Chapter Nineteen: The Mirror

“Is the conflict really that intense?”

Wenli’s words sparked a flicker of interest in Fu Qian.

Appearance, demeanor, speech—

From any angle, she was the epitome of a refined young lady from a distinguished family.

It was hard to imagine her saying something like slapping someone.

Hehe!

Wenli gave a weak smile and sighed.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not exactly a direct conflict, but he has indeed caused me considerable trouble and is quite unpleasant as a person.”

Trouble?

Fu Qian seemed to have a hunch about the issue.

“A marriage alliance?”

“Mr. Fu, you’re truly clever—you guessed right immediately.”

Wenli glanced at Fu Qian with surprise and admiration on her face.

If it were anyone else, receiving such praise from a beauty might have made them conceited.

Unfortunately, Fu Qian remained unmoved.

Having dealt with the Qin family’s eldest son for many years, he knew all too well that for these second-generation heirs, commercialized expressions were almost innate skills, making both their surprise and flattery suspect in sincerity.

“Yes, I know many envy my background, but being born into such a family means many things are beyond one’s control. Sometimes, it feels suffocating. Can you understand that, Mr. Fu?”

“I can imagine.”

Fu Qian nodded.

“But I usually attribute such feelings to having too much time on one’s hands.”

Wenli’s expression stiffened instantly.

“You’re not from a celestial family, just a wealthy one. Do you expect to have no worries? Look on the bright side—you at least don’t have to sell your time, energy, or even your body, working yourself to exhaustion just to earn a living.”

“Sometimes, when you’re well-fed and comfortable, you even have plenty of time to pretend to be profound.”

Uh…

After a long silence, Wenli spoke again.

“Mr. Fu, you see through things so clearly. Your ease and composure are enviable.”

“No need to envy; ease comes from strength.”

…

“Indeed, surviving today was entirely thanks to you. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone hold their own against Mr. Ji.”

“Oh?”

Fu Qian’s interest was piqued.

“What rank is this Mr. Ji?”

“Well… shouldn’t you know better than I do?”

Wenli looked puzzled.

“As far as I know, Mr. Ji was already a sixth-rank transcendent five years ago, and now his strength is unfathomable.”

That Mr. Ji was already sixth-rank?

Fu Qian furrowed his brow.

After a few encounters, he was confident that this old Ji was no match for him. By that logic, he himself must be at least a sixth-rank transcendent.

How terrifying these thugs were!

Having reflected on this, Fu Qian turned to Wenli.

“Speaking of which, I want to ask: you’re a transcendent yourself, rumored to be on the verge of sixth rank externally—how could you be so fragile?”

“That’s the helplessness of the mental type.”

Wenli gave a bitter smile.

“The rumors aren’t wrong; I’m close to sixth rank. But compared to you physical types with iron heads and arms, the mental type is extremely fragile.

Transcendents are divided into nine ranks: seven, eight, and nine are beginner ranks; four, five, and six are intermediate. Before reaching intermediate, the mental type’s life force improvement is hardly noticeable.

Moreover, my ability is quite special—almost the least offensive among mental types, so…”

“No need to envy. The slow-witted warrior has always been a man’s romantic ideal. By the way, what exactly is your ability?”

It was Fu Qian’s first time hearing a complete description of the world’s transcendent system, so he naturally seized the chance to learn.

“Mirror—that’s how you can understand it.”

Wenli didn’t hide her secret.

“I can sense the emotions of those around me: joy, anger, sadness, hatred, desire.

These emotions project onto me like a mirror. The stronger the feeling and the closer the distance, the clearer the projection.”

“On one hand, it makes me very sensitive and hard to deceive; but at the same time, for a long period, this ability caused me great trouble.

I was forced to constantly feel others’ emotions to the point that my mind was on the verge of collapse.”

“That’s also why I dislike Ye Yang. When he’s nearby, the feelings I pick up are quite unpleasant!”

“Mr. Fu is different. Although your strength is so great that I can’t sense much from you, at least one thing I’m certain of: you truly have no ill will.”

