Chapter 533: Thanks to My Friend for the Assist!
At this moment, after Shen Anyu rebuked Ji Xiaolin, he shielded the embarrassed Ji Xiaolin behind him, then turned to Face the black-robed One-Eyed Old Man, and sneered, "One-Eyed Old Man, I don't know who this Zhang Zhiyun you speak of is, but he is not worthy to be compared with me, Shen Anyu."
"Hehe, kid, do you know who Zhang Zhiyun is?" The black-robed One-Eyed Old Man had originally intended to simply kill the man and seize the woman, but Shen Anyu's audacious words snagged his interest. The murderous pressure he exuded subsided slightly, replaced by a cold, predatory curiosity. His single, milky eye, a stark contrast to the shadowy void of the other socket, fixed on Shen Anyu with a mocking glint. He asked playfully, his voice a low, gravelly rasp, "Do you truly understand the weight of the name you so casually dismiss?"
To the Wan Fa Sect, Zhang Zhiyun was far more than a name; he was a specter of doom, a hidden blade poised to strike at their very foundation. He was once nothing more than a forgotten remnant of the fallen Hangzhou Zhang Family, a ghost of a bygone era. But fate, in its cruelest twist, had smiled upon him. He was discovered and taken as a personal disciple by the supreme Master of the Tianshi Sect, the Celestial Master Sect. Under that legendary tutelage, he was initiated into the profound depths of their Esoteric Arts, his talent blooming with terrifying speed. He had reached the Half-Step Celestial Master realm at an age that defied all convention.
When this earth-shattering intelligence was uncovered by the old man's most resourceful subordinate—complete with damning photographs of Zhang Zhiyun and Ji Xiaolin together at the airport—a tremor of genuine fear had rocked the entire Wan Fa Sect. A chilling dread settled over their ranks. Even their own leader, the Master of the Wan Fa Sect, a formidable Celestial Master of Esoteric Arts in his own right, had worn an expression of profound gravity upon hearing the news. The order had come from the Master himself: he, the Right Protector, was to handle this personally. The only reason the Master hadn't come himself was his current absence from Hangzhou. But he was already on his way, leading a contingent of the sect's most powerful experts, preparing to descend upon the city and eradicate the threat of Zhang Zhiyun once and for all.
This was the Tianshi Sect they were contending with. The very name commanded reverence and fear. They were the undisputed sovereigns of the Yanxia Esoteric Arts world, a thousand-year-old monolith whose power was absolute. Their ranks were teeming with experts, and they boasted more than just one or two Celestial Masters. They were a true behemoth. While they rarely interfered in the mundane worlds of politics, business, or military affairs, their transcendent status made them a force no lesser than the most powerful super-families in the nation.
And Zhang Zhiyun was their future. The Young Sect Leader. The heir apparent. The next Celestial Master. More importantly, he held an irreconcilable, blood-soaked grudge against the Wan Fa Sect—a feud born from the ashes of his family.
Ignorance had been bliss. But now that this existential threat had been exposed, how could the Wan Fa Sect possibly remain idle? They had to strike first. They had to kill him. After all, it wasn't the first or second time they'd found themselves on the Tianshi Sect's wanted list. They weren't afraid of further angering them; the consequences were already severe. A standard pursuit order was something they could handle. Escaping overseas, melting back into the shadows—these were arts they had perfected. But Zhang Zhiyun was different. His was a personal vendetta. If he ascended to power, he wouldn't just issue a warrant; he would hunt them to the ends of the earth. He would pursue them to the South Pole itself and grind their Wan Fa Sect into dust.
The black-robed One-Eyed Old Man's plan had been simple and brutal: capture Ji Xiaolin, Zhang Zhiyun's supposed fiancée, and use her as bait. Lure the snake from its hole, surround it, and crush its head.
And now, this arrogant youth had suddenly appeared, proclaiming himself superior to the very man who haunted his sect's nightmares? The absurdity was almost too much. A low, grinding chuckle escaped the old man's throat, a sound like stone grating against bone. He thought this boy was either a complete fool or suicidally brave.
Ji Xiaolin's expression was a whirlwind of conflict. While she despised the concept of arranged marriages, held a deep-seated resentment for the Tianshi Sect, and felt nothing but dislike for Zhang Zhiyun, she wasn't delusional. Deep down, she had to admit that he was an extraordinary figure, a prodigy of his generation.
'You idiot, what are you even doing?' she screamed internally, her heart pounding against her ribs. She was still fuming from the slap, but that anger was now being overshadowed by a rising tide of panic. 'How dare you hit me? No… wait… even if he's a pervert, he's not a bad person. He stood up for me. I can't just stand here and let him die.'
A soft, almost inaudible sigh escaped her lips. Steeling herself, she prepared to step forward, to plead with the One-Eyed Old Man, to offer herself up if it meant he would spare Shen Anyu's life.
But before she could move, Shen Anyu just smiled, his expression one of supreme, almost casual confidence. "I am Shen Anyu, the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family. How's that? Is that identity sufficient for you?"
He didn't wait for an answer, his voice calm and steady as he delivered the second blow. "And my mother is the eldest daughter of the Yanxia An Family. My maternal grandfather is An Youmin. Is that identity enough?"
As the final syllable left his lips, Shen Anyu nonchalantly retrieved his phone and, with a flick of his thumb, displayed a few family photos. The images were clear, obvious proof of his words.
