Chapter 633: Wild Son of Destiny, Young Master Shen smiled!
"What a busy life, a busy life! I'm about to get married, yet I'm still dragged out to work, it's really annoying…"
Xiao Fan's hair was messy, his face full of dejection, his eyes listless, looking like a delivery guy struggling under the heavy pressure of life, muttering complaints non-stop.
"Who ordered West Lake Vinegar Fish? Don't they know it tastes terribly bad?"
Xiao Fan glanced at the takeaway he was carrying, the cheap plastic container already sweating with condensation, its contents looking utterly unappetizing. The sickly sweet-and-sour smell wafted up, making his nose wrinkle in disgust. If it were braised pork, rich and savory, he would have risked the customer's wrath and snagged two pieces for himself.
"I'm hungry. Forget it, I'll just make do. How can I work if I'm not full?"
As he spoke, completely ignoring the baffled and slightly repulsed looks from the people hurrying by, Xiao Fan found a secluded corner by a large potted plant and squatted down. With a practiced rip, he tore open the plastic bag, unwrapped the takeaway, and began to shovel the food into his mouth with the flimsy plastic chopsticks provided.
Liu Ruyan, observing from a distance, felt the corner of her exquisitely painted lips twitch in disbelief. "Is this seriously how this guy delivered food for three years? How did he not get buried under an avalanche of complaints?"
An Zhiyue's fine brows furrowed into a tight line, her gaze sharp and disapproving. She had always found Xiao Fan's flippant, devil-may-care attitude grating. While she wasn't a rigid, humorless person herself and even enjoyed a bit of playful teasing now and then, she approached her duties with absolute seriousness. When lives were on the line, she was a solemn instrument of justice, her expression an unsmiling mask of focus.
Xiao Fan, however, remained utterly frivolous, treating a situation that could explode into a bloodbath at any second like a casual lunch break. Three years had passed since she last worked with him, yet he was still the same Xiao Fan; his core personality hadn't matured one bit.
A knot of genuine worry tightened in An Zhiyue's stomach. Was this man truly reliable? This mission required surgical precision. Yao Qi had to be eliminated in a single, decisive blow. If Xiao Fan failed, if he only wounded the beast, Yao Qi's dying rampage would be catastrophic. The resulting explosion of demonic energy would vaporize every innocent civilian in the vicinity. The consequences were unthinkable.
But he had come with a recommendation from Elder Ling, a respected figure in the Special Department. Refusing Elder Ling's request outright would have been a grave insult.
'I should have known better,' she thought, a flicker of regret passing through her. 'I should have just called my nephew. At least with him, I know the job will be done cleanly and efficiently.'
An Zhiyue took a deep, steadying breath, her expression unreadable, her lips perfectly still as she projected her voice directly into Xiao Fan's mind using a secret technique.
"Xiao Fan, are you confident? Yao Qi is a Half-Step Celestial Master. His personality is manic and bloodthirsty. If you cannot kill him in one clean strike, the consequences will be severe. The backlash from his death throes will kill hundreds of people."
Xiao Fan didn't even bother to lift his head. He just kept scooping the rice and vinegary fish into his mouth, his face a mask of profound displeasure as he chewed the subpar food. He looked less like a master about to face a deadly demon and more like a man suffering through the worst meal of his life.
An Zhiyue's Phoenix eyes narrowed, a glint of cold steel appearing in their depths. This insolence was pushing the limits of her patience.
Just as her anger began to simmer, a lazy, utterly carefree voice echoed in her mind, dripping with nonchalance.
"Don't rush me. Even the emperor doesn't send hungry soldiers into battle. You'll have to wait until I'm full. If you can't wait, I'll quit."
The temperature around An Zhiyue seemed to drop by several degrees. Her beautiful face became an icy mask as she transmitted her next message, each word laced with frost.
"Xiao Fan, listen to me very carefully. If you fail to kill Yao Qi in one blow, and a single innocent person is harmed because of your incompetence, I will personally drag you before the Special Department's highest court for trial. It's not too late to back out now. I can find someone else. But if you proceed and fail, I swear to you, I will not let you go."
"Beauty An, relax. A Half-Step Celestial Master is nothing. A piece of cake. If you don't believe me, how about we make a little bet?"
"No bet. If you fail, I'll beat you to death!" An Zhiyue's telepathic voice was sharp as a shard of ice.
Shen Anyu had taken her aside once, his expression unusually serious, and had given her a simple piece of advice: never make bets with people, especially not with men. Though An Zhiyue didn't fully understand the reasoning behind his warning, she trusted his judgment implicitly. Since he had told her, she had agreed.
And An Zhiyue always, always kept her promises.
Xiao Fan, still squatting, raised a surprised eyebrow. 'Well, well. The proud Fire Phoenix, Beauty An, no longer rises to the bait? She's learned to resist provocation?'
He shoveled another mouthful of rice, his mind wandering. 'Tsk tsk, it's been three years. Beauty An has become even more stunning, and that Liu Ruyan… she's developed a devastating charm. I wonder which lucky bastard will get to pluck the two golden flowers of the Special Department?'
'What a damn pity. I tried my luck with both of them back in the day but never managed to win either of them over. Such a failure.'
'Ah, well. Fortunately, my fiancée isn't bad either. She's a good woman.'
Xiao Fan shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. His plan was simple: finish this one last job, collect his pay, and go back to his hometown to get married and settle down.
'Still,' a mischievous thought sparked, 'maybe I should ask An Zhiyue and Liu Ruyan for their contact info later? Keep the lines open, continue to flirt a little? Can't hurt to try.'
The plan was set.
