Chapter 855: The Wounded Hunter
'Shen Anyu actually came... how much did he hear? He couldn't have heard everything, could he?'
Murong Jieyu let out a soft, choked gasp. Her normally elegant and dignified face burned with a feverish flush, her chin dropping so low it nearly touched her collarbone. It felt as though her entire world was on the verge of collapsing. The mere thought that he might have caught wind of their ridiculous chatter about a Sword Palace brothel or whether he was single made her want to sink through the floorboards.
Beneath the silver-sand moonlight filtering through the window, the room fell into a suffocating silence. Only the frantic, thudding rhythm of her own heartbeat echoed in her ears.
'No, I have to explain...'
She bit down lightly on her lower lip, forcing her head up with the sheer immense effort of a condemned prisoner facing the executioner's block. Her eyes squeezed shut on instinct, her lips parting to stammer out an excuse.
"Shen Anyu, it is not what you think, I..."
"Cough, cough..."
A violent, ragged sound tore through the quiet room.
Murong Jieyu snapped her eyes open, her embarrassment instantly evaporating into sharp alarm. She saw him leaning heavily against the windowsill, his right hand gripping the wood for support while his left pressed tightly against his chest. All the color had drained from his handsome face. He coughed again, his shoulders shaking with the force of it.
"Shen Anyu, what is wrong?" Her voice cracked. She rushed forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat, and immediately seized his left wrist to check his pulse.
'It is working.' A faint, imperceptible curve touched his lips before he buried it beneath another harsh bout of coughing.
"How could this be?" As a Divine Doctor, her fingers had barely rested over his veins before she sensed the sheer chaos within. His pulse was erratic, his qi and blood boiling and crashing like a war drum beaten by a frenzied general.
If she had felt this pulse on an ordinary mortal, she would have immediately ordered them to prepare a coffin. Even for a martial arts grandmaster, this level of internal turmoil was a death sentence.
"Shen Anyu, what happened? You were perfectly fine just a moment ago!" Panic bled into her voice, her eyes swimming with absolute, overwhelming concern.
Could it be the lingering damage from his battle with Xiao Qingtian? Did fighting Elder Qinghong immediately afterward exacerbate a hidden wound? Why had he not shown a single sign of it earlier? Was he simply hiding it so they would not worry?
Looking at the man who had stood like an invincible god just hours ago, now reduced to this frail, bloodless state, her vision blurred with unshed tears.
[Detected Destined Heroine Murong Jieyu's Favorability +3. Plundered 9,000 Destiny Points!]
'Eighty-six now.' Shen Anyu lowered his gaze to hide the calculating amusement in his eyes.
He knew all too well that playing the desperate pursuer was a fool's errand. Destined Heroines were surrounded by endless swarms of admirers; throwing himself at her feet would only make him another face in the crowd. True capture required magnetic attraction.
In his experience, three archetypes held the ultimate lethal appeal to women: the kitten, the lion, and the wounded puppy in the rain. The kitten offered soft, harmless devotion. The lion offered raw, obvious power. But the wounded puppy—a powerful, devastatingly handsome man reduced to tragic vulnerability—was an absolute psychological weapon.
Pursuing a woman of her caliber directly, especially when she already knew about his ties to Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin, would only trigger her defensive walls. She needed a reason to cross that psychological threshold herself.
The best hunter always disguises himself as the prey.
Looking down at her tear-rimmed eyes, Shen Anyu forced a weak, strained smile. He allowed his weight to shift, intentionally pulling her into a half-embrace. His hand rested lightly against her jade-smooth back, his voice dropping into a soft, comforting murmur.
"Jieyu, I am fine. Do not worry yourself over this."
Caught entirely off guard by the sudden warmth of his chest against hers, her face flushed a brilliant crimson. Yet, terrified of aggravating his condition, she did not dare pull away.
"I will help you to the bed," she whispered hurriedly, her hands trembling as she supported his waist. "Walk slowly, be careful..."
She supported his weight, her soft, fragrant body pressing against his side as they moved step by step toward the mattress. Having the elegant Divine Doctor fussing over him with such desperate care brought a genuine flicker of warmth to his chest. What a perfect prize. He could not let this opportunity slip.
Shen Anyu slowly raised his hand, reaching for her cheek. She flinched slightly, a reflex to pull away, but forced herself to stay perfectly still as his large, warm palm cupped her face.
"Do not fret, it is nothing serious," he murmured, his thumb gently brushing the corner of her eye to catch a stray tear. His gaze was deep, swimming with an ocean of manufactured affection. "If you shed tears for me, my sins would be too great to bear."
Her legs nearly gave out. The sheer intensity of his gaze melted the last of her strength, leaving her clinging to him just to stay upright.
[Detected Destined Heroine Murong Jieyu's Favorability +1. Plundered 3,000 Destiny Points!]
She turned her head away, unable to withstand the heat in his eyes any longer, and carefully eased him down onto the soft blankets.
"I... I will go fetch my silver needles to stabilize your qi and blood." She hurried toward the table, her hands fumbling with her medical bag.
From his position on the bed, Shen Anyu watched the sway of her hips, admiring the perfect, full curve of her figure. A truly excellent physique.
By the time she turned back around with her needles ready, his eyes were half-closed, his breathing shallow and labored. Her heart twisted violently in her chest.
During the day, he had been a force of nature. He had instantly obliterated Elder Qinghong, a monster who had lived for thousands of years, with a power that seemed to shatter the very heavens. She and the others had watched in awe, wondering if he was even human.
But now, seeing him so pale and fragile, that awe transformed into a deep, piercing ache. With his monstrous strength, he could have easily escaped the danger on his own. He would never have suffered these injuries if he had not chosen to stand his ground. He had pushed himself to the brink of death solely to protect them.
[Detected Destined Heroine Murong Jieyu's Favorability +1. Plundered 3,000 Destiny Points!]
'It went up again? What exactly is she imagining in that head of hers?' Shen Anyu mused silently, though he kept his eyes shut, continuing to play the part of the tragic, self-sacrificing hero to absolute perfection.
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