Chapter 797: The Mysterious Man in White!
[Ding! Detected Destiny Value +1 for Destined Heroine Ji Xiaolin. Plundering +3000 Destiny Value!]
"Hmph. You made me worry for nothing…" Ji Xiaolin let out a soft snort, a pout forming on her pretty face. Her eyes were fixed on Shen Anyu and Yu Guannan, who were lost in their own world, their gazes locked in a moment of deep connection. A flicker of resentment colored her expression.
"Xiaolin," Zhang Tianen suddenly whispered, leaning closer to her. "You need to snatch that young man for yourself."
"Huh?" Ji Xiaolin's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment as she turned to stare at her master.
Hadn't the old man been utterly disdainful of Shen Anyu just a short while ago? He seemed to find fault with everything the young man did. What could have possibly prompted him to say something like this now?
"He may be a bit of a playboy," Zhang Tianen continued, his gaze on Shen Anyu now filled with a grudging admiration, "but his capabilities are so immense that such a flaw is easily overlooked."
After all, Shen Anyu had just avenged the Tianshi Sect and eliminated that traitorous disciple, Zhang Zhiyun. A great favor had been rendered.
Zhang Tianen sighed inwardly. Even with this victory, the Tianshi Sect, which had flourished for a thousand years, was now inevitably set on a path of decline.
"Shen Anyu, we are in your debt." An Zhiyue's sharp, phoenix-like eyes sparkled as she gracefully approached him.
Thank heavens her good nephew had been here. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. She had already steeled herself for the worst possible outcome.
"I'm part of the Special Department too, you know," Shen Anyu said with a playful blink, a smile dancing in his eyes. "Just make sure my bonus reflects it."
"Of course not," An Zhiyue replied, a rare, warm smile gracing her own lips. "The reward will be most generous. How could we possibly shortchange our own family?"
The surrounding members of the Special Department looked upon Shen Anyu as if he were a living deity, their expressions a mixture of awe and deep respect.
After exchanging a few more words, Shen Anyu prepared to leave with Yu Guannan. He glanced back at Ji Xiaolin, asking if she wanted to come along, but his only reply was a fierce, indignant roll of her eyes.
As they began their descent down the mountain path, the adrenaline finally faded, and the reality of the day's events settled upon Yu Guannan. "Brother Shen… thank you," she said, her voice thick with emotion.
"Thank me for what?" Shen Anyu asked with a gentle smile. "What's our relationship?"
A blush crept up Yu Guannan's cheeks, but she was no longer the shy, timid girl she once was. She lifted her head, her beautiful eyes meeting his with a newfound seriousness.
"Brother Shen… from this day forward, Nan Nan is yours for life. Please… don't let me down."
"Of course, of course," Shen Anyu replied, his gaze dropping to where her arm was looped tightly through his. A self-satisfied smirk played on his lips.
Perhaps it was the martial arts attire she had been wearing earlier, which had concealed her figure and led him to underestimate her assets. But now, dressed in the pure white mourning robes, his downward vantage point offered a much clearer picture. Her size was quite considerable, easily reaching the fourth letter of the alphabet.
This was excellent. Shen Anyu had always had a large appetite, and anything smaller than a D-cup simply wouldn't satisfy him.
"Cough, cough!"
Suddenly, Shen Anyu was wracked by two violent coughs, a flush rising to his face.
"Brother Shen!" Yu Guannan's expression shifted to one of alarm. She instinctively held him tighter, her small frame supporting his weight. Her delicate hand pressed against his wrist, trying to check his pulse. She knew a little about medicine, but she couldn't detect anything wrong, which only deepened her confusion.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with concern, as she followed his gaze. For a fleeting moment, his eyes had darted toward the dense forest to the north.
Shen Anyu narrowed his eyes, then quickly retracted his gaze, shaking his head with a light laugh. "It's nothing. Just a sudden stitch in my side."
"You must be exhausted from the fight with Zhang Zhiyun, Brother Shen. I'll help you down the mountain to rest." Taking his words at face value, Yu Guannan quickly shifted her position, half-hugging him as she carefully guided him down the path.
