This was the first time Yan Zhen had ever extended his spiritual sense so far.
In theory, with his Divine Soul at only Hidden Realm Mid Stage, his perception range should have topped out at two hundred meters.
Yet at this very moment, it inexplicably broke through that theoretical limit, allowing him to clearly see the looming crisis.
—The exaggerated poison was just a smokescreen. The real killer move was from behind: that person, that bow, that arrow. If it struck true, it could instantly slay a Mystic Master without question!
—Good Big Sister was in danger!
With his current strength, Yan Zhen had no way to block a sure-kill arrow aimed at a Mystic Master. He lacked any trump card to resolve the crisis outright, leaving only his Special Trump Cards.
Which one to use?
Right—first, the 【Special Trump Card: 1V1】 to force the opponent to redirect the arrow at him. Then, he’d dodge it the same way he’d evaded Han Feng’s palm strike earlier.
That is, activate the Star Shifting Fire Seal to slip into the Crystal Stone Space in an instant. Once the arrow passed through, activate it again to pop back out.
Pair it with Pursuing Shadow Flow’s afterimage-generating movement technique, and it’d look like he’d phased right through the attack.
Theoretically, he could dodge any attack he could react to.
—Damn it, adding unscripted drama like this? Stabbing at my Good Big Sister? Watch this young master wipe you all out!
His plan was set, but it had only taken a couple of fleeting thoughts. Just as Yan Zhen prepared to use the 【Special Trump Card: 1V1】, Ji Ya gently grasped his hand.
“It’s fine, Little Brother Yan Zhen. Leave it to Aunt Mu.”
Yan Zhen froze. Right—there was still Aunt Mu.
Even if she only noticed the attack after the arrow was fired, with her Nine-Star Mystic King power, she could easily intercept that sure-kill shot meant for a Mystic Master!
What was there to worry about?
“Oh…”
Sure enough, the instant the arrow neared the private room’s window, Aunt Mu’s mature and alluring figure appeared like a phantom in its path. She reached out with one hand, and strands of pitch-black Mystic Power coiled around the arrow like tentacles, halting it dead in its tracks.
The arrow shuddered violently, then abruptly reversed direction, streaking back along its incoming path.
Boom!
It skimmed across the rooftop and struck the fleeing sniper, exploding his entire body into fragments. No corpse remained.
Chill from the Ice Mystic Force spread outward, forming a layer of solid ice that froze the blood in place.
“Ah—”
Screams from passersby pierced the sky.
Aunt Mu scanned left and right, confirmed no further enemies, then vanished once more.
Her decisive, practiced handling screamed experience with such threats—she’d likely sensed the danger long ago.
So what had he just been doing, playing the hero? Thinking only he, the protagonist, could foresee the peril? That only he could save Good Big Sister with his life on the line? No way, right? No one could be that full of themselves, could they?
A snarky voice seemed to mock him in his mind. Yan Zhen struggled to keep his handsome face impassive, but his toes curled involuntarily in his shoes, grinding so hard they nearly wore holes through the soles.
—Okay, everyone, eyes on me. I’ve got an announcement: Yeah, I’m such a fool!
Seeing the sure-kill strike fail, the little maidservant dropped her pretense and unleashed her Mystic Master cultivation. She tried to bolt backward, but the twin bodyguards weren’t about to let her escape. They blocked her path and struck as one sisterly duo, their Mystic General Power overwhelming her. In just a few moves, they beheaded her right there in the hallway!
The commotion naturally drew the restaurant manager, who turned pale as a ghost at the sight and apologized profusely.
If anything happened to Ji Ya in his establishment, the owner here would change by tomorrow—and his job, maybe even his life, wouldn’t be safe.
The Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce held a status in the Sunward Kingdom nearly rivaling the Royal Family and the National Guardian Divine Sect, for it controlled half the kingdom’s economic lifeline!
The twin sisters ignored the manager. After slaying the assassin, they returned to the private room, closed the door, and stood guard one at each side.
By the way, they didn’t eat food—they consumed only pills.
Ji Ya had barely reacted from start to finish, clearly accustomed to such incidents.
“Alright, the hidden threats are dealt with. No one will disturb our meal now.”
Yi Xian’er glanced toward the direction the arrow had come from and asked, “Do we know who was behind it?”
Ji Ya shook her head. “It doesn’t matter who. But it’s time to replace the maids at Elegant Garden.”
Before heading out, she’d told the maids she wouldn’t be dining at home at noon. One of them must have been a mole, allowing the hidden assailants to prepare ahead—one to draw her attention, the other to strike for the kill.
Old tricks, though. The first time it’d nearly caught her off guard and left her lightly injured. Now, they were just a bunch of clownish fools.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen was trying to protect Big Sis just now, wasn’t he?”
Yan Zhen’s face flushed red. He ducked his head awkwardly and denied it. “N-No! With Aunt Mu here, why would I even think that?”
“You totally were.” Ji Ya wouldn’t let it go. “Little Brother Yan Zhen is only at Mystic Initiate Realm, yet he wanted to protect a Mystic Master like Big Sis. So cute~”
“/(//o/ω/o//)/”
—Stop it! I was wrong! I won’t do it again!
Yan Zhen felt ants crawling over his skin, his face as red as the braised pork trotter on the table.
But Ji Ya pressed on relentlessly. She picked up a tender, glutinous braised pork trotter and placed it in his bowl. “Little Brother Yan Zhen has such a sweet intention—Big Sis is thrilled. Here’s a reward trotter for you~”
Yan Zhen ate it sullenly.
Ji Ya covered her mouth and giggled, her smile brighter than any flower. She was clearly in high spirits.
Her silly little brother had sensed the danger and thought first of protecting her. That tenderness and bravery were the biggest reasons she’d fallen so hard for him without realizing it.
Of course, as a member of the looks-obsessed crowd, Yan Zhen’s slightly boyish handsome face and his sturdy frame—muscles not too defined but packed with power—were huge points in his favor too.
Watching him devour the trotter to hide his shyness was so adorable that Ji Ya suddenly wanted to kiss him. And she couldn’t hold back.
So she gave in to the impulse.
Leaning sideways toward him, her pink lips pressed softly against his cheek like a flower petal. His chewing paused; blinking his big, sparkling eyes, he turned to her with a dazed look.
Ji Ya fluttered her beautiful eyes at him, sending a flirty spark. “That’s your bonus reward~”
“…”
The daze on Yan Zhen’s face turned to deadpan exasperation.
Yi Xian’er, sitting on his other side, wasn’t pleased. They’d agreed to an alliance last night—mutual support—and here she was, poaching right in front of her the next day? No business without deceit; merchants truly had no credibility. She’d have to rely on herself.
“Yan Zhen, you’ve got rice on your face.” With that, Yi Xian’er leaned in and planted a kiss on his other cheek. She licked her lips afterward and said calmly, “There, fixed.”
“…”
Yan Zhen turned to Yi Xian’er, his expression even more exasperated. Because he hadn’t even eaten any rice.