A happy smile spread across his face. Xiao Fan polished off the last of the white rice, gave the remaining West Lake Vinegar Fish a final look of disdain, and then unabashedly picked up the customer's milk tea, taking a long, satisfying gulp. He ate and drank with hearty contentment, completely unconcerned.
As for the demonic time bomb named Yao Qi waiting inside the mall, he wasn't the least bit anxious.
His philosophy was simple: stay calm, stay fed. The rest would take care of itself.
…
"This Xiao Fan…"
An Zhiyue's frustration was mounting into a evident force. This was a life-or-death operation! Yao Qi could detonate at any given second, yet their supposed ace-in-the-hole was acting like he had all the time in the world. His irresponsibility was staggering.
The only reason she hadn't stormed the Xihe Shopping Mall herself was because Yao Qi knew her. The moment he sensed her powerful aura, he would go berserk without hesitation. Her presence would be the spark that ignited the powder keg. Otherwise, she would have ended this an hour ago.
"Zhiyue, why don't I go in?" Liu Ruyan's soft voice cut through An Zhiyue's troubled thoughts. Seeing the deep anxiety etched on her friend's face, she stepped forward. "I can enter the Xihe Shopping Mall and try to pinpoint Yao Qi's general location first. I'm only a Grandmaster; my presence won't alarm him as much as yours would. He won't go berserk immediately. In the worst-case scenario, I can try to negotiate with him, buy us some more time."
Yao Qi was cornered, trapped inside the mall like a wary, venomous hedgehog. He would lash out if he sensed an overwhelming threat, but as long as he felt he had a chance, he wouldn't act rashly. It wasn't just An Zhiyue's side that was hesitant; Yao Qi was walking a tightrope as well.
As long as it wasn't a Heavenly Human-level master like An Zhiyue entering, or an entire squad of powerful cultivators swarming the building, the probability of Yao Qi preemptively attacking was extremely low.
An Zhiyue understood the logic, but the thought of Liu Ruyan facing that monster alone made her elegant eyebrows knit together in a worried knot.
"Yao Qi is not weak. If he decides to attack you, Ruyan, you…"
Liu Ruyan offered a reassuring, confident smile. "Zhiyue, are you underestimating me? Let me tell you, I'm not particularly afraid of that demon. Who knows? I might even find an opportunity to suppress him myself."
A flicker of pride shone in Liu Ruyan's eyes as she spoke. Although she was a newly ascended Grandmaster, the potent elixirs Shen Anyu had provided, combined with the profound insights of the Martial God Art, had elevated her strength far beyond that of her peers. She might not be able to kill Yao Qi in a single blow, but holding her own against him for a short time wouldn't be difficult.
Besides, the moment a fight broke out, she knew An Zhiyue would come crashing in like a bolt of lightning to support her.
"Or… should we notify Shen Anyu?" An Zhiyue murmured, her brow still furrowed. The idea of risking Liu Ruyan's life still didn't sit well with her.
Liu Ruyan considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. She quickly pulled out her phone and sent a concise text message to Shen Anyu, detailing the situation. With that done, she gave An Zhiyue one last nod, then took a roundabout route, melting seamlessly into the bustling crowd of shoppers and making her way toward the entrance of Xihe Shopping Mall.
…
"Husband, you're so amazing, so big."
Zhong Lingyin hugged a massive panda plushie that was nearly half her height, her gorgeous eyes sparkling with pure adoration as she gazed up at Shen Anyu.
It was the grand prize at the Xihe Shopping Mall's arcade shooting game, the biggest and most coveted plush toy on the wall. Winning it required ten perfect, dead-center bullseyes—a feat of precision most found impossible. Yet, Shen Anyu had achieved it effortlessly, as if he were merely swatting flies.
Zhong Lingyin could still picture the stall owner's slack-jawed astonishment and hear the impressed cheers from the small crowd that had gathered to watch.
In the grand scheme of things, the plushie was nothing, a toy worth only a few hundred yuan. But to Heavenly Queen Zhong, who served as the face for countless top-tier luxury brands, it was the most precious treasure in the world. She clutched it tightly, unable to put it down, her face alight with a sweet, blissful smile that outshone every neon sign in the arcade.
The two of them had spent the afternoon lost in their own world, moving through the various attractions inside Xihe Shopping Mall. They conquered claw machines, watched a romantic comedy in a private theater, screamed and laughed their way through a haunted house, and shared a stick of pink cotton candy, their fingers brushing with every bite.
Their melodic, bell-like laughter was a magnetic sound, drawing countless envious looks from passersby.
Some men looked at Shen Anyu with jealousy, wondering how he had managed to capture the heart of such a breathtaking beauty. Some women looked at Zhong Lingyin with envy, captivated by the handsome, doting man by her side. They were a perfect match, their appearances so complementary they looked like they had walked straight out of a painting.
Even though she had disguised herself, trading her usual pure and innocent public image for a more alluring, seductive style, Heavenly Queen Zhong wore the look perfectly. Her every glance was enchanting, her every smile a potent charm, a display of captivating femininity in no way inferior to that of her Second Senior Sister, Liu Ruyan.
Shen Anyu, too, was in a rare, genuinely good mood, simply enjoying the moment.
Just then, a crisp, electronic sound suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Ding! The Son of Destiny, Xiao Fan, due to the Host's prior warning, failed to successfully bet with An Zhiyue and failed to show off. Plundered 23,333 Destiny Points!]
'Where did this wild Son of Destiny come from? And he's coveting my aunt?' Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed, the warmth in them vanishing in an instant, replaced by a deep, chilling cold.
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