Chapter 638: Liu Ruyan Recognized Zhong Lingyin's Identity!
Xiao Fan looked at Shen Anyu, who was leading Liu Ruyan and another woman into the cinema's screening room, with a hesitant expression. Watching a movie would take two or three hours. Although he was carefree, he knew that Yao Qi was a dangerous individual, and finding Yao Qi's whereabouts was the most crucial task. Otherwise, General An Zhiyue would definitely cause him trouble, and he wouldn't be able to face Elder Ling.
'Forget it, I'll deal with Yao Qi first, then come back for the gossip. I'll find an opportunity to ambush that pretty boy Shen Anyu and beat him up,' Xiao Fan decided, a plan solidifying in his mind with the crisp efficiency of a seasoned soldier. The corners of his mouth ticked upward in a self-assured smirk. The mission came first, of course, but the thought of teaching that smug young master a lesson was a satisfying dessert he could look forward to. He imagined catching the boy off guard, a quick, precise strike that would leave him sprawling without any serious injury. Just enough to wipe that infuriating smile off his face.
The plan was complete. The notorious Yao Qi, a Half-Step Celestial Master and a major wanted criminal whose name alone could curdle the blood of lesser men, was barely a footnote in Xiao Fan's current priorities. The man was a threat, certainly, but to Xiao Fan, he was just another target to be neutralized. The real intrigue, the real pull, was the drama unfolding around Shen Anyu. This was the unshakeable confidence of the former Super Soldier King, the legendary General Instructor of the Black Dragon Special Forces, the one they called the Fang of the Black Dragon.
In the shadows of the Dark World, both within Yanxia and across international borders, the name An Zhiyue, the Yanxia Female War God and leader of the Fire Phoenix Special Forces, was spoken with a mixture of fear and reverence. Her power was a known quantity, a benchmark for excellence. But few in the new generation knew the hidden history—that three years ago, in a contest of skill and will that shook the foundations of their respective organizations, Xiao Fan had fought An Zhiyue to a perfect standstill. Now, he too had broken through his limits, stepping into the transcendent level of Heavenly Human Unity, a state where he could truly look down upon the world and its mortal squabbles. He was a peak predator, and Yao Qi was merely prey.
With a final, confident smile, Xiao Fan slipped away from the cinema entrance, melting into the throng of shoppers like a ghost. He began his hunt for Yao Qi, blissfully unaware of the profound irony hanging in the air. The very man he sought was already in the same movie theater, in the very screening room Shen Anyu had just entered.
'He left?' Shen Anyu's eyebrow arched in faint amusement. He felt the subtle shift in the ambient energy, the departure of that sharp, focused intent. He didn't spare it a second thought. Whether the self-important protagonist stayed or left was utterly irrelevant to his plans. He was a fly on the wall, and Shen Anyu was the architect of the entire room.
At this moment, Shen Anyu guided Zhong Lingyin and Liu Ruyan through the darkened aisle, their movie tickets directing them to the prime seats in the very last row. The air was thick with the scent of buttered popcorn and the low murmur of the audience settling in.
Liu Ruyan's alluring eyes flickered with mischievous light as she cast a sidelong, flirtatious glance at Shen Anyu. Her meaning was clear. The last row of a pitch-black cinema… was their purpose here truly to watch a film, or was it a pretense for something far more intimate?
Zhong Lingyin, however, was a bundle of nerves. Her mind was entirely consumed with the task of concealing her identity from Liu Ruyan. The high-stakes game of pretend left no room for her to consider the suggestive implications of their seating choice. She kept her head slightly lowered, her grip on Shen Anyu's arm a little too tight, hoping the darkness would be her ally.
"Friend, excuse me, I'm taking my girlfriend in," Shen Anyu said, his voice a smooth, polite baritone. He addressed the man seated at the far-left end of their row. The man was a shadow, swathed in a black hooded sweatshirt, his face obscured by the deep brim.
As the man looked up, the dim light from the screen reflected off a sinister, middle-aged face. It was crudely disguised with makeup to alter his features, but such a pathetic attempt couldn't possibly deceive Shen Anyu's discerning eyes. This was him. Yao Qi. A Half-Step Celestial Master, a monster responsible for a litany of bloody crimes, a fugitive whose hands were stained with the lives of countless innocents.
