too close to discern the specific scene on it.

“There, you’re as pure as new.”

Master Grimshaw was always so crisp and efficient; Claire’s mind hadn’t even processed more thoughts when, accompanied by a prickly itch, something struggled out from her face, and his hand was already retracted.

I…

Taking a deep breath, resisting the urge to touch her face, Claire finally gathered the courage to look at her reflection in the nearby glass.

Though blurry, it was undoubtedly her usual face.

…

“Thank you so much!”

When she withdrew her gaze, Claire’s tone was filled with genuine admiration.

“Rest assured, I will definitely pay the compensation as required.”

Fu Qian’s commercial persona seemed to leave a deep impression on her, prompting her to stress the point immediately.

“Very well, but it seems I haven’t yet completed your original commission?”

Such a polite customer seemed to please Master Grimshaw, but the next moment he blinked and asked.

Uh…

His words served as a timely reminder, leaving Claire agape and momentarily speechless.

The consecutive shocks, especially the overwhelming relief, had somewhat made her forget the original intent of her visit.

“Then, regarding Lek’s issue, is there a way to resolve it?”

After a brief hesitation, Claire adjusted her expression to one of seriousness.

“As long as you don’t mind paying double the fee.”

Fu Qian remained amiable, spreading a hand before Claire with a smile.

Ah—

Even with mental preparation, Claire had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle an excessive exclamation.

Though Lord Grimshaw’s hand wasn’t as smooth and soft as a woman’s, for someone not much older than her, it was quite smooth.

However, at this moment, from the palm outward, she found it hard to describe the scene.

Black and red blotches, as if the flesh and bone were all mangled into a mass, riddled with countless holes.

Just then, the insects that were absorbed swarmed back and forth with astonishing density, even coalescing into worm-like forms crawling within.

The horrifying scene was displayed for only a few seconds, before he clenched his fist, turned, and plunged his arm into a lead-gray jar.

…

“Mr. Wesley…”

Both the previous shocking scene and Fu Qian’s strange actions now were visibly unsettling Claire.

“Don’t worry.”

But Fu Qian merely shook his head, indicating for her to stay calm.

Just a few seconds later, Fu Qian pulled his hand out of the jar, presenting it once again before her.

Sleek and powerful, enveloped in a thin blue liquid, all grotesque marks gone.

As if he simply washed his hands, removing all impurities.

This…

The overly miraculous scene left Claire in continued silence.

“The pollution your husband suffers is indeed more severe than yours, but that isn’t a problem.”

Like performing magic, Fu Qian suddenly produced a small glass bottle.

You could clearly see that it contained a liquid of the same color as on his hand.

“Inside is the same substance as in the jar. Once you let him drink it, he’ll be purified just like you.”

“Ah… but I still don’t quite understand, what is going on, and why was I also polluted?”

Claire asked as she reached out to take it, clearly struggling to follow the train of thought.

“What do you think licking you all over was for?”

Fu Qian sniffed.

“Driven by evil, your husband would pass the pollution to every living spirit around him, which explains his strange behavior.”

“But don’t worry, this bottle is enough for treatment; you just need to ensure he drinks it all at once.”

This…

Without making a sound, Claire clearly wore a troubled expression.

“Don’t worry, even though the color is slightly unusual, it doesn’t taste like anything, just like pure water.”

Seeing this, Fu Qian offered another encouraging word.

“But even then… without a suitable reason, given my understanding of Lek, he definitely wouldn’t drink it.”

Unfortunately, Claire seemed still filled with doubts.

“Not drink… but wouldn’t he have other actions? And they happen in the darkness.”

The family member hesitating to proceed, Fu Qian’s eyes narrowed slightly, finally adopting a stern tone.

“I believe you can coax him to drink it… or else, do you want to watch Mr. Wesley lick more things?”

“Of course not, I want Lek to return to normal more than anyone—wait, how did you know his surname?”

Mid defense, Claire suddenly realized something, swiftly looking up at Fu Qian.

That’s not difficult; the real you is right there sleeping, checking your belongings should yield some results.

Faced with her astonishment, Fu Qian thought to himself.

He’d even done more, like this small bottle in his hand, a matching one sat beside him in the real world.

It even contained blue liquid, tasting just like plain water—it was simply water with added coloring.

As for why do all this?

The specific emphasis in the containment conditions and the overly concealed anomalies on Claire’s part piqued his investigative instincts.

Thus, Fu Qian decided, in the initial investigation, to adopt the highest level of safety measure—letting someone else assess it.

The first step of the plan was to let Ms. Claire realize something’s “off”.

So she might use the pretext of a meddlesome spirit media to invite local law enforcement forces.

Uh…

For the first time since the start, Fu Qian showed a hint of alarm, but quickly masked it expertly, and justified his slip of the tongue.

“Remember my profession, I always see more than what you tell me.”