Chapter 766: Xiao Fan's Master
"Auntie, you're so incredible! And so beautiful... I truly admire you!" Zhang Yaqian's eyes sparkled with genuine-looking adoration. "If only I could become someone like you one day!"
"Nonsense, dear. You are a lovely and beautiful young woman yourself," An Zhiyue replied, though a pleased smile touched her lips.
"But Auntie, your skin is flawless! You've clearly practiced martial arts to a high level, yet there isn't a single callus on your hands. How did you manage that?"
"Practice diligently, and come find me for guidance when you have time," An Zhiyue advised, her voice carrying the weight of a seasoned master. "Once you reach the Celestial realm, you will experience a return to simplicity, a fundamental transformation. Your skin, too, will become like polished jade."
"Yes, yes! Thank you, Auntie! You're so kind!"
With just a few words of subtle, well-placed flattery, Zhang Yaqian had completely won An Zhiyue over. The older woman found this young girl more and more pleasing to the eye, feeling a nascent closeness to her.
Shen Anyu watched the exchange, a strange look in his eyes. Pretty women tell lies, he thought, and the prettier they are, the more skilled they become at it. Zhang Yaqian was, without a doubt, an exceptionally pretty woman who knew exactly how to weave her words.
After all, who could possibly resist the starry-eyed praise of a pure and beautiful young girl? In just a few moments, Zhang Yaqian had coaxed his aunt into a state of pure delight, a constant, beaming smile fixed on her face. Shen Anyu had no doubt that trivial matters like handling a relationship with a future mother-in-law would pose no challenge whatsoever for someone like her.
"I really envy you, Brother Shen. You're surrounded by so many beautiful, intelligent, and wonderfully sensible women."
Xiao Fan's voice, tinged with a sour note, cut through Shen Anyu's thoughts as he sidled up beside him. The envy in his tone was unmistakable.
Although his own little fiancée, Xia Mengmeng, was nearly Zhang Yaqian's equal in beauty, her personality was far more... delicate. To put it bluntly, she was willful and unruly. How could she compare to the clever, well-behaved grace of Zhang Yaqian? And that wasn't even counting Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin, two other stunning and sensible women who never seemed to cause Shen Anyu any trouble.
Xiao Fan was on the verge of asking Shen Anyu to take him on as an apprentice, just to learn his secrets. If he had possessed such skills, he wouldn't have spent years fruitlessly pursuing An Zhiyue and Liu Ruyan, only to finally land a young girlfriend in his thirties.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan's envy has exploded! Plundering +19,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan's jealousy has exploded! Plundering +19,999 Destiny Value!]
...
"Brother Xiao," Shen Anyu began, raising an eyebrow at the familiar address as he turned to face him with a faint, unreadable smile. "Is your injury truly incurable?"
He didn't mind being called 'Brother'. But by that logic, that would make Xia Mengmeng his sister-in-law.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan has felt a pang in his heart! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
An expression of deep misery washed over Xiao Fan's face.
He had consulted a veritable army of divine doctors recently—experts from the Special Department, private practitioners, masters of traditional Chinese medicine, top Western surgeons, and even reclusive Miao poison specialists. Every single one had shaken their head, completely helpless.
That final, desperate burst of the Curse of Black Light from Yao Qi had been far too vicious. It had directly shattered his kidney meridian, destroying his masculine vitality at its very root. If Xiao Fan hadn't already possessed the resilient constitution of a Celestial, he wouldn't just be suffering from a deficiency of yang energy; he wouldn't even be alive.
Xiao Fan still couldn't comprehend how that Half-Step Celestial Master's final attack had contained such terrifying power. A deep well of regret churned in his gut. He had already retired, but he couldn't refuse the personal request for help from Elder Ling, the head of the Special Department's Hangzhou base. In the end, not only had he failed to help, but he had become a liability.
If Shen Anyu hadn't arrived in the nick of time, he would have been a dead man.
In his current state, he couldn't even think about pursuing An Zhiyue or fantasizing about making Shen Anyu his nephew. He couldn't even complete his own marriage to Xia Mengmeng. The wedding date was fast approaching, but now, Xiao Fan didn't even dare to answer his young girlfriend's calls.
A man who couldn't perform simply couldn't hold his head high in front of a woman. Xiao Fan was now intimately, agonizingly familiar with this pain. Forget the dream of having 'a red flag at home that never falls while colorful flags flutter outside'—he couldn't even satisfy the 'red flag' at home.
