Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 124: The Hunter Thirsts for Blood (24)
"Your state is indeed very interesting. Is that how the whip from before came about too?" Deng Feizhou had relaxed by now, carefully examining Fu Qian.
"No." Fu Qian shook his hand, revealing the Tyrant's Fist. "It's actually the effect of this thing. I got it by a rather accidental chance."
"A very interesting item, containing the power of a Curse." Looking at this oddly shaped ring, Deng Feizhou showed no surprise on his face. Instead, he smiled and nodded.
*This guy had seen through it long ago. He was just testing me earlier,* Fu Qian thought to himself. *Hard to deal with, as expected!*
*Fortunately, he had always maintained a good moral virtue—honesty. Unless necessary, don't lie.*
Additionally, from Deng Feizhou's words, Fu Qian also picked up another underlying meaning.
"You know everything your puppets see?"
"Quick reaction." Deng Feizhou gave him an appreciative look. "That's right. For anyone possessed by me, I can share all their perceptions, even when in a dormant state."
"Then I'm truly sorry. Stomping your body to pieces back then must have hurt a lot."
"It's fine. After all, I initiated the probe first." Deng Feizhou's smile did not diminish. "You don't need to probe me either. The death of a puppet does have some impact on me, but nowhere near a severe extent. I misjudged that time at Wen Li's house. Your ability to conceal your aura is quite good."
"Thanks for the compliment. Just habitual low-profile. What about Chen Mingda? Did he know he was possessed by you?"
"Of course Chen Mingda didn't know. Although a bit extreme, he wasn't stupid. In fact, I don't like doing this kind of thing. It's equivalent to severing a part of myself. That sensation of physical, and even spiritual, tearing is quite uncomfortable."
Deng Feizhou explained patiently while raising his right hand and spreading his fingers. Soon, as if the bones inside had melted, his five fingers began to twist and squirm. Like fleshy worms, the five fingers eventually pulled themselves out of the palm little by little. After crawling around the edge of the bare palm for several laps, the fingers merged with the skin again, eventually vanishing slowly into the center of the palm.
At the front of the palm, five fingers grew out once again.
*Why does this give me an inexplicable sense of deja vu!* Witnessing the scene before him, Fu Qian sighed inwardly. *No wonder his attitude shifted so rapidly the moment I showed the Biochemical Demon Arm, treating me as if I were one of his kind.*
Phew!
Finishing the demonstration, Deng Feizhou let out a long breath and looked at Fu Qian.
"After all these years, it's still somewhat uncomfortable every time. The part on Chen Mingda was almost destined to be unrecoverable. However, to prevent him from spouting nonsense before he died, I had to make the sacrifice."
"It was also to make Chen Xing's advancement appear more natural, right?"
"Exactly." Facing Fu Qian's question, Deng Feizhou admitted it generously. "Chen Xing couldn't suppress his state forever. And the advancement of a Demigod is an event of massive impact at any time. As a family head, who knows how many eyes are fixed on him. Advancing suddenly after being stuck at a bottleneck for so long... to avoid suspicion, a suitable reason had to be found."
"Understood. Thank you for sharing." Fu Qian nodded.
"Heh, do you know why I'm telling you all this?" Deng Feizhou looked at Fu Qian.
"Not because I am your new client?"
"Do you think just anyone has the qualifications to make a deal with me?" Deng Feizhou snorted coldly, his gaze instantly turning sharp. "It's actually quite simple. Because you are a genius."
Deng Feizhou looked at Fu Qian.
"Despite clearly not knowing the methods, you actually managed to advance all the way to the Fourth Tier standard. You don't even show any signs of losing control and collapsing. Before meeting you, I absolutely couldn't have imagined such a thing."
"Do you know why our organization is called the Primordial Council?"
"Why?"
"Because what we do is the greatest feat in human history, an attempt to thoroughly liberate humanity from its shackles. The body contains the greatest wealth, yet humanity sits on a mountain of treasure without realizing it. For so many years, people only know how to act on instinct, indulging in power and wealth instead of exploring and thinking."
"Even when extraordinary powers later appeared, they were quickly chalked up to the luck of a few. The vast majority still live out their entire lives in mediocrity, fading away within their confines. In reality, compared to the immense potential inherent in the human body, cultivation, talent, and special abilities are merely the laughable summaries of a bunch of blockheads..."
"Your words remind me of an old friend," Fu Qian suddenly spoke, facing the impassioned Deng Feizhou.
"Oh?"
"An old man named Lu Ming who liked engaging in limb splicing work, and similarly believed it to be a great pioneering feat to liberate humanity."
"You know Lu Ming?" Deng Feizhou looked at Fu Qian with keen interest. "Did he not invite you to be a subject of his Grafting?"
"He did, but I refused. I hate adding spare parts to my body," Fu Qian answered quickly.
"Although the reason is laughable, you were wise. While the Rebirth Club has a bit of an exploratory spirit, it's a pity their ideology is completely outdated. Giving up on exploring humanity itself, and instead pursuing amalgamation with extraordinary creatures, was proven to be a foolish idea long ago. Yet they are reluctant to give it up. Of course, compared to those stubborn, fossilized brains in the Night Watchers, they are still much better—"
Deng Feizhou seemed quite familiar with things like Grafting.
"Alright, I already understand your philosophy. In fact, I don't really care that much about it. Now, can you tell me what I need to exchange for the method of advancing to Demigod?" Fu Qian said directly.
"Don't be so impatient, young man." Deng Feizhou looked at him. "Very soon, you will find that our goal is far from something like a so-called Demigod."
"But right now, my goal is Demigod. Without concrete facts placed in front of me, I won't believe anyone. My patience is limited." Fu Qian looked at Deng Feizhou coldly.
"It won't be long, just a few more minutes." Deng Feizhou pointed at the wall clock and let out a low chuckle. "Very soon, your troubles will disappear."
"What do you mean?" Following the direction Deng Feizhou pointed, Fu Qian glanced up at the wall clock and realized something. "You're stalling for time?"
"You found out? We are waiting for a friend." Deng Feizhou sat down unhurriedly, a smile on his face. "What makes you think that rushing into my place rashly gives you the qualifications to make a deal with me? Actually, even Chen Xing doesn't know what true price he is paying."
Phew!
Fu Qian looked at Deng Feizhou and let out a long breath.
"The one coming is Chen Xing?"
"Yes, we arranged to meet at exactly eight o'clock, otherwise I would have left Shangjing long ago. The Night Watchers will track me down sooner or later." Deng Feizhou blinked. "Chen Xing has always been a punctual man. You will see him soon, or you could try to run away."
*In other words, in less than ten minutes, I'll have to face both Deng Feizhou and a newly-advanced Demigod at the same time.*
Fu Qian looked around and discovered that there seemed to be invisible walls around him, trapping him tightly in place.
"Even a Demigod couldn't break through this in a short time. I advise you not to waste your effort. Furthermore, what I said earlier was the truth. You really are an excellent material. I will ask Chen Xing to try not to damage it; I will put it to good use later."
"So that's how it is! Does that mean I only have a few minutes left?" After Deng Feizhou finished gloating, Fu Qian finally spoke.
"That's right."
"I see!" Fu Qian suddenly blinked. "Then how do you know I haven't been stalling for time?"
"Three minutes. Enough to scatter your ashes."
Comments
Post a Comment