“I see. So earlier you were talking about your father?”

Fu Qian nodded; this ability was indeed somewhat novel.

“At present, otherwise, how could my father leave with peace of mind?”

“In fact, as my strength has increased over the years, my perception has become sharper, and I can now slightly influence the emotions of others, so—”

Wenli gave a playful smile.

“Going against my wishes has become quite difficult.”

“I roughly understand.”

In a sense, mental-type abilities indeed had their strengths, offering far greater value than physical types in certain situations.

But judging by what she could currently do, Wenli’s title of nearly sixth rank felt somewhat hollow.

“Sometimes, I really wish I didn’t have this gift. It brings trouble, and I can’t even protect my family.”

Wenli sighed, once again adopting the tone of a delicate young lady.

“Think positively: without this ability, Big Young Master Ye might not even pay attention to you.”

Fu Qian’s talent for comforting others was absolutely hellish.

Wenli showed a flicker of surprise.

“You knew that!

Indeed, before I became like this, although there was some business dealings, they hardly ever gave me a second glance, let alone actively offer help. But my near-sixth-rank status is really more name than substance; they might be disappointed.”

“No need for self-deprecation. At least an intermediate-rank transcendent’s genetic material is valuable.”

“…Thank you for your encouragement.”

“But I still don’t want to owe him a favor, or else there’d be no room for maneuver. So…”

Wenli’s expression became unusually serious.

“Whether your assistance today was spontaneous or had other reasons, I sincerely beg you to continue helping in the coming period.”

Quite earnest!

Though perhaps she didn’t know that someone had already asked on her behalf, forcing me to do this most detested task.

“As I said before, duty calls, and I cannot refuse.”

Fu Qian said slowly, telling Miss Wenli not to get overly excited.

“By the way, even though the Wen family isn’t exactly noble or powerful, they do have more money than they can spend. How is it possible that they don’t have a transcendent bodyguard?”

There are paid assassins, so surely there are bodyguards for hire. Fu Qian didn’t believe all transcendent types were so principled.

“You’re right; there’s more to the story.”

Wenli’s expression grew awkward.

“We did hire a transcendent bodyguard for a hefty sum, even one whose strength wasn’t far behind Mr. Ji’s. Unfortunately, something happened recently.”

“What happened?”

“He was captured by the Executioners.”

…

There really was such a thing!

“You’re capitalists after all. Didn’t you do a background check when recruiting?”

“It was urgent. Our priority was strength, although we knew he was wanted by the Executioners.

We didn’t expect this to happen. It’s hard to find a replacement quickly…”

“Sounds like your relationship with the Executioners isn’t very good.”

“Our family business covers many areas, including some gray zones. Our reputation with the Executioners isn’t great.”

Wenli admitted honestly.

“Obviously, if relations were better, they wouldn’t have done something so underhanded.”

Fu Qian sighed deeply, finally understanding why the Wen family was in such a sorry state.

Captain Gu, the old hand, had guessed there might be Executioner guards, but that was overly optimistic.

“So when you stepped in today, I was truly overjoyed. Thank you very much.”

Miss Wenli expressed her gratitude solemnly for the third time.

“Also, please keep today’s conversation confidential. I don’t want the Ye family to have too negative an impression before I advance.”

“Don’t worry. I’m always tight-lipped.”

Fu Qian agreed instantly, then lowered his voice.

“But have you considered that our conversation has already been overheard by one of your admirers?”

What!

Wenli was shocked, quickly scanning the surroundings.

“No need to look. There’s someone clinging to the wall outside.”

Fu Qian whispered, then gave a kick to the bench Wenli was sitting on.

With a scream, Wenli and the bench flew backward.

At the same time, Fu Qian stood up abruptly and shouted,

“Watch out! Assassin!”

The words startled the figure clinging like a gecko to the wall, who then began to move frantically.

In fact, Fu Qian had noticed the watcher on the wall shortly after sitting down.

Perhaps due to enhanced intuition, his senses were now extraordinarily sharp.

