Chapter 825: The Master and The Scoundrel
'Just as I thought.'Shen Anyu's mind was a sea of calm certainty.'The core of the array within Baiwu Mountain Valley is a Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Formation. The Inverted Five Elements Formation Flags will be more than enough to break it.'
He reached out, his hand as flawless as carved jade, and brushed his fingertips against the dense white mist veiling the valley entrance. He felt it immediately—a current of energy, both chaotic and yet perfectly structured, a swirling confluence of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. To disturb it rashly would not only trigger a powerful illusion but also activate a terrifying killing formation hidden within.
Threads of his Divine Sense seeped into the fog, moving with the precision of a master surgeon as they traced the complex pathways of the formation. He was deciphering the esoteric principles governing its operation, unraveling its mysteries one by one. Simultaneously, he was assimilating the vast trove of knowledge on formations he had acquired from Chen Yuhua, the memories integrating smoothly with his own understanding.
"What is he doing?" Murong Jieyu asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she glanced between Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin.
Ever since Shen Anyu had rescued her, he had led them back to the entrance of Baiwu Mountain Valley and assumed this strange posture. His hand remained pressed against the fog, and he hadn't moved an inch for a full half-hour.
"Who knows?" Liu Ruyan purred, a slight, knowing curve to her delicate lips as her captivating eyes remained fixed on Shen Anyu. "My man loves his little mysteries. It's rare to see him this serious."
'He really is handsome when he's focused,'she thought, her gaze softening for a moment before a playful pout formed on her lips.'Hmph. But he's still a wicked scoundrel at heart.'
Liu Ruyan's gaze then shifted, landing on Murong Jieyu's lovely face with a teasing glint.
"Speaking of which, Third Senior Sister," she began, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper, "what was that all about earlier? I do believe I saw your lipstick on my husband's face."
Zhong Lingyin's ears visibly perked up, and she too turned her full attention to Murong Jieyu.
A scarlet blush bloomed across Murong Jieyu's face. How could she ever explain that? The mere memory of being disoriented by the poison, of flirting so brazenly with Shen Anyu, of kissing him in ways that still made her cheeks burn... it was mortifying.
"Third Senior Sister..." Liu Ruyan's long, foxy eyes narrowed into mischievous slits, like those of a seductive white fox. "You haven't fallen for my husband, have you?"
"No! It's not like that at all!" Murong Jieyu denied it frantically, waving her hands. "It was all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding!"
"Shen Anyu and I are completely innocent! Nothing happened between us, I swear! Second Senior Sister, you have to believe me!"
"Actually," Liu Ruyan said, her tone suddenly casual, "I don't really mind."
"Eh? Eh??" Murong Jieyu's beautiful eyes widened in confusion. What did she mean, she 'didn't mind'?
Liu Ruyan's enchanting gaze drifted back to Shen Anyu, who was still engrossed in analyzing the formation. She let out two soft snorts.
"That scoundrel is a hopeless womanizer," she sighed, though there was no real malice in her tone. "I can't keep him on a leash. Sooner or later, you'll be part of the Shen family anyway."
Zhong Lingyin bit her pink lower lip, a flicker of sourness in her heart, but remained silent.
Murong Jieyu was utterly floored. She never expected Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin to have such an attitude. Wasn't Shen Anyu their man?
"That scoundrel has many women," Liu Ruyan said with a hint of weary resignation. "It's not just Lingyin and me. Fourth Sister and Seventh Sister have also followed him. Fourth Sister, especially... she's always competing with me."
"What? Fourth Senior Sister and Seventh Sister are with him too?" Murong Jieyu's mouth hung open. The elegant and composed beauty was completely stunned.
She could never have imagined that besides Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin, Fourth Senior Sister Ye Liyou and Seventh Junior Sister Yang Luoluo were also Shen Anyu's women.
It was too incredible. How was that even possible?
If Liu Ruyan hadn't said it herself, with Zhong Lingyin's silent confirmation, Murong Jieyu would never have believed a word of it.
But now, she had no choice.
Her gaze returned to the distant figure of Shen Anyu, now filled with an intense, scrutinizing curiosity.
How? How had this one man managed to capture the hearts of four of her sisters, convincing them all to share a single husband?
