Chapter 385: He is Indeed My Son! Liu Ruyan is Panicking!
Beside her son, Shen Anyu, An Zhiyi didn't display the imposing, frost-laden aura of the high-and-mighty career woman that the business world feared. Instead, she stood with a relaxed grace, her eyes filled with maternal warmth.
She looked past Shen Anyu's shoulder at Zhong Lingyin, Yang Luoluo, and the other stunning girls standing nervously not far behind, and asked with a hint of teasing in her voice.
Shen Anyu's expression remained calm. He didn't need to speak to control the environment.
With a subtle thought, his invisible spiritual energy rippled outward. The air around them vibrated slightly as he constructed a vacuum seal, instantly isolating them from the outside world. The noise of the surroundings faded into absolute silence within their small, private circle, ensuring their conversation remained confidential without alerting the girls.
He responded with a confident, charming smile:
"All of them."
An Zhiyi's beautiful eyes immediately widened slightly, a flash of genuine surprise passing through them. Then, her expression shifted to one of immense approval and pride. She reached out, straightening Shen Anyu's collar, and said:
"As expected of my son. He's truly capable."
"Those girls all look excellent—top-tier in appearance, temperament, and talent. If you could marry them all and have ten or eight grandchildren for the Shen and An families, your mother would be overjoyed. The tedious task of inheritance requires a large bloodline, after all."
Regarding her son Shen Anyu's multi-partner relationships, An Zhiyi was extremely approving. In the world of the true elite, monogamy was often a constraint for the weak. However, she held a blatant double standard; if Shen Anyu's father dared to look at another woman, she would tear him apart with her own hands. She was that much of a magnificent hypocrite.
As she spoke, An Zhiyi's teasing expression faded, replaced by a solemn, sharp look that revealed the iron lady beneath the motherly facade. She lowered her voice, the air around her growing heavy:
"An'yu, tell Mom the truth. What exactly happened this morning with the three Celestials from the Martial God Hall trying to kill you?"
This was the sole reason she had abandoned a crucial international merger meeting worth billions and rushed directly from the Imperial Capital. The intelligence report had terrified her: Her son, Shen Anyu, the sole heir, had been assassinated, and the assailants were three "Heavenly Human" realm experts—entities considered living gods by the secular world—from the notorious Martial God Hall.
When An Zhiyi received the report from Aunt Xiao, the captain of Shen Anyu's guard team, her heart had nearly stopped. She was completely stunned, then consumed by a mother's ferocious anxiety. Without a second thought, she immediately mobilized the family's private jet to rush over to Magic City, dragging the conveniently present An Zhiyue and Liu Ruyan with her.
Facing his mother's intense scrutiny, Shen Anyu didn't hide the facts. He swirled the wine in his glass gently and began to explain:
"It's quite simple, really. The Hall Master of the Martial God Hall is a lecherous old ghost. He coveted the Female Sword Immortal, Pei Changli, but couldn't capture her alive due to her strength."
"So, he shifted his target. He wanted to capture Pei Changli's Junior Sister, the Heavenly Queen Zhong Lingyin, to use her as bait and leverage to threaten Pei Changli."
Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold, kingly aura radiating from him.
"Zhong Lingyin is already my woman. She belongs to me. Naturally, I wouldn't let the Martial God Hall touch a single hair on her head. That led to the conflict."
Hearing Shen Anyu's words, An Zhiyi's exquisitely groomed eyebrows furrowed tightly. She looked somewhat annoyed, her maternal protective instinct clashing with her son's recklessness.
"An'yu, for a woman, you disregarded your own danger? You stood against three Heavenly Humans? You've truly made your mother worry too much."
She stepped closer, gripping his arm.
"If you want women, your mother can find you any kind of beauty—national idols, foreign princesses, cultivation geniuses. I can fill a palace for you. But you cannot disregard your own safety. You are the future of the Shen and An families."
In An Zhiyi's eyes, even a peerless beauty capable of toppling nations was expendable compared to a single drop of Shen Anyu's blood. No one's safety was more important than his.
Shen Anyu found it inconvenient to explain the mechanics of [Destiny Value] and how saving Zhong Lingyin was essential for harvesting the "Child of Destiny," so he just smiled, exuding an air of absolute confidence.
"Mom, don't worry. Look at me. I'm perfectly fine, not a scratch on me. And as for those three arrogant 'Gods' from the Martial God Hall? They are now dead, blown into dust without a complete corpse left to bury."
