Chapter 556: Ji Xiaolin is Extremely Jealous!
"I've been observing, and Ji Xiaolin has secretly looked at us at least a hundred times since we met this afternoon. She was completely out of it during dinner, and I could smell her jealousy from ten meters away."
At this point, Zhou Luyao deliberately fanned her nose with her hand, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. She leaned closer to Shen Anyu on the plush sofa, her voice a conspiratorial whisper that brushed against his ear. "That girl, Ji Xiaolin, thought she could hide it from me, but there's no way."
As a woman who had mastered the art of social maneuvering, a self-proclaimed top-tier gold digger and master of subtle manipulation, her internal radar for emotional undercurrents was screaming alerts. Every stolen glance, every forced smile from Ji Xiaolin had been registered, analyzed, and cataloged.
"Hmph, at first, I just thought that girl admired you because you're devastatingly handsome and obscenely rich, husband. A classic case of a moth to a flame." Her tone was light, but her eyes were sharp, missing nothing. "But then I heard you mention that you were kidnapped together. That's when it all clicked into place."
Zhou Luyao settled back, crossing her long, elegant legs. Her expression shifted from playful teasing to one of keen, almost clinical analysis. "Back when we were classmates, she and I were both considered school beauties. The number of boys who chased after her was staggering, but she never gave any of them the time of day. She disdained them, really. It always seemed like she harbored a deep wariness, an ingrained dislike for all men. I heard whispers about her family situation—her father abandoned his wife and daughter, and then her mother died of illness not long after. That kind of tragedy would be enough to make any woman wary of men."
She paused, her gaze fixed on Shen Anyu, gauging his reaction. "Ji Xiaolin isn't a woman motivated by money; she's nothing like me in that regard. I'm honest about what I want." A self-aware, almost proud smile touched her lips. "But a girl from a home like hers, with a father who walked out and a mother who died young… she's starved for affection and desperate for a sense of security. It's a deep, gnawing void inside her. Then you show up, husband. Kidnapped alongside her, you played the perfect hero, saving the damsel in distress. In that moment of absolute terror, you didn't just save her life; you smashed through her defenses and branded yourself onto her heart."
Zhou Luyao frankly admitted her own materialistic nature, drawing a clear line between herself and Ji Xiaolin while meticulously dissecting the other woman's psyche with unnerving accuracy.
It must be said that Zhou Luyao's analysis was spot-on. Ji Xiaolin's father, the Celestial Master Peak powerhouse Zhang Tianen, had indeed abandoned his family in pursuit of the martial path. Her mother's subsequent death had left a wound in Ji Xiaolin's soul that had never truly healed, leaving her profoundly lacking in love and security. Even when Zhang Tianen returned later, filled with regret and eager to make amends, he could not mend the fractured foundation of her childhood. The emotional chasm was too vast, the barrier too difficult to overcome.
And Shen Anyu, young, impossibly handsome, and radiating a confidence that bordered on arrogance, had shattered that barrier during the Wan Fa Sect kidnapping incident. He had become the anchor in her storm, especially since that entire ordeal had been orchestrated by the insidious machinations of the Wan Fa Sect itself.
Somewhere on Emei Peak, Du Zhao sneezed. 'How could it not be the Wan Fa Sect's doing? I am now the new Master of the Wan Fa Sect! I swear on my honor, the Young Master is a paragon of virtue and righteousness, and Miss Ji is as pure as driven snow. All wrongdoing, all blame, I, Du Zhao, will bear it all!'
Listening to Zhou Luyao's meticulous breakdown, Shen Anyu inwardly conceded her points. He had seen the vulnerability hidden deep within Ji Xiaolin's proud exterior. She wasn't the type of girl to break down and cry over trivialities, but in that moment of true, life-or-death despair, he, the man who had already stormed the gates of her heart, had refused to give up on her. That single act had sealed his place within her.
However, on the surface, Shen Anyu simply maintained a lazy, mysterious smile, a silent enigma that neither confirmed nor denied anything.
"You stinky husband, still playing innocent?" Zhou Luyao rolled her eyes, but the gesture was devoid of any real heat. Her gaze softened, her charming eyes becoming pools of liquid affection. "Don't worry, I'm not angry. I'm not even jealous."
Her voice dropped, becoming sincere and pragmatic. "I have no illusions about marrying into the Yanxia Shen Family. That's a world away from someone like me. It's enough for me if my husband just spoils me for a lifetime." She shifted, her hand finding his. "As for Ji Xiaolin… if my husband wants her, I can even help you. I can be the bridge."
In Zhou Luyao's calculated worldview, neither she nor Ji Xiaolin possessed the pedigree to become the official young mistress of the Shen Family. Such a colossal, top-tier aristocratic clan would never accept a woman from a common background, no matter how beautiful or clever. Even if they had Shen Anyu wrapped around their little fingers, they could never bypass the will of his parents and the family elders.
Therefore, the most logical move was to form an alliance. It was better to win over Ji Xiaolin, to bring her into the fold as a sister-in-arms, thereby consolidating their collective favor with Shen Anyu. This was straight from the playbook of the legendary court drama, Empresses in the Palace, and she was a level-ten scholar of its cutthroat politics.
Shen Anyu saw through Zhou Luyao's strategic maneuvering instantly and found it deeply amusing. Her plans were clever, but her scope was far too small.
In reality, with his current strength and standing, there wasn't a single person in the world who could interfere in his marital affairs. His parents and the family elders held him in such high esteem that his will was effectively law.
However, Shen Anyu had no intention of marrying any of them. 'Marry one, lose them all.'
