Chapter 522: A Master of the Mundane World, a Master of Magic?
"Brother Shen, you're here!"
Watching Shen Anyu arrive, Yang Qiuchan's beautiful eyes, like autumn waters, visibly brightened, and she became full of life.
Yang Qiuchan's parents, standing nearby, were also happy for their daughter. Ever since she was severely scalded and disfigured, Yang Qiuchan had been trapped in a bleak, suffocating depression, as if the very light had been extinguished from her life.
They had once placed their hopes in Wu Ming, the young classmate who had pursued their daughter for so long. Perhaps he could be the one to care for her through this darkness. They had never cared about Wu Ming's poverty; their family, owners of a bustling hotpot restaurant, might not be titans of industry, but they were more than comfortable. Wu Ming wouldn't have even needed to marry into their family; they would have supported the young couple without a second thought.
But their hopes had turned to bitter ash. To their seething anger, Wu Ming had vanished. He didn't even have the decency to say a word. He just packed his things, abandoned his small rented room, and ran as if their daughter, Yang Qiuchan, was a plague to be fled from at all costs. His cowardly disappearance had been a second, crueler blow, a dagger twisting in the already grievous wound in their daughter's heart. It had plunged her deeper into the abyss of despair, reinforcing the hideous belief that she was now a monster.
It was into this suffocating darkness that Shen Anyu had appeared, a sudden and brilliant light. The change in their daughter was immediate and profound. Yang Qiuchan's parents could clearly feel the oppressive weight lifting from her spirit. They would catch her humming softly to herself while wiping tables, and sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, they would see her stealing a glance at her phone, a secret, gentle smile gracing her lips. The girl they thought they had lost was slowly returning to them.
However, beneath their relief, a heavy worry began to fester.
Yang Qiuchan's parents exchanged a look, the same deep-seated concern reflected in each other's eyes. Shen Anyu's background was an insurmountable chasm. Everything about him, from the fine fabric of his casual clothes to the quiet confidence in his posture, screamed of a world far beyond their own. And he was entirely too handsome, with a face that seemed carved from jade. If their daughter hadn't been disfigured, if her skin was still flawless and her smile unmarred, then perhaps… perhaps she could have been worthy of standing beside such a man. But now? They held no such illusions. The reality was a cruel one. With heavy hearts, they silently agreed to speak with their daughter later, to gently manage her expectations, to protect her from a fall that seemed all but inevitable.
Yang Qiuchan, however, was not burdened by such complex thoughts. Her world had narrowed to a single, radiant point of focus. She was simply, purely happy just looking at Shen Anyu. She had honestly believed she would never see him again, that their brief encounter was a fleeting dream. The gap between their stations was a universe wide. Yet here he was, standing in her family's humble restaurant as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The joy that bloomed in her chest was so potent it was almost painful, her eyes curving into beaming crescents.
"Are you free? I'll take you somewhere," Shen Anyu said, his voice soft yet clear, cutting through the clatter of the restaurant.
"Ah, I'm free, I'm free!" Yang Qiuchan was startled at first, her mind taking a moment to catch up. When the meaning of his words finally registered, a wave of elation washed over her. She nodded repeatedly, her head bobbing like a chick pecking at grain, the light in her eyes shining with an almost blinding intensity.
She spun around to look at her parents, who were watching with knowing, faintly teasing expressions. A hot blush instantly flooded Yang Qiuchan's small face.
"Go on, go on. It's not busy right now," her father said, his voice a low, warm chuckle. "Just remember to be back tonight."
After the terrifying incident the day before, where a malicious woman had nearly doused their daughter with boiling soup, Shen Anyu's calm and magnanimous handling of the situation had left a deep impression. He hadn't demanded compensation or caused a scene. He had simply been there. Both of Yang Qiuchan's parents felt he was a young man of excellent character. He was not a bad person. He would surely not bring harm to their already suffering daughter. More than anything, they were just overjoyed to see her so animated and cheerful.
"Brother Shen, wait for me. I'll go change my clothes first," Yang Qiuchan said, her gaze falling to her plain work shirt, the faded Yang's Hotpot Restaurant logo emblazoned on the chest.
Every girl desires to look beautiful. Even now, with her face and arms scarred, that innate desire hadn't been entirely extinguished. She didn't want to look too unsightly in front of him.
Shen Anyu naturally wouldn't refuse, offering a simple, reassuring nod.
A few moments later, a soft, shy voice sounded beside his ear. "Brother Shen, I've kept you waiting."
Shen Anyu turned, and his eyes genuinely lit up for a fraction of a second. The girl before him was transformed. Yang Qiuchan now wore a light blue long dress, the flowing sleeves artfully concealing the scarred skin of her arms. The fabric revealed glimpses of skin as tender and white as fine ointment, and its cut elegantly showcased her graceful, slender figure. Her small, palm-sized face was half-hidden behind a large mask, but the eyes and brows visible above it were exquisite, lively, and impossibly bright.
If one could magically erase the burn scars, she would be an obvious beauty, her figure a perfect example of slender branches bearing abundant fruit. Shen Anyu's analytical gaze swept over her, clinically assessing. 'Not as formidable as Wu Shenyun,' he thought, 'but still a solid 'D' cup.'
