Chapter 280: The Art of Deception! Stealing the Protagonist's Face!
"Let Guo Laoliu provide the location where Ye Yan is held. But Tian Yunzi is a cunning old fox, cautious by nature. He will still want to personally investigate the perimeter before committing."
"He will only act to rescue him late at night, ensuring everything is foolproof. That is the habit of a veteran of the hidden world."
"Unfortunately for him... I was already prepared. The location is real. The trap is real. But the person inside... might not be!"
Shen Anyu's lips curled into a half-smile, a look of pure calculation.
He walked down the damp, dimly lit corridor of the underground prison beneath the Jiangjing Manor. The air here was heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the musty scent of mold.
He stopped in front of Cell Number One.
Inside, chained to the wall by heavy tungsten alloy shackles, was a figure that barely resembled a human being.
Ye Yan. The former [War God]. The invincible protagonist of the "Netherworld Palace" arc.
Now, his face was pale as paper, and his body was almost a bloodied mess.
It seemed that after Ye Yan's previous provocation and insults towards Shen Anyu, the prison guards—loyal dogs of the Shen Family—had become even more ruthless in their "interrogations."
Ye Yan's body was a map of suffering. Old scars that had just scabbed over were now joined by fresh whip marks and burns, dense and crisscrossing like a spiderweb of pain. His once-proud martial arts uniform was in tatters, stained brown and red.
Shen Anyu looked at this miserable creature through the reinforced glass. He felt no pity or sympathy.
He knew the rules of this world better than anyone. If their positions were reversed and he had failed, his fate would be no better than Ye Yan's current one. In fact, knowing Ye Yan's ruthless personality, Shen Anyu's family and women would have suffered even worse fates.
"Good afternoon, Ye Yan."
Shen Anyu's voice was smooth and polite, greeting him with a smile as if they were meeting for tea at a high-end club.
"Heh... heh..."
Hearing the hated voice, the broken figure on the wall stirred.
Ye Yan raised his head slowly. His hair was matted with blood and sweat. His gaze, however, was still burning with a furious, unquenchable fire.
It was a look of pure resentment towards Shen Anyu—a hatred and anger that even all the waters of the five lakes and four seas could not wash away.
[Ding! Detected Child of Destiny Ye Yan is extremely furious. Reward: Plundered +9,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Yan's resentment has maxed out. Reward: Plundered +9,999 Destiny Value!]
...
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow upon hearing the pleasant chime of the System.
"Oh? A critical hit?"
After days of torture and torment, Ye Yan had been squeezed almost dry. He had barely yielded any [Destiny Value], usually just ten or twenty points at a time, like a dying battery.
Yet, the moment Ye Yan saw Shen Anyu in the flesh, his fury and resentment instantly maxed out, causing four nines of [Destiny Value] to be plundered rapidly.
"The power of hatred truly is limitless," Shen Anyu mused.
Seeing Ye Yan's eyes full of anger and resentment, yet remaining stubbornly silent, Shen Anyu's face showed a pleased and satisfied expression.
He walked into the cell, the heavy door closing behind him with a dull thud.
"Ye Yan, one good news and one bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Ye Yan sneered, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. He spoke one word at a time, his voice hoarse from screaming:
"Shen... Anyu... what dirty tricks are you playing now?"
"If you have the guts, kill me! Cut off my head! This little torture is nothing in the eyes of the Netherworld War God!"
Ye Yan felt his heart had already died.
Ever since he learned that the beautiful older sister-in-law he had longed for, Lin Keqing, had been intercepted by Shen Anyu's scheme—and that he had arrived a step too late to save her—his spirit had been ashen.
Moreover, with his cultivation crippled, his hamstrings and hand tendons severed, and constant torment day and night, there was no hope of escape. He was a bird with no wings.
In this situation, Ye Yan only wished for a quick death. He wanted to die before he broke, and before he could be used as a bargaining chip against his Master, Tian Yunzi.
Wait... bargaining chip?
Thinking of this, Ye Yan's pupils constricted violently. A flash of terror replaced the anger in his eyes.
"You..."
Shen Anyu tilted his head, smiling as he said:
"Since you didn't choose, then I'll decide. I'll tell you the good news first, then the bad news."
"The good news is... your Master, Tian Yunzi, has come down the mountain."
Shen Anyu paused for effect, watching Ye Yan's reaction.
"He is bringing the remnants of your sect to rescue you tonight. Aren't you surprised? Aren't you happy?"
"Perhaps your invincible Master Tian Yunzi—a [Heavenly Human] expert—can rescue you, heal you, and help you get revenge. Aren't you looking forward to it?"
Ye Yan's face showed no joy or anticipation. Only despair. Absolute, crushing despair.
"No... Master... don't come..." he whispered.
He looked at Shen Anyu as if he were looking at the devil himself. He knew Shen Anyu too well now. If Shen Anyu was telling him this, it meant a trap was already set.