Not marrying allowed him to happily maintain this delicate, thrilling equilibrium. If he chose one, the others would inevitably erupt. The entire fleet would capsize. While their favorability was locked at the maximum value and wouldn't decrease, that didn't mean their attitudes wouldn't turn hostile. Max favorability wasn't a brainwashing tool. They would still follow him through life and death, they would still remember him across the river of reincarnation, but they would also make his life a living hell.
It was far more likely to end up like his nightmare scenario with Susan: she would systematically eliminate all his other women before cruelly imprisoning him in a secret underground chamber, keeping him for herself, day and night, for eternity.
Furthermore, Zhou Luyao's assessment of Ji Xiaolin's status was completely wrong. She was anything but a commoner. She was the daughter of a Celestial Master Peak expert. Her own cultivation talent was exceptional. In ancient times, a woman of her standing—combining peerless beauty, prodigious talent, and a powerful background—was a prize an emperor carving out a new dynasty would gladly offer the position of empress. In the modern era, any top aristocratic family would trample over each other for a chance to form a marriage alliance with her.
This was precisely why Zhang Zhiyun, despite knowing full well that Ji Xiaolin was no longer a virgin, had still been so desperate to marry her. Beyond his supposed love at first sight, her qualifications were simply too perfect.
A slow, predatory smile spread across Shen Anyu's face as he listened to Zhou Luyao's proposition. He leaned in, his voice a low, teasing rumble. "Yaoyao, aren't you afraid? What if I really do fall in love with Ji Xiaolin? What if I give her everything you have now, and then give her even more?"
Zhou Luyao's eyes curved into lovely crescents, her smile unwavering. She was unflappable. "If that's what happens, then I'll have no choice but to kneel and beg Miss Ji to let me be her personal handmaiden, just so I can tag along." Her grip on his hand tightened possessively. "Either way, husband, you can never abandon me in this life. If you do, I'll cry."
"Abandoning you is impossible," Shen Anyu chuckled, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. "But making you cry is no problem at all."
On the other side of the villa, Ji Xiaolin sat stiffly in her room, a faint shimmer of spiritual energy emanating from a small, bird-shaped Artifice in her palm. She had been secretly listening in, her heart a tangled mess of anxiety and jealousy. Suddenly, the clear sounds of their conversation were interrupted by Zhou Luyao's sharp gasp, which quickly dissolved into a series of soft, breathless cries.
Ji Xiaolin's face instantly flushed a burning crimson. With a panicked squeak, she snatched her spiritual energy back, severing the connection. The Artifice clattered onto her nightstand. Her pretty face was a storm of embarrassment and indignation. She spat under her breath, "I knew it! I knew Shen Anyu was up to no good!"
Early the next morning, a refreshed Shen Anyu left the luxurious villa.
He had received a report from Du Zhao. The man had successfully gained initial control over the scattered remnants of the Wan Fa Sect. More importantly, he had consolidated the sect's most valuable treasures from their hidden bases across the globe and transported them to a secret stronghold in Hangzhou. Shen Anyu was more than a little interested to see what a dark organization of that scale had managed to hoard.
The takeover had been surprisingly smooth, primarily because his cheap father-in-law, Zhang Tianen, had displayed an overwhelming show of force. The heavens themselves had answered his call, striking down the Master of the Wan Fa Sect and his core leadership with divine lightning. This left the entire organization without a head, plunging it into complete and utter chaos.
It was into this power vacuum that Du Zhao stepped. Bolstered by elixirs from Shen Anyu that had pushed his cultivation to the rank of Artificer True Person, and having been promoted to Grand Elder by the former Sect Master, Du Zhao suddenly found himself the most powerful and highest-ranking individual left standing. This gave him the legitimacy he needed to seize control.
However, the Wan Fa Sect was no minor player. It had once been a premier dark force in the international underground, commanded by an old-brand Celestial Master. It was only a half-step behind the monolithic Martial God Hall, on par with the shadowy Netherworld Palace, and leagues above organizations like the War God Alliance or the Blood Skull Mercenary Group.
Such a top-tier power naturally controlled an empire of wealth and resources. With the sect's leadership vaporized, vultures from every corner of the Dark World began to circle, their eyes filled with greed.
But their feasting was cut short. The elite operatives dispatched by Shen Anyu descended upon the chaos. They were ghosts, moving with silent, brutal efficiency. In the span of just two or three days, they stabilized the collapsing sect, purging dissenters and repelling external threats. Without their intervention, the Wan Fa Sect would have been carved up and devoured within a week.
Du Zhao was, at his core, a born servant of the Yanxia Shen Family. His loyalty was absolute. An undercover mission of this magnitude could never be entrusted to someone with divided loyalties. Even now, as the new and formidable Master of the Wan Fa Sect, he knew exactly who had given him this power, who he truly served. He remained utterly devoted to Shen Anyu, reporting every major and minor detail without fail.
Shen Anyu, for his part, had no fear of Du Zhao's potential betrayal. Firstly, Du Zhao's own strength was a gift, and it was limited. Secondly, and more importantly, Shen Anyu possessed a sample of Du Zhao's blood. This gave him the ability to unleash the God-level Blood Curse Technique, a terrifying power that could kill from any distance. If Du Zhao ever entertained a single treacherous thought, his entire family line would be erased from existence, just like Long Hao's. The sudden, silent annihilation of the Long Family of Sichuan had sent shockwaves through the cultivation world at the time, a chilling proof of Shen Anyu's methods.
…
Just as Shen Anyu departed for Du Zhao's location, eager to inspect the prized possessions the Wan Fa Sect had hidden away.
Zhou Luyao lazily got up, dragging her weary but deeply satisfied body from the silk sheets, and slowly made her way to Ji Xiaolin's room~
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