Chapter 595: That's it? He still wants to say thank you!
"Yes, Young Master Zhao." Several bodyguards from the Zhao family were about to act upon hearing this.
"Stop, don't hit him anymore!"
Zhang Yaqian's voice cut through the tension, sharp and urgent. She finally snapped out of her daze, her exquisitely beautiful face a canvas of deep worry and disbelief as she quickly moved to stop them.
The scene had unfolded with dizzying speed. She had been completely stunned, never imagining that Zhao Tao, her fiancé, would not only rush over but immediately start spewing curses at Master Shen. She hadn't even had a moment to process the absurdity of it all, to grab Zhao Tao and force him to apologize, before the unthinkable happened. Master Shen, who always carried an air of profound calm and the bearing of a true master, had simply gestured, and his subordinate had struck Zhao Tao down without a shred of hesitation.
Her gaze fell upon Zhao Tao, and her heart clenched. His face was already swelling into a grotesque mask, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth where several teeth had been violently knocked out. The sight was shocking, and a cold dread washed over her.
Zhao Tao wasn't just anyone. He was the sole heir to Zhao Chenguang, the chairman of the formidable Chenguang Group and a man who ranked among Hangzhou's top ten wealthiest individuals. Zhao Chenguang was notoriously protective of his son, doting on him to an extreme. By striking Zhao Tao, Master Shen hadn't just caused a minor scuffle; he had kicked a hornet's nest of immense proportions. He had truly, deeply gotten himself into trouble this time.
A knot of anxiety tightened in Zhang Yaqian's stomach. Seeing the situation spiraling rapidly out of control, she immediately stepped forward, placing herself between the glowering bodyguards and Shen Anyu, her hands raised in a placating gesture as she desperately tried to mediate.
"Misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding…"
"Misunderstanding?" The word was spat out through a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. Zhao Tao, for the first time in his life, directed his fury squarely at Zhang Yaqian. The humiliation was a physical agony. Even the most devoted simp has a breaking point, and the brutal, unexpected beatdown had shattered his. He staggered to his feet, his voice a venomous growl. "Zhang Yaqian, you are my fiancée! You belong to me, Zhao Tao! Are you actually going to protect this wild man?"
"What wild man?" The accusation stung. Zhang Yaqian's delicate brows knitted together, and a flicker of genuine anger ignited on her normally serene face. The sheer disrespect was galling. How dare Zhao Tao get angry at her? "Zhao Tao, your words are too harsh! This is Master Shen! The very same Master Shen who saved my life!"
The force of her retort, the flash of anger in her eyes, was like a bucket of ice water thrown on Zhao Tao's rage. The goddess was angry. He immediately cowered, the furious momentum draining out of him. A sliver of doubt pierced through the red haze of his anger. 'Could it be… did I really misunderstand?'
Zhang Yaqian had no desire for Zhao Tao and Shen Anyu to clash any further. Seeing that his initial, explosive fury had subsided, her expression softened, the hard edge in her voice melting away as her sweet, gentle tone returned.
"Zhao Tao, Master Shen was just reading my palm. It's not what you were thinking. You misunderstood the situation."
"Reading palms?" The words were like fuel on a smoldering fire. Zhao Tao's glare shot toward Shen Anyu, filled with contempt. 'Palm reading? What kind of cheap, sleazy trick is that? Isn't that the oldest line in the book for scamming innocent young girls?' He was certain of it now. Zhang Yaqian was too naive, too pure. She had been completely deceived by this handsome, silver-tongued pretty boy, this absolute charlatan masquerading as some kind of master.
Meeting Zhao Tao's venomous gaze, Shen Anyu simply tilted his head, a faint, unbothered smile playing on his lips. The expression was infuriatingly calm, as if he were observing a child's tantrum.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhao Tao is extremely annoyed, plundering +6666 Destiny Points!]
...
Zhao Tao was seething, his insides churning with a potent cocktail of rage and humiliation. But in front of his goddess, his fiancée, he couldn't let his anger explode again. The last thing he wanted was to upset Zhang Yaqian further. He clamped down on his fury, swallowing the bitter taste of blood and indignation.
Seeing the stubborn disbelief etched on Zhao Tao's swollen face, Zhang Yaqian knew she had to convince him before he did something even more foolish. Not wanting him to continue clashing with a man whose capabilities she now deeply respected, she spoke softly, her voice earnest.
"Yesterday, Daddy and I met Master Shen. Just from a brief glance, Master Shen said I would encounter a bloody disaster. He gave me a talisman and told me it was worth one hundred million. Not long after we left, a terrible car accident happened. It was exactly as he predicted. If it weren't for that talisman's protection, I would probably be in a hospital bed right now, or I might have even… lost my life. After saving me, that talisman just… it turned directly into Ash…"
"What? Something like that actually exists?" Zhao Tao was completely stunned. The words hit him like a physical blow, shaking his cynical worldview to its core. In his previous life, every so-called master he had ever heard of was nothing more than a swindler, a cheap con artist. Could there really be such a miraculous master in this world? A prediction so chillingly accurate? A talisman worth a hundred million that could genuinely save a life?
"Of course! Daddy and I witnessed it with our own eyes. Master Shen is a true master, a man of real and terrifying abilities!" Zhang Yaqian's almond eyes were fixed on Shen Anyu, shimmering with a profound respect and admiration that bordered on worship.
