Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 19: Mirror
"Is the conflict that big?"
Wen Li's words piqued a trace of interest in Fu Qian.
Her appearance, mannerisms, and speech.
From any angle, this was undeniably the model of a noble young lady.
It was hard to imagine her saying something like wanting to slap someone.
"Hehe!"
Wen Li smiled weakly and sighed.
"To call it a direct conflict isn't quite accurate, but he has indeed caused me a lot of trouble, and the person himself is quite unlikable."
"Trouble?"
Fu Qian recalled the many books he had read.
"An arranged marriage?"
"Mr. Fu is indeed smart. You guessed it immediately."
Wen Li gave Fu Qian a surprised look, her face bearing admiration.
If it were anyone else being praised like this by a beauty, they'd probably be walking on air.
Unfortunately, Fu Qian was completely unmoved.
Having dealt with Young Master Qin for so many years, he was very aware that for these second-generation heirs, a commercialized expression was practically an innate skill. Whether it was surprise or flattery, the credibility was dubious.
"Yes. I know many people envy my background, but being born into such a family, there are truly many things beyond one's control. Sometimes it feels so suffocating that you can't catch your breath. Can Mr. Fu understand?"
"I can imagine."
Fu Qian nodded.
"But I generally attribute this kind of emotion to being completely full and having nothing better to do."
Wen Li's face froze instantly.
"You were born into a family of wealth and honor, not a family of immortals. Did you expect to have no worries at all? Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to sell large amounts of your time, energy, and even your body, working yourself half to death just to exchange for a bite to eat."
"Even while having enough to eat and drink, you can occasionally act all deep and profound."
"Uh..."
Wen Li was silent for a long time before she spoke.
"Mr. Fu sees things so clearly. Your free and easy frankness is enviable."
"No need to envy. Being free and easy stems from having strength."
...
"Indeed, being able to survive today was entirely thanks to you. This is my first time seeing someone exchange blows with Mr. Ji without losing ground."
"Oh?"
Fu Qian became interested.
"What Tier is that Mr. Ji?"
"This... shouldn't you know this better than I do?"
Wen Li's expression was a bit puzzled.
"From what I know, Mr. Ji was a Tier 6 Beyonder five years ago. Now his strength is even more unfathomable."
That middle-aged man surnamed Ji is already Tier 6?
Fu Qian frowned.
After exchanging blows a few times, he was confident that this Old Ji was absolutely not his match. Calculating it this way, didn't that mean he was at least a Tier 6 Beyonder too?
The Thug is terrifyingly strong!
After sighing with emotion, Fu Qian turned to look at Wen Li.
"Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask. You are a Beyonder anyway, and according to outside rumors, you're expected to reach Tier 6. How can you be this fragile?"
"This is the helpless part about being a Mental Type."
Wen Li smiled bitterly.
"The outside rumors are actually true. I am indeed close to Tier 6. But compared to you Physical Types with your heads of copper and arms of iron, the Mental Type is simply too weak."
"Beyonders are divided into nine tiers. Tiers seven, eight, and nine are the Lower Tier, and four, five, and six are the Middle Tier. Before advancing to the Middle Tier, the improvement in a Mental Type's life intensity is quite unnoticeable."
"Moreover, my ability is rather special. It's almost the least offensive category among Mental Types, so..."
"No need to be envious. Playing a braindead warrior has always been a man's romance. Speaking of which, what exactly is your ability?"
This was Fu Qian's first time hearing a complete description of the transcendent system in this world; naturally, he wouldn't miss this chance to understand it.
"Mirror. You can understand it like that."
Wen Li did not try to hide her secret.
"I can perceive the emotions of the people around me—joy, anger, sorrow, hatred, desire, etc."
"The emotions of the people around me will be projected onto me like a mirror. The stronger the feeling and the closer the distance, the clearer the projection."
"On one hand, it makes me extremely sharp, and I won't easily be deceived; but at the same time, for a very long period, this ability caused me a lot of trouble."
"I was forced to feel other people's emotions at all times, to the point where my mind was on the verge of collapsing."
"Actually, this is also why I loathe Ye Yang. If I get just a little closer to him, the things I feel are quite unpleasant!"
"Mr. Fu is different. Although your strength is too high for me to perceive much, I can confirm at least one thing: you truly harbor no malice."
"I see. It seems you communicated with your father just now?"
Fu Qian said. This ability was indeed a bit novel.
"Of course, otherwise how could my father leave with peace of mind."
