Chapter 687: Ling Qingcheng's Favorability Skyrockets, Yu Guannan is Shocked and Speechless!
"A Heavenly Human!"
Yu Guannan's beautiful face was filled with bitterness.
She was not an idiot, nor did she think this was a dream. There was only one explanation for Shen Anyu being able to accomplish all this with such ease: he was a powerhouse above the Heavenly Human realm.
Who else could possess such power, towering above all living beings, if not a Heavenly Human Giant?
No wonder. The single thought slammed into her with the force of a physical blow, scattering all her previous assumptions like dust. No wonder Shen Anyu came alone to disrupt things without bringing any powerhouses from Yanxia's Shen Clan. A profound, chilling understanding settled in her heart. He hadn't brought an army because he was the army. He was the catastrophe.
The strength of a single Heavenly Human was an absolute, terrifying force, a weight heavy enough to disregard everything else on the scales of power. Although Shen Anyu had a reputation for killing more than one Heavenly Human, those were often whispered rumors, tales spun in the dark corners of the martial world. To truly comprehend the title 'Heavenly Human Giant' was to understand an existence that could dominate an entire region, commanding influence beyond the reach of armies or governments. A faction possessing a Heavenly Human powerhouse was instantly elevated, transcending mortal hierarchies to become a Super Force. They needed no vast wealth, no entrenched political authority—their power was the only currency that mattered.
This was a truth Yu Guannan knew intimately. Even her elder brother, Yu Guanying, the vaunted Crown Prince of the Yu Clan, a man whose arrogance was etched into his very bones, had to treat Old Qin, their family's Heavenly Human guest, with the utmost respect. He had to bow his head, observe the etiquette of a junior, and even dangle the prospect of a marriage alliance to secure his loyalty. The great clans were all the same. Yanxia's Shen Clan had done the exact same thing years ago, forging a marriage alliance with the An Family to bind themselves to a rising power.
That was precisely why the news of An Zhiyue's breakthrough to the Heavenly Human stage had sent shockwaves through their entire clan. Yu Guannan remembered the nights that followed—the hushed, frantic meetings, the grim faces of the elders, the suffocating anxiety that had plagued the senior executives of Yanxia's Yu Clan, robbing them of their sleep. That was the crushing weight of a Heavenly Human.
But Yu Guannan never, in her wildest, most feverish nightmares, dreamed that Shen Anyu himself was one. How was that even possible? The facts warred with reality in her mind. She knew his age. He was only twenty-five years old. A twenty-five-year-old Heavenly Human? The concept was so absurd it bordered on blasphemy. Even the legendary Fairy Pei of the Sword Palace, a prodigy whose name was spoken with reverence across Yanxia, had failed to touch the threshold of the Heavenly Human stage by the age of twenty-five.
Her gaze fell upon Shen Anyu's face—a visage that seemed carved from divine jade, handsome to a fault, carrying an unparalleled heroic air. As she looked at him, no longer seeing just a scion but a monster cloaked in human skin, immense waves of shock and awe surged through her heart. A terrifying realization crashed down upon her: she had underestimated him. Not just slightly, but catastrophically, utterly underestimated him.
The man before her was not just some dissolute scion coasting on his family's name. He was an unparalleled genius, a peerless talent the likes of which appeared perhaps once in a thousand years, an anomaly who shattered every convention and surpassed all imagination. Was it all a lie? she wondered, her mind reeling. His entire past, his reputation as a hedonistic playboy… was it all just a disguise? A mask to hide the dragon beneath?
At this moment, in Yu Guannan's eyes, Shen Anyu became an enigma, shrouded in countless layers of mystery, each more impenetrable than the last. What kind of person was he, truly?
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Yu Guannan's favorability +25. Plundering 75,000 Destiny Points!]
…
"How is this possible? Shen Anyu is actually this strong? He's… a Heavenly Human? Impossible, absolutely impossible…"
Yu Guanxiong was completely and utterly dumbfounded. Seeing Shen Anyu neutralize hundreds of the Yu Clan's elite guards with less effort than a man swatting a fly had already broken his understanding of the world. But when he heard the words 'Heavenly Human' escape his own sister's lips, he felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him from a clear sky, leaving him paralyzed with a terror so profound it froze the marrow in his bones.
How could Shen Anyu be a Heavenly Human? As a fellow top-tier scion, he'd run in the same circles as Shen Anyu for years. He'd drank at the same clubs, chased the same fleeting pleasures, and believed he understood the man perfectly. They were cut from the same cloth—privileged, arrogant, and powerful by birthright, not by effort.
