Chapter 251: The Broken Heart of the War God! The Greedy Fortune Teller!
Originally, Lin Keqing herself thought that she followed Shen Anyu because she had no choice.
She believed she was like a "chicken marrying a chicken or a dog marrying a dog"—a woman resigned to her fate. Shen Anyu had obtained everything—her company, her body, her future—and she couldn't resist his power and oppression, so she could only follow him obediently.
It was a transaction. Or so she told herself.
But it wasn't until Ye Yan's assassination attempt just now... when Shen Anyu's life (and hers) hung by a thread... that Lin Keqing truly understood the depths of her feelings.
Growing up in the Lin Family, a cold place full of snobbery where daughters were bargaining chips, and later becoming a tool for a marriage alliance with the Magic City Ye Family, Lin Keqing had never truly lived for herself.
She had little happiness. Her life was a series of duties.
However, being by Shen Anyu's side gave her unprecedented care and pleasure.
Spiritually, he gave her confidence. Materially, he gave her power. And also... physically. He awakened parts of her she didn't know existed.
Especially just now.
When Ye Yan attacked with that suicidal desperation... when the concrete exploded and shrapnel flew like bullets...
Lin Keqing, with her delicate mind, noticed one detail above all else.
Shen Anyu didn't dodge. He didn't use her as a shield.
Instead, he immediately pulled her behind him. He used his own back—his broad, unyielding back—to block the shockwaves and shattered stones.
That scene... was etched into her soul.
It completely moved her.
She was a woman who lacked love, despite her stunning beauty and respectable family background. Her heart was a locked fortress. But it wasn't until Shen Anyu forcefully kicked down the door and stood guard inside that everything unlocked.
Shen Anyu looked down at the trembling beauty in his arms. He saw the misty adoration in her eyes. He suddenly understood.
He smirked, teasing gently:
"Thinking about it again?"
Lin Keqing's beautiful eyes flickered. A hint of charm, usually hidden behind her CEO persona, surfaced.
She felt extremely shy in her heart, her face burning. But the fear of death had stripped away her inhibitions.
She looked up, gathering her courage to face Shen Anyu. She stood on her tiptoes.
She softly parted her red lips, whispering a request that was both a plea and a command:
"Can you... love me? Right now?"
Having just gone through a life-or-death crisis, the adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She urgently wanted to feel alive. She wanted to confirm her existence through his touch.
Shen Anyu's eyes darkened.
"As you wish."
He naturally couldn't tolerate refusal. He swept her up into his arms, not caring about the ruined parking lot or the watching eyes.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Ye Yan, felt bitter in his heart!]
[Ding! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
...
Ye Yan lay on the ground, broken and bleeding.
He watched helplessly as Shen Anyu embraced Lin Keqing. He saw the way she clung to him. He saw the way she looked at him with total surrender.
And then, he watched them leave intimately, heading towards the elevator. He knew what they were going to do.
His heart was filled with a sadness so profound it eclipsed the physical pain of his shattered limbs.
His eyes lost their luster. The fire of vengeance flickered and died.
"Ye Yan... oh Ye Yan..." he mocked himself internally. "It's a pity your deep affection was misplaced."
"You missed your chance. Five years too late."
But then, the survival instinct of a protagonist kicked in.
"No... I can't give up. Not yet."
"Now, the most important thing is to find a way to escape. I must warn Master! I must tell the old man to be careful of Shen Anyu's schemes..."
Ye Yan tried to move his finger.
However, looking up, he saw the nightmare.
Shen Anyu's guards—led by the terrifying Aunt Xiao—were tightly surrounding him. Their auras locked onto him like laser sights.
Feeling the emptiness of the once powerful [Martial Dao True Essence] in his dantian... feeling the burning pain in his severed tendons... Ye Yan was filled with helplessness and powerlessness.
How could he escape? He couldn't even crawl.
Was he to watch helplessly as Shen Anyu succeeded in his scheme against his Master?
Bang!
A loud sound echoed.
Ye Yan felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.
"Sleep."
His vision immediately went black. He fainted into the abyss.
"Hmph. Behave yourself!"
Aunt Xiao snorted, withdrawing her foot. She had directly kicked Ye Yan unconscious to shut him up.
She turned to the others, her expression grim.
"This kid is not honest. He has the luck of a cockroach. You must keep a close eye on him! Don't let him wake up! Just knock him out every hour if you have to!"
"The task Young Lord gave us must not be messed up! If he escapes, we all die!"
A female guard with a cruel smile stepped forward. She spoke coquettishly, twirling a syringe.
"Aunt Xiao... why don't we inject this guy with a powerful anesthetic? The kind used for Black Continent elephants? It keeps them down for days."
"And then... we can implant a remote-controlled micro-bomb or a poison sac in his heart. How about that? Just to be safe."
The surrounding female guards all broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this. Even for assassins, that was extreme.
But Aunt Xiao's eyes lit up. She nodded in approval.
"Good idea. Very thorough. Young Lord likes thoroughness. I'll ask for credit for you later."
Shen Anyu, detecting this scene through the [Nanometer Monitoring Robot] he left behind, also twitched his mouth as he walked into the elevator.
"What a talent... My subordinates are becoming more villainous than me."
In fact, Shen Anyu had already left a potent poison from his [Divine Poison Skill] dormant in Ye Yan's blood. He controlled his life and death with a thought.
However, one must naturally be highly vigilant against a Child of Destiny. History was full of villains who died because they didn't double-tap. So even with the poison, he had to be closely guarded.
