Chapter 578: Meeting Zhang Tianen; Old Man, Is It Safe to Park This Thing at Your Door?
Ji Xiaolin was silent for a long time, then whispered, "Shen Anyu, my mind is a bit muddled. I'm going home now."
Although she had heard the words she wanted to hear, Ji Xiaolin still felt a bit uneasy. Why was Shen Anyu suddenly so close to her? Had he remembered what happened in the underground secret chamber of Wan Fa Sect before, or was he simply after her beauty? Was he sincere?
Shen Anyu found it amusing and didn't offer much explanation. He still needed Zhang Zhiyun, the Child of Destiny from the Tianshi Sect, to add fuel to the fire later.
"Put your hand in mine." Shen Anyu smiled at Ji Xiaolin, extending his hand.
Ji Xiaolin pursed her lips, hesitating, but still placed her slender, well-proportioned hands in Shen Anyu's palm.
Then, Shen Anyu held Ji Xiaolin's small hand, entered the Rolls-Royce Phantom, helped her fasten her seatbelt, and sent her home.
The journey unfolded in a heavy, contemplative silence, a stark contrast to the effortless glide of the luxury vehicle. The Phantom's cabin was a world unto itself, insulated from the city's chaos by layers of soundproofing and polished wood. The soft scent of genuine leather filled the air, a fragrance of wealth and power that felt alien to Ji Xiaolin. She sat rigidly in the plush passenger seat, her heart a tangled knot of hope and anxiety. Stealing glances at the man beside her, she saw only a serene profile, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. 'What is he thinking?' she wondered, her mind racing. 'Is this a game to him? Another conquest? Or... does he truly feel something?' The memory of his words, his touch, was a warm current running through her, but the shadow of his reputation, a reputation she only vaguely understood, loomed large.
Before long, the scenery outside the tinted windows shifted dramatically. The gleaming towers and manicured boulevards of Hangzhou's city center gave way to a denser, more chaotic landscape. They arrived at Ji Xiaolin's home, a sprawling urban village on the city's fringe. It was a labyrinth of self-built houses and narrow alleys, a place of vibrant, messy life that stood in jarring opposition to the pristine elegance of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The car came to a silent stop before a large courtyard, its entrance cluttered with a mountain of express delivery packages, evidence of the area's bustling, working-class pulse.
After getting out of the car, Ji Xiaolin stood for a moment, still feeling dazed, as if stepping from one reality into another. The cool night air helped clear her head, but it was immediately replaced by a jolt of pure panic. Her expression morphed from confusion to urgent fear. She spun around, her eyes wide as she faced Shen Anyu. "Shen Anyu," she said, her voice a low, desperate hiss, "remember this, you have to be extremely careful. Prepare more bodyguards, get more escorts, do whatever you have to. You must be wary of Zhang Zhiyun retaliating against you, especially with his Esoteric Arts."
The memory of Zhang Zhiyun's final gaze, a look of pure, venomous hatred, sent a cold dread through her. It was a look that promised retribution, not through fists or influence, but through the sinister, unseen methods of the Tianshi Sect. "His methods are... strange. They're not normal martial arts. Please, take this seriously."
"No matter," Shen Anyu replied, the two words delivered with an unassailable calm that bordered on indifference.
"You really don't appreciate good intentions!" Ji Xiaolin stamped her foot, a wave of frustrated anger washing over her fear. She had warned him, pleaded with him twice, yet he dismissed the threat from a Tianshi Sect prodigy as if it were nothing more than a mild inconvenience. His arrogance was infuriating.
"I don't want to talk to you anymore," she huffed, her cheeks puffed out in a pout as she turned to stomp towards her home. But she had taken only two steps when her entire body froze. Her expression of petulant anger dissolved into one of sheer terror. With a choked gasp, she spun around, scrambled back to the Rolls-Royce, and dove headfirst back into the passenger seat. She ducked down, burying her head low as if to make herself invisible, and whispered urgently, "Shen Anyu, leave! Quickly!"
