Chapter 3064 Dozing Off at the Banquet

'What was so hard to guess about this? Hadn't Old Man Henry already fallen for it once before?'

Corvos's evaluation was overflowing with praise, but Fu Qian remained unimpressed.

Some things seemed impossible to understand, but as long as you observed carefully, you could often find a reference case.

Furthermore, Excellency Corvos's motives had always been relatively clear.

From the initial Three Saints' Zen Heart Trial to the current hyper-sensitive region of West Plain, everything had strictly adhered to the theme of a Hongmen banquet, testing whether he harbored any "intent to rebel."

So why, when it came to this third round, had the testing method suddenly changed?

It was very simple. The fated bound ones summoned earlier might have been able to help expose a few of Professor Fu's secrets.

But Professor Fu simply exuded too much of a mastermind's aura; his masterful grasp on these people's vulnerabilities was truly alarming.

In the end, the bonds that were supposed to expose his secrets had been used in reverse, easily bringing the situation under his control.

Regardless of whether he had gained anything, it was obvious that Corvos was not satisfied with this state of affairs.

Then, facing such a difficult opponent, was there really nothing left to do?

Of course not. Since the bound ones brought more harm than good, he simply discarded them entirely.

Back when he first arrived at this place, Chief Yuan had introduced a core rule: the Crowd—born alongside the architecture and wandering aimlessly like game NPCs—were fundamentally extremely susceptible to pollution.

It wasn't just among themselves, where arguing would eventually turn their brains into complete mush.

Even the actual transcendents walking through the Birthday Party were massive sources of radiation to them.

Back when he first heard this, Fu Qian's immediate reaction was that this place was filled with a bunch of walking oscilloscopes.

That was also why, upon seeing that young couple over by The Abyss, he had guessed it was highly likely a method to lure and mislead Old Man Henry.

Lacking Transcendent Perception himself, he might not be able to decipher the chaotic fluctuations of the oscilloscopes, but that didn't mean others couldn't.

For instance, the Blazing Rainbow, which could lure out even the Night Watchers' collection item Levin, or Corvos, whose abilities seemed perfectly suited to this place.

So why wouldn't he be in a similar situation right now as Old Man Henry had been earlier?

The old man had been misled by the couple's actions into thinking The Abyss was leaking over there, so he had rushed over in a hurry.

Meanwhile, the Crowd had been attracted here by Corvos, and Fu Qian himself would act as a massive radiation source in West Plain, continuously affecting them.

Moreover, without any bonds present, he could no longer manipulate the situation, making it far easier for Corvos to decipher the secrets he was trying to hide. He had to admit, it was indeed an excellent tactic; no figure standing at the peak of the world could be underestimated.

"You flatter me. It was just an initial hunch."

His internal marveling didn't stop him from acting humble.

"So what exactly is their origin? Have the Night Watchers reached a conclusion on this yet?"

He asked out of passing curiosity.

...

'He still hasn't forgotten his thirst for knowledge at a time like this? Isn't this persona a bit too thorough?'

Although the entire exchange was almost exclusively between the two technical experts, even a layman could clearly see that the situation hadn't relaxed at all; instead, it had grown even more tense.

At that moment, Old Man Stoss was staring intently in their direction, clearly unable to hold himself back any longer.

"Shouldn't we let Professor Fu rest for a bit? He's barely had a moment of downtime since coming here."

He truly couldn't hold back. Even with the prior warning from one of the Big Three, Stoss still gritted his teeth and offered the suggestion.

His reasoning was weak, but it wasn't wrong. From the moment he received his Playing Card until now, Professor Fu had perfectly lived up to the name "Guansi"—whoever he looked at died.

Trouble broke out wherever he went, and all of it seemed to stem from pre-existing hidden dangers.

It had reached the point where they not only couldn't reprimand him for being a magnet for disaster, they could even consider it as him helping them conduct health inspections.

Hmm...

Clearly seeing Stoss's earnestness, Corvos was in no rush to shoot him down.

There might have been a hierarchy of authority, but the man was still a high-ranking member of the Night Watchers, and his personality dictated that once he spoke up, he wouldn't easily back down.

Of course, the main reason was that Professor Fu had persevered all the way to the third round and was still standing strong, giving Stoss the grounds to speak up.

"I understand what you mean, but whether he's tired or not should depend on Professor Fu's own thoughts, shouldn't it?"

Amid the subtle standoff, Corvos ultimately didn't forcefully reject the idea, instead handing the choice over to the man in question.

"Does Professor Fu need to rest?"

Sweeping his gaze over, he asked the question directly before Stoss could raise any objections.

"Please rest assured, I feel quite fine right now."

The facts once again proved Excellency Corvos's ability to control the room.

Under Stoss's solemn gaze, Fu Qian was already waving him off, signaling not to worry and that they could just keep the music playing and the party going—hmm?

However, right after he spoke, Fu Qian suddenly realized something and frowned slightly.

'Something is summoning me? Did Classmate Liushuang fall asleep this quickly?'

...

Yes, "Night Demon" had been triggered.

This negative effect he had acquired not long ago would automatically pull him into the relevant dreamscape through a method that transcended mental connections, not even requiring his consent.

Having already experienced it once before, Fu Qian was very certain of this.

Strictly speaking, this summons was actually part of his plan.

At the end of the incident in Silver Mist Manor earlier, his instruction for Classmate Liushuang to sleep a little longer wasn't just some simple parting comfort.

Seeing as the struggle for power within the Ji Clan was reaching a fever pitch, even though it wasn't very convenient while attending a banquet, he still possessed a few methods to transcend spatial barriers and provide a little help.

What surprised Fu Qian was the speed of it. Excellency Corvos had just said that those words couldn't reach a person's will directly, but through peerless comprehension, they might manifest slightly in fate.

There was no questioning Classmate Liushuang's comprehension, but wasn't this Lucent Sword Heart a bit too exaggerated? It had only been a matter of minutes from start to finish.

Cultivation paths truly defied all logic.

Letting out a long sigh, Fu Qian looked up at the crowd, particularly at the slightly frowning Corvos.

"Excellency Stoss was spot on. I've been treated with such warm hospitality today that the wine has suddenly gone to my head."

Rubbing the space between his brows, Fu Qian felt deeply grateful for Old Man Stoss's reminder in that moment.

"I'm going to take a little nap. Don't mind me, just carry on with everything as usual."

However, just when it looked like he was finally taking advice and willing to step out to catch his breath, he simply leaned back in his chair in a rather unseemly posture, seeming to have completely misunderstood the old man's intentions.

Faced with a danger-ridden scene surrounded by oscilloscopes, Fu Qian upheld the spirit of never leaving the front lines over a minor injury, stating that everyone should just ignore him while he caught a few winks.

He didn't even wait for Excellency Corvos to respond before completely focusing on that summons.