Chapter 651: Little Green Tea Zhang Yaqian, Zhong Lingyin was stunned!
Just as Shen An went back to Jinxiu Mountain Villa No. 1 Villa and parked his car in the garage, a prompt sounded in his mind, and then an extremely sinister and bloodthirsty Sword Intent surged in his Dantian and spiritual sea.
Shen An's eyes flickered, his expression unchanging, his aura as calm as a placid lake. The cataclysmic force roiling within him was contained with such absolute mastery that even Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin, standing mere feet away, sensed nothing amiss. He felt the terrifying and sinister Yin Corpse Devil Sword Intent clawing at the edges of his consciousness—a frigid, necrotic energy that whispered of desecrated graves and vengeful phantoms thirsting for living warmth. It was a raw, primal hatred given form, a storm of spiritual venom potent enough to corrode the soul of a lesser cultivator from the inside out. Before the faintest ripple could escape his body, Shen Anyu's own profound power clamped down, a silent, unshakeable cage of golden light forming around the chaotic energy, effortlessly suppressing it into oblivion.
If he were to allow even a fraction of it to erupt, the sheer malevolence would warp the very air in the garage. The temperature would plummet, shadows would writhe with unseen horrors, and the pressure would be so immense that even a Land Immortal, a being who stood at the pinnacle of the mortal world, would find their knees buckling and their spirit trembling in abject fear.
'Zhang Zhiyun cultivates so quickly,' Shen Anyu mused, a flicker of cold appreciation in his thoughts. The raw hatred he had so carefully nurtured in the boy was proving to be an exceptional catalyst. 'In just a few days, he has already grasped the fundamentals of the Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay. At this rate, it won't be long until he reaches the stage of Perfection.'
Shen Anyu's eyes remained deep and unreadable, but the corner of his mouth curved into a genuinely playful arc. He was like a master artisan admiring a blade he was forging in a fire of pure agony and despair. The Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay was a forbidden art for a reason; it was a shortcut paved with damnation. For it to work, it demanded two things: a vessel of extraordinary talent and a heart consumed by a bottomless, all-encompassing hatred. An ordinary person attempting this path would have their soul devoured before they could even learn the first stance.
But Zhang Zhiyun, the grieving and vengeful Child of Destiny, was the perfect candidate. He was a piece of flawless, unblemished jade, ready to be carved into a magnificent demon. Shen Anyu's careful "cultivation"—his meticulous manipulation and stoking of the boy's desire for revenge—had not been in vain. It was a masterpiece of psychological puppetry.
Shen Anyu found himself very much looking forward to the grand finale. He envisioned the day Zhang Zhiyun would achieve Perfection in the demonic sword art, the day he would finally take up the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo. On that day, a storm of blood and slaughter would be unleashed upon the world, and a true demon, born of grief and rage, would walk the earth.
And Shen Anyu, the architect of it all, would be there to play the hero. He would descend like a righteous god to slay the monster he had created, and incidentally, relieve the boy of the fully refined, blood-soaked Yin Corpse Devil Sword—a supreme weapon tempered in the fires of a broken destiny.
With the internal storm quelled, Shen Anyu led Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin towards the main villa, his demeanor as suave and untroubled as ever.
"Brother Shen, you're back?"
A voice as sweet as honeyed cream called out. The sound was followed by the light patter of feet, and a girl who looked the very picture of pure, charming innocence hurried over to greet him, her entire being radiating a disarming warmth.
She wore a simple, light blue dress that perfectly complemented her youthful aura. The cut revealed a delicate, porcelain-fair collarbone and a pair of straight, slender, and utterly flawless jade legs, left bare and unadorned by stockings. The sight was one of innocent, unblemished beauty. But the true weapon in her arsenal was her gaze. Her beautiful eyes were filled with such a profound and adoring affection that it seemed capable of melting the resolve of the most hardened warrior, turning cold steel into soft, pliant silk.
Who else could it be but Zhang Yaqian?
A warm, genuine-looking smile spread across Shen Anyu's handsome face. He met her gaze and praised her without reservation, "Zhang Yaqian, you're especially beautiful today. You're so lovely."
