Chapter 648: Xiao Fan's Defense Was Broken, and Young Master Shen Died of Laughter!
"Kidney failure!!!"
These two words, spoken by Shen Anyu, were like two bullets piercing Xiao Fan's heart, leaving him stunned and ashen-faced.
For a man, nothing is more terrifying than kidney failure. He can break a leg or an arm, but he cannot suffer kidney failure.
To strengthen his kidneys and virility, he would even drink sulfur-containing wolfberries steeped in water.
He dared to use all sorts of strange and ancient remedies.
Especially for Xiao Fan, a man standing on the precipice of marital bliss, this diagnosis was a death sentence. He was about to marry Xia Mengmeng, the pure, sweet girl who looked at him as if he held the stars. And now, this? Kidney failure? The words echoed in his skull, a mocking chant that drowned out all other thoughts. A cold dread, far worse than any fear he'd felt on the battlefield, coiled in his gut and spread through his limbs, leaving him feeling hollowed out and dead inside.
'No, this can't be happening,' his mind screamed, a silent, desperate denial against the crushing reality.
He almost wanted to collapse to his knees right there on the debris-strewn ground, to sing a mournful dirge as the world itself seemed to bleed of all color. How could this be? He was the Super Soldier King, the legendary Fang of the Black Dragon, a titan who had ascended to the Heavenly Human stage! A man of his caliber, his power, his sheer physical perfection… struck down by kidney failure? It was a cosmic joke of the cruelest kind. He would rather lose every ounce of his cultivation, be stripped of his power and reduced to a mere mortal, than to accept this fate.
Shen Anyu's lips curled into a lazy, predatory smirk, his eyes glinting with sheer, unadulterated amusement. He savored the utter devastation on Xiao Fan's face before twisting the knife deeper.
"Brother, you look to be in your thirties; you should be married with children, right?" Shen Anyu's tone was laced with a thick, cloying layer of false sympathy. "Kidney failure is kidney failure, but hey, at least your life was saved. You should be grateful."
Each word was a hammer blow against Xiao Fan's already fragile composure. He looked up, his face a mask of bitterness and despair. "I'm not married yet," he croaked, his voice raw. "I was just about to get married."
Shen Anyu feigned a look of profound surprise, his expression a masterpiece of insincere commiseration. He reached out and patted Xiao Fan's shoulder, the touch feeling more like a brand than a comfort. "Alas, there's nothing to be done," he sighed, shaking his head slowly. "Talk to that girl. Don't delay her happiness. It's the right thing to do."
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan's mentality has exploded! Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan's mind is shaken! Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan's defense is broken! Plundering +100,000 Destiny Points!]
A cascade of notifications chimed in Shen Anyu's mind, a triumphant score accompanying Xiao Fan's complete and utter breakdown. The former Super Soldier King propped his hands on the ground, his broad shoulders slumped. The air around him grew heavy, thick with an aura of dejection so potent it was almost tangible. The world had gone gray, the vibrant hues of life muted into a bleak, monochrome canvas of despair.
Where was the invincible legend now? Gone was the casual nonchalance, the confident ease of a man who felt the world was his to command. In his place was a broken shell. For any man, regardless of his success, his wealth, or his power, the two words "kidney failure" were a curse that could shatter his pride. It was an invisible wound, a shameful secret no man would ever dare admit.
And for Xiao Fan, the timing was catastrophic. He was about to marry Xia Mengmeng, that innocent, conservative girl who insisted on saving herself for their wedding night. They hadn't even taken that final step, and now… he was crippled. Useless.
'Confess to Xia Mengmeng?'
The thought alone was a shard of glass twisting in his soul. His mentality, already cracked, shattered into a million pieces. He pictured her face—that soft, adorable girl who always looked at him with adoring, starry eyes, her sweet voice calling him "Uncle." He imagined the look on her face when he told her. Would it be pity? Disgust? Disappointment? The very thought made him wish Yao Qi's sword had finished the job. He would rather be dead.
He had faced down armies, stared death in the eye without flinching in life-or-death battles against the world's most powerful opponents. But this? This was a humiliation far worse than death. Confess to her? Never. It would be better to simply vanish, to find an excuse to leave the city and live in seclusion. Maybe he could become a monk, shave his head, and spend the rest of his days in a forgotten temple. After all, if the Dinghai Divine Needle was useless, even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven would have no choice but to retreat to Mount Huaguo.
[Akarin's Note: The Dinghai Divine Needle is the magical staff of Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, from Journey to the West. In modern slang, it's often used as a phallic euphemism. The line implies that if a man's "staff" doesn't work, even a great hero is useless.]