Yet, a part of Zhao Tao remained unconvinced. The image of Shen Anyu holding her hand, the act of "reading palms," still grated on his nerves. It felt like a violation, like this man was taking advantage of her trust. He stubbornly questioned:
"So, Shen! What did you see from reading her palm, then?"
Shen Anyu didn't even grant him the dignity of a glance, let alone a response. He simply maintained his serene posture, as if Zhao Tao were nothing more than a buzzing fly, an irrelevant noise in the background.
"You…" The silent dismissal was more infuriating than any insult. Zhao Tao felt his blood pressure spike, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Zhao Tao, you must be respectful to Master Shen." Zhang Yaqian's delicate brows furrowed again, her voice laced with sharp dissatisfaction. She looked at Zhao Tao as if he were a disobedient child. "Master Shen is a true master. More than that, he saved my life. You will be more polite to him."
The public admonishment, the command to be polite to the man who had just ordered him beaten, was the final straw. It was a dagger to his heart.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhao Tao is heartbroken, plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhao Tao is utterly aggrieved, plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
...
Zhao Tao felt his already swollen cheeks burn with a new, hotter wave of shame. The pain in his mouth became a furious ache, his jaw throbbing with impotent rage. He was utterly defeated.
Seeing him standing there, broken and miserable, a flicker of pity stirred in Zhang Yaqian's heart. Her expression softened.
"Zhao Tao, why don't you go to the hospital first?"
In this whole affair, she still felt that Zhao Tao was the one who had been rude and wrong from the start. But seeing him beaten into such a pathetic state, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. She wasn't particularly satisfied with him as her fiancé, but a connection had formed over time. Even raising a dog develops feelings, let alone a person who had been by her side for so long. Besides, it was in her nature to be kind.
Meeting the concerned gaze of his goddess, Zhao Tao's spirits, which had hit rock bottom, suddenly soared. It was as if a magical spell had been cast, nullifying all his pain. He straightened up, a wobbly smile stretching his bruised lips. He waved a dismissive hand, trying to project an image of masculine toughness.
"It's nothing. A minor matter."
"Are you sure it's nothing?"
"Nothing at all! What are a few injuries to a man?"
Looking at Zhao Tao desperately feigning composure, his face a swollen mess, Zhang Yaqian found it a little amusing, but she was kind enough not to expose his fragile act. She said softly, "I'll ask my family to bring some medicine over. Would you like me to apply it for you?"
The offer was like a divine proclamation. Zhao Tao was ecstatic, his heart hammering in his chest. Zhang Yaqian wanted to apply medicine for him? A wave of incredible pleasure washed over him, completely eclipsing the pain and humiliation. In that moment, he felt that this beating was absolutely, one hundred percent worth it.
"Why go to all that trouble? Since this was all just a misunderstanding, let's bury the hatchet." At this moment, Shen Anyu, who had been standing silently to the side, finally spoke. His voice was calm, carrying a faint, unreadable smile. He looked utterly composed, as if the entire violent episode had been a mild diversion. Then, under the astonished gazes of both Zhao Tao and Zhang Yaqian, he casually waved his hand. A stream of clear, shimmering light shot from his fingertips and landed squarely on Zhao Tao.
Instantly, the impossible happened. The grotesque swelling on Zhao Tao's face visibly receded, the purple and blue bruises fading away as if being wiped clean by an invisible hand. Even more miraculously, he felt a strange, tingling sensation in his gums, and the empty sockets where his teeth had been knocked out began to fill. New, perfect teeth grew in their place in a matter of seconds.
"This… this… this…" Zhao Tao's mouth hung open. He tentatively touched his face, then ran his tongue over the smooth, solid enamel of his brand-new teeth. His eyes were wide with shock, his jaw practically on the floor.
Zhang Yaqian's delicate face was a mask of stunned silence. She watched the scene unfold before her, her mind unable to process the sheer impossibility of what she was witnessing.
The bodyguards and the crowd of onlookers who had gathered nearby were equally frozen in disbelief. A few seconds of dead silence passed, and then, as if a dam had broken, the crowd erupted like a boiling pot, their voices rising in a cacophony of shock and awe.
"A true master! This is a true master!"
"My heavens! The legendary ability to regrow flesh and bone… it actually happened right before my eyes! I've seen a living immortal today!"
"Hiss… I once had the honor of seeing a high-ranking practitioner from the Esoteric Arts World. He was a Grandmaster of Esoteric Arts, and his divine abilities were vast and incredible. But his feats were nothing compared to this! Healing injuries and regrowing teeth with a mere wave of the hand… the difference is like that between heaven and earth!"
...
With such an astonishing, reality-bending scene unfolding before their very eyes, every single person now looked at Shen Anyu with a burning fervor and reverence usually reserved for gods.
They had seen a true master!
Shen Anyu's smile remained faint, but there was a flicker of private amusement in his heart. This Two-Aspects Life-Death Mystical Light was a profound technique that could either kill or save. To perform this miracle of healing, he had simply extracted a portion of Zhao Tao's own vitality and repurposed it. A simple transaction, really. It would probably cost Zhao Tao at least three to five years of his natural lifespan. He wondered if Zhao Tao would still feel it was a fair trade if he knew the truth.
"Master Shen, Zhao Tao was offensive earlier!" Zhao Tao reacted. Without Zhang Yaqian needing to say anything more, he quickly bowed to Shen Anyu, his expression fervent.
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