Upon hearing his praise, Zhang Yaqian's eyes instantly curved into delightful crescents, her joy seeming to bubble over. It was a perfect, practiced reaction. Then, her gaze shifted, sweeping over the two women beside Shen Anyu. She looked at the stunning Liu Ruyan and the exotically beautiful Zhong Lingyin, who was still disguised as Anna, her head tilting with an air of innocent curiosity.
"Who are these two elder sisters?" she asked, her voice soft and inquisitive.
Behind her back, hidden from view, her slender jade fingers were clasped together so tightly that her knuckles had turned bone-white. A tempest was raging within her heart. 'He brought two more women back,' she whimpered inwardly, a current of venomous jealousy coiling in her gut. 'Two more! Is Zhang Yaqian not cute enough? Is all my effort not enough to satisfy him?'
"Let me introduce you," Shen Anyu said with an easy smile, gesturing between them. "This is Zhang Yaqian. And this is Liu Ruyan, and Anna."
Liu Ruyan, whose instincts were usually as sharp as a fox's, felt an immediate and positive impression upon seeing the pure, charming, and utterly harmless-looking Zhang Yaqian. For once, she felt no pang of jealousy, merely a sense of fondness for the girl's apparent sweetness. She shot Shen Anyu a reproachful look with her charming eyes, though it was tinged more with playful resentment than any real anger. "You scoundrel, you certainly have good taste. I like this Sister Zhang Yaqian, too."
Zhong Lingyin, however, remained silent, her expression unreadable. 'Second Senior Sister, you're probably mistaken,' she muttered to herself, a cynical commentary running through her mind. As a professional actress, she was an expert at reading people, at seeing the mask and the face beneath. 'This Zhang Yaqian seems docile and innocent on the surface, but every move, every glance, is calculated. She's a professional, a truly manipulative one.'
Previously, Zhong Lingyin and Zhang Yaqian had crossed swords in a silent battle of wits, their polite conversation overflowing with veiled barbs and subtle power plays that the others had completely missed.
The exchange that followed was a masterclass in social warfare, with Zhang Yaqian leading the charge.
"Sister Ruyan, Sister Anna, you are all so beautiful." Her praise was delivered with wide-eyed sincerity.
"Sister Zhang Yaqian is also very beautiful," Liu Ruyan replied, genuinely charmed.
"Sister Ruyan, your skin is so good! It's practically glowing. What cosmetics do you use?" Zhang Yaqian leaned in slightly, her tone conspiratorial and full of admiration. When Liu Ruyan admitted she didn't use any, Zhang Yaqian's eyes widened further. "None? You're naturally beautiful? Oh, Zhang Yaqian is so envious!"
"Oh, you flatter me, Zhang Yaqian."
"It's not flattery, Sister Ruyan, you are so stunning! Zhang Yaqian really wants to be a sophisticated and elegant woman like you when I grow up."
Zhang Yaqian's eyes sparkled as she lavished praise upon Liu Ruyan, her expression a perfect blend of innocence and hero-worship. The relentless assault of compliments and the continuous, sweet-sounding "Sister Ruyan" left Liu Ruyan blushing and overjoyed, completely unable to extricate herself from the web of flattery being spun around her.
Zhong Lingyin's expression grew increasingly strange as she watched the spectacle. It was like watching a veteran general walk willingly into a child's flimsy snare.
Shen Anyu had to actively stifle a laugh. It was a fascinating performance. Liu Ruyan, a woman who looked so smart and shrewd, a vixen in human form, was being completely and utterly played by Zhang Yaqian's saccharine act.
Of course, it was also a proof of Zhang Yaqian's exceptional natural camouflage; she looked so pure, so harmless, so innocent. Who would ever suspect that such a pure and well-behaved girl was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing, a predator hiding beneath a flawless, fluffy-white fleece?
Only Zhong Lingyin, the Heavenly Queen of the silver screen, who spent her life pondering the nuances of acting and dissecting various personalities, possessed the keen perception to notice. She could see that beneath Zhang Yaqian's pure and beautiful exterior was a will of iron and a mind as sharp as a razor. This was not a girl to be trifled with.
It didn't take long. With a few more expertly placed questions and feigned bursts of excitement, Zhang Yaqian managed to coax out the fact that Shen Anyu had just spent the afternoon accompanying Liu Ruyan and Anna at the Xihe Shopping Mall.
