Chapter 808: A Grave Injustice
"You villain! I'm not playing your games!"
Liu Ruyan was clearly in a state of panic, her thoughts mirroring Zhong Lingyin's exactly. They both believed Shen Anyu intended to kill two birds with one stone, an idea so shameful, so utterly impossible, that their minds reeled.
Shen Anyu approached the two women, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. Without a word, he raised his hands and began to unbutton his trench coat.
The simple motion sent a fresh wave of alarm through Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin.
Gritting her teeth, Liu Ruyan gave Zhong Lingyin a firm shove, pushing her little sister directly into Shen Anyu's arms. "I just remembered I have something to do, so I'll be leaving first!" she shouted over her shoulder. "Fifth Junior Sister, I'm giving this grand opportunity to you!"
Zhong Lingyin stumbled, stunned, as she watched Liu Ruyan make a break for the door. When the reality of the situation finally sank in, she wanted to cry but had no tears. Was this really her Senior Sister? She had just sold her out!
"Stop!"
Shen Anyu's voice rang out from behind her. Liu Ruyan's delicate body trembled, and she froze instinctively.
'Hmph, what a terrible Senior Sister,' Zhong Lingyin fumed internally, rolling her eyes. 'She acts like a cunning vixen when she's with me, but the moment Brother Shen shows up, she turns into a timid little quail. Is she playing hard to get? No, she's just an addict with no self-control!'
"Why are you running?" Shen Anyu tilted his head, his gaze fixed on Liu Ruyan with an amused smile.
"I… I… In any case, with Lingyin here… doing… that kind of thing is out of the question," Liu Ruyan stammered, her lovely face flushing a deep crimson as she shook her head vehemently.
"What are you two thinking about?" Shen Anyu chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not that kind of impatient person."
'Ptooey!' Liu Ruyan secretly spat in her heart. She didn't believe for a second that Shen Anyu wasn't "that kind of person." The man had made her back ache from his impatience on countless occasions.
"Brother Shen, why don't you let Second Senior Sister keep you company?" Zhong Lingyin piped up, her own face now a shade of red. "I'll head back first, and you can come find me later."
"No, no, no! Lingyin first! I'm the Senior Sister, I should be considerate!" Liu Ruyan hastily declined.
If it were just the two of them, Liu Ruyan wouldn't be nearly this flustered; she might have even playfully flirted with the idea. But with her Fifth Junior Sister watching, she still wanted to preserve some shred of dignity.
Zhong Lingyin felt the same. She had missed Shen Anyu terribly, and if Liu Ruyan weren't present, she would have volunteered without a second thought. But with her Second Senior Sister here, she had to maintain her image.
Watching the two women push the opportunity back and forth, Shen Anyu was left dumbfounded.
Unfortunately, due to certain cosmic rules, taking both women at once wasn't an option. He would have to enjoy their company one by one. Otherwise, he would have been more than happy to teach Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin the true consequences of provoking him.
Shen Anyu shook his head, hung his trench coat on a nearby rack, and settled onto the sofa, crossing his legs. He looked at the two flustered women and said, "I told you not to overthink things. If I truly wanted to do something, do you think either of you could refuse?"
Liu Ruyan and Zhong Lingyin exchanged a glance. They immediately knew he was right.
Shen Anyu was their man. If he really wanted something, what could they possibly do? They would happily comply.
"Brother Shen, then what is all this about?" Zhong Lingyin breathed a sigh of relief, her curious, starry eyes fixed on him.
Shen Anyu replied with amusement, "Didn't you call me back here? You said your Third Senior Sister, the Goddess Doctor Murong Jieyu, was in trouble."
Zhong Lingyin slapped her forehead, mortified that she had almost forgotten the entire reason for her panic.
Somewhere, Murong Jieyu was probably sighing. 'What a good Junior Sister, getting a man and forgetting all about your Senior Sister…'
"I got the news and rushed here overnight from Guangcheng. I'm covered in dust, I haven't even had a sip of water, and the first thing you two do is slander me as a pervert. What a grave injustice!" Shen Anyu shook his head and sighed dramatically.
In perfect unison, Zhong Lingyin and Liu Ruyan both scoffed internally.
Shen Anyu was a pervert. Did he even need to be slandered?