But now? The reality before him was a cruel joke. We were clearly all just spoiled aristocratic scions, so why did you secretly go and become a god? he screamed internally, a sense of betrayal mixing with his fear. And not just strong, but this strong? You were secretly working your ass off behind everyone's backs, weren't you, you bastard!
Shen Anyu's gaze drifted over to him. It was a casual, fleeting glance, yet it carried an indescribable weight. A faint, ambiguous smile played on his lips, a look that promised untold suffering. The air around Yu Guanxiong instantly grew frigid. The pressure wasn't a physical force, but a psychological one—a predator's focused intent that made his lungs feel like they were collapsing. A cold sweat erupted across his entire body, drenching his expensive suit in seconds. His face, already pale, turned a ghastly shade of white.
Seeing her brother on the verge of collapse, Yu Guannan gritted her teeth. She took a deep breath, forcing her trembling legs to move, and planted herself directly in front of Yu Guanxiong, shielding him with her own body. She lifted her chin, her expression solemn as she faced the monster.
"Young Master Shen, what do you intend to do?"
As she spoke, Yu Guannan subtly waved her hand behind her back, a desperate, hidden gesture. She was signaling the remaining Yu Clan members, those who weren't paralyzed by fear, to run—to report the situation, to find her elder brother, to summon Yu Guanying and the pillar of their family's martial strength for the rescue. Yu Guanying had Old Qin by his side, the undisputed number one powerhouse in all of Hangzhou, a terrifying existence at the Late Stage of the Heavenly Human realm. If Old Qin made a move, she thought, clinging to that sliver of hope, everything would be fine.
The Yu Clan's influence was vast, a sprawling web that spanned the highest echelons of politics and business. They had High Officials in their pocket and even connections to those who held the ultimate levers of power. In the Southern economic sphere, a mere stamp of their foot could trigger a financial earthquake. But for all that, they lacked their own Heavenly Human Giant. It was the one critical piece they, and once upon a time, the Shen Clan, were missing.
After all, this was an era of relative peace. The world was no longer a lawless land where martial artists reigned supreme. Even Heavenly Human Giants could not act with complete recklessness. The terrifying power of modern thermal weapons could suppress them. No matter how strong a Heavenly Human was, they had to be wary of a modern, fully-equipped army.
Yu Guannan didn't believe Shen Anyu would dare to slaughter them in public. A Heavenly Human killing a few second-generation heirs from lesser families might be swept under the rug, but murdering the direct descendants of a top aristocratic family like the Yu Clan would demand a price paid in blood. Their influence was not just for show. If a Heavenly Human acted with such wanton abandon, the state itself would hunt them down, mobilizing every resource to eliminate them at all costs, unless they fled abroad to live the rest of their days in anonymity.
The times had changed; this was no longer the ancient era when Heavenly Human Giants could roam freely, their whims becoming law. This was why they generally kept a low profile, living in seclusion and exerting their immense influence from the shadows.
However, if Shen Anyu merely intended to severely humiliate them, Yu Guannan knew she was utterly helpless. The image of her brother forced to his knees flashed in her mind. If she were subjected to the same fate, forced to kneel publicly, the proud Yu Guannan would rather die.
Nevertheless, she mustered every ounce of her courage and stood firm, a fragile shield between her brother and the storm. She valued her family, even her useless, good-for-nothing second brother.
Shen Anyu noticed Yu Guannan's subtle movements, the flick of her wrist, the desperate signal. He saw it all, but a lazy, confident smile remained on his face as he ignored it completely. He looked at Yu Guannan, his gaze piercing.
"I said I want your Yu Clan to give me an explanation."
"An explanation?" Yu Guannan frowned, her mind racing, trying to decipher his true intent. What kind of explanation?
"Ask Yu Guanxiong," Shen Anyu said flatly, his tone devoid of emotion.
Yu Guannan was startled. Could it be…? This wasn't a random act of aggression to ruin their banquet. This was personal. Her second brother had done something to provoke this monster.
Her gaze snapped to Yu Guanxiong, sharp and unkind. "Yu Guanxiong, what did you do to provoke Young Master Shen?"
Yu Guanxiong, who had always been intimidated by his younger sister, wore a face of pure misery. "I didn't do anything! The last time I even saw Shen Anyu was in the Capital. What could I possibly have done?"