The black-robed One-Eyed Old Man's face, already a mask of cruel amusement, twisted violently. The change was instantaneous and dramatic. The Yanxia Shen Family. The Yanxia An Family. These were not names one uttered lightly. Each was a titan in its own right, a behemoth whose influence was no less profound than that of the Tianshi Sect, albeit in different arenas. The Shen Family held immense sway in the worlds of politics and commerce. The An Family was a pillar of the military establishment. And the Tianshi Sect reigned supreme in the world of Esoteric Arts. They were the absolute rulers of their respective domains.
A cold sweat beaded on the old man's brow. His sect had already provoked a death feud with the future leader of the Tianshi Sect. If they now added the heirs of the Shen and An families to their list of enemies, it would be catastrophic. The Wan Fa Sect's foundations might be overseas, but a combined, all-out assault from these three giants would be an inescapable nightmare. They could hide at the ends of the earth, bury themselves in the darkest corners of the world, but there would be no good end for them. There would be no escape.
The Wan Fa Sect, for all its rampant evil and shadowy dealings, was not suicidal. They understood the food chain. They did not wish to provoke powers so terrifying that they could be erased with a single, unified command. A grudge like the one with Zhang Zhiyun was unavoidable—a matter of survival, an endless feud born of extermination. But this? This was different. There was a vast chasm between offending a power and offending them to the point of utter annihilation. The former meant some trouble, a period of laying low abroad, avoiding the limelight—things they were accustomed to. The latter meant a relentless, world-spanning manhunt, a war from which there was no retreat, forcing them to vanish from the face of the earth forever.
Ji Xiaolin stared at Shen Anyu, her expression unreadable. She hadn't expected him to possess such an astounding background, but the revelation didn't faze her much. She was a woman who resisted being betrothed to the future Master of the Tianshi Sect; she cared little for power, wealth, or status.
But as she replayed the moment he had stepped in front of her, a strange warmth bloomed in her chest. For a man of such prominent identity to throw himself into danger for a near-stranger… he truly was… a big idiot! A reckless, infuriating, and undeniably brave idiot.
[Ding! Detected that the Destined Heroine Ji Xiaolin's favorability has increased by +30. Plundering +90,000 Destiny Points!]
The black-robed One-Eyed Old Man's face was a thundercloud of frustration. He felt trapped, his mission suddenly fraught with impossible complications. This young man was backed by two of the nation's most powerful super-families. Feeling utterly cornered, he forced the words out through clenched teeth, his voice strained. "Young Master Shen, our Wan Fa Sect will give face to the Yanxia Shen Family and the Yanxia An Family. You may leave. But this woman is indeed Zhang Zhiyun's fiancée. She cannot be allowed to go."
Hearing this, the color drained from Ji Xiaolin's lovely face. A flicker of bitterness and resignation crossed her beautiful eyes. So, she still couldn't escape her fate. Yet, a part of her felt a profound sense of relief. At least Shen Anyu was safe. At least she wouldn't be responsible for dragging an innocent person down with her.
Shen Anyu, however, erupted with a theatrical display of fury. "Old geezer, what absolute nonsense are you spouting? Ji Xiaolin is clearly my fiancée! Who the hell is Zhang Zhiyun?"
Before anyone could react to his outburst, Shen Anyu moved. He spun around, slid a possessive arm around Ji Xiaolin's impossibly slender waist, and pulled her flush against him. He leaned down, his face closing the distance in an instant, and captured her soft, rosy lips with his own.
"Mmph—!"
Ji Xiaolin's beautiful eyes flew wide with shock. A wave of heat rushed to her cheeks as her mind went completely blank. Her first instinct was to struggle, to shove him away, but out of the corner of her eye, she felt the sinister, scrutinizing gaze of the One-Eyed Old Man. She froze, not daring to make a move that might expose the lie. All she could do was glare at Shen Anyu, her eyes burning with a mixture of profound shame and incandescent rage.
'You big idiot! Did you really have to take it this far?! You're so obviously just taking advantage of me! You just wait! This girl will definitely, absolutely stomp you to death later!!!'
The black-robed One-Eyed Old Man watched the scene unfold, his single eye narrowed in confusion. A seed of doubt was planted in his mind. Could they have actually made a mistake? Was this all a massive misunderstanding? Was this Ji Xiaolin not Zhang Zhiyun's fiancée at all, but the woman of the Yanxia Shen Family's Young Master?
At that moment, the subordinate who had been standing behind him like a ghost, the very same man who had been acting as Shen Anyu's plant, received his unspoken cue. He quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the black-robed One-Eyed Old Man. "Protector," he whispered, his voice laced with certainty, "your subordinate is absolutely sure he heard correctly. While monitoring them at Hangzhou Airport, the listening device picked up Zhang Zhiyun himself saying that Ji Xiaolin was his fiancée!"
He paused, then added thoughtfully, "Perhaps… this Ji Xiaolin is two-timing them."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaolin's apricot eyes widened even further, her pretty face flushing with pure rage. Two-timing? She wasn't two-timing anyone! Neither the damned Zhang Zhiyun nor this infuriating idiot Shen Anyu was her man!
The subordinate then shot a subtle, knowing glance at Shen Anyu before turning back to the One-Eyed Old Man, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Protector, this might actually make luring out Zhang Zhiyun even simpler."
"Why don't we just send this Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family and this Ji Xiaolin to a hotel room together? We send the photos to Zhang Zhiyun. There is no man alive who could tolerate that kind of humiliation. He will definitely come."
"Then, we set our ambush and kill him!"
The suggestion hung in the air, thick and venomous. A cruel light ignited in the One-Eyed Old Man's eye as the pieces clicked into place. This was a perfect solution. He turned his sinister gaze upon Shen Anyu and Ji Xiaolin, a wicked smile spreading across his lips.
"Young Master Shen, you wouldn't want this old man to forcefully take action, would you?"
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