The smile on Shen Anyu's face remained fixed, like a porcelain mask. He looked at Ye Yan, leisurely continuing:
"The bad news is... an insider informed me of the news in advance. I've prepared a big surprise gift package for Tian Yunzi. A welcome party, if you will."
"Ye Yan, are you curious what big surprise gift package I've prepared?"
Ye Yan stared fixedly at Shen Anyu, grinding his teeth so hard they audibly gnashed. Creak. Creak.
He said nothing. He knew that Shen Anyu just wanted to toy with him, to break his mind. He absolutely could not break down and let Shen Anyu be smug.
Shen Anyu shook his head, looking disappointed with his captive.
"You... you really have no curiosity at all. Boring."
"Associate, associate more. Use your imagination."
"If humans lose curiosity and imagination, what separates us from beasts?"
"Here's a hint... look at my clothes."
Ye Yan's gaze sharpened. He instinctively looked at Shen Anyu's attire.
His expression became surprised, then puzzled.
The clothes Shen Anyu was wearing at this moment were... identical to his own.
It was a tattered, bloodstained martial arts uniform. The tears were in the exact same places. Even the grime and the specific pattern of the blood splatter looked eerily similar.
"Shen Anyu... what the hell are you up to?"
Ye Yan frowned, a terrible premonition rising in his heart like bile.
The next moment, Ye Yan's pupils constricted to the size of needle points, filled with extreme terror.
In Ye Yan's disbelieving sight, a nightmare unfolded.
Shen Anyu's handsome, jade-like face began to ripple.
His facial muscles shifted under the skin like living worms. His thin, noble lips thickened slightly. His high nose bridge flattened just a fraction. His fair, pampered skin darkened, taking on a bronze, weathered hue.
Between his brows, an aura appeared—an aura of enduring torment yet extreme steadfastness and stubbornness. The signature "Protagonist Aura."
From a handsome, jade-like noble Young Master, he transformed into a delicate yet stubborn youth who had experienced hardships.
This appearance... this face... Ye Yan was all too familiar with it.
It was the face he saw in the mirror every day.
It was his face.
"You... you... you..."
Ye Yan was shocked. Truly shocked to the core. He looked at Shen Anyu in disbelief, his mouth agape.
He knew about the art of disguise. He himself was proficient in it; it was a required skill for assassins.
But he had never imagined such a miraculous art of disguise—no, it could even be called a [Transformation Technique]—that could, right in front of him, change his bone structure and appearance into Ye Yan's in a matter of seconds.
"Hmm... still some imperfections..."
Shen Anyu muttered, checking his reflection in the glass.
Crack! Crack!
Sickening sounds of bones shifting echoed in the cell. Shen Anyu's height decreased by a few centimeters. His shoulders broadened slightly. His figure gradually changed to perfectly match Ye Yan's physique.
Then, he cleared his throat.
Click.
After his throat bones shifted, he spoke again.
"Master! Save me! Master!"
The voice... was identical to Ye Yan's. Even the timbre, the pitch, and the slight tremor of pain were replicated perfectly.
Shen Anyu revealed a satisfied smile.
With the [Divine Transformation Technique] (plundered from the System Shop) combined with [Extraordinary Ventriloquism] and his own Oscar-level acting skills, he could perfectly imitate Ye Yan.
"Ye Yan, do you think it's similar? What else is lacking?"
Shen Anyu tilted his head—a gesture Ye Yan often made—smiling as he asked the original.
At this moment, Ye Yan felt cold all over. It was a bone-deep chill, as if he had fallen into the icy waters of the Arctic. Every muscle, every bone, every pore in his body trembled.
Looking at Shen Anyu, who was now his identical twin, Ye Yan realized the horror of the plan.
If Shen Anyu pretended to be him... and approached his Master...
Tian Yunzi would never suspect his own beloved disciple. He would lower his guard. And then...
"Bastard! Shen Anyu! You despicable bastard!"
Ye Yan completely erupted in fury. He squeezed out every ounce of strength from his exhausted body, pulling against the chains until his wrists bled.
"If you have the guts, kill me! Come at me! Don't harm my Master! You coward! You have no martial ethics!"
He roared and screamed, desperate to stop this nightmare.
The smile on Shen Anyu's face (Ye Yan's face) receded. He looked calmly at the screaming prisoner, his expression indifferent.
"Martial ethics?"
"Your Master wants to avenge you. He wants to kill me and my family."
"You hit the young one, and the old one came. It's the classic cycle of revenge."
"How can I sleep soundly if I don't send you two off together, neat and tidy?"
"I am a Villain, Ye Yan. I don't fight fair. I win."
Afterward, Shen Anyu bothered no more with Ye Yan's furious roars.
He stepped forward, his fingers moving like lightning.
Tap! Tap!
He directly sealed Ye Yan's mute acupoint and movement acupoint.
Then, he instructed the guards to drag the real Ye Yan into an adjacent secret room with a one-way mirror.
"Lock him in there. Angle his chair so he can see everything."
"Tonight... I want him to witness the grand finale. Past and present, grievances will be completely settled..."
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]