"It's so nice that Brother Shen went shopping with you. He's never been with me," Zhang Yaqian said, her tone suddenly turning gloomy. Her head drooped, and her long, dark eyelashes cast sorrowful shadows that obscured her sparkling, beautiful eyes. The shift in mood was instantaneous and devastatingly effective.
She looked so delicate, so pitiful, so utterly heartbroken that it was enough to evoke a powerful wave of sympathy from anyone with a beating heart.
Liu Ruyan's heart immediately went out to her. Seeing Zhang Yaqian's sad and dejected appearance, she was filled with pity and quickly tried to console her. "Then we'll just have Shen An accompany all of us another day!"
"That's wonderful!" Zhang Yaqian's face lit up with pure joy, the clouds parting in an instant. Then, just as suddenly, she let out a sharp "Ouch!" Her pure and charming little face contorted in a flash of pain as she lost her footing, stumbling and falling directly into Shen Anyu's arms as if she had just twisted her ankle.
Watching Zhang Yaqian's flawless, almost theatrical performance, the corner of Shen Anyu's mouth twitched, and he almost burst out laughing. It was impeccable.
"Zhang Yaqian, what's wrong?" Shen Anyu feigned deep concern, his voice laced with urgency. His hands shot out to support her delicate body, his arms wrapping around her slender waist—a waist so slim he felt he could grasp it with a single hand. His touch was firm and steady as he lowered his hand just slightly, a silent acknowledgment of her game.
Zhang Yaqian's pure and beautiful face immediately flushed with a delicate crimson blush. Her beautiful eyes, already shimmering, welled up with unshed tears as she began to blame herself, her voice thick with regret.
"Zhang Yaqian is too useless. I twisted my ankle and made Brother Shen worry about me."
She pushed weakly against his chest. "Zhang Yaqian won't disturb Brother Shen, Sister Ruyan, and Sister Anna talking. I'll just go apply the medicine myself, you don't need to worry about me."
Saying that, Zhang Yaqian made a show of trying to stand, preparing to limp back to her room to apply the nonexistent medicine to her nonexistent injury.
"How can that be?" Liu Ruyan exclaimed, completely taken in. She rolled her charming eyes at Shen Anyu and chided him sharply. "Shen An, why are you just standing there? Quickly, take Sister Zhang Yaqian to her room and apply the medicine. Do you have no pity for women?"
"Alright, alright, I'll take Zhang Yaqian to apply the medicine." Shen Anyu raised a single eyebrow, a glint of amusement in his eyes. Without another word, he effortlessly swept Zhang Yaqian up into a princess carry and began walking towards her room.
Zhang Yaqian was shockingly light, less than ninety catties, and felt almost boneless in his arms. Yet despite her delicate frame, she was certainly not flat-chested; it could only be said that the flesh that should grow had grown in all the right, and most appealing, places.
Liu Ruyan watched Shen Anyu and Zhang Yaqian's retreating figures and let out a soft sigh, shaking her head.
"Among all of this scoundrel's women, this Zhang Yaqian is the most endearing. She's so delicate and pitiful. I really wonder how such a good, innocent girl was tricked by that scoundrel?"
Zhong Lingyin maintained her disguise as Anna, saying nothing out loud but screaming internally.
'Delicate and pitiful? Second Senior Sister, you've been completely fooled by that little manipulative Zhang Yaqian, completely and utterly taken in. She definitely faked twisting her ankle, and in one move, she tricked Brother Shen away from you. A perfect checkmate.'
Zhong Lingyin also felt that Liu Ruyan, despite looking so smart and shrewd like a fox, was actually quite foolish in some respects. It was precisely this blind spot that allowed her Junior Sisters to be constantly "stealing" her man from right under her nose.
Of course, Liu Ruyan also felt that Zhong Lingyin was foolish, not having the slightest clue that her identity had been exposed long ago, and yet still acting so hard in front of her. The pot was calling the kettle black.
After Shen An was out of earshot, Liu Ruyan turned to the disguised Zhong Lingyin. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face, and her perfect red lips curved into a predatory arc.
"Sister Anna, it's my Junior Sister Zhong Lingyin's birthday today. How about we go to the Film and Television City to visit her and celebrate her birthday?"
Zhong Lingyin was stunned.
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