An Zhiyi's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, confirming with her own eyes that he was indeed uninjured. Her beautiful eyes looked at Shen Anyu, filled with a complex mix of relief, shock, and a swelling sense of pride and honor.
"An'yu, you don't know..." She let out a breath she seemed to have been holding since she left the capital. "When your maternal grandfather heard the news of you defeating the three Celestials from the Martial God Hall, the entire An Family compound went silent."
"I heard that even someone of his stature—a man who has seen wars and the rise and fall of nations—was so shocked he immediately stood up from his chair. His mouth didn't close for a long time."
At this point, An Zhiyi was incredibly relieved, her face glowing.
In the past, in her eyes, her son Shen Anyu was just a spoiled scion. He was handsome and rich, but lacked true power. But An Zhiyi didn't dislike him; he was the flesh and blood she had carried for ten months. Even if he was a waste, with her around, Shen Anyu would be able to live a life of wealth and glory until the day he died.
But now? Shen Anyu's performance repeatedly shattered her worldview.
First, he subdued the business world of Magic City. Then, he eradicated the assassin organizations. And now, he had slaughtered Heavenly Humans.
This time, even An Zhiyi's father, the Old Master of the Yanxia An Family, a pillar of the nation whose stomping foot could cause an economic earthquake, was dumbfounded and incredulous.
"After the Old Master reacted," An Zhiyi chuckled elegantly, "he repeatedly praised you. He said you are indeed the Bloodline of the An Family, a true Qilin child sent by the heavens. He even slapped his thigh in the middle of the meeting hall, loudly regretting that he hadn't pushed harder for you to be named 'An Shenyu' back then, letting that old fox from the Shen Family take advantage of such a genius."
As for why Shen Anyu had suddenly become so strong, surpassing the logic of martial arts training, An Zhiyi also had questions in her heart. But she swallowed them. As long as Shen Anyu was her son, that was enough. No matter what great secret or inheritance he had obtained, she didn't care. She would protect his secret with her life.
Shen Anyu smiled, appreciating his mother's unconditional support. Then, he pointed a slender finger towards the corner of the room, where a quiet, foreign girl with golden hair was standing obediently.
"Mom, although I claim the victory... strictly speaking, I didn't do it alone. It was that girl, Susan, who killed them."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, even the composed An Zhiyi was stunned. Her poise momentarily cracked.
She followed his finger. Susan looked like she had just entered university. She was fresh, delicate, charming, and possessed an exotic beauty that made people want to protect her. She stood there looking at Shen Anyu with eyes full of adoration, like a harmless little kitten.
Could such a delicate and gentle young woman actually kill three Celestials from the Martial God Hall? Those were monsters that even heavy weaponry struggled to kill!
If these words hadn't come from her son Shen Anyu's mouth, An Zhiyi wouldn't have believed a single word. She would have laughed it off as a joke.
"Susan is... very special."
Shen Anyu sighed. Even now, he still couldn't fully figure out the origin of the entity [Su Muyue] residing deep within Susan's Soul. That being had instantly plundered 5.3 million Destiny Value in one go—a feat that terrified him as much as it delighted him.
"Fortunately, she loves me. Her favorability is at the absolute maximum, which means she values my life more than her own and would never be detrimental to me."
An Zhiyi keen noticed her son Shen Anyu's sigh and the subtle flicker of complication in his eyes. With her wisdom honed in the viper pit of high society, she quickly figured out a few things.
"Are you troubled by that girl Susan because she is too powerful, my son?" she asked with a knowing smile.
Shen Anyu didn't hide it. He leaned in closer, whispering the truth of the "Shura Field."
"Yes. Susan loves me very much... too much. She values me more than her own life. She even cut her wrist in the past just because I ignored her for two days. Her personality is... extreme."
Shen Anyu's eyes darkened.
"If she knew I had other women—like Lingyin, or Luoluo, or Ruyan—she wouldn't harm me. But I cannot guarantee she wouldn't slaughter the other women to 'cleanse' my surroundings. She has the power to do it instantly."
This was Shen Anyu's biggest headache. Su Muyue was an Empress-level existence. Sharing a husband? In her eyes, the other women were likely ants stealing her divine food.
An Zhiyi took a light breath, realizing the severity of the situation. A jealous woman was trouble. A jealous woman with the power to kill Gods was a catastrophe.
Then, her beautiful eyes lit up. She clapped her hands together softly.