In Murong Jieyu's mind, while Shen Anyu was exceptionally handsome, he wasn't some kind of male fox spirit, was he?
But then her gaze fell upon Liu Ruyan, now a Celestial, and Zhong Lingyin, whose power had skyrocketed. A glimmer of understanding began to dawn on her.
At the very least, it seemed Shen Anyu took very, very good care of his women.
'No, no, no, Murong Jieyu, don't let your thoughts run wild,'she chided herself, shaking her head to clear the chaotic thoughts.'Shen Anyu may be good to them, but he's far too much of a playboy. It's best to keep a respectful distance. As for the debt I owe him for today, I will find a way to repay it in the future.'
Having made up her mind, Murong Jieyu felt a sense of resolve.
"Someone's coming!" Suddenly, Liu Ruyan's expression sharpened. Her captivating eyes narrowed as her gaze snapped towards the southwest.
A moment later, Zhong Lingyin's head turned in the same direction, her delicate features hardening with caution.
Murong Jieyu stared intently into the distance but sensed nothing. 'Is someone really coming?' she wondered, surprised. Only a full second later did she vaguely perceive two figures approaching at high speed.
A jolt of astonishment ran through her. It was one thing for Liu Ruyan, a Celestial, to sense them first. But she and Zhong Lingyin were both at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, yet Lingyin had reacted a full beat before she had even noticed a thing.
One had to remember, she had broken through to the Grandmaster realm at twenty. Now, at twenty-seven, she had been consolidating her foundation at the peak of that realm for seven years, her senses honed to a razor's edge, subtly preparing to step into the next stage.
And Zhong Lingyin? Just half a year ago, she was an ordinary person with no martial arts training whatsoever. Now, she was even stronger than her. How could Murong Jieyu not be shocked by such progress?
'Just what did that man do to them?' The image of Shen Anyu's enigmatic smile flashed through her mind, deepening the mystery.
Shen Anyu, of course, had already sensed the newcomers and knew exactly who they were. He paid them no mind, however, as he had reached a critical juncture in his analysis of the Baiwu Mountain Valley formation. Once he had a clear picture, he would immediately use the Inverted Five Elements Formation Flags from the System Mall to shatter it.
Under the solemn watch of Liu Ruyan and the other two women, two figures burst from the tree line with stunning speed, their movements fluid as they landed without a sound.
The man in the lead was an elder with an air of otherworldly transcendence. His hair and beard were snow-white, but his eyes shone with the brilliance of moonlight. His aura was utterly placid, a sign that he had reached the deep state of returning to simplicity, making his true power impossible to gauge.
Half a step behind him was a handsome young man with tousled hair and a swaggering, unrestrained air. His gaze was a study in contradictions—three parts cool indifference, three parts detached calm, and four parts unbridled arrogance.
"Xiao Fan?" Liu Ruyan looked at the young man in surprise, recognizing him instantly.
The moment Xiao Fan's eyes landed on the bewitching Liu Ruyan, however, that carefully constructed facade of cool detachment shattered. "Ruyan! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed, his face lighting up.
"You had a nasty run-in with Yao Qi, didn't you?" Hearing him use her name so familiarly, Liu Ruyan's charming eyes narrowed slightly. A slow, dangerous smile spread across her face. "I heard you took a rather... debilitating injury. How is your recovery?"
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Xiao Fan, has suffered an emotional blow. Plundered Destiny Value: +9997!]
"..." An awkward expression flashed across Xiao Fan's face before he managed a reply. "Thanks to my Master's intervention, I've already made a full recovery."
"This is my Master, Master Xiao," Xiao Fan said, quickly changing the subject. "Master, this is Liu Ruyan, and these are her junior sisters, Murong Jieyu and Zhong Lingyin." He recognized the other two as well. In fact, he had even briefly considered seeking out Murong Jieyu, the famed Goddess Doctor, to treat his... private affliction.
Xiao Fan's gaze then flickered towards Shen Anyu, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Master Xiao, Xiao Qingtian, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, an immovable mountain of a man. His gaze, sharp and penetrating, bypassed the women and fixed upon the still figure of Shen Anyu.
"Fan'er," he said, his voice low and resonant. "You haven't introduced that one."
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