Chapter 591: Ji Xiaolin's Wild Imagination! The Fish Takes the Bait!
After Zhang Zhiyun and the Tianshi Sect's matters were discussed, Zhang Tianen tactfully left, giving Ji Xiaolin some space.
Ji Xiaolin held the phone, the cold plastic feeling slick against her suddenly clammy palm. A deep hesitation rooted her to the spot. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken questions, the digital hum of the open line a stark contrast to the frantic beating of her own heart. She chewed on her lower lip, her mind racing. What should she say? How should she ask? The weight of her grandfather's words and the unsettling news about Zhang Zhiyun pressed down on her.
"What? Still want to inquire about Zhang Zhiyun?" Shen Anyu's voice, smooth and laced with a playful, teasing edge, finally broke the silence. It was as if he could see right through the phone line, perceiving her turmoil with unnerving accuracy.
The sound of his voice snapped her out of her stupor. Ji Xiaolin felt a flush of heat creep up her neck, a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. She snorted, her tone sharp and defensive to mask her inner vulnerability. "Who cares if Zhang Zhiyun lives or dies!"
The words came out more forcefully than she intended. A moment of panic followed. 'What if he thinks I'm callous? What if he misunderstands?' The thought was unbearable. Fearing that Shen Anyu would get the wrong impression, the proud and rebellious Ji Xiaolin found herself pursing her lips, her resolve crumbling. She had to explain. She needed him to understand.
"It was the Sect Leader of the Tianshi Sect who contacted the old man," she began, her voice softening slightly, losing its earlier bite. "That's the only reason my grandfather went looking for Zhang Zhiyun. And then, in his desperation, he even came to you. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother with that man. He and I… we were only haphazardly engaged by our families. We have no connection at all, not really." She took a shallow breath, her grip on the phone tightening. "Shen Anyu, don't misunderstand. If Zhang Zhiyun dies, so be it."
A low, amused chuckle echoed from the other end of the line. Shen Anyu found the entire situation deeply entertaining. The image of the fiercely proud Ji Xiaolin tripping over her words to explain herself to him was a delightful one. He made a mental note to play this phone recording for Zhang Zhiyun in the future, if the man's soul fragment was still coherent enough to appreciate it. The sheer emotional damage would be catastrophic, enough to make his spirit explode from pure indignation.
At that moment, Ji Xiaolin seemed to gather her courage. She took a deep, steadying breath, and when she spoke again, her voice carried a new, solemn weight that cut through their playful banter.
"Shen Anyu," she said, her tone serious, "when the old man investigated Zhang Zhiyun's villa, he discovered something. Zhang Zhiyun was attacked last night… by a Heavenly Human expert, one skilled in swordsmanship. And before that… it seems Zhang Zhiyun was performing some kind of dark ritual, using fierce ghosts to harm people. You…"
Her voice trailed off, the unspoken question hanging heavy in the air between them.
"Are you trying to ask if Zhang Zhiyun made a move against me?" Shen Anyu's reply was utterly calm, almost leisurely. There was no trace of alarm or anger in his voice, only a serene confidence that was both infuriating and reassuring. "He did. Zhang Zhiyun placed an Artificer True Person's mark on me and sent a host of fierce ghosts to my door in the middle of the night. But I had strong guards by my side. They were eliminated with ease."
The perceptive Ji Xiaolin immediately sensed the undercurrents in his casual dismissal. His tone was too relaxed, too controlled. He wasn't just telling her what happened; he was telling her he had it handled, that it was insignificant. She pieced together the fragments: a dark ritual, a targeted attack on Shen Anyu, and a powerful swordsman appearing at Zhang Zhiyun's villa immediately after. The conclusion was terrifyingly simple. After a long moment of silence, a quiet understanding settled over her. She spoke again, her voice barely a whisper, a vow.
"Shen Anyu, I won't tell anyone."
"You won't tell what?" he countered, his voice once again tinged with that infuriating, charming smile she could practically see.