He had so eagerly anticipated his wedding night with Xia Mengmeng, looking forward to picking that little red flower.
But now... he was a useless man.
Shen Anyu suppressed a laugh, patting Xiao Fan's shoulder in a gesture of mock comfort. "Brother Xiao, don't be hasty. Take your time. I'm sure you'll get well one day."
Xiao Fan looked at Shen Anyu with genuine gratitude, then suddenly lowered his voice. "Actually... it's not entirely without a solution."
Shen Anyu glanced at him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Yao Qi's desperate attack, enhanced with the little 'buff' Shen Anyu himself had added... and Xiao Fan still had a way to resolve it?
"My Master is a reclusive expert. I'm going to find him for help," Xiao Fan whispered, his voice tight with a mix of hope and reluctance. "I didn't want to disturb his secluded life before, but..."
'A reclusive expert?' Shen Anyu's mind began to work. It made sense. Back in the day, Xiao Fan and his Aunt An Zhiyue were considered peers of equal brilliance, their skills nearly indistinguishable. But An Zhiyue had been guided by her grandfather, An Youmin, a Celestial-level powerhouse. Xiao Fan, on the other hand, seemed to have just sprung out of a mountain ravine, debuting at the peak of the Grandmaster realm.
Having the guidance of an unfathomably mysterious, reclusive expert perfectly fit the profile of a Child of Destiny. In this day and age, if you weren't a reincarnated powerhouse, didn't possess a System, or hadn't found a mystical jade pendant, ring, or small bottle, you probably had an old Master to guide you. Otherwise, how could you possibly qualify for the title?
"Brother Xiao's Master must be an extraordinary individual indeed," Shen Anyu smiled, subtly probing for more information.
"That's an understatement!" At the mention of his Master, Xiao Fan's entire demeanor changed. His posture straightened, and his eyes shone with vigor and reverence. "My Master is all-powerful, all-powerful. He is the most formidable person I have ever met!"
"Could he be a Land Immortal, a being unseen for a hundred years?" Shen Anyu's eyes glinted.
"I don't know," Xiao Fan sighed, a hint of awe in his voice. "His power is unfathomable. Even back when I first broke through to the Celestial realm, I was nowhere near being a match for him. I'm afraid I'll never finish learning everything he has to teach me in this lifetime."
"Such a powerful, reclusive expert... I would be honored to pay my respects. I wonder if that would be possible?"
Hearing Shen Anyu's question, a troubled look crossed Xiao Fan's face. He shook his head helplessly. "Brother Shen, you saved my life. Logically, I shouldn't refuse such a small request. But my Master lives in seclusion and has no desire to see outsiders. As his disciple, I can't just rashly disturb his peace. If I weren't in such a desperate situation, I wouldn't be going myself. Not unless I get his permission first."
"Then let's forget it. It is my loss," Shen Anyu said with easy understanding.
Xiao Fan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. 'Shen Anyu, the young master of Yanxia's Shen Clan, is actually quite approachable and reasonable,'he thought.'If I could have married An Zhiyue and become his uncle-in-law, he would have definitely been a good nephew. Xiao Fan, Xiao Fan, stop thinking about such things. The most important thing right now is to get your body cured.'However, Xiao Fan had no idea that Shen Anyu had already tagged him with a cluster of ultra-nanorobots. These were far superior to any ordinary nanites, making them nearly impossible to detect, even for a Land Immortal.'Xiao Fan's Master must be dug out,'Shen Anyu mused, a cold light flickering in his eyes.'I need to avoid that classic, tedious scenario where you deal with the junior, and the senior comes knocking.'
That trope was incredibly annoying: kill the junior, and the senior appears; kill the senior, and an even older one emerges; deal with the earthly powers, and the heavenly ones descend.
It was best to avoid it altogether. Just wipe them all out in one fell swoop and eliminate any future trouble. One must be thorough, after all—pull the weed and dig out the root.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Just then, Shen Anyu's phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a message from Zhou Luyao.
"Husband, are you free tonight? I'll let you in on a little secret... Yiyi's 'visitor' has left."
Shen Anyu's eyebrow arched. For something like this, of course he had time. And even if he didn't, he would make time.
"Brother Shen, I had a wonderful time today." At that moment, Zhang Yaqian glided over, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. She spoke softly, her breath warm against his ear, her eyes promising a world of intoxication. "Tonight, I'll give you a surprise."
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