Jiang Lian clutched the ancient book in her hand; the rough texture of the cover felt as if it carried a scorching heat, burning her palm.
She looked up at the man before her, who had always seemed so nonchalant, and her red lips parted, her voice, for the first time, tinged with a hint of hoarseness.
"Thank you."
These two words were harder for her to say than admitting her own failure.
She… didn't know what to say, and she didn't know what one *should* say in such a situation.
Lu Cheng smiled faintly, as if he saw her embarrassment.
"No need to thank me."
"I just don't like seeing a pearl hidden in the dust."
As he spoke, his gaze flicked to Xiao Fan, who was now trembling with rage and whose face was contorted, having been completely ignored.
"Also…"
"…I don't like watching sitcoms; they're too noisy."
Jiang Lian followed his gaze and felt that the scattered roses on the floor, along with the man kneeling on one knee in a ridiculous posture, all formed an extremely absurd picture.
She nodded in agreement… then, without any further hesitation, she took the Phoenix Nurturing Sutra, a book that could drive the entire Jiang Family into a frenzy, turned, and walked out of the restaurant without looking back.
She desperately wanted to know what was inside that book!
Her back remained proud, her posture still straight.
From beginning to end, she did not spare Xiao Fan another glance.
It was as if Xiao Fan, along with his "sincere heart" that had cost over 300 million, was just an annoying speck of dust on the roadside.
Xiao Fan stood frozen in place.
Everything he had meticulously prepared, his ultimate move, his self-proclaimed romantic sanctuary… once again, became a colossal joke.
He didn't even have the right to earn another glance from Jiang Lian.
"Why?"
"Why, exactly?"
"I even begged you; what's wrong with accepting it?"
"This woman must be crazy!"
It was at this moment that the system interface in his mind was completely engulfed by a doomsday-like blood-red.
"Warning! Designated Heavenly Maiden Jiang Lian's favorability has once again dropped below the limit (-200)!"
"Mission judgment: Funds have not been exhausted, but the target has left, the Maiden's disgust is Max, mission completely failed!"
"Since funds have not been exhausted, all items will be reclaimed! Furthermore, the host's performance was too clumsy, causing severe damage to the system's reputation, punishment upgraded!"
"Activating secondary punishment mechanism: Soul Electro-Scorching! Duration: Ten minutes!"
"No…"
A desperate roar escaped Xiao Fan's throat.
This time, the punishment showed no external effects.
A pain a hundred times more intense than last time, yet silent, instantly began to torment him deep within his soul!
Compared to physical pain, this sensation was more like an invisible, untouchable phantom limb being repeatedly electrocuted and scorched… "Ugh… Ah…"
His body began to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes wide and bloodshot, and incoherent gurgling sounds escaped his mouth.
Soon, after enduring for a few seconds, Xiao Fan fell straight backward, rolling frantically on the ground!
The surrounding restaurant managers and waiters all recoiled in fear, looking at him with pity, as if he were a madman.
"Pity +100!"
"Fear +50!"
"Mockery +200!"
However, amidst this excruciating pain, Xiao Fan's consciousness, strangely, developed a twisted sense of exhilaration!
Pain!
So much pain!
The extreme pain, paradoxically, made him feel an unprecedented sense of "reality"!
It was as if only this soul-deep scorching could wash away the humiliation he had just suffered, and make him feel truly "alive"!
Yes!
Exactly!
Keep going, this is what gives me the motivation to move forward!
How can one see a rainbow without experiencing the storm?
What is this pain?
As long as it makes me stronger, as long as it allows me to trample that man underfoot, even ten times this pain, I can bear it!
A strange and satisfied smile slowly spread across his contorted face.
"Ding! Detected host's mental state has undergone an anomaly amidst extreme pain!"
"Congratulations to the host for acquiring a new passive state: 'Pain Frenzy'!"
"State effect: When you suffer spiritual and soul-level punishments, you will gain double the 'pleasure'!"
Meanwhile, not far away, a completely different, melodious tune echoed in Lu Cheng's mind.
"Ding! Detected sub-system host mission failed and triggered an upgraded punishment, triggering a hundredfold return!"
"Congratulations to the host for acquiring the special title: 'Maiden's Inquisitive Heart'!"
"Title effect: Passively attracts her to actively explore your secrets and to 'rationalize' any of your actions through her own imagination!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring: 'Phoenix Nurturing Sutra' complete Analytical version (analysis version), which can be directly instilled into a designated target at any time via 'enlightenment' (A sudden enlightenment)."
Lu Cheng looked at Xiao Fan, who was rolling on the ground with a strange smile on his face, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew more playful.
What a truly strange Son of Destiny… But this was exactly the effect he wanted.
Not a simple kill.
But to crush him completely, step by step, from his dignity, his beliefs, and even the very essence of his soul, making him himself fall in love with the feeling of being crushed.
This was the highest art of harvesting.
"I didn't expect there to be a crazy person here today…"
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious."
He took Anya's hand and leisurely departed amidst the mess and chaos, as if he had merely enjoyed an insignificant show… Late at night, at Jiang Family Manor.
Inside the quiet room, the lights were bright.
Jiang Lian sat cross-legged, the thread-bound Phoenix Nurturing Sutra in her hand already more than halfway open.
The more she read, the more astonished she became.
The more she read, the more engrossed she became.
This cultivation method was practically tailor-made for her!
Every incantation and every cultivation path recorded within it precisely and perfectly resolved all the stagnation and hidden dangers she encountered during her cultivation!
It even pointed out several fatal dangers that she herself had not yet noticed!
How could this be just an auxiliary cultivation method?
This was exactly what the title suggested!
It was an essential guide for nurturing and cultivating a divine phoenix body!
After a long while, she slowly closed the book.
But her mind could no longer find peace.
The man's face, those nonchalant eyes that seemed to control everything, appeared again and again, uncontrollably.
divine phoenix blood amber laid her foundation.
The Phoenix Nurturing Sutra paved her way.
What exactly did he want to do?
What was he scheming?
For the first time, Jiang Lian realized that her proud intellect was simply insufficient in front of this man.
She realized that passively waiting and passively accepting would only lead her to fall deeper and deeper into his grasp, owing him more and more.
She would never allow her destiny to be manipulated by anyone!
Finally, all her pride and struggle coalesced into a firm resolve.
She would take the initiative!
She would personally uncover all the mysteries surrounding this man!
Jiang Lian picked up her phone, brought up Mr. Lu's number that the butler had found, and dialed it without the slightest hesitation.
The call was quickly connected, and a voice that seemed to have expected it came from the other end.
"Hello?"
Jiang Lian took a deep breath, her tone sounding somewhat unfamiliar even to herself.
"Mr. Lu, do you have time?"
"I'd like… to invite you for tea."