Yao Qi's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, his gaze sweeping over the trio with predatory scrutiny. He felt nothing from Shen Anyu; the young man's aura was as placid as a still pond, suggesting he was a mortal with no cultivation whatsoever. The woman clinging to his arm, Zhong Lingyin, radiated the faint energy of the Innate realm—negligible, hardly worth his notice.
But the other woman… Liu Ruyan. She was a different story. The power flowing from her was immense, a vast and potent presence like a scorching sun. She was a Martial Dao Grandmaster. Yet, to Yao Qi's senses, which were honed to a razor's edge from years on the run, her aura felt… contained. It was a sun veiled by thick clouds. As a Half-Step Celestial Master, he felt he should have been able to perceive its full, unfiltered brilliance, but it was strangely muted, almost undetectable unless he focused his entire being on it.
'An expert from the Yanxia Special Department? No… that can't be right,' he thought, a seed of confusion planting itself in his mind. His sinister pupils darted between the three of them. The combination was bizarre, illogical. Two breathtakingly beautiful women, one at the Innate level and the other a formidable Grandmaster, clinging to the arm of a powerless pretty boy. What kind of operation was this?
'If the Special Department sent a team to kill me, this would be a suicide mission. Why bring a civilian?' His mind raced through the possibilities. If this was a negotiation, an attempt to meet his demands, why not approach him in the open plaza of Xihe Shopping Mall? He had already placed a magical marker there, a tripwire for his senses that would have alerted him to any official approach. This clandestine meeting in a cinema felt amateurish, clumsy.
'Hmph. Let's see what game these three are playing,' Yao Qi sneered inwardly, his paranoia warring with his arrogance. He was a man who reveled in his power, and a single Martial Dao Grandmaster didn't intimidate him. His senses were on high alert. The moment he detected the slightest hint of danger, the faintest killing intent, he would strike. He would snap the necks of the two "weaklings" and use their bodies as shields to deal with the Grandmaster.
Yao Qi rose from his seat, the movement stiff and controlled, and gestured for them to pass. Beneath the fabric of his hoodie, every muscle in his body was coiled like a steel spring, ready to explode into lethal motion at a microsecond's notice.
"Thank you, friend," Shen Anyu said, his handsome face graced with that same infuriatingly polite smile. He ushered Liu Ruyan in first, her scent of orchids and danger brushing past Yao Qi. Shen Anyu followed, and finally, Zhong Lingyin squeezed by, careful not to make eye contact.
Yao Qi's expression twisted into an even deeper state of perplexity as he watched them settle in. The seating arrangement was utterly nonsensical. From left to right, it was now him, Zhong Lingyin, Shen Anyu, and finally Liu Ruyan.
'Strange… the Grandmaster isn't sitting next to me? Could it be… they really are just random moviegoers?' He had been absolutely certain that Liu Ruyan, the primary threat, would position herself directly beside him for a swift, decisive attack. But she was in the farthest seat, with two human shields separating them. If he decided to act, Shen Anyu and Zhong Lingyin would be helpless hostages, their lives forfeit before she could even react.
Liu Ruyan's charming eyes gave Yao Qi a quick, appraising glance. Although she couldn't sense a torrent of power from him—he was clearly using a sophisticated technique to conceal his presence—a faint, almost imperceptible whisper of danger prickled at the back of her neck. It was a fleeting sensation, like the chill of a ghost's breath. Was it just her imagination, a phantom feeling born from the tense atmosphere?
But Liu Ruyan was as sharp as she was beautiful. Her mind worked in leaps and bounds. Without needing to probe or test him, she immediately came to a conclusion and sent a silent voice transmission to the scoundrel beside her.
"Stinky husband, is that man in the black hood Yao Qi? Is he in disguise?"
Shen Anyu's mental voice was a smug, smiling hum in her mind. "Guess?"
