Chapter 814: A Wave of Profit
'For the young master of a top aristocratic family, he's surprisingly approachable, even unassuming,'Chen Yuhua mused, her gaze analytical.'His character is quite admirable. Combine that with his looks and abilities, and it's no wonder Nannan took a liking to him. The only flaw seems to be his... proclivity for female company...'
Her eyes swept over to Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin, who stood a short distance away, before she closed the gap with Shen Anyu.
"Shen An, thank you for helping Qingqing."
"It was nothing. With you here, Qingqing was never in any real danger," Shen Anyu replied with a faint smile, deflecting the credit.
A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Yuhua's face as he used her given name, her delicate brows knitting together for a moment before relaxing. She accepted the familiarity and stated calmly, "I am a person who is clear about my debts, both of gratitude and of vengeance. Since you helped Qingqing, I will aid you once in the future. Consider this favor repaid."
"Qingqing, let's go."
With that, Chen Yuhua turned and strode away.
Lin Qingqing shrank back, her voice a pitiable whine as she looked at Shen Anyu. "Handsome Brother, we'll see each other again... Wah, Master Chen is definitely going to chew me out..."
"Qingqing!" Chen Yuhua's voice called out, sharp and impatient.
"Oh! Coming, coming!"
Lin Qingqing's face was a mask of misery as she scurried on her short legs, chasing after her master's towering figure.
The sight of the 1.98-meter-tall Chen Yuhua leading the diminutive, 1.52-meter-tall Lin Qingqing away was a study in contrasts that Shen Anyu found quietly amusing. One was a towering Amazonian figure, the other small enough to be tucked under an arm.
Chen Yuhua's legs, reminiscent of a supermodel's, were easily 1.3 meters long—slender and straight, yet radiating a formidable power. Little Lin Qingqing's head barely reached her master's waist.
'Securing a favor from Master Chen and boosting Lin Qingqing's favorability by forty points... This has been an unexpectedly profitable exchange,' Shen Anyu thought with a private smile.
He understood Chen Yuhua's character well. Though she presented a cold exterior, she was a woman of her word, scrupulous about repaying debts. Since she had promised to return his favor, she undoubtedly would. As for how and when, that was entirely at her discretion.
Even the act of repayment would be on her terms. When she felt the debt was settled, it was settled. She could not be swayed by emotional appeals or guilt, her state of mind utterly impervious to external influence.
It was telling that neither he nor Chen Yuhua had used the word 'save,'only'help.' Both knew that with Chen Yuhua present, Lin Qingqing would never have been in mortal peril. The poisonous mushroom powder hadn't even touched her, and even if it had, it would have been a trivial matter for someone of Chen Yuhua's caliber to handle.
Shen Anyu drew his gaze back, letting it fall upon Qin Erhu and the other ruffians writhing on the ground. He gave a casual order into the air. "Notify the nearest Special Department. Have them come collect the bodies."
"Yes, Young Master," a respectful voice answered from the shadows as one of his family's guards acknowledged the command.
A gift-wrapped achievement for a few fugitive thugs with a modicum of martial skill. The officer at the nearest Special Department outpost sounded practically giddy when he took the call, promising to arrive at once. Shen Anyu's status as a Special Consultant only added to the urgency.
Qin Erhu and his men had possessed antidotes, but with a subtle flick of his wrist, Shen An had sent the toxic mushroom powder coursing through their systems. They never even had the chance to reach for their pockets. It was a truly pathetic end.
Shen Anyu paid the petty criminals no further mind. If not for Lin Qingqing, he wouldn't have wasted a single glance on them.
Just as he turned to walk toward Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin, a ragged voice croaked from behind him. "S-save... save me... I know... a great secret..."
It was Qin Erhu's faint cry for help. He didn't want to die. He absolutely did not want to die. But now, he lacked even the strength to pull the antidote from his own pocket. Any longer, and it would be too late.
"A great secret?" Liu Ruyan drifted closer. Hearing his words, her foxy eyes lifted. "What great secret?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"A secret... deep within the Qinling Mountains. Save me... and I'll tell you. The antidote... it's in my pocket," Qin Erhu gasped, clinging to this newfound hope of survival.