"Young Master Shen, please speak plainly. If my Yu Clan has offended you in any way, we will certainly provide a satisfactory explanation," Yu Guannan said, turning her focus back to Shen Anyu. Her brother's denial seemed genuine enough, but she knew him too well. All the while, a desperate prayer echoed in her heart for her elder brother and Old Qin to arrive. Facing a Heavenly Human was like standing at the edge of an abyss—the pressure was immense, suffocating.
To Ling Qingcheng's utter surprise, Shen Anyu suddenly reached out, his hand closing around her small one. He pulled her forward, his other arm swiftly wrapping around her slender waist, drawing her flush against his side. Then, holding her tight, he addressed Yu Guannan again, his voice carrying a cold edge.
"That fellow, Yu Guanxiong, provoked my woman and conspired to drug her. Tell me, shouldn't your Yu Clan give me an explanation for that?"
My woman?
The words hit Ling Qingcheng like a physical shock. One moment, she was flushed with shame and anger at being so brazenly held by him; the next, she was completely stunned, her mind going blank.
Shen Anyu held her close, leaning in until his lips were just inches from her delicate earlobe. His voice dropped to a low, intimate whisper meant only for her.
"Qingcheng, Yanxia's Yu Clan is a behemoth. Even for me, making a move against them requires a proper justification. Otherwise, if our two families start an all-out war, the implications will be enormous."
He paused, his warm breath ghosting across her skin. "To protect you, I could only announce that you are my woman. You won't blame me, will you?"
To protect me?
Ling Qingcheng gazed blankly at Shen Anyu, her beautiful eyes wide. She met his gaze and found nothing but sincerity and genuine care looking back at her from the depths of his handsome face. Her own voice was barely a whisper when she replied.
"I… I don't blame you. You did this… for me."
She had never expected this. She never imagined that Shen Anyu would ignite such a terrifying conflict, challenging one of the most powerful families in the nation, all for her sake. But how can this be? a frantic voice screamed in her mind. He belongs to Yaqian! He's my best friend's man!
Despite the turmoil in her thoughts, Ling Qingcheng's heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped bird. A soft, obvious blush crept silently up her neck, painting her delicate, jade-like face a lovely shade of pink.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Ling Qingcheng's favorability +30. Plundering 90,000 Destiny Points!]
Unknowingly, Shen Anyu—the philandering scumbag in her eyes, her best friend's man—had reached sixty-five favorability, and it was still climbing. The sheer audacity of his actions was overwhelming. Fighting against a top aristocratic family like Yanxia's Yu Clan, all by himself, just to protect her—what girl could possibly remain unmoved by such a gesture? It was the stuff of fantasy, the ultimate romantic trope played out in countless Xianxia dramas: the hero fighting against the entire world for the woman he loves.
The warmth of Shen Anyu's palm resting possessively on her slender waist made Ling Qingcheng feel a confusing mix of embarrassment and annoyance, yet beneath it all was an inexplicable, thrilling joy. A new worry began to surface, however. How was she ever going to explain this to her best friend, Zhang Yaqian? Would Yaqian ever believe her?
"Yu Guanxiong, is Young Master Shen telling the truth?" After hearing Shen Anyu's accusation, Yu Guannan's expression shifted from tense to furious. She whirled on her brother, her eyes flashing. He dared to steal Shen Anyu's woman? And he plotted to drug her? Was he insane?
"I… I didn't know Ling Qingcheng was Shen Anyu's woman…" Yu Guanxiong stammered, his defense pathetically weak. The truth was, if he had known Ling Qingcheng was Shen Anyu's woman before today, he would have been even more enthusiastic about stealing her. He'd always disliked Shen Anyu and, until a few minutes ago, had never been afraid of his background. But now, knowing Shen Anyu was a Heavenly Human, Yu Guanxiong had no choice but to bow his head, his bravado utterly shattered.
Yu Guannan was incandescent with rage. She knew her brother. She knew exactly the kind of stupid, unreliable thing he was capable of.
Just then, two figures strode into the chaotic hall. Yu Guanying, who had rushed over with Old Qin in tow, happened to overhear those last damning words. His face, usually a mask of calm superiority, turned instantly ashen. The grand banquet he had painstakingly prepared, a stage to exert his dominance and pressure his rivals, had been completely ruined. And it was all because his dissolute younger brother had provoked a truly formidable enemy.
However, he absolutely could not yield. If he backed down now, the Yu Clan would inevitably be suppressed by the Shen Clan in the power struggles to come, and he, Yu Guanying, would forever be crushed under Shen Anyu's heel.
A fierce, murderous look flashed across Yu Guanying's eyes...
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