Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Shadow of the Silver Moon_1 Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Shadow of the Silver Moon_1 By the time Tan Ying and her companion returned, Fu Qian had already left.
Having completed his own test, and with Tan Ying receiving her reward, their transaction was clear and settled. Whatever followed was no longer of his concern.
After all, what he provided Tan Ying with was merely an opportunity, her subsequent decisions and realizations were entirely up to her.
This was a matter of courtesy.
However, Fu Qian did not go home after leaving; he soon found a concealed corner nearby and activated the mark on his wrist.
While home was a place to relax, it was a bit too noisy for his tastes.
Great skills come from diligence, and idleness leads to failure; considering the day was growing bright, it was time to attend to his business.
Upon entering the warehouse, Fu Qian immediately located the Emissary’s Mask and casually placed it on his face.
As the scene shifted, he sat up on the second-floor bed of the bookstore and reached over to turn on the lamp.
Hmm?
After making this action, Fu Qian glanced at his hand and then lifted his head to look out the window.
The moon hung high and the stars twinkled–a night that seemed deeper than darkness itself.
There have been quite a few strange occurrences lately!
Are the timelines of the two worlds out of sync?
…
Or perhaps not?
I need to cure myself of the habit of trying to explain everything with such highly improbable answers.
There are plenty of more reasonable explanations than these far-fetched ones!
Without expression, Fu Qian got out of bed.
Illusions, dreams, and blind tricks–he had just been dealing with such things and wouldn’t be easily fooled.
With the creaking of the floor underfoot, Fu Qian made his way downstairs.
The first-floor bookstore was naturally empty, save for a few bookshelves standing tall in the shadows.
The bright moonlight flowed through the doors and windows, slanting across the floor.
Yet, even though the moonlight was as bright as silver, it could not bring the slightest sense of brightness.
The near-blinding light seemed instead like an alternative form of darkness.
In the face of such a phenomenon, Fu Qian showed no sign of surprise.
He sat down behind the counter and casually pulled out a notebook.
This was the Abyssal Chronicle he had purchased previously; he had carried it with him when he had activated the Emissary’s mark.
After all, indulging in the secrets of others was a fine form of entertainment amidst the busyness.
However, at that moment, Fu Qian did not look at the contents, but flipped directly to the latest blank page and began to write with a pen he picked up.
“[The current time is night.]”
The line of text disappeared into the void from the very first word, taking just a few seconds to vanish completely.
You see, isn’t this a convenient way to confirm things!
Fu Qian stroked his chin.
Then the question arose.
It clearly wasn’t night, but looking outside, the stars and moon were intertwined. What could the reason for this abnormality be?
The answer was already quite clear.
Fu Qian was even too lazy to continue writing.
Considering his popularity, the chance of a Transcendent throwing a pajama party for him was practically nonexistent, so there was a 99% chance someone was looking for trouble.
Indeed, “the wicked bring about their own undoing”–bah, fortunes change in the blink of an eye!
And the combination of the dark night and the full moon readily brought to mind a certain species.
Isn’t it said that on the night of the full moon, vampires are particularly active?
It seems Brother Tyler has missed me in my absence, even going so far as to install surveillance in my living quarters!
Of course, I can’t be completely sure it’s Brother Tyler’s handiwork just yet since so far, I’ve not felt any presence of life around me.
But that’s alright; given the circumstances, someone is bound to show up before long.
In a moment of reflection, Fu Qian neatly packed away the notebook and stood up.
Considering the recent tests, the utility of this notebook could be described as exceptionally high, so there was no possibility of returning it.
He walked to the door, where the ground was empty, not a single letter in sight.
He hoped that those vampires didn’t have a penchant for invading people’s privacy.
Fu Qian stretched out his hand to try and push open the door of the bookstore.
However, the moment the silvery moonlight shone on his hand, his gaze sharpened.
On the back of his right hand had appeared, unnoticed, a strangely shaped mark, black as ink.
It seemed it was more than just surveillance!
Examining the black mark on his hand, Fu Qian quickly spotted another extraordinary aspect, one side of it was an extremely precise right angle.
After a brief contemplation, Fu Qian realized where the right angle had come from–the sign on the bookstore door indicating it was temporarily closed for business.
When his hand had brushed past it moments ago, the shadow of the sign seemed to have transferred onto his skin.
Now, as he inspected the mark on his hand, he could sense an eerie coolness emanating from it.
Of course, the price was that movements of his right hand felt as though they were submerged in water, sluggish and delayed.
And it wasn’t just one shadow that lingered on his hand.
Fu Qian quickly found another mark on his other hand, one that resembled the mottled shape of tree leaves.
There was a tree at the entrance of the bookstore blocking some of the moonlight, could that be the reason?
Such a high-ranking object, even a demigod physique wasn’t immune to it.
Under the silver moon, the blackness of the mark deepened further, and it was rapidly accumulating.
Feeling an increasing heaviness and sluggishness in his body, Fu Qian didn’t rush to forcefully break free, instead curiously surveying his surroundings while his thoughts raced.
It was highly unlikely that a character of such high standing would stoop low to personally lay in wait.
And from the time he entered until now, he hadn’t sensed the presence of any living person.
Therefore, he came to a possible conclusion–the strange scene before him was most likely caused by a supernatural object.
A special, high-ranking supernatural object, not a real person.
Indeed, an ancient family with a millennium legacy sure had vast resources!
As he clicked his tongue in admiration, Fu Qian noticed that the blotches on his hand had doubled in a flash, the various shapes intertwining in utter chaos, even seemingly alive as they moved about.
So it was indeed a trap?
Fu Qian wasn’t surprised by this development.
And he believed that soon after the prey had entered the cage, someone would likely come rushing over.
But these nocturnal creatures had surely oversimplified the situation.
A mere cage, thought to confine him?
A man of righteousness, how could he fear the mere darkness.
Fu Qian snorted and snapped his fingers, looking like he was about to transform.
“Let there be light!”
Before the phrase was finished, a resplendent golden light burst forth from him.
With a brilliance that drove away all gloom, the golden glow tore through the black marks clinging to his body, spreading rapidly in every direction.
About two seconds later, the golden light shattered, engulfed by the moonlight and shadows together.
The dark forces were terrifying indeed!
The Decree Residue was instantly broken, which was a first for Fu Qian, and he marveled for a moment.
The instant the Decree Residue was activated, he felt as if his skin was on fire, as two opposing forces collided head-on in a fierce battle.
And without a doubt, the residue was crushed to smithereens.
But that didn’t mean there were no gains.
Fu Qian looked up at the moon in the sky.
As the saying goes, competitors are often adversaries, judging from the direct and irreconcilable conflict just now.
The thing that trapped him, could it also be some kind of decree?
And the source of this decree might well be far beyond the Demigod Level.