Chapter 905: Chapter 903: Rotting Flesh (24) Chapter 905: Chapter 903: Rotting Flesh (24) Staff Officer Wen had truly hit the mark.
Seeing Jiang En finally begin to recall his eventful past with an honest demeanor, Fu Qian nodded inwardly.
It was now clear why Daneta hadn’t shown up at the trade fair.
Jiang En knew him, and once discovered, the authenticity of this opportunity would have inevitably come into question.
Just as Wen Li had said, there was no way to give the items away.
It had to be said that Jiang En, being on par with Brother Tyler, had much more brains and was also much more decisive in his actions.
It was just a pity that he thought he was finding his way back, not knowing that his guides had already followed him all the way home, even coming in a group.
“You left, and then what? Did Daneta not react at all?”
“He became unhappy as soon as he realized I wasn’t as enthusiastic as I had been at the start, accusing me of wasting the one chance at enlightenment a person gets in their lifetime.”
Jiang En cautiously looked at Fu Qian.
Even now, he couldn’t ascertain why the other party was here, or what his motives truly were.
But from the numerous clashes since yesterday, he had already tasted total defeat at Fu Qian’s hands.
It was at this moment, his instincts told him that telling the truth was probably the best option.
“But it was his somewhat overzealous care that made me feel even more uneasy and reinforced my determination to leave.”
Jiang En let out a long sigh.
“To be honest, it was a very difficult decision; the future of breaking through my bottleneck was too tempting… I haven’t seen him again since returning to Shangjing.”
“I can understand.”
Fu Qian nodded.
After everything that had happened today, he had learned quite a bit about Jiang En’s situation.
It could only be said that although Jiang En was “comparable” to Brother Tyler and was also heavily invested in by his family, he wasn’t quite on the same level as the latter.
The template of a noble scion from a humble background, the torment from years of bottlenecks, was entirely imaginable.
Had it not been for that, with his awareness and temperament, how could he be easily lured by the “opportunity” that presented itself?
“Even after making my decision, I found that it wasn’t over – the troubles caused by the ‘true self’ continued.”
“I could even feel them growing, slowly but surely.”
“Yet, the world is unpredictable – in my utmost efforts to rid myself of them, I received another similar enlightenment, a ritual allowing complete control of body and spirit.”
“But you mentioned earlier, Daneta said this kind of enlightenment only happens once in a lifetime?”
Fu Qian mused thoughtfully.
“I haven’t ruled out that he might’ve exaggerated to ensure my focus. Anyway, I found it strange too, and I’ll tentatively chalk it up to the luck of a genius.”
Jiang En shook his head, laughing at himself in self-deprecation.
“I see, and then came the incident in the hotel.”
Fu Qian didn’t probe further.
“It seems the content of the ritual was to continuously induce and stimulate the ‘true self,’ and then suppress it in the reverse direction?”
“Yes.”
Jiang En took a deep breath.
“That was the least impactful method I could think of. I didn’t anticipate hurting Tyler; I can only say I regret that very much.”
“Additionally, the process was incredibly difficult, not only mentally taxing to the point of madness but physically torturous to nearly breaking point. I didn’t dare let my family know, I had to find ways to sustain myself, but fortunately, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel…”
Jiang En sighed deeply once again, implying Fu Qian was already aware of the situation that followed.
“I believe I have shown enough sincerity.”
The next moment he looked at Fu Qian.
“And I don’t ask you, Ming King, to reveal your true face, nor even inquire about the reason for your visit, but if possible, I hope you will not hinder me from completing this process.”
“Whether I ascend or not has long since stopped being important. This obsession has truly brought me unbearable torment.”
Jiang En caressed his left arm.
“Adopting this posture, I won’t deny it was to avoid you, Ming King, but it’s also a thought I’ve harbored in my heart for many years. I truly yearn for the peace that comes after obsessing over a path…”
“That’s not sincere enough.”
After seriously listening to Jiang En’s request, Fu Qian nevertheless was somewhat regretful in his assessment.
He was indeed a tough character capable of bending to circumstances, but later on, to lower his guard to the maximum extent, he seemed somewhat contrived.
Letting go of obsessions is not so easy, especially when hope has been glimpsed time and again.
Given his experiences of growth, Fu Qian believed that for a long time to come, leveling up would surely be the way for him to derive the most dopamine.
However, everyone has their own cognitive limitations; there’s no need to nitpick with a magnifying glass. Within his capabilities, he had done quite well.
After giving his approval, Fu Qian snapped his fingers and activated the Return Edict.
Letting go of obsessions, is it? In fact, there’s no need for so much trouble.
…
“What do you mean?”
Fu Qian’s sudden action clearly startled Jiang En, who was somewhat afraid he would suddenly utter something like “death brings utter peace.”
There was no helping it; from his previous behavior, this guy seemed entirely capable of doing so.
“I have been cultivating the Purification Mantra in seclusion, and I have always been adept at helping people remove their mental knots. This time, I came especially to help you through your transformation.”
The objective of this journey was to sabotage Jiang En’s ascension ritual, so the “bright future” he saw was definitely unreachable now.
Jiang En’s candor just now meant the most because it allowed Fu Qian to see a possibility of completing his mission without killing him.
His ascension ritual has quite the flavor of cutting off the three corpses; its core was apparently in the honing of self-will during the process–so what if Fu Qian directly helped him sever them?
The result may seem the same, but surely the ritual wouldn’t be completed, right?
And based on past experiences, the Return Edict had a considerable dispelling effect on some oddities; it was absolutely worth a try.
Useful or not, all that mattered was the outcome.
Of course, Brother Jiang En had better pray it was useful, otherwise he might have to face a physical dispersal.
…
“What did you do?”
While still pondering Fu Qian’s words, Jiang En seemed to sense something the next moment, and his expression became somewhat peculiar.
“As you wished.”
Fu Qian replied casually, quietly evaluating.
Under the Return Edict, he too realized that the other party was undergoing some kind of change… he even smelled it.
A familiar and unpleasant scent was emanating from the Child of Destiny.
And it did not dissipate, but rather gathered around him in a mass.
The Polished Skin Realm? But obviously much more potent.
Fu Qian felt a sense of familiar unfamiliarity.
You…
Jiang En obviously did not want to sit idly by, but before he could act, his body suddenly stiffened.
His flesh began to flow eerily again, and in the blink of an eye, a huge snake’s head reappeared on his chest.
Even in the next moment, the “snake’s mouth” actually split open directly, drawing out strands of pure white feathers from the blood.
After a brief moment, a translucent humanoid figure appeared before Fu Qian, while Jiang En had completely lost consciousness.
Divine Envoy?
Assessing the pattern of feathers outlining exquisite designs on the human skin, Fu Qian felt an extraordinary pressure bearing down on him.
For a time, the effect of the Return Edict was tightly suppressed.
After relentless effort, had he finally uncovered a hidden difficulty of the mission?
“How shall I address you?”
Amid these thoughts, Fu Qian casually greeted him.
“You may call me… Wei.”