Chapter 809: This is a Catastrophic Loss!
"Brother Shen, you're going to search for my Third Senior Sister yourself?"
Zhong Lingyin's surprise was plain to see, and even Liu Ruyan found Shen Anyu's suggestion unexpected. A man of his prominent status was actually going to personally track someone down?
"Of course. She is your Third Senior Sister, after all." Shen Anyu smiled, his gaze then sweeping meaningfully over the two women's graceful figures. His eyes lingered on their faces—one bewitchingly seductive, the other exquisitely refined. "However, even an emperor doesn't send his soldiers to war on an empty stomach. You'll have to give me a reward. Once I'm satisfied, I guarantee I'll bring back a perfectly unharmed Murong Jieyu."
A reward? What kind of reward?
Liu Ruyan watched Shen Anyu's gaze grow bolder and more possessive. She cursed inwardly, knowing it would come to this.
'Pervert!'
"Lingyin, haven't you been missing your Brother Shen terribly? This important task of rewarding him falls to you!" Before the last word left her lips, and without giving Zhong Lingyin a chance to react, Liu Ruyan bolted out the door like a phantom, leaving only a whisper of her perfume in the air.
"Second Senior Sister, you—!" A deep blush crept up Zhong Lingyin's neck, flooding her cheeks with heat as she watched Liu Ruyan abandon her. She stomped her foot in frustration. This was Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's room!
If something was going to happen, it should be in her own room. Otherwise, what if things got… messy? How utterly embarrassing!
Having slipped into Zhong Lingyin's room next door, Liu Ruyan leaned against the shared wall, not caring that she was making things worse. A wicked smile played on her lips as she called out, "Lingyin, take it easy in there! Don't you dare collapse my room."
Zhong Lingyin's cheeks burned. Second Senior Sister was too much! She was a true vixen, saying such shameless things.
Just then, her peripheral vision caught Shen Anyu slowly walking toward her. A faint tremor ran through her delicate body as a thought surfaced: 'Brother Shen is so eager… It seems he's been holding it in for a long time. Tonight is going to be… a lot to handle.'
This delightful predicament sent Zhong Lingyin's heart into a chaotic flutter, a mix of longing and apprehension. As a mere Innate Peak cultivator, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to endure it.
Shen Anyu, however, simply reached into his pocket. He fumbled for a moment before pulling out a vermilion fruit, the size of a fist and as clear as crystal, and handed it to her. "Here, eat this."
"A hundred-year zhu fruit?" Zhong Lingyin's beautiful eyes went wide. She dazedly accepted the fruit, her rosy lips parting slightly as she stared at Shen Anyu in utter confusion.
She had seen him give a hundred-year zhu fruit to An Zhiyue before, so she knew it was a treasure that could drastically increase one's cultivation.
But she couldn't understand why he was giving one to her. Was it for her to eat? Such a precious treasure… given to a minor Innate Peak cultivator like herself? Wasn't that a colossal waste?
Its abundant medicinal power could grant immense benefits to a Grandmaster Peak cultivator; even a Heavenly Being would gain something from it. Giving it to her would likely mean more than half of its efficacy would be squandered.
"I'll help you refine it," Shen Anyu said with a knowing smile. As for how he would help her refine it… well, that involved assisting her cultivation in a more hands-on manner. The hundred-year zhu fruit was of little use to him now, but fortunately, he had a few more for the women in his life. Besides, with the investment rebate function, he could also get a return on his generosity.
"Brother Shen… you're too good to me!" Zhong Lingyin was so moved she could hardly speak, her eyes instantly welling up with glistening tears.
[Ding! Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin is deeply moved. Plundering +5200 Destiny Value!]
"Originally, I was thinking of sharing it between you and Ruyan," Shen Anyu said lightly, his voice carrying just enough to be heard through the wall. "But someone ran off. So now, only you get to eat it. I guess some people just aren't fated for such good fortune."
In the next room, Liu Ruyan heard every word. A thin wall was no obstacle to the hearing of a Heavenly Being.
At that moment, a sharp pang of regret shot through her. Her charming, seductive face twisted with annoyance.