"Oh, you!" Ji Xiaolin stomped her foot, a wave of indignant frustration washing over her. His deliberate obtuseness was maddening. "You know what I mean!" she huffed.
"Among the Heavenly Human experts skilled in swordsmanship in all of Yanxia, there are only two real possibilities," she began, her voice regaining its clarity as she laid out her deduction. "There's that old monster from Yanxia's Gu Clan, and then there's Fairy Pei from the Sword Palace. But the one from the Gu Clan is a reclusive eccentric; he couldn't possibly be at your command. And Fairy Pei… she lives in seclusion in a deep valley, completely removed from worldly affairs. She would never get involved in something like this to deal with Zhang Zhiyun for you."
She paused, letting the logic sink in. "That's why the old man and the people from the Tianshi Sect know you're a potential suspect, but they haven't actually suspected you. There's no evidence, no motive they can prove, no link to a known powerhouse."
"But," she continued, her voice dropping again, filled with a certainty that defied logic, "my intuition tells me that Zhang Zhiyun's disappearance is very likely related to you, even though it seems so improbable."
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. Ji Xiaolin's intuition was razor-sharp. She had cut through all the impossibilities and landed squarely on the truth. He let out a soft laugh.
"You guessed correctly."
"Eh? Eh?" Ji Xiaolin's beautiful eyes widened in utter disbelief. Her mind went blank. She had expected a denial, a clever deflection, anything but a direct, unadorned confession. For him to just… admit it? The sheer audacity of it left her breathless.
"Last night, Zhang Zhiyun secretly tried to harm me," Shen Anyu elaborated, his voice maintaining its steady, unbothered rhythm. He decided to tell her eighty percent of the truth, a version that would bind her closer to him. "So, I took my strong guards and went to retaliate in kind. We paid him a visit, and I broke one of his arms. Zhang Zhiyun managed to escape into the small river next to the villa. He should not be dead."
Listening to Shen Anyu's calm narration of such a violent and consequential event, Ji Xiaolin's emotions became a tangled mess. A profound shock warred with an unexpected, overwhelming warmth. He wasn't hiding anything from her. Zhang Zhiyun was the Young Sect Leader of the Tianshi Sect, a titan of the younger generation. His status was on par with Shen Anyu's as the Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan. The Tianshi Sect itself was a formidable behemoth, the undisputed leader of Yanxia's Artificer True Persons for a thousand years, possessing a foundation so deep it was almost unfathomable.
If word got out that Shen Anyu had personally attacked and maimed their heir, the Tianshi Sect and the Shen Clan would inevitably go to war. The fallout would shake the very foundations of Yanxia's martial world. And yet, for a matter of such monumental importance, Shen Anyu didn't hide a single detail from her. He trusted her that much? Wasn't he afraid she would leak the information? That she would tell her grandfather?
"Why would I hide it from you?" Shen Anyu's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, feigning surprise as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "You are my woman!"
"Who's your woman? Narcissist!" Ji Xiaolin retorted, her face instantly burning hot. The words were a knee-jerk defense, but they lacked any real venom. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. With a flustered squeak, she hung up the phone.
[Ding! Detected +1 favorability from Destined Heroine Ji Xiaolin, plundering +3000 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Detected total favorability of 90 from Destined Heroine Ji Xiaolin, extra plundering +50000 Destiny Points!]
…
Holding her phone, Ji Xiaolin's delicate and bright, melon-seed-shaped face was flushed an attractive shade of crimson. Her eyes, however, were filled with an obvious, sparkling joy.
'It's good that Shen Anyu was honest and didn't try to hide it,' she thought, a giddy smile playing on her lips. 'He knows how intelligent I am. He knew I would see through his involvement anyway.'
"Hmph, hmph, seeing as you performed so well, I'll reluctantly admit you're my man," she whispered to the empty room, her voice a mix of pride and affection.
She hummed a cheerful little tune for a few moments, pacing back and forth. But then, her steps slowed, and her pretty face gradually turned cold, the earlier joy replaced by a chilling frost.
