Chapter 605: Taking a Risk!
"Master Shen, what if I also spend one hundred million to buy a Peace Talisman from you?" Zhao Tao felt a pang in his heart. Although he thought it was crazy to buy a Peace Talisman for one hundred million—something he wouldn't have even dreamed of in his previous life—this life he was a rich second-generation heir with Zhang Yaqian, a pure and noble fiancée. His future life was extremely wonderful, and he didn't want to die.
Even without mentioning Chenguang Group, the classic songs and film scripts he possessed were of immense value. One hundred million, then one hundred million it is. A small price to pay for a life brimming with limitless potential.
Shen Anyu shook his head.
That simple, almost casual gesture landed on Zhao Tao like a physical blow. The air in his lungs vanished, and a deathly chill seized his heart, spreading through his veins like ice. The entire world seemed to shrink down to that single, silent refusal. He trembled from head to toe, the blood draining from his face, leaving behind a waxy, pale mask of terror. 'He won't sell it to me? He won't sell it?!' The thought screamed through his mind, a feedback loop of pure panic. Did this mean the situation was so dire, the threat so overwhelming, that even one of Master Shen's miraculous talismans was useless? Was he already a dead man walking?
The swagger of a transmigrator, the confidence of a billionaire heir—it all evaporated into nothing. Zhao Tao felt an overwhelming urge to collapse, to drop to his knees and desperately clutch Shen Anyu's leg, begging, pleading, crying for him to save his life. The ambitions that had burned so brightly just moments before—singing on stage, basking in the limelight, charming beautiful women—were now just ashes in his mouth. All that mattered was survival.
Shen Anyu watched the man's complete and utter breakdown with a cold, detached sneer playing in his thoughts. A flicker of emotion, not pity but a profound sense of validation, surfaced within him. This was the chasm between power and wealth, laid bare for all to see. In this life, Zhao Tao commanded a fortune of hundreds of billions, a figure that could make nations tremble. But in the face of true, absolute power—the kind that could decide life and death with a word—what was it all worth? Nothing.
If not for the strict order and iron-fisted security of Yanxia, a veritable forbidden zone for the world's dark forces, a man like Zhao Tao, possessing such immense wealth without the strength to protect it, would have been devoured long ago. He was a sheep fattened for the slaughter. Out in the wider world, the truly ancient and powerful families didn't just have money; they commanded armies of their own. Their foundations were built not on stocks and bonds, but on generations of cultivators, martial artists, artificers, ninjas, and ability users—legacies of power passed down through centuries, even millennia. Wealth was a tool; power was the hand that wielded it.
"Master Shen, please! Please, sell me a Peace Talisman!" Zhao Tao's voice was a ragged, desperate plea, his face contorted in a pitiful mask of fear. "If one hundred million isn't enough, I'll give you two hundred million! Please!"
Shen Anyu remained silent, his expression unreadable, letting the weight of his refusal crush the other man's spirit.
Zhang Yaqian's intelligent eyes darted between Zhao Tao's pathetic display and Shen Anyu's calm demeanor. A thought suddenly clicked into place, and she spoke, her voice clear and steady.
"Zhao Tao, you're mistaken. What do you mean by 'buy'? One does not simply buy a sacred object. You should be humbly asking to 'invite' a Peace Talisman from Master Shen for protection."
Shen Anyu's gaze shifted to her, a flicker of amusement dancing in their depths. She was sharp.
Her words were like a lifeline. Zhao Tao's eyes widened in sudden, dawning comprehension. He scrambled to correct himself, his posture almost bowing.
"Master Shen, Master Shen, you're right! I was wrong! I wish to offer two hundred million as a sincere donation to invite a Peace Talisman into my life. Please, be merciful. Please grant me this chance."
"Yes, Master Shen, please help Zhao Tao," Zhang Yaqian added, her voice soft. Though she found her fiancé's behavior increasingly distasteful, her innate kindness made it impossible for her to stand by and watch him walk toward his doom.
Shen Anyu, however, ignored Zhao Tao completely. His gaze locked onto Zhang Yaqian, a profound depth in his eyes that seemed to see straight into her soul. He spoke slowly, each word deliberate and heavy.
"Zhang Yaqian, do you know that it is not only Zhao Tao who is shrouded in a storm of dark clouds? You are as well. And my craft is draining; I can only successfully draw a single Peace Talisman each day. I have only one to give. It can go to you, or it can go to him. Tell me… do you still want me to give it to him?"
As he finished, his eyes slid back to the trembling Zhao Tao, a faint, predatory curiosity on his face.
"Well, Zhao Tao? It's your decision. Tell me, should I give this one chance at life to you… or to your fiancée, Zhang Yaqian?"
The question hung in the air, sharp and cruel as a shard of ice. Zhang Yaqian's small, palm-sized face, a canvas of pure innocence, instantly lost all its color. Her own life was in danger? And there was only one talisman? One choice?
Zhao Tao's face turned a ghastly shade of white, his lips trembling as he tried to form words. A part of him, the noble hero he imagined himself to be, screamed to give the talisman to Zhang Yaqian. To be selfless, to be the man she deserved. But the words caught in his throat, strangled by a far more primal, all-consuming fear.
Shen Anyu's power was no longer an abstract concept. It was terrifyingly real. While the story of the car accident was secondhand from Zhang Yaqian, his own experience was obvious. He had felt Shen Anyu's energy course through him, instantly mending his shattered bones and even regrowing his teeth from the gums. This was a man who wielded the power of a god. That simple paper talisman wasn't just a charm; it was a guaranteed life. A shield against fate itself.
His mind flashed with images of the future he was so close to grasping. A transmigrator from a parallel world, he'd been given the ultimate cheat code—a dream start. A family fortune of hundreds of billions was his to inherit. His mind was a treasure trove of classic songs and blockbuster scripts, a guaranteed ticket to becoming the undisputed king of the entertainment industry. Legions of beauties awaited him. The Heavenly Queen Zhong Lingyin, the rising starlet Wen Feifei, the icy Xu Ruoxue, the vibrant Zhou Minmin… he envisioned having them all, one by one.
To die now? To have all of that ripped away? It was unthinkable. Everything would turn to dust, gone forever. He would die without even having the chance to spend a fraction of his inheritance. The sheer, agonizing waste of it all was a physical pain in his chest.
If it were anything else—a car, a mansion, a billion dollars—he would have given it to Zhang Yaqian in a heartbeat, patting his chest and earning her adoration. But this… this was his very existence.
Zhang Yaqian watched the war playing out on Zhao Tao's face. She saw the hesitation, the naked selfishness clouding his eyes, and a profound wave of disappointment washed over her. It was cold and bitter. Intellectually, she understood. It was human nature to want to live. But seeing it so starkly, seeing him choose himself over her without a second thought, fractured something deep inside her. The already thin bond of affection they shared as fiancés developed a deep, irreparable crack.
[System Alert: The emotional connection with Child of Destiny Zhao Tao has suffered a major fissure. Plundering 66,666 Destiny Points!]
…
"Master Shen, you can only draw one Peace Talisman per day," Zhang Yaqian began, her voice regaining its composure as she looked directly into Shen Anyu's handsome face. A confident, almost playful smile touched her lips. Suddenly, her mind felt incredibly clear, a flash of insight cutting through the tension. "So… does that mean you might have some in stock from previous days?"
Shen Anyu met her gaze with open approval. Her intelligence and quick thinking were genuinely impressive. He returned her smile.
"Naturally, I do."
Zhang Yaqian visibly relaxed, patting her ample chest as a genuine sigh of relief escaped her. The tension in her shoulders melted away.
Zhao Tao, hearing this, was overcome with joy. Eager to repair the damage he'd just done, he puffed out his chest and declared magnanimously, "Master Shen, I will offer four hundred million to invite two Peace Talismans! One for myself, and one for Yaqian!"
He'd even doubled the price, fearing Shen Anyu might refuse. The four hundred million stung, but he was certain the future masterpieces stored in his mind would earn him back that and a thousand times more.
"There's no need," Zhang Yaqian said, her tone carrying a distinct chill. "I will invite my own."
[System Alert: Child of Destiny Zhao Tao is experiencing intense frustration. Plundering 9,999 Destiny Points!]
…
Zhao Tao's face fell, turning pale with regret. He knew he had failed the test. His hesitation had thoroughly disappointed Zhang Yaqian, and a seed of resentment was now growing toward Shen Anyu as well. Why couldn't the man have just said he had spares from the beginning?
Zhang Yaqian, for her part, no longer wished to even look at Zhao Tao. She turned her full attention to Shen Anyu, her lovely apricot eyes softening as she met his gaze, her pink lips parting slightly.
"Master Shen, Zhang Yaqian wishes to reverently invite a Peace Talisman for protection. Please, grant me this favor."
"No problem."
Shen Anyu was the picture of agreeability, readily consenting to her request. He reached into his pocket and produced two folded yellow talismans, handing one to Zhang Yaqian and the other to Zhao Tao, completely unconcerned about whether they would actually pay.
As for dealing with Zhao Tao? The thought brought a cold, deep light to Shen Anyu's eyes. The time for his complete and utter downfall was fast approaching.
…
"Four hundred million… for two pieces of paper? Are those two complete idiots?"
Huddled in a shadowy corner of the venue, Tanaka Hikaru heard everything. With the enhanced hearing of an Artificer True Person, the conversation reached him with perfect clarity despite the dozens of meters separating them. His expression twisted into a strange mix of disbelief and envy.
Even for a master like him, earning money wasn't this easy. Not legally, anyway. He could certainly use his powers for illicit means, but the Yanxia Special Department was ruthlessly efficient. They would detect his spiritual signature and hunt him down like a dog. A minor offense would mean rotting in a specialized prison for life; a major one meant immediate, on-the-spot execution.
Tanaka Hikaru focused his senses, pushing his spiritual power out in a subtle, invisible wave to scan the items. Again and again, he probed. The two talismans were completely inert. Not a single glimmer of spiritual light, no fluctuation of energy. He then scanned the young man, Shen Anyu, and found nothing there either. No aura, no hidden power, nothing that marked him as an Artificer True Person.
'Damn it all,' he cursed internally, a venomous jealousy rising in his gut. 'In this day and age, a common swindler makes more money than a genuine master of the spiritual arts. If I had his talent for scamming, why the hell would I have endured decades of painstaking, torturous training?'
The thought of it was profoundly depressing. Two worthless pieces of paper had just earned four hundred million. With that kind of money, he wouldn't just be paying for hostesses at a club—he could buy the entire club outright and have money to spare.
'That girl, though… her family background must be extraordinary,' he mused, his predatory gaze locking onto Zhang Yaqian. 'She can drop two hundred million on a talisman without even blinking. If I'm going to make a move on her, I'll need to be extremely careful.'
Tanaka Hikaru's triangular eyes darted about, a sinister plan already beginning to form in his mind.
There were too many people here, too many witnesses. Acting now was reckless. It would be too easy to leave behind a spiritual trace for the Yanxia Special Department to follow. But an opportunity would present itself. It always did.
An Artificer True Person had countless methods at his disposal. If he wasn't so concerned about covering his tracks, he would have already acted.
This extreme caution was precisely how Tanaka Hikaru, despite his long list of crimes, had managed to remain free and at large for so long.
In the past, he had rarely targeted people with high status and powerful backgrounds; the risk was simply too great.
Especially recently, with the Yanxia Special Department conducting a nationwide sweep, his original plan had been to lie low and wait for the heat to die down.
But the sight of Zhang Yaqian—her purity, her beauty, her wealth—it was an intoxicating combination. Tanaka Hikaru decided then and there. It was worth the risk. He would take it
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