Having consumed a hundred-year zhu fruit herself, she knew exactly what a treasure it was—a miraculous item that greatly boosted cultivation while replenishing one's essence and qi. Even now that she had broken through to the Heavenly Being realm, it would still provide considerable benefits.
Zhong Lingyin's cultivation was so low; she couldn't possibly absorb much of its power. If they had shared it, she, Liu Ruyan, would have undoubtedly received the lion's share. But now? She was left with nothing at all. And to add insult to injury, Shen Anyu was even going to personally help Zhong Lingyin refine it.
This was a catastrophic loss!
But she couldn't bring herself to rush back in now. It would be far too undignified for her, the Second Senior Sister, to be seen snatching a treasure from her Junior Sister's hands.
Liu Ruyan bit her lower lip, her fox-like eyes flickering with a mixture of resentment and grievance.
'You rotten man, you're obviously provoking me. Are you enjoying this?''Go on, be mischievous. I bet you regret it now, don't you?' Shen Anyu's gaze swept over the wall to the next room, the corner of his mouth curving into a subtle, victorious smirk.
Zhong Lingyin, intelligent and perceptive, naturally guessed that her Second Senior Sister was drowning in regret. She also knew her man was delivering a small punishment. It was difficult for her to say anything, so she instead adopted her gentlest, sweetest demeanor.
"Brother Shen," she murmured, "Lingyin can't possibly digest all the medicinal power of this hundred-year zhu fruit. Wouldn't it be a bit of a waste?"
Hailed as the nation's queen, Zhong Lingyin possessed a voice blessed by the heavens—clear, nimble, and carrying a resonance that felt like a celestial melody. At this moment, her soft, sweet, and melodious whisper was even more captivating. If her tens of millions of fans, both at home and abroad, were to witness their goddess in such a state, they would probably have their souls leave their bodies in sheer bliss.
Shen Anyu, however, was secretly thinking that such a beautiful voice was wasted on just speaking.
Seeing Zhong Lingyin's subtle plea, a clear attempt to share some of the fruit with Liu Ruyan, he simply smiled. "Waste doesn't matter. I gave it to you, so you'll eat it. Besides, I have a way to help you refine it completely."
'Second Senior Sister, it's not that I'm not trying to help you,'Zhong Lingyin thought with a sigh.'You made Brother Shen angry, so you'll have to figure out how to appease him yourself.'
She also knew it wasn't a serious issue. Lovers' quarrels were always settled in bed. With Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's seductive and alluring figure, calming Shen Anyu's temper would be an easy task.
However, hearing that he had a way to help her refine it, Zhong Lingyin's star-like eyes flickered with curiosity.
Shen Anyu leaned in close and whispered a few words into her ear, explaining the method. The effect was instantaneous. A deep crimson blush flooded her pretty face, and her star-like eyes grew hazy, as if drunk on his words alone, shimmering with a shy vulnerability.
But as she looked at Shen Anyu's handsome, smiling face, Zhong Lingyin slowly lowered her head. Though the idea was mortifyingly embarrassing, her heart was completely willing. She surrendered to the moment and gently closed her eyes.
Afterward, Shen Anyu helped Zhong Lingyin refine the medicinal power of the hundred-year zhu fruit, assisting her in her cultivation.
With his help, Zhong Lingyin didn't just break through from the Innate realm; she soared past Innate Peak and straight into the ranks of a Grandmaster Peak cultivator. This was only because Shen Anyu had taken great care to help her solidify her foundation; otherwise, she might have even touched the threshold of a full-fledged Grandmaster.
Treasures like the hundred-year zhu fruit, while at the bottom of the divine reward ladder, were exceedingly rare in the Secular World where spiritual energy was scarce. A single one was enough to spark a war, turning rivers red with the blood of greed-crazed martial artists.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan was still stewing in annoyance when strange sounds began to drift from the next room, making her mood even more complex.
It was clearly her room, clearly her man, and yet…
'No, Liu Ruyan, you must be active,'she told herself, a fire igniting in her eyes.'You cannot lose your composure in front of that scoundrel Shen Anyu. You must return to your former self—the vixen queen who has men wrapped around her little finger.''Climb, step by step, to the very top. And stand above Shen Anyu!''Little Shen, come massage this empress's shoulders.'
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