"Why should I leave?" Shen Anyu asked, his tone still perfectly even. He already knew the answer. His spiritual sense had washed over the area moments ago, painting a clear picture in his mind: a powerful, crackling aura of lightning and restrained fury was steadily approaching from the courtyard.
Ji Xiaolin didn't have time to urge him again. She kept her head down, her hands clamped over her ears, not daring to look up. She squeezed her eyes shut, silently praying with all her might that they hadn't been seen, that this nightmare would simply pass.
At this moment, a figure emerged from the courtyard. Zhang Tianen stepped into the dim light of the streetlamp, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on the imposing black car. His voice was low, yet it carried an obvious weight that seemed to press down on the very air.
"Young man, your car is parked directly in front of my house, blocking the way."
Though his eyes registered the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy ornament and the unmistakable silhouette of a top-tier luxury car, Zhang Tianen's expression remained unchanged. Contempt flickered in his gaze. At his level of cultivation, where he could command the elements, mortal wealth was as meaningless as dust. He had long transcended such worldly concerns.
Besides, he was in a foul mood. A message from Zhang Zhiyun had arrived just moments earlier, a poison-laced report claiming his daughter, his precious Ji Xiaolin, had found a boyfriend. The news had sent a bolt of pure rage through him. He'd tried calling her, again and again, but each call went straight to her voicemail, feeding the flames of his fury until they were a roaring inferno.
"I'm dropping off my girlfriend, I'll leave soon." Shen Anyu rolled down the window, a disarming smile playing on his lips as he met the old man's glare. He leaned out slightly, his voice laced with playful mockery. "Old man, is it safe to park a Rolls-Royce in front of your house?"
Huddled in the passenger seat, Ji Xiaolin held her breath, a strangled whimper caught in her throat. She wished she could burrow into the fine leather of the seat, to phase through the floor and disappear into the earth below. She was utterly, hopelessly flustered.
"Dropping off your girlfriend? What's her name?" Zhang Tianen's gaze sharpened, his suspicion piqued. He scanned Shen Anyu's handsome, confident face. There weren't many young women living in this particular corner of the village. A seed of doubt began to sprout in his mind.
His piercing eyes then moved past Shen Anyu, peering through the open window into the car's interior. He saw a figure with her head buried in the passenger seat. He saw a familiar, cheap-looking tracksuit. Why did that tracksuit seem so achingly familiar?
For some inexplicable reason, a terrible premonition, cold and sharp, suddenly clawed its way up his spine.
As if sensing the exact moment the dread crested, Shen Anyu's smile widened. He spoke, his voice cheerful and utterly devastating, confirming the old man's worst fears. "Old man, my girlfriend's name is Ji Xiaolin. She lives nearby. Perhaps you know her."
It was over. Her world shattered.
Ji Xiaolin's mind went completely blank, consumed by a white static of pure horror.
Zhang Tianen was also stunned, frozen in place for a heartbeat. That single heartbeat was followed by an inexplicable, volcanic surge of absolute fury. His voice ripped through the night air, a thunderous roar of disbelief and rage. "Ji Xiaolin, you lift your head!"
With a wince and a sheepish, defeated smile, Ji Xiaolin slowly lifted her buried head.
Zhang Tianen's vision went black. The world tilted on its axis as blood rushed to his head. It really was his daughter. The sight of her in that car, with that man, was a physical blow. Unwilling to unleash his fury on his own child, he gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening until the muscles bulged. He turned his burning gaze back to Shen Anyu. "Are you the Shen Anyu that Zhang Zhiyun mentioned," he snarled, the words grinding out from between his teeth, "the Da Shao of Yanxia's Shen Clan?"
"The one and only," Shen Anyu replied, his smile never wavering.
