Facing an Ancient God for a Year

[Current Sanity: 93, Current Inspiration: 31]

[Skills: Air Bullet, Visceral Critical Strike, Cat School, Feast (Locked), Decree Residue, Transcendence, Mythical Form]

[Weapon: Tyrant’s Fist]

With the addition of the two newly acquired skills, the total number of skills had now increased to seven, and Fu Qian naturally brought them all along without any reservations.

So far, he had not encountered any situation that limited the number of skills he could carry, leading Fu Qian to speculate that he had not yet reached the cap on the total number of skills.

If one day he had too many skills, he might need to make some tough choices.

As his spiritual consciousness slowly recovered, Fu Qian surveyed his surroundings.

Is this a bookstore?

It wasn’t an offhand remark—before him was a modestly sized space with several brown bookshelves standing erect, lined with rows of books of various colors.

Considering the direction of the sunlight, it must have just passed noon, with a few people strolling in the store in pairs and threes.

At the moment, he was leaning against a sofa chair, a soft cushion supporting his neck, and before him was a small wooden counter.

What a leisurely bookstore afternoon—this job setting wasn’t too shabby!

Fu Qian stretched lazily without letting his guard down.

Just think about the time on the Ring Islands; it all started with sunny skies and soft sand—who would have thought it would get so bizarre later on?

As an avid reader, Fu Qian had once entertained the idea of opening a bookstore himself, as it would provide a legitimate excuse to slack off and read books.

But after some research, he found that being a bookstore owner wasn’t as carefree as it seemed.

Beyond sitting there collecting money, there were also tasks like shelving, inventory, bookkeeping, restocking, and a myriad of other chores.

Even to keep the finances afloat, one would still need to set up areas for popular exam guides, which is why he ultimately abandoned the idea.

Today, however, he could take the opportunity to experience the life of a bookstore owner for himself.

“How much is this?”

Just then, a customer approached with a book and asked Fu Qian.

“One dollar.”

Fu Qian didn’t even raise his head.

“…Aren’t you going to check what book it is?”

“No need.”

You have to be a little dashing in life.

After all, the money earned here couldn’t be taken back with him.

Watching the customer hurry off after leaving the money, Fu Qian looked at the few people still milling about in the store.

Is this a mistake? This is a High Martial World, and they’re using their precious time to read books?

Go home and practice on the punching bag!

“Sorry everyone, the store is closed,” Fu Qian declared, after giving it some thought and rapping on the counter.

“But it’s only half-past one…”

The customer’s complaints were ineffectual; Fu Qian simply transformed into a willful owner and shooed everyone out.

The bookstore regained its peace, and Fu Qian leaned back in his chair, savoring the expensive quiet time.

However, the tranquil moment didn’t last long.

About ten minutes later, a breeze blew in.

The door of the bookstore first opened silently, then closed again.

As he looked up, there was already an additional person on the sofa in the store.

From the side, one could see a middle-aged man about forty years old, with sharp facial features and piercing eyes.

Of course, most importantly, this man was a Transcendent.

The series of actions he’d just demonstrated were not something an ordinary person could perform.

The middle-aged man was at this moment leisurely flipping through a booklet, his back to him.

“Ding Yi, 30 years old, unemployed, your uncle passed away a month ago, and you came from out of town to inherit this bookstore—is this your information?” he asked slowly, reciting a series of details.

“It could be,” Fu Qian responded amiably.

Hmph!

The middle-aged man let out a cold snort, stood up, and walked over to the counter, slamming the booklet down hard.

“When you forged this information, did you not put any heart into it, or do you think so little of the Night Watchmen’s professionalism?”

“To make it easier for you to understand the current situation, let me introduce myself first, Qin Feng, captain of the First Squad of the Second Detachment of the Night Watchmen in Shangjing City.”

Qin Feng stared into Fu Qian’s eyes.

“I hope you answer the following questions truthfully.”

“Believe me, it’s definitely for your own good.”

It was indeed the Night Watchman!

Fu Qian’s mind stirred; from the recent task briefing, he knew the Night Watchmen had just lost something important. Logically, they would definitely take action.

This one most likely came for that reason.

“First of all, your last name isn’t Ding; you aren’t 30 years old either.”

Seeing Fu Qian remain silent, Qin Feng let out a cold laugh.

“Fang Xun, 25 years old, an Eighth Phase Transcendent, arrived in Shangjing 10 days ago. Am I right?”

“You know all this!”

Fu Qian commented without much energy.

“Of course, we know!”

“There are always some who hope to get lucky and think they can fool our sight.”

“Let me tell you the truth, every Transcendent who enters Shangjing, even if you don’t report voluntarily, will be recorded right away. We just normally can’t be bothered to deal with you.”

Very high-end indeed!

Fu Qian blinked, detecting another layer of meaning in these words.

“So, there is a situation right now? Can you tell me what happened?”

“Enough with the nonsense; I’m the one asking the questions here!”

Qin Feng slapped the counter, making it squeak alarmingly.

“Tell me, what is the real purpose of your visit to Shangjing?”

“Haven’t you already seen?”

Fu Qian gestured around him.

“To open a shop, study, enjoy the life of a big city.”

“Bullshit! You better not hold on to any hope for luck.”

“If you don’t cooperate, don’t blame me for not being polite!”

By the end of it, Qin Feng’s voice was harsh with anger.

Not being polite in what way? Drag me back for a harsh interrogation?

That would actually be just perfect.

According to the task’s description, that Thorn Blood was stolen from the Night Watchmen Base.

This would be a good opportunity to find out more about the situation.

“I need you to properly explain why you would do something abnormal like forging documents. What is your motive?”

Good question, I’d like to know that myself.

Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of any prior information.

The truth is, even Fu Qian didn’t know as much about the current situation as this Night Watchman.

Even the names Ding Yi and Fang Xun were informed to him.

In the past, when carrying out containment missions, he always appeared under his real identity, and everyone around was familiar with his appearance.

This time, however, it was a double-layered pretense, truly puzzling.

As Fu Qian furrowed his brow in thought, Qin Feng beside him lost his patience.

Just as he was about to yell at this obstinate fellow again, his expression suddenly twisted in extreme pain.

Simultaneously, Fu Qian sensed an unusual fluctuation and immediately retreated several steps.

The next moment, Qin Feng’s facial features twisted violently, his entire head swelled, and then exploded with a bang.

Blood and brains scattered across the entire bookstore.

…

So, the cooler one’s entrance, the quicker one dies?

Fu Qian looked around the mess, stunned for a long time.

Had it not been for his quick reaction to escape the explosion, he would have been smothered in it.

Speaking of being covered, Fu Qian suddenly remembered something.

He quickly went to the restroom and found a mirror.

Indeed, the face in the mirror wasn’t his own!