Meanwhile, back on the mountaintop where the Tianshi Sect was located, the air was thick with a cacophony of excited chatter. Everyone was discussing the battle that had just unfolded, and the man at its center—Shen Anyu.
"Too strong! He's just too strong! Can martial arts truly reach such a level? He's not human; he's a superman!"
"This is a story I'll be telling for the rest of my life!"
"Absolutely. To witness such a brilliant, unmatched battle between peak masters, to see a mortal body wield the power of a god… this trip was more than worth it."
"Tsk, tsk. And I thought Zhang Zhiyun was already a monster. Thousands of rounds from anti-materiel sniper rifles didn't even scratch him. Even the secret laser weapon system developed by the Special Department couldn't harm him in the slightest. His defense was unbreakable, and his every move was like that of a demon god. I really thought we were done for. I never expected… I never expected there to be a master like Consultant Shen, even stronger than him!"
"Our Yanxia Special Department is truly blessed to have Consultant Shen!"
"Heh, and who was it earlier who was saying that Consultant Shen was too young? That he must have used some back-channel connections to become a top consultant for the Special Department?"
"Who said that? I have no idea…"
Listening to the fervent discussions, An Zhiyue's usually stern, jade-like face was softened by a smile. She was clearly in a very good mood.
"Oh, right," she said, a thought suddenly occurring to her. Her expression turned solemn as she issued a command. "Issue an order immediately. Everything that happened here today is to be classified as top secret. All information regarding Shen Anyu's strength and the details of this battle are not to be leaked. Not a single word."
The child she once had to look after had now grown into a towering tree capable of supporting the heavens, becoming the undisputed ace of the Special Department. A wave of pride washed over An Zhiyue.
At that very moment, atop a massive, ancient tree near the Tianshi Sect, two figures stood. Their feet rested lightly on the leaves, their bodies seeming to float gracefully, like a pair of banished immortals.
One of them, a man dressed in white martial attire, was remarkably tall, standing nearly two meters. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant scene, a good seven or eight li away.
Behind him, a beautiful young woman in a light blue dress held a pair of binoculars. Her cute, doll-like face was alight with the same excited expression as the crowd below.
"Master Chen, we really came at the right time! To think we'd get to see such a spectacular battle."
"That Shen Anyu is so handsome! And so powerful! He looks like he'd be excellent cultivation material. Master Chen, why don't you take him as your disciple…?"
The white-clad man, addressed as Master Chen, remained silent for a moment, his hands still behind his back. He seemed to ponder the suggestion before speaking in a calm, measured tone.
"That Shen… his strength is not much weaker than my own."
"What?!" The young woman's pink lips parted slightly, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. She was utterly incapable of believing what she had just heard.
She knew better than anyone how formidable Master Chen was. He was a true deity in her eyes, a being of vast, supernatural power, capable of summoning the wind and rain with a mere thought.
And yet, Master Chen had just admitted that Shen Anyu's strength was nearly his equal?
"Yes," Master Chen said indifferently. "And just now, he glanced in our direction. It seems he may have sensed our presence."
The blue-dressed young woman's astonishment grew, and with it, her curiosity about this Shen Anyu.
"Qingqing, let's go. We still have matters to attend to." The white-clad man lightly tapped his toes on the leaf, and his form drifted away, landing silently on the canopy of another tree a hundred meters distant.
"Master Chen, wait for me!" the young woman cried out, snapping back to reality. She quickly gave chase.
[Ding! Detected Destiny Value +20 for Destined Heroine Lin Qingqing. Plundering +60,000 Destiny Value!]
'Lin Qingqing?'
Shen Anyu murmured the name to himself, a strange expression on his face.
He had indeed sensed someone peeking at him just now. The power emanating from them was formidable, even stronger than Zhang Zhiyun's had been. He couldn't tell if they were friend or foe, so he had chosen not to act rashly.
Shen Anyu never fought a battle he wasn't prepared for. He always planned carefully before making a move, unless a head-on clash was unavoidable.
'How interesting~' Shen Anyu's eyes flickered with a dangerous light. This world was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with heroes as numerous as carp crossing a river.
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