Liu Ruyan's teeth clenched. '…' She felt an overwhelming urge to punch him, to disrupt that perfect, handsome face. But alas, she couldn't win in a fight against him. 'Sob, sob, sob.' It was the tragic reality of her life.
Just then, the massive screen at the front of the theater flickered to life. The opening credits for the movie began to roll, and the screening room, now filled with nearly two hundred people, gradually fell silent.
A few rows ahead, a young man leaned over and whispered to the girl beside him, "Yuan Yuan, this is the masterpiece Director Lu spent three years on—a horror suspense blockbuster, 'Bureau Ninety-Nine.' It's supposed to be incredible."
"You brought me to see a horror movie? Are you trying to pull something?" the young woman replied, her voice laced with suspicion.
"Of course not! Just watching the movie, I swear," the young man stammered, his denial a little too quick.
As the film began, the young man, true to his word, sat bolt upright, his eyes glued to the screen, completely absorbed by the thrilling, tense plot. The girl next to him simply rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Shen Anyu chuckled softly at the exchange. His gaze swept over the young woman; she was plain, ordinary. With two supreme beauties flanking him like celestial guardians, he naturally had no interest.
However, before Shen Anyu could make any move of his own, a soft, warm hand landed on his right thigh. It was Liu Ruyan. Her jade-like hand, slender and seemingly boneless, rested there with a deliberate weight, sending a jolt of heat through the fabric of his pants.
"Hmm?" Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk touching his lips. He reached down, his larger hand covering hers, fingers intertwining.
Liu Ruyan turned her head, her face partially illuminated by the flickering screen. She smiled, her eyes gleaming in the dark. The pinky finger of her captured hand gently, teasingly, hooked the center of his palm, tracing a slow, deliberate circle that sent a tingling, electric current straight up his arm.
A genuine smile spread across Shen Anyu's handsome face. He accepted her silent invitation, allowing her to guide his hand, pulling it from his own thigh and placing it firmly upon hers. Even through the soft, knitted fabric of her dress, the feeling was sublime—the curve of her leg was firm, yet supple, a promise of extreme elasticity and power.
Shen Anyu was thoroughly pleased. He was about to explore further, his fingers preparing to trace the elegant lines of her leg upwards, when Liu Ruyan's hand pressed down on his, halting his advance. She shot him a playful glare, her voice a seductive whisper in his mind. "No more. Unless… unless you tell me where Yao Qi is?"
But how could Young Master Shen be a man controlled by a woman's whims? That wasn't his style.
Without a word, he immediately withdrew his hand, pulled back, and sat perfectly upright, his attention now seemingly fixed on the movie.
Liu Ruyan bit her lower lip, a wave of frustrated anger washing over her. She wanted to pounce on him, to sink her teeth into his shoulder. 'Scoundrel!'
Just at that moment, the tension on the screen reached its peak. The film's true villain, a hulking figure holding a roaring chainsaw, appeared in a flash of lightning. With a maniacal laugh that echoed through the theater's speakers, he brutally split a witness in half. The scene was a grotesque explosion of blood and gore, rendered in stomach-churning detail.
The screening room erupted in a chorus of terrified screams, mostly from the women in the audience, followed by the low, comforting murmurs of their male companions.
Liu Ruyan, however, remained completely unfazed. Her expression was one of mild boredom. As a senior consultant for the Special Department, she had witnessed crime scenes far more gruesome than this cinematic fabrication. This was child's play, a small, insignificant scene.
But next to her, Zhong Lingyin was not so composed. The sudden violence on screen made her jump, a gasp escaping her lips. Her face went pale with genuine fright, and with a small cry, she threw herself into Shen Anyu's arms, burying her face in his chest.
"Husband, I'm so scared." "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your husband is here."
Shen Anyu's arms wrapped around her protectively, gently patting the back of the startled Goddess of War. Her full bosom heaved against his chest, her heart pounding like a trapped bird. Shen Anyu felt a surge of protectiveness, so heartbroken by her fear that he almost leaned in to comfort her properly.
'Green tea!' Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes, fury churning in her stomach. A wave of regret washed over her. Why hadn't she thought of that? She should have pretended to be scared and thrown herself into the scoundrel's arms first!
Wait, that sound?
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