Chapter 333: A welcome healing!
"So cold…"
Ye Liyou felt cold all over, the poison in her body could no longer be suppressed; it was both painful and chilling, as if she had fallen into the ten-thousand-year-old icy waters beneath the Arctic ice sheet. The knife-like cold water surged in, causing bone-scraping pain.
Suddenly, a sun seemed to rise in the sky, and its warm light shone upon her, dispelling the biting cold. Within that sun, a man as handsome as an immortal seemed to be smiling.
"It's Senior…"