"How many women do you have?" Zhang Tianen demanded, his face a mask of cold fury. Earlier, the Master of Myriad Dharma Sect had mentioned that the person with Ji Xiaolin was the young master of the Shen Clan. He'd been skeptical, but had still entrusted a subordinate to investigate. While the deepest secrets of the Shen Clan were beyond his reach, the young master's reputation was not. It was a reputation stained with scandal. Qin Ningbing, the brilliant and beautiful CEO of Renxin Hall. Luo Yuhe of the Dragon King Society. The list went on.
This kind of promiscuous, heartless scumbag could never be entrusted with his daughter's happiness. Not in this lifetime.
"Hmm, let me think." Shen Anyu tilted his head, feigning contemplation. A slight, infuriating smile touched his lips. "Quite a few. More than two hands can count."
"Good. At least you dare to admit it." The dam of Zhang Tianen's control finally broke. A terrifying aura exploded from his body. Arcs of brilliant white lightning surged around him, wrapping his arms in crackling, searing energy. The currents leaped and danced in his hands like coiling thunder dragons, hungry and violent. The very air around them grew scorched and heavy with the scent of ozone. "With so many women," he roared, the sound competing with the crackle of raw power, "you still dare to provoke my daughter, Ji Xiaolin! Even if you are the Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan, today, I must seek justice!"
"Old man, calm down!" Ji Xiaolin, who had been nursing a fresh sting of hurt and annoyance at Shen Anyu's casual admission, was shocked back to her senses by the raw killing intent radiating from her father. His anger was no mere threat; it was a tangible force of nature. She saw the lightning coiling, felt the air heat up, and her heart seized with terror. In that instant, all other considerations vanished. Disregarding everything, she launched herself across the console, straddling Shen Anyu in the driver's seat and spreading her arms wide, a desperate, human shield against the impending storm.
"Xiao Lin, you're still protecting him?" Zhang Tianen's voice was a mixture of exasperation and disbelief. "This kind of hedonistic Da Shao from a prominent family is clearly promiscuous and just playing with your feelings! Why did you choose him when you could have a good man like Zhang Zhiyun?"
"I don't care! Anyway, you can't hurt him!" Ji Xiaolin retorted stubbornly, her chin held high despite the tremor in her voice. "Our relationship is between him and me, and it's none of your business!"
"Shen Anyu has many women!" Zhang Tianen pleaded, trying to force reason into her.
"I know! I don't care!" Ji Xiaolin shot back, gritting her teeth.
"You... know???" After a brief, stunned silence, Zhang Tianen nearly exploded. His blood pressure skyrocketed, and he saw red. "Ji Xiaolin, you know he has many women, and you're still with him, still his girlfriend?"
Zhang Tianen felt a coppery taste in his mouth. He almost wanted to vomit blood.
His precious daughter, Ji Xiaolin, was so hopelessly muddled!
Shen Anyu had a whole flock of women, yet she was still determined to be with him. Had she completely lost her mind?
"No! I absolutely cannot agree to this! You must break up with him, otherwise, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, what? You won't acknowledge me as your daughter?"
Ji Xiaolin snorted coldly, looking at Zhang Tianen with hateful eyes: "Just like when you abandoned me and Mom to cultivate in the Tianshi Sect?"
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Tianen, facing Ji Xiaolin's hateful gaze, felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. His anger completely vanished, his whole body turned cold, and he was at a loss: "Xiao Lin, Dad was wrong. Dad will make it up to you for the rest of my life, but you can't be with..."
Zhang Tianen's words were cut off by Ji Xiaolin:
"You only had one woman, my mom, but were you responsible?"
"Shen Anyu might not be a good person, but he's better than you."
Shen Anyu: "..."
'How was I a good-for-nothing?' he mused silently.
However, at this moment, Ji Xiaolin was sitting on him in the driver's seat, arguing with her father Zhang Tianen through the car window, her emotions rising and falling, which was quite exhilarating~
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