Just as he was spiraling into the abyss, a strange quietness settled over the area. It was the unnatural silence of a crowd holding its breath. Xiao Fan slowly, warily, looked up. His blood ran cold. An Zhiyue, Liu Ruyan, and a dozen other experts from the Special Department were standing around him. And they were all staring. Their expressions were a horrifying mix—sympathy from some, blatant pity from others, and worst of all, the barely suppressed laughter twitching at the corners of a few mouths. They had heard everything.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan's mentality has shattered! Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
He wanted to die. He truly, genuinely wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. It was one thing to suffer this curse. It was another thing entirely for the entire world to know. Especially An Zhiyue and Liu Ruyan, two breathtaking beauties he had once tried to pursue. They now knew his most humiliating secret.
His defenses were broken. Utterly and irrevocably annihilated. This was social death.
Three years ago, when he retired, he was a living legend in the Special Department, the indomitable Fang of the Black Dragon. Now, he was just a pathetic joke with the words "kidney failure" metaphorically branded on his forehead. How could he ever face them again? If not for the searing pain of his injuries holding him down, he would have found the nearest tall building and thrown himself off it without a second thought.
To be known by the goddesses you once chased as impotent—could there be a more crushing humiliation? Poverty? You could always make a comeback. But kidney failure? That just shattered a man's spirit.
An Zhiyue's heroic, beautiful face was etched with sympathy. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped forward. Perhaps it was out of respect for their past camaraderie, or perhaps because this was technically an injury sustained in the line of duty.
"Xiao Fan, don't be so despairing," she said, her voice soft. "Perhaps… perhaps you can find a divine doctor for treatment. There might still be hope. Doctor Liu and Doctor Meng within the Special Department are both very skilled."
"Yes… yes! A divine doctor! I can find a divine doctor for treatment!"
An Zhiyue's words were a lifeline. Xiao Fan's eyes, once dull with despair, suddenly lit up with a manic fire. His entire being seemed to surge back to life, like a man drowning in quicksand who had just been thrown a rope. He had money! He had connections! He could find the best doctors in the country. Doctor Liu, Doctor Meng, and the other famous physicians he knew… surely one of them could cure him!
Standing to the side, Shen Anyu merely smiled, saying nothing. 'A divine doctor?' he thought with derision. 'That's the Sword Intent of the Yin Corpse Devil Sword. The lingering, corrosive energy of a true Cultivator. What good would some mortal physician be?'
This was perfect. Let Xiao Fan chase that sliver of false hope. Let him travel the country searching for a cure that didn't exist. While he was gone, Shen Anyu would be stealing his girl. By the time the broken Super Soldier King finally returned, his precious Xia Mengmeng would already be in another man's arms.
Ding-a-ling.
The sudden ring of a phone cut through the tense atmosphere. It was coming from Xiao Fan's pocket. He initially ignored it, thinking it was just a delivery driver. But it rang again, persistent and shrill. With a groan of impatience, he pulled out his phone. The name on the screen made his heart plummet into his stomach.
Xia Mengmeng.
She was the last person in the world he wanted to face right now. The shame was unspeakable. But he couldn't ignore it. What if it was something important? Steeling himself, he answered the call. A soft, impossibly sweet voice immediately flowed from the speaker.
"Uncle, Mengmeng has made dinner. Aren't you home yet?"
His treasure. His beautiful, innocent girl, a decade younger than him, waiting at home with a meal she had cooked just for him. And he… he had kidney failure. A bitterness more potent than a thousand herbs filled his mouth.
"Uncle has some things to do recently," he said, his voice strained and heavy. "I need to leave Hangzhou for a while. I won't be home for the next few days."
"Oh," she sounded disappointed. "Uncle, but we're about to get married~"
Her innocent reminder was another dagger to his heart. "It won't delay the wedding. Mengmeng, don't worry, Uncle will be back very soon."
"Okay, then," she replied, her trust absolute. "Uncle, be careful, and be sure to let me know you're safe, or Mengmeng will worry."
"Okay."
After hanging up, a renewed sense of desperation clawed at Xiao Fan. He turned to An Zhiyue, his voice pleading. "Beauty An, quickly, have Doctor Meng and Doctor Liu come to Hangzhou to treat me! This is a work injury! You can't just ignore it!"
As he choked out the words "work injury," his soul wept.
"Alright," An Zhiyue readily agreed. "I'll have Doctor Liu and Doctor Meng come over." Her gaze then shifted, landing on Shen Anyu's handsome face. A professional, yet warm smile appeared. "Shen Anyu, I'll go back to the Imperial Capital to handle your special consultant matters. It'll be quick."
Shen Anyu nodded with a smile, watching An Zhiyue and Xiao Fan leave separately, then his eyes flickered, pondering how to approach Xia Mengmeng.
But the next moment, he sensed a Killing Intent
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