"In fact, over the years, as my ability has improved, my perception has become increasingly sharp, and I can already slightly influence the emotions of others. So—"
Wen Li revealed a playful smile.
"It's quite difficult to go against my will now."
"I have a general understanding."
In a sense, the abilities of a Mental Type are still very outstanding. In specific situations, they can display far higher value than a Physical Type.
But based on what she can currently do, Wen Li's title as a quasi-Tier 6 is really a bit hollow.
"Actually, sometimes I really wish I didn't have such a talent. It attracts trouble, and I can't even protect my own family."
Wen Li sighed, turning back into a humblebragging girl.
"You have to look on the bright side. If you didn't have this ability, Young Master Ye might not even give you the time of day."
Fu Qian's ability to comfort people was always hellish.
A trace of surprise flashed across Wen Li's face.
"You even know this!"
"Indeed, before I became like this, although we had some business dealings, they almost never looked at me properly, let alone offered help so actively. But since my quasi-Tier 6 status is completely in name only, they might be disappointed."
"Don't belittle yourself. The reproductive genes of a Middle Tier Beyonder alone are very valuable."
"...Thank you for your affirmation."
"Unfortunately, I've always wanted to avoid owing this favor, otherwise there will be no room to maneuver in the future, so..."
Wen Li's expression was more serious than ever.
"Regardless of whether your intervention was on a whim or had hidden reasons, I sincerely beg you once again to lend a hand during the time ahead."
Quite sincere!
But you probably don't know that someone has already asked on your behalf, forcing me to do this kind of job I hate the most.
"I've already said it: it's my duty, and I am duty-bound not to decline."
Fu Qian said slowly, telling Eldest Miss Wen not to get excited.
"Speaking of which, even if the Wen Family isn't some aristocratic nobility, you have more money than you can spend. How come you don't even have a single Beyonder bodyguard?"
If there are assassins who take money, there must be bodyguards who sell their services. Fu Qian didn't believe Beyonders had that much integrity.
"You are correct. There are hidden circumstances behind this."
Wen Li's expression was a bit embarrassed.
"We did previously hire a Beyonder bodyguard at a heavy price, and his strength wasn't far off from Mr. Ji's. Unfortunately, a little accident happened not long ago."
"What accident?"
"He was arrested by the Night Watchers."
...
Such a thing actually happened?
"And you call yourselves capitalists? Don't you do background checks when you hire people?"
"The situation was urgent, and what we valued most initially was undoubtedly his strength, even though we knew he was always on the Night Watchers' wanted list."
"We didn't expect such a thing to happen, and it's hard to find another one in the short term..."
"It seems your relationship with the Night Watchers isn't great."
"The family business has a wide reach and involves some gray areas, so our reputation with the Night Watchers might not be very good."
Wen Li honestly admitted.
"Obviously. If the relationship was even slightly better, the other side probably wouldn't have pulled the rug out from under you like this."
Fu Qian let out a long sigh, finally understanding why the old Wen Family was in such a pathetic state.
The old veteran, Team Leader Gu, had previously guessed that there might be Night Watchers guarding the place. Thinking about it now, that was far too optimistic.
"So when you made your move today, I truly couldn't suppress the joy in my heart. In short, thank you very much."
Eldest Miss Wen solemnly gave thanks for the third time.
"Also, please keep the contents of today's conversation a secret. I don't want the Ye Family to have too many bad impressions before I advance."
"Don't worry, my lips are always sealed."
Fu Qian readily agreed, then lowered his voice.
"The problem is, have you considered that our conversation right now has already been heard by your admirer?"
"What!"
Wen Li was immediately startled, abruptly looking up and glancing around.
"No need to look. They're clinging to the wall outside."
Fu Qian continued speaking in a low voice, then kicked the bench Wen Li was sitting on.
Amidst a scream, Wen Li flew out along with the chair.
At the same time, Fu Qian stood up at once and let out a loud roar.
"Watch out, there are assassins!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the person clinging to the wall outside like a gecko in his perception was stunned for a moment, and then began to move frantically.
Actually, not long after sitting down, Fu Qian had discovered that there was someone on the wall outside.
He didn't know if it was an effect of increased Inspiration, but his senses were extremely sharp now.
The eavesdropper was already quite careful. Not only were their movements completely silent, but they even used a special technique to flatten their entire body against the wall.
Even so, in Fu Qian's perception, it was still as clear as an X-ray.