A great secret deep within the Qinling Mountains?
Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin both turned their gazes to Shen Anyu, awaiting their man's decision.
Qin Erhu was momentarily stunned by the otherworldly beauty of the two women, but the primal urge to live quickly took over. His eyes, wide with a desperate plea for survival, fixed on Shen Anyu.
"Save you?" Shen Anyu tilted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Qin Erhu nodded frantically, all traces of his earlier ferocity gone.
"No," Shen Anyu said, a pleasant smile gracing his lips.
Qin Erhu stared, dumbfounded. 'He doesn't have any curiosity at all?'
But the agonizing pain of the poison spreading through his veins left him no time for pride. He blurted out, "It involves... the legendary immortals—"
The onlookers instinctively strained to hear more.
But before he could finish, the light in Qin Erhu's eyes dimmed. His head slumped forward, and his breath ceased.
Shen Anyu's foot had descended in a light, almost gentle stomp. The single, understated movement snuffed out Qin Erhu's life, and in the same seamless motion, Shen Anyu plucked the man's soul from his cooling corpse and began a soul search.
He had countless ways to obtain information; there was no need to waste time bargaining with the likes of Qin Erhu. The super-divine skill, Six Senses Control, was the perfect tool for a swift and silent interrogation.
"What a pity. He's dead," Shen Anyu said, shaking his head as he addressed Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin. "Let's go."
Liu Ruyan's charming eyes studied Shen Anyu with a hint of suspicion, but she simply hummed in agreement without a word.
As Shen Anyu led the two women deeper into the Qinling Mountains, he processed the information and scenes he had just extracted from Qin Erhu's soul.
One image, in particular, had captured his attention: a woman, a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
She wore an emerald green robe with a cinched waist and simple black cloth shoes, her appearance elegant and immaculate, as if untouched by the dust of the mortal world. The robe, drawn tight, drew attention to a waist so slender it looked as if it could be encircled by a single pair of hands, accentuating the full, rounded curve of her hips below. The sight of that slender waist and pert backside alone was enough to classify her as a devastating beauty.
Her face was a masterpiece of classical beauty, its proportions perfect, every feature flawlessly arranged on a delicate, oval canvas.
At that moment, Qin Erhu had been utterly mesmerized. 'How could such a woman exist in the mortal realm?' he had thought.
What surprised him even more, however, was that this vision of beauty appeared to be chasing someone, flitting through the treetops with impossible grace. Fragments of words had drifted down from the air, mentions of "Immortals" and "Opportunity."
Unfortunately, Qin Erhu couldn't keep up. Within moments, the green-robed beauty had vanished from sight. He had been convinced he'd stumbled upon a mountain fairy, so beautiful and capable of treading on leaves as if they were solid ground.
Shen Anyu shook his head at Qin Erhu's ignorance. She was merely a Grandmaster. A martial artist at the Master realm could easily perform the feat of treading on leaves, let alone a Grandmaster. Experts at the Heavenly Human realm could even walk on air without assistance—it was one of the hallmarks of their level, though they couldn't sustain it for long.
Shen Anyu recognized that green-robed beauty. If Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin had seen her, they would have recognized her as well.
It was the Goddess Doctor, Murong Jieyu, the third of Sword God Ye Linyuan's seven Senior Sisters. This made her not only his own Senior Sister but also a Senior Sister to Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin.
'So, Murong Jieyu has been deep in the Qinling Mountains for a month, all for some kind of Opportunity. Is it a Cultivator's Opportunity? Or a Land Immortal's Opportunity?'Shen Anyu pondered the possibilities. If it was related to Cultivation, his interest was piqued. If it was merely for a breakthrough to the Land Immortal realm, he was far less concerned.'And who was she chasing? Someone trying to steal her Opportunity?'
A thoughtful glint appeared in Shen Anyu's eyes. He shook his head slightly. He would find out soon enough when he got there.
He then produced the Seeking Person Compass. From Liu Ruyan, he had acquired a small strip of black silk that belonged to Murong Jieyu. He placed it on the compass's surface and activated it...
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