The eavesdropper was extremely cautious, moving silently and even using a special technique to flatten against the wall.

Yet still, in Fu Qian’s perception, the figure was as clear as an X-ray.

He even knew who it was—the little wolf girl he had kicked away the first time he came here.

Speaking of which, the Wen family was truly unfortunate: their headquarters had been infiltrated like a sieve by opponents and were even under surveillance by prospective in-laws.

Curious about the intruder’s intentions, Fu Qian refrained from revealing himself immediately.

It was almost time to flush them out.

After shouting, a loud alarm blared throughout the mansion.

Fu Qian grabbed something from the table.

It was a metal paperweight, exquisitely crafted and hefty, clearly expensive.

He hefted it like a brick, then hurled it at the wall.

Crash!

The Wen family’s mansion suffered damage again.

With terrifying force, the paperweight tore through the wall like a cannonball.

It struck the rapidly moving figure behind the wall, along with countless bricks and tiles.

A desperate scream followed, and a shadow fell heavily to the ground.

If memory served, it was near the fourth floor?

At that moment, Wen Xiuxian hurried over, his expression darkening upon seeing the hole in the wall and his daughter on the floor.

What a familiar scene! No mansion, however grand, could withstand such destruction!

Rest assured, his expression would darken further upon seeing who lay on the ground.

Having been kicked, Wenli now stood again, her expression complex as she looked at Fu Qian, then quietly comforted her father.

As the group descended the stairs, the fallen intruder was already surrounded.

But surrounding them seemed pointless; the person on the ground was motionless, mangled.

Struck in a vital spot with almost no defense and then falling from the fourth floor—there was no doubt this person was dead.

Ye Yang and his group, who had gone to rest earlier, had already arrived and were glaring fiercely at the corpse.

“The assassin has been eliminated.”

Fu Qian ignored their expressions and pointed solemnly at the body, claiming credit.

“Someone tried to sneak in and attack again just now. Luckily, I discovered it.”

At least the assassin’s identity was confirmed.

Wen Xiuxian’s expression was a complex mix.

He wasn’t stupid; he could see Ye Yang’s abnormal reaction.

With a little attention, he noticed one of Ye Yang’s followers was missing.

No need to say who the person on the ground was.

And indeed, they had been knocked down outside the wall—there was no doubt they were an assassin.

Wen Xiuxian was also irritated.

Just after being stabbed during the day, now being surveilled on his own turf.

Even someone as patient and enduring as him would find this hard to tolerate.

“Thank you, Mr. Fu. Without you, Wenli would have been in danger again.”

After thinking it over, Wen Xiuxian sincerely thanked Fu Qian.

“I didn’t expect these people to be so persistent, returning again and again. It’s truly hard to guard against!”

After thanking Fu Qian, Wen Xiuxian sighed and turned to Ye Yang and the others.

“I apologize for disturbing you because of this.”

“It’s alright…”

Ye Yang said nothing at first, only responding after the middle-aged man named Ji tugged his sleeve, gritting his teeth.

“We heard the alarm and came to check. Glad everything is fine.”

The middle-aged Ji was obviously more experienced, speaking seriously to Wen Xiuxian.

“No disturbance at all. We came to help and will give it our all.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Wen Xiuxian exchanged polite words with him, seemingly unaware of the red and blue hair on the corpse.

Fu Qian knew this one was probably dead for no good reason.

He didn’t harbor special hatred for the little wolf girl but knew she was undoubtedly sent by Ye Yang to eavesdrop.

Given Ye Yang’s character, there was no way he’d swallow that slap quietly.

Likely, she was spying to learn about Fu Qian’s background and seek revenge later.

Human nature.

But pulling such a stunt in the Wen household showed they fundamentally didn’t trust Wen Xiuxian and his family.

If what Wenli said reached their ears, the consequences would be unpredictable.

To accomplish his mission, Fu Qian needed to minimize the threats Wenli might face.

So, no matter the reason, they had to be shaken up enough to not dare make any more moves in the near future.