Chapter 445: The Qilin's Secret and the Jade-Skinned Fairy
"You're lying!"
Liu Ruyan reacted, rolling her narrow, charming fox eyes at Shen Anyu. She grumbled inwardly but accepted Shen Anyu's explanation; it was better than being manipulated.
"So that's how it is..." Yang Luoluo murmured, finally understanding. Her beautiful eyes, however, shot a resentful look toward Shen Anyu. A pout formed on her lips as she thought, 'Master Brother, I'm willing to serve you too! Why didn't you even ask me? Am I not as pretty as Second Senior Sister?'
Beside them, Ruan Lingshan let out a quiet, almost inaudible sigh of relief. A wave of comfort washed over her. 'It's only for one month,' she reassured herself, a subtle tension easing from her shoulders. 'My position as his primary maid won't be snatched away permanently.'
"A Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit? You mean the legendary Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit?"
Ye Linyuan's ears perked up instantly, his head snapping toward Shen Anyu with an expression of pure, unadulterated shock. His personal misery was momentarily forgotten, overshadowed by the sheer gravity of those words.
He knew what a regular Zhu Fruit was. It was a heavenly material, an earthly treasure so rare that Martial Arts Grandmasters would spill rivers of blood just for a chance to obtain one. The idea of a specimen that had matured for a century was something straight out of ancient legends, a treasure whose value was simply immeasurable.
Could it be? Was that priceless artifact the reason his Second Senior Sister, the proud and fiery Liu Ruyan, would willingly lower herself to become a maid, even for a single month? The thought was staggering.
Shen Anyu met his gaze with a serene, almost lazy smile. "Yes, the very same legendary Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit," he confirmed, his voice smooth as silk. "Yan'er has already used it to break through to the Grandmaster realm. In fact, a large portion of its medicinal potency is still accumulated within her meridians, which will serve as a deep reservoir of energy to fuel her future cultivation."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before casually adding another bombshell. "My aunt, An Zhiyue, also benefited from one. It was the final push she needed to achieve Heavenly Human Unity. She's currently in seclusion to stabilize her newfound power."
Liu Ruyan, Yang Luoluo, and Ruan Lingshan all remained silent, tacitly confirming Shen Anyu's explanation. They knew the truth was far more shocking. The Heavenly Human Breakthrough Pill was a treasure that could overturn the world order. If news of its existence leaked, every major power on the planet would descend upon them. The ensuing storm would be something that not even the mighty Yanxia Shen Family could easily weather.
In contrast, the Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit, while still a world-shaking treasure, was a far more believable and manageable secret. Such items, like thousand-year-old snow lotuses or ginseng, were known to exist, albeit in impossibly rare quantities. Finding one or two was a matter of immense, once-in-a-lifetime fortune. No one would suspect it was a mass-produced item from a system.
Thus, attributing An Zhiyue's breakthrough to the fruit and her own accumulated foundation was the perfect cover story. As the revered Yanxia Female War God, her advancement to the Heavenly Human realm was a monumental event that couldn't be hidden. This explanation, while incredible, was the most logical one they could offer.
Ye Linyuan, however, wasn't thinking about the geopolitical implications. His mind was racing, a desperate hope igniting within his chest. He still hadn't found his Third Senior Sister, the Goddess Doctor Murong Jieyu. He was still cursed, his martial arts crippled. But if he could get his hands on a Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit… wouldn't that be the key? Couldn't he use its potent medicinal energy to shatter his curse and rapidly restore his cultivation?
The possibility was intoxicating.
Immediately, his entire demeanor changed. The gloom vanished, replaced by an eager, almost fawning expression. He looked at Shen Anyu, his eyes wide and pleading.
"Big Brother," he chirped, his voice dripping with manufactured sweetness, "can Little Yezi have a Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit to eat? Little Yezi will definitely, absolutely repay your great kindness in the future!"
Deep in his heart, a darker thought festered. 'When I finally get my revenge on you for stealing my senior sisters, Shen Anyu, I'll make sure to be a little gentler. Consider it repayment for the fruit.'
Shen Anyu feigned surprise, his eyes widening in mock astonishment. "Little Yezi," he asked, his tone laced with amusement, "you want to be my maid too?"
Ye Linyuan's face froze, the cute expression cracking and falling away to reveal pure speechlessness. "..."
A hearty laugh escaped Shen Anyu's lips. He reached over and playfully patted Ye Linyuan's head as if he were a pet. "A treasure like the Hundred-Year Zhu Fruit isn't some common cabbage you can find in the market. They've all been eaten already."
He leaned back, his smile never wavering. "If I happen to stumble upon another one in the future, we can talk then."
Regret washed over Ye Linyuan like a cold tide. Of course. How could a peerless treasure like that be easy to encounter? The hope that had flared so brightly was extinguished in an instant, leaving behind only the bitter ashes of disappointment. What a pity.
"Yan'er," Shen Anyu called out, his voice turning languid as he gestured towards his empty plate. "What are you still standing there for? Serve your master his meal."
"Yes, Master."
Liu Ruyan's teeth audibly ground together. She shot a venomous glare at Shen Anyu, a silent promise of future retribution in her smoldering gaze. But a promise was a promise. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and obediently stepped forward to serve Shen Anyu his breakfast. She moved with a practiced grace, her slender fingers delicately handling the utensils as she refilled his bowl with fragrant congee.
Watching this scene, Ye Linyuan felt a suffocating sourness rise in his throat. It was as if his entire stomach had been filled with acid.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Ye Linyuan, is consumed by envy and jealousy! Plundering 9,998 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Ye Linyuan, is overwhelmed by a sense of loss and humiliation! Plundering 9,886 Destiny Points!]