But Shen Anyu had no time to deal with these matters now.
Because two jade arms were already wrapped around his neck. A soft, fragrant beauty was in his embrace, nibbling on his earlobe.
It was better to cherish the person in front of him...
...
[Time Skip: Evening]
As night deepened over Magic City.
The neon lights flickered on, painting the streets in vibrant colors.
In a corner of the famous Ancient Street, a newly opened establishment prepared to close.
The Tianji Pavilion.
The owner, a young man named Chen Tianji, closed the elegant mahogany doors with a satisfied sigh.
"Business was good today! Hahaha! I made a fortune!"
"Two million Yuan in a single day! Who else can do that?!"
Chen Tianji looked at the detailed bank statement on his phone, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were shaped like currency symbols.
At this moment, with the doors closed and the customers gone, he no longer had to pretend to be a calm, composed, mysterious "Great Master" of fortune-telling.
He slumped into his chair, kicking his feet up on the table. He looked completely like a worldly, greedy commoner.
In fact, Chen Tianji was precisely this kind of person. He was just an ordinary guy, a struggler in the vast multitude of the city.
But he was extremely lucky. He had obtained a cheat—the [Tianji Ancient Jade] (Heavenly Secret Jade)—which allowed him to see people's Luck, good and bad fortune, and even glimpses of the future.
"I also have to thank that 'Green Hat' brother and that fierce Young Brother Ye for leading the way this morning."
"Their drama encouraged many rich patrons to come for fortune-telling later. Even a hundred thousand for a reading didn't make them bat an eye! Rich people are so easy to scam... I mean, help."
"However..."
Chen Tianji slapped his own face lightly.
"Chen Tianji, wake up! It's still not enough! Only two million a day? That's still less than those top actors in the entertainment industry who make 2.08 million a day just by breathing!"
"You have to work harder! Don't get arrogant!"
Chen Tianji happily admonished himself and hummed a cheerful tune.
Two million a day... and this was only the first day of opening. Once his reputation grew, once the rumors spread... how many wealthy tycoons would seek him out?
"Papa Ma... Papa Wang... those top billionaires..."
Chen Tianji was already fantasizing.
"In the future, with just a word, I can make such top-tier bigwigs nod and bow to me. I can decide their fate!"
"One hundred thousand for a reading? Pfft! Too cheap!"
"I need more money! I want a villa! I want a harem!"
"Once my reputation is established, it would be a million for a reading! Ten million for a reading!"
"Even if they offer a hundred million, they shouldn't expect me to act unless they have a good attitude! I am a Master!"
He wasn't some Jianghu charlatan. He was the real deal. He could genuinely see destiny. He was infinitely more powerful than some fake Qigong masters.
"What a pity... it's not ancient times now. Otherwise, I could be the Imperial Preceptor (National Master)!"
"Then I could freely enter and exit the imperial palace... telling the fortunes of those beautiful concubines... touching their hands to read their palms... hehehehe..."
Chen Tianji shook his head, wiping a bit of drool from his mouth.
He rubbed his somewhat hungry stomach.
"I'm starving. Where should I eat with so much money?"
"Should I find an old driver to take me to some private club? Should I find ten or eight young models and have a party together? Champagne and caviar?"
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Just then, a heavy, rhythmic knocking sound came from the mahogany door of Tianji Pavilion.
Chen Tianji jumped.
"Huh? It's almost past ten o'clock. Who's here so late?"
He got up, ready to open the door, but suddenly paused. His street instincts kicked in.
He frowned.
"Wait."
"Could it be some ruffians? Gangsters who saw me earning a lot today and want to come collect 'protection fees'?"
"Or some jealous peers? Other fortune tellers coming to smash my shop?"
"Hmph. I'm not afraid. I'll take a look first!"
Chen Tianji reached into his pocket, gripping the warm, smooth surface of the [Tianji Ancient Jade] tightly.
Flash!
A faint, golden light immediately flashed in his pupils.
[Divine Eye: Activate!]
He looked through the solid wood of the mahogany door.
It wasn't X-ray vision that saw bones or clothes. It was a profound and mysterious ability to perceive Qi, Luck, and Destiny.
He looked at the aura of the person standing outside.
"Hiss..."
At this sight, Chen Tianji immediately gasped. He stumbled back, his eyes widening until they almost popped out.
"This... This is..."
"Purple Qi from the East... stretching for 30,000 miles!"
"Ineffably noble! Supreme! Domineering!"
Chen Tianji was completely stunned.
He saw a column of purple-gold light rising from the person outside, piercing the night sky like a pillar of heaven. It was surrounded by dragons and phoenixes made of energy. It was blinding.
After obtaining the Tianji Jade, he would occasionally stroll around the CBD to look at rich people. He had seen prominent figures, CEOs, even government officials traveling in great style.
But even the top wealthy magnate in Magic City... even the Mayor... possessed far less than one percent of this Luck.
Comparing them to the person outside was like comparing a firefly to the sun.
"My heavens... to possess such overwhelming Luck? Is he the Son of God?"
"What kind of noble person could this be? It is unimaginable!"
Then, the greed kicked in.
Chen Tianji's grin stretched from ear to ear, erasing his fear.
"I'm rich! I'm rich! I'm absolutely rich!"
"For such a supreme noble person... coming late at night to find me..."
"A hundred million for a reading wouldn't be too much, would it? Maybe a billion?!"
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