Still, hearing his words, both women felt a flicker of warmth in their hearts. Although Shen Anyu was a notorious playboy, he was utterly reliable in every other respect. It was precisely this quality that made them, and others, remain wholeheartedly devoted to him, despite knowing he was juggling countless relationships.
"So, tell me. What's the situation?" Shen Anyu asked, already knowing the answer.
He knew more about Murong Jieyu's circumstances than either Liu Ruyan or Zhong Lingyin. After all, she was a Destined Heroine, and he had already dispatched his people to investigate her.
With the conversation turning serious, Zhong Lingyin's expression grew solemn. Her red lips parted slightly as she began to explain.
"Brother Shen, my Third Senior Sister, Murong Jieyu, went into the depths of the Qinling Mountains to gather herbs a month ago. But she hasn't returned, and we haven't heard a single word from her. It's making me so worried. What if something happened to her?"
"Sixth Junior Sister Lu Chanxi already disappeared… if Third Senior Sister has an accident too, I can't even imagine…"
As she spoke, a deep-seated worry etched itself onto Zhong Lingyin's face. The news of Lu Chanxi's disappearance had come from Shen Anyu himself. She had been taken away by a beautiful woman in palace attire, suspected to be from the Xuanhuang World's Ice Snow Immortal Palace. Her whereabouts, and whether she was even alive, remained unknown.
If Murong Jieyu were to meet with a similar fate, Zhong Lingyin didn't know how she would bear the heartbreak.
Liu Ruyan's charming face also grew somber. Initially, she hadn't been overly concerned about Murong Jieyu.
The deep mountains and ancient forests were teeming with poisonous insects and fierce beasts, making them a forbidden zone for ordinary people. Every year, people who ventured into the depths of the Qinling Mountains were never seen again, their lives claimed by the wilderness.
But that was for ordinary people. Murong Jieyu was anything but.
Not only was she a Goddess Doctor, intimately familiar with the habits of all manner of flora and fauna, but she was also a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Even if she encountered a tiger, it wouldn't be able to harm her in the slightest. And no poisonous insect could possibly pose a threat to a Goddess Doctor of her caliber.
Still, a full month with no news was indeed unusual. A trip to gather herbs in the mountains might last ten days, perhaps half a month at most. It was hardly a comfortable place to linger.
"Don't worry. Good people are blessed with good fortune. Your Third Senior Sister will definitely be fine," Shen Anyu comforted her softly.
In truth, he had also lost track of Murong Jieyu. By the time he had sent his people to investigate, she had already ventured deep into the Qinling Mountains.
The Qinling Mountains were revered as the dragon spine of Yanxia civilization, a massive range stretching from east to west, dividing the north from the south. Its true depths were a mystery. Finding a single person within its vast expanse was a task more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.
However, Shen Anyu felt that Murong Jieyu, as a Destined Heroine, was protected by a powerful destiny and was unlikely to meet with a random accident. Of course, it wasn't impossible. An encounter with a stronger Son of Destiny could easily result in a fatal calamity. Sons of Destiny could prey on one another, so long as their Luck was powerful enough to suppress their rival's.
But Murong Jieyu was a Goddess Doctor who had always treated people with kindness; it was improbable she would have conflicts with others.
Usually, when a Destined Heroine found herself in peril, it was to create an opportunity for a Son of Destiny to play the hero and save the beauty. But now, the Child of Destiny originally associated with Murong Jieyu, the Country Divine Doctor Xia Liu, had already been dealt with by Shen Anyu. The other, the Sword God Ye Linyuan, had been reduced to a student, forced to write homework every day under Shen Anyu's orders.
With no one left to save her, it was indeed possible that something had gone wrong. After all, this was a world woven from countless novel plots.
Shen Anyu planned to venture into the Qinling Mountains himself to assess the situation. This could be a great opportunity.
While it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to find someone in the Qinling Mountains, Shen Anyu was no ordinary person.
He possessed a treasure, the Seeking Person Compass, which he had acquired from the Child of Destiny Ren Zhacheng, the one tied to the Goddess Future Diary System. With it, he could surely find clues to Murong Jieyu's whereabouts.
Besides, Chen Yuhua also needed to go to the Qinling Mountains to find spiritual herbs…
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