"That scoundrel Zhang Zhiyun," she seethed, her hands balling into fists. "He actually had murderous intent towards my man. He tried to harm him. This girl will never let him off!"
A wave of pure, unadulterated rage washed over Ji Xiaolin. The thought that Zhang Zhiyun had nearly succeeded—that if it weren't for the powerful guards Shen Anyu mentioned, she and him might have been separated forever by life and death—sent a tremor of fear and fury through her.
Her heart was now filled with a genuine, murderous intent towards Zhang Zhiyun!
Immediately, Ji Xiaolin bit her lip, her graceful brows furrowing in deep concentration. The problem was that Zhang Zhiyun's strength was formidable, far beyond what she could currently handle. Her own talent was in no way inferior to his; in the few short years since her grandfather had returned home to guide her, she had already broken through to the Artificer True Person level. But that was the issue—she had only cultivated for a few years. Zhang Zhiyun had been training in the resource-rich Tianshi Sect for twenty long years. If she were given that same amount of time, she was confident she would be far stronger.
"Hmph, I'll find a way to get the old man to act," she muttered, a new plan beginning to form in her mind. "His future son-in-law was almost harmed! How can he not seek revenge on my behalf?"
A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "And if the old man refuses to act… I'll just tell him I'm pregnant with Shen Anyu's child. If Shen Anyu dies, then his daughter will follow, taking two lives with her. Let's see if he still has a daughter then!"
Ji Xiaolin planted her hands on her hips, shaking her head with a cute, smug expression. Her high ponytail swayed back and forth, a perfect picture of defiant confidence.
Watching this entire scene unfold through the feed of a nanometer monitoring robot, Shen Anyu felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He had to clap in silent admiration for Ji Xiaolin's wild, untamed imagination. He suddenly found himself looking forward to Zhang Tianen's reaction when she dropped that bombshell on him. The resulting chaos would probably be very entertaining.
A daughter married off is like spilled water, as the saying went. She wasn't even married yet, and her loyalty had already shifted so completely it was as if she'd been part of his family for years.
'I'll find an opportunity someday,' Shen Anyu mused, his eyes flickering with strategic light. 'I'll teach the Martial God Art to Ji Xiaolin, and to Zhang Tianen as well.'
He saw them as valuable assets. Ji Xiaolin and her grandfather both possessed excellent aptitudes for cultivation. Investing in them would yield significant returns. Ji Xiaolin herself was completely trustworthy now; a favorability of ninety meant she would stand with him through life and death without question. As for Zhang Tianen… that old fox was another matter. Would he truly make a move against the Tianshi Sect's heir for Shen Anyu's sake? This was the test.
If Zhang Tianen acted, proving his allegiance, Shen Anyu would reward him with the Martial God Art and cultivate him into a powerful ally.
"Teacher Shen~" A sweet, alluring voice pulled him from his thoughts. "I don't understand the Pythagorean theorem. How do you do obtuse angles?"
At that moment, Zhou Luyao, dressed in a pristine schoolgirl uniform, stretched out her words, making her voice extremely charming and seductive.
"Simple. I'll teach you," Shen Anyu responded with a warm smile, turning his full attention to her.
Imparting knowledge and resolving doubts was, after all, the sacred duty of a teacher. Zhou Luyao, being a recent university graduate, proved to be an exceptionally bright student. Her comprehension was remarkably high. After just one night of intensive, one-on-one instruction, she not only understood everything but could even extrapolate further principles on her own. Teacher Shen was immensely pleased with his pupil's progress.
The next morning, Shen Anyu left the villa where Zhou Luyao was staying with a joyful and satisfied expression on his face. He returned to Jinxiu Mountain Villa's Villa No. 1 to continue teaching Bai Bing cultivation. Teacher Shen was a man who never tired of imparting knowledge.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang, vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out to see an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen.
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow. Although it was an unfamiliar number without a name, he knew exactly who was calling.
The fish had taken the bait~
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