He even knew who it was—the Little Wolf Girl who was kicked flying by him when he first entered this place.
Speaking of which, the Wen Family was miserable enough. Not only was their home base infiltrated like a sieve by their opponents, but they were even under the surveillance of their prospective in-laws.
With the mindset of seeing what the intruder's intentions were, Fu Qian didn't expose them right away.
Now it was about time to beat the grass to scare the snake!
After his roar, alarms blared through the sky. Fu Qian grabbed something from the table.
It was a metal paperweight. Exquisitely crafted and massive in size, it was clearly expensive at first glance.
Holding it in his hand, he tossed it up and down like a brick. The next moment, Fu Qian hurled it at the wall.
Boom!
The Wen Family's mansion suffered yet again.
Boosted by terrifying power, the paperweight whistled out like a cannonball, easily tearing through the wall opposite them.
Countless bricks and rubble struck the fast-moving figure behind the wall simultaneously.
A desperate scream echoed as a shadow plummeted heavily from the wall.
If he remembered correctly, this seemed to be the fourth floor?
At this time, Wen Xiuxian had already rushed over hurriedly. Seeing the hole in the wall and his daughter on the ground, his expression could only be described as spectacular.
What a familiar scene! No matter how big the mansion is, it can't withstand being trashed like this!
Don't worry, your expression will be even uglier when you see the person on the ground.
At this moment, the professional "kick receiver" Wen Li had resiliently stood up once more, looking at Fu Qian with a complex expression while softly comforting her father.
...
By the time the few of them went downstairs together, the lurker who fell to the ground was already completely surrounded.
But it seemed that being surrounded or not was meaningless. The person on the ground lay motionless, reduced to a bloody mess.
Having been struck in a vital spot almost entirely without protection, and then falling from the fourth floor, this person was dead beyond dead.
Young Master Ye's group, who had gone to rest earlier, had already arrived. Right now, they were staring fixedly at the corpse on the ground, their faces as black as coal.
"The assassin has been executed."
Fu Qian didn't care about their expressions at all. He pointed at the ground with a straight face and claimed credit.
"Just now, someone infiltrated again to wait for an opportunity for a sneak attack. Fortunately, I discovered them."
No matter what, cement their identity as an assassin first.
Wen Xiuxian's expression was rich and colorful.
He wasn't stupid, how could he not see the anomaly?
Moreover, with just a little attention, he could notice that Young Master Ye's lackeys were missing one person.
Did it even need to be said who the person on the ground was?
But the person had indeed been knocked down from outside the wall. Calling them an assassin was absolutely fine.
Wen Xiuxian also felt somewhat annoyed in his heart.
He had just been assassinated during the day, and now he was actually being monitored on his own turf.
No matter how much he could bear humiliation and heavy burdens, it was very hard for him to put on a good face at this moment.
"Thank you, Mr. Fu. If it weren't for you, Xiao Li would probably be in danger again."
After pondering it over, Wen Xiuxian ultimately chose to give thanks.
"I didn't expect this group to be so patient as to actually return. They truly are impossible to defend against!"
Then, with a long sigh, he turned to Young Master Ye and his group.
"Please forgive me for alarming everyone because of this."
"It's fine..."
Perhaps because dinner was a bit too salty, Young Master Ye's voice was a bit dry.
"We heard the alarm and came out to take a look out of concern. It's good that everything's fine."
Brother Ji was clearly much more experienced. He explained to Wen Xiuxian with a serious face.
"It's no alarm at all. We came here to help in the first place and naturally should give our all."
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Wen Xiuxian exchanged pleasantries with him. It seemed no one noticed the red and blue hair on the corpse.
It was obvious this person had died for nothing.
It wasn't that Fu Qian had any huge grudge against the Little Wolf Girl.
She was one hundred percent instructed by Young Master Ye to come eavesdrop.
After all, books say that after getting their face slapped, people will find a different angle to come back again.
For example, trying to figure out his background, confirming he has no roots or foundations, and then confidently finding new experts to gang up on him, etc.
This is human nature for rich young masters.
But pulling these petty tricks directly in the Wen Family home showed that, essentially, they didn't take Wen Xiuxian's words seriously.
In this situation, if the content of his chat with Wen Li reached their ears, their subsequent reaction would be an unstable factor.
And the biggest taboo in this kind of mission is instability.
So no matter which aspect was considered, he had to intimidate them.
Of course, if he hadn't considered that drawing the Night Watchers over would cost him his job, simply killing them all was also a good option.
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