"That's simple. Just let that girl Susan stay with your mother. Let me take her to the Imperial Capital."
She smiled, a calculating gleam in her eyes.
"I can't miss out on such a good daughter-in-law. With me watching over her, and with you visiting occasionally, we can separate her from your other... 'interests' here in Magic City."
With An Zhiyi's wisdom and status, how could she not know the strategic significance of a girl who could kill three Celestials? Such a person was a nuclear deterrent. A weapon rarely found in a thousand years.
That Pei Changli had already shaken the Yanxia Martial Arts World, being hailed as the Female Sword Immortal. But Susan? Susan was evidently on a higher level. Having such a force guarding the An Family in the capital would solidify their dominance for another century.
Shen Anyu thought for a moment and nodded. It was the perfect solution.
"I agree."
With the [Supernatural Skill: Love Infinite Teleportation], distance was irrelevant. He could teleport to Susan's side in the Imperial Capital at any time with a single thought.
And conversely, if he encountered insoluble trouble in Magic City, he could instantly bring Susan back as a reinforcement.
The Imperial Capital was usually a map for the Child of Destiny in the mid-to-late stages of development, a place of hidden dragons and tigers. But Shen Anyu also needed to prepare for the unexpected.
In fact, Shen Anyu was already intentionally dispersing the Destined Heroines to widen his net of influence: Luo Yuhe was managing the business empire in Jinling, and Suzuki Natsuki was controlling the underground in Sakura Country.
With Susan accompanying his mother An Zhiyi, the safety of the An Family would be absolute.
Subsequently, An Zhiyi actively called Susan over.
The atmosphere in the room shifted. An Zhiyi, the matriarch, stood before the young foreign girl.
"Child, come here."
An Zhiyi smiled warmly, taking Susan's hand. She brought up the matter of going to the Imperial Capital gently but firmly. Then, under the envious gazes of the other women, she slid a bracelet off her own wrist.
It was an Imperial Jade bangle, green as an ancient forest, swirling with an internal light. It was an heirloom worth cities.
"This was given to me by An'yu's grandmother. Now, I give it to you. Come with me to the Capital. I need someone strong and trustworthy by my side."
Although Susan was reluctant to leave Shen Anyu, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes, she understood the hierarchy. Her future mother-in-law wanted to keep her by her side. This was official recognition.
Shen Anyu smiled, walking over and brushing a strand of hair behind Susan's ear.
"Susan, my dear, don't worry. Go with Mom. I'll come to see you whenever I have time. I promise."
"Okay... husband. I believe you."
Susan nodded obediently, rubbing her cheek against his palm. "But you must come often. Or I'll miss you... too much."
Her eyes flashed with a brief, crimson light—a warning and a promise—before returning to normal.
An Zhiyi was a woman of action. She had many affairs to attend to, and after verifying Shen Anyu was unharmed and securing a nuclear-level bodyguard, she wasted no time.
Within ten minutes, the motorcade was ready. She took Susan and the bewildered An Zhiyue back to the airport to return to the Imperial Capital.
The villa suddenly felt quieter.
However, one person remained.
Liu Ruyan stood by the window, her arms crossed, the evening breeze fluttering her dress. She hadn't left with An Zhiyi.
She turned around, looking at Shen Anyu with a complex expression—a mix of relief that he was alive, and a simmering annoyance at the scene she had just witnessed.
"Oh, Young Master Shen," Liu Ruyan said, her voice dripping with a sickly sweet sarcasm. She walked over, her hips swaying rhythmically. "You certainly have good fortune with women. I didn't know when you got another girlfriend? And a foreign one at that?"
"One moment it's the Heavenly Queen, the next it's a foreign exchange student. You really are busy."
There was a thick, undeniable hint of jealousy in her words. The sour scent of vinegar filled the air.
Shen Anyu chuckled low in his throat. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them until he was looming over her. The playful atmosphere instantly turned heavy with tension.
He reached out, hooking her chin with his finger, forcing her to look up into his dark, amused eyes.
"Yan'er, are you jealous?"
He leaned down, his hot breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe.
"It's alright if you're jealous. I have plenty of 'comfort' to give. Since Mom took Susan away... I'm free tonight."
Shen Anyu's voice dropped to a husky whisper.
"I'll come to your room tonight!"
Liu Ruyan's arrogant facade crumbled instantly. Her face flushed a deep crimson, panic flooding her eyes.
"You...!"
Liu Ruyan immediately panicked...
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