He could easily imagine her before the accident. A girl like this would have been the 'white moonlight' in the hearts of countless boys, the subject of whispered confessions and secret admiration. It was no wonder the Child of Destiny, Wu Ming, was still obsessed with her. But fate was a cruel mistress. The scalding accident had sent her plummeting from a celestial pedestal straight into the depths of Hell. Now, broken and vulnerable, she cherished every sliver of kindness like a drowning woman grasping for a life-saving straw. The capture difficulty had plummeted from 'hell mode' directly to 'easy mode'.
Seeing the undisguised admiration in Shen Anyu's eyes, Yang Qiuchan's heart performed a joyful leap. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the oppressive gloom that clung to her soul seemed to dissipate, burned away by the warmth of his gaze. She was as happy as a lark taking flight.
"Brother Shen, let's go."
A slight smile played on Shen Anyu's lips. "You're not even going to ask where we're going? Aren't you afraid I'll kidnap you and sell you off?"
Yang Qiuchan lowered her head, the blush returning to her cheeks with a vengeance. She whispered, her voice barely audible, "I trust Brother Shen… you definitely wouldn't do that."
Just then, her entire body went rigid. A sharp jolt, like a current of electricity, shot up her arm. Shen Anyu had suddenly, decisively, taken her small hand in his.
It was the first time in her life a man had ever held her hand. The shock of it stole her breath. Yet, as she looked up at his handsome profile, at the strong, warm hand leading her forward, she felt no anger, no awkwardness, only a profound, blossoming joy that threatened to overwhelm her.
'I'm so ugly now,' she thought, a familiar pang of sorrow piercing her happiness. If she took off her mask, her scarred face was frightening enough to make children cry.
Yet Shen Anyu treated her as if none of that existed. He held her hand, leading her through the restaurant and out into the street as if she were a normal girl, as if she were still beautiful. A hot wetness pricked at the back of her eyes, and the world blurred. This simple, grounding touch was the most profound kindness she had received since her world had fallen apart.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Yang Qiuchan's favorability +1. Plundering 3000 Destiny Points!]
…
A flicker of a triumphant smile crossed Shen Anyu's eyes. 'Providing aid in a time of crisis is indeed far more effective than adding flowers to a brocade.' Such a simple point of contact was enough to generate a favorability increase. At this rate, conquering Yang Qiuchan completely wouldn't take long at all.
'Wu Ming, are you watching from some dark corner? If you are, I'll be sure to put on a real show for you!'
Shen Anyu's gaze swept the surrounding street, a deliberately defiant and possessive expression hardening his handsome features. He wasn't just looking; he was probing, sending out a whisper of his senses, searching for any hint of a familiar, resentful aura.
'No reaction. Damn it, that cowardly little rat really is hiding deep.'
If that spineless Child of Destiny were lurking nearby, witnessing this scene—seeing his goddess's hand held so intimately by another man—it would have been a guaranteed payout of Destiny Points. But there was nothing. A flicker of annoyance passed through him.
Shen Anyu gave a mental shake of his head, too lazy to expend any more energy searching for the coward. He would deal with Yang Qiuchan first.
"Boss Yang, your delivery is here."
Just then, a middle-aged man in his forties pulled up on a worn electric bike, bringing a package to the restaurant's entrance. The side of the bike was emblazoned with the words 'Shunshun Express'.
"Old Zhang! Ah, perfect timing! I was just about to use this," Yang Qiuchan's father called out, hurrying forward with a friendly smile to accept the parcel.
Shen Anyu, however, felt his eyes narrow. He focused his attention on the deliveryman. The man was the picture of mediocrity—a plain face, ordinary clothes, a slightly stooped posture that spoke of a life of manual labor. He was the kind of person you would see a thousand times on the street and never remember. And yet… Shen Anyu noticed that the man's eyes were astonishingly bright, like polished obsidian containing distant stars.
Furthermore, Shen Anyu could feel it. Beneath that mundane shell, a powerful, disciplined energy coiled. It was an energy utterly out of place, like a dragon pretending to be a lizard.
'He doesn't feel like a Martial Arts Grandmaster,' Shen Anyu mused, his mind racing. 'His physical form is too relaxed. The energy is more refined, more… spiritual. It feels more like a powerful Artificer True Person…'
He considered the state of the world. Because of the thin, diluted spiritual energy in the atmosphere, the comprehensive cultivation paths of old were impossible. The world's ambient Qi simply couldn't support them. This forced modern cultivators into hyper-specialization. To advance, one had to pour all their resources into a single discipline. Martial Arts Grandmasters focused on honing the physical body and circulating inner energy. Artificer True Persons, however, focused purely on the spirit, on the mind, on the arcane arts.
This deliveryman's body seemed loose and unremarkable, but his eyes held an extraordinary depth and power. His spiritual cultivation had to be, at the very least, at the Artificer True Person level—a rank equivalent to, if not more dangerous than, a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
Men like that were masters of esoteric arts. They were highly sought after by the true upper echelons of society. They could read the flow of feng shui to alter fortunes, forge minor Magical Artifacts for protection, and command immense respect and wealth. A single consultation could earn them billions.
And yet, here was one such master, a powerhouse of the spiritual world, working as a common deliveryman for Shunshun Express, hauling packages for a living. There was absolutely something unusual about this.
'Is he a master of the Artificer world, hidden amongst the common masses to temper his heart and mind?'
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