The rest of breakfast was an agonizing ordeal. Ye Linyuan chewed his food mechanically, but it tasted like wax and sawdust in his mouth. Every bite was a chore, every swallow a struggle against the corrosive feeling churning in his gut. It was as if he had chugged an entire jar of aged vinegar. The sourness wasn't just a taste; it was an emotion that permeated his very soul.
Meanwhile, a triumphant smirk seemed permanently etched onto Shen Anyu's lips. He savored not only the exquisite service from the fiery beauty beside him but also the display of delightful dings ringing in his mind. Each notification was a sweet melody confirming his victory.
The meal concluded, but the torture wasn't over. Ye Linyuan had to watch as Liu Ruyan, his proud Second Senior Sister, took a silk napkin and gently, meticulously, wiped the corners of Shen Anyu's mouth. The gesture was so intimate, so servile, that it felt like a physical blow.
He couldn't take it anymore. Pushing his chair back abruptly, he fled from the dining room and returned to Villa Number Two. He would rather bury himself in homework, in the dullest, most mind-numbing textbooks he could find, than witness another second of that heart-shattering scene. It was pure, unadulterated torment.
Shen Anyu watched his retreating figure, a joyful and predatory light dancing in his eyes.
Later that morning, in the villa's private courtyard, Shen Anyu was personally guiding his little disciple, Yang Luoluo, through her martial arts forms. Liu Ruyan stood by their side, her role as a maid momentarily forgotten as she observed with the critical eye of a fellow martial artist.
Suddenly, Shen Anyu felt a distinct vibration from a device at his waist. His expression flickered, a subtle shift that went unnoticed by the focused Yang Luoluo. He stopped his instruction and turned to Liu Ruyan.
"Yan'er, you take over guiding Luoluo's cultivation. I have something to attend to."
"Mm, Master, please go quickly," Liu Ruyan replied, a hint of eagerness in her voice. She quickly performed a small, respectful bow, clearly glad for the reprieve from his presence.
Shen Anyu's eyebrow arched in amusement at her haste. He leaned in close, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear, and whispered a single, explicit instruction for the evening.
Instantly, a deep crimson blush exploded across Liu Ruyan's beautiful face, spreading from her cheeks all the way to the delicate tips of her ears. Her pearly white teeth sank into her plush lower lip, and her gaze darted toward him, a volatile mixture of pure annoyance and flustered shyness. After a moment of heated internal debate, she gave a barely perceptible nod of agreement.
"Haha," Shen Anyu chuckled, his breath warm against her skin. "I look forward to your performance tonight, Yan'er."
With that parting shot, he turned and walked back into the villa, heading for his room.
Once inside, with the door securely shut, he reached into his pocket. With a thought, an object materialized in his hand.
It was the Black Jade Qilin Pendant.
This was the core treasure he had plundered from Long Hao, the protagonist who followed the Rebirth Investment trope. The loss of this pendant had caused a catastrophic upheaval in Long Hao's destiny, completely severing his fated romantic connection with the heroine Huangfu Xian and directly yielding Shen Anyu a staggering one million eight hundred thousand Destiny Points.
From the very beginning, Shen Anyu had suspected that this pendant housed a crucial secret—perhaps even a remnant soul of Huangfu Xian herself.
In the days since acquiring it, he had been patiently nurturing it, periodically infusing small, controlled bursts of his Martial Dao True Essence into the jade. He was careful not to overwhelm it, using at most one-thousandth of his full energy output, hoping to gently awaken whatever lay dormant within.
And now, after days of patient work, it had finally reacted.
Shen Anyu gently caressed the smooth, cool surface of the pendant. A thoughtful smile played on his handsome face as he mused aloud, "No wonder Long Hao in his previous life went from a young Innate Realm genius to a complete and utter cripple. He probably didn't know what hit him, even at the moment of his death. The sheer amount of energy this thing needs to absorb… not even a Martial Dao Grandmaster could withstand being drained like that."
Of course, this lifetime was different. The reborn Long Hao had his Investment Return System. Had Shen Anyu not intervened, he would have undoubtedly found a way to awaken the pendant. But now, that future was erased.
Shen Anyu had intercepted fate itself.
"Just a little more now," he murmured. A faint golden light began to surge in the depths of his pupils as he unleashed a steady, pure stream of Martial Dao True Essence directly into the pendant.
Vmmmm!
In an instant, the Black Jade Qilin Pendant was fully activated. It shot from his hand with a sharp Whoosh!, hovering in mid-air and spinning rapidly. As it spun, it released an ethereal, shadowy phantom of a majestic Qilin. The phantom expanded, its form both terrifying and beautiful, enveloping Shen Anyu's entire body in a protective shroud of dark energy.
Shen Anyu's gaze swept over the spectral beast. He could immediately sense its power. The phantom shield was incredibly dense, strong enough to render even armor-piercing bullets useless. It could likely withstand a direct lightning strike without injury. It was an astonishing defensive treasure.
"Not enough," he frowned, a flicker of dissatisfaction in his eyes. This was merely the pendant's instinctive defensive protocol, a fraction of its true potential. More importantly, he still couldn't detect any trace of Huangfu Xian's remnant soul.
"Continue!"
Deciding that brute force was the only path to a miracle, he drastically increased the output. A torrent of his True Essence, like a golden river, flooded into the jade.
The pendant vibrated violently, its buzzing sound rising to a high-pitched scream. Suddenly, it erupted in a flash of dazzling, blinding light that filled the entire room.
Immediately after, a fairy-like figure, sculpted as if from the purest white jade, completely unclothed, appeared before Shen Anyu...
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