Chapter 836: A Mayfly and the Heavens
[Detected increased favorability from Destined Heroine Murong Jieyu by +2. Plundered +6,000 Destiny Value!]
[Destined Heroine Murong Jieyu has developed affection. Plundered +520 Destiny Value!]
[Destined Heroine Liu Ruyan has developed affection. Plundered +520 Destiny Value!]
[Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin has developed affection. Plundered +520 Destiny Value!]
"You and I are like a mayfly and the vast heavens. We were never on the same level."
Shen Anyu's calm, understated declaration drifted through the quiet forest. The beautiful eyes of Murong Jieyu, Liu Ruyan, and Zhong Lingyin sparkled in the moonlight, ripples of admiration stirring in their chests.
That scoundrel... he's far too good at showing off, Liu Ruyan thought, her cheeks warming.
Brother Shen is incredible. His words were so domineering, Zhong Lingyin mused, her eyes curving into sweet crescents. It was no wonder he dared to let a threat like Xiao Fan go; they simply existed in entirely different worlds.
Murong Jieyu's heart fluttered erratically. She realized with a sudden, terrifying clarity that if she stayed by Shen Anyu's side any longer, she might truly fall for him. At that rate, the prestigious Sword Palace would genuinely turn into his personal harem. She absolutely could not let that happen.
"Heh... heh heh..."
Xiao Fan knelt in the dirt, a bitter, broken laugh escaping his lips as Shen Anyu's words echoed in his ears.
"A mayfly and the heavens... Am I, Xiao Fan, nothing more than a mayfly?"
He desperately wanted to deny it, to scream his defiance to the sky, but his current miserable state made it impossible to refute. Forget Shen Anyu—he couldn't even defeat Shen Anyu's woman, Liu Ruyan. He had been utterly, humiliatingly crushed.
Why would a man like Shen Anyu ever worry about letting a tiger return to the mountain? To him, Xiao Fan wasn't a tiger. He was an insect.
"Take care of yourself, Xiao Fan," Shen Anyu said, his tone mild. "For the sake of a certain person, I'll spare you this time."
Xiao Fan looked up, his bloodied face twisting in confusion. A certain person? Who could possibly possess enough influence over a monster like Shen Anyu to make him release a sworn enemy? Even if Shen Anyu possessed absolute confidence in his own strength, leaving a hidden danger alive went against all logic.
Of course, it's your little girlfriend and fiancée, Xia Mengmeng, Shen Anyu mused inwardly, a dark amusement curling in his chest. Although I haven't met her yet, it's only a matter of time. Consider this an advance notice.
He kept those thoughts to himself, his expression remaining perfectly placid. "You'll know in the future. If it weren't for her request, you would have died here today."
Shen Anyu casually flicked his sleeve. An invisible wave of telekinetic force surged forward, cleanly snapping the thick ropes binding Xiao Fan.
Xiao Fan collapsed forward, gasping for breath. He pushed himself up from the dirt, casting one last, deep look at Shen Anyu. Without uttering a single word, he dragged his battered body around and limped away, slowly disappearing into the dark depths of the mountain forest.
I've prepared a few surprises for you, Xiao Fan, Shen Anyu thought, his eyes flickering with predatory anticipation.
He still needed to deal with the matters concerning Baiwu Mountain Valley. Until that was resolved, he wouldn't return to Hangzhou. But Xiao Fan wouldn't be able to return easily either—at least, not until Shen Anyu had thoroughly claimed his little fiancée, Xia Mengmeng.
As for the surprises?
As the former Super Soldier King and the ace of the Special Department, Xiao Fan had built a mountain of merits, but he had offended an ocean of enemies in the process. Now that Xiao Fan had lost all his cultivation, the moment news of his crippled state leaked, a swarm of vengeful ghosts would come knocking at his door.
Naturally, a Child of Destiny wouldn't die so easily. But returning to Hangzhou to see Xia Mengmeng anytime soon? That was a pipe dream.
By the time Xiao Fan finally dragged himself back to Hangzhou after enduring countless brutal hardships, he would be greeted by the agonizing revelation that his life had been spared solely because of Xia Mengmeng's pillow talk.
Shen Anyu wondered if, at that moment, Xiao Fan would regret not dying here today.
The soft chime of the system in his mind brought Shen Anyu back to the present. He turned to the three women, his demeanor softening into something warm and approachable.
"You've all been running around for half the day. Get some rest now. Tomorrow, we'll investigate Baiwu Mountain Valley, resolve the issue, and then head back to Hangzhou."
"Mhm, alright," Murong Jieyu nodded gently.
Her day had been an exhausting rollercoaster: being hunted by the experts of the Tieshan Martial Arts School, clashing with Tie Lengcan, her fateful first encounter with Shen Anyu, witnessing the brutal battle between Xiao Qingtian and Xiao Fan, and finally treating Shen Anyu's condition. After enduring all that, even a seasoned Grandmaster felt the heavy pull of fatigue.
Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.
There was just one glaring problem. The wooden hut they had found was a temporary structure, incredibly simple and cramped. It had only one room and a single, modest wooden bed.
Shen Anyu was supposedly "recovering from a serious illness." They couldn't possibly force him to sleep outside in the cold night air.
"I-I'll just find a tree branch to rest on!" Murong Jieyu stammered, suddenly hyper-aware of the suffocatingly intimate atmosphere. Her pretty face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson, and she turned on her heel, fleeing the wooden hut as if she were escaping a burning building.
"I-I'll also go outside to rest," Zhong Lingyin squeaked, taking a nervous step backward.
"No need. Let's all sleep together," Shen Anyu said, a gentle smile gracing his lips.
"Eh? B-But Third Senior Sister is outside?" Zhong Lingyin said, shifting awkwardly on her feet.
Liu Ruyan hesitated, shooting Zhong Lingyin a look that clearly said: So you wouldn't find this awkward if Murong Jieyu wasn't here?
"Don't worry, we're just sleeping. Purely and innocently. I won't do anything," Shen Anyu said righteously. He reached out, grasping Zhong Lingyin's small hand in his left and Liu Ruyan's delicate fingers in his right, his thumbs gently stroking their soft skin.
Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin exchanged another look, their eyes practically screaming their suspicion.
[Detected increased favorability from Destined Heroine Lin Qingqing by +3. Plundered +9,000 Destiny Value!]
At that exact moment, hidden in the dense canopy of a massive tree nearby, two graceful figures crouched on a thick branch—one tall and elegant, the other short and lively.
"Master Chen, that handsome brother's words just now were too domineering!"
Lin Qingqing sat on the branch, her hands bracing against the rough bark. Her delicate feet, wrapped in pristine white stockings, kicked back and forth in the air. Her melon-seed face was flushed with sheer excitement as she muttered the phrase about mayflies and the heavens over and over, firmly deciding to steal the line for her own use in the future.
Hehe, I, Fairy Qingqing, am the heavens, and the rest of you are mere mayflies!
Beside her, Chen Yuhua stood with her hands clasped elegantly behind her back. Her usually indifferent, aloof gaze flickered with a rare trace of deep interest.
I didn't expect to find a prodigy like Shen Anyu in the Secular World. If not for the fact that a shallow pond cannot nurture a true dragon, his future achievements would be absolutely extraordinary.
As the Rinyue Celestial Venerable, a woman of vast experience and immense knowledge, she rarely handed out such high praise. It was a proof of her genuine admiration for Shen Anyu's display of power.
Chen Yuhua and Lin Qingqing had entered the Qinling Mountains a step ahead of Shen Anyu's group. However, lacking a Seeking Person Compass and taking their time to gather rare medicinal herbs, their progress through the complex mountain terrain had been slow.
But when Chen Yuhua sensed the violent spiritual shockwaves from the battle between Shen Anyu and Xiao Qingtian, she had immediately rushed over.
Though she had arrived too late to witness the fight itself, the scars left on the battlefield told her everything she needed to know. One combatant was a cultivator in the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment wielding a powerful treasure. The other was Shen Anyu, a man merely at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation. Yet, Shen Anyu had used a supreme Divine Ability involving the deep mysteries of time, and he had emerged victorious.
Time-type Divine Abilities were exceedingly rare and priceless. Even Chen Yuhua herself did not possess many, which only deepened her curiosity about this young man.
How could someone born in the Secular World—a barren desert of spiritual energy in this Age of Dharma Decline—wield a time-type Divine Ability and possess such overwhelming combat strength?
Alas... a shallow pond cannot nurture a true dragon, Chen Yuhua thought, shaking her head softly. Her gaze drifted toward the misty expanse of Baiwu Mountain Valley in the distance. It is a good opportunity...
Just as she was deep in thought, a sudden, muffled sound drifted up from the wooden hut below.
Chen Yuhua froze. She looked down at the small structure, a faint, uncharacteristic blush creeping up her usually cold, jade-like face.
"Master Chen, what was that sound?" Lin Qingqing asked, tilting her head in innocent confusion.
"Nothing," Chen Yuhua said, her voice slightly tight as she forcefully suppressed the sudden urge to obliterate the wooden hut with a single palm strike. "Let's leave."
Grabbing Lin Qingqing by the shoulder, she vanished into the night.
Inside the dimly lit wooden hut, Shen Anyu's lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Read on our site: Elysianreads[.]com or Check the link in my Webnovel Profile bio!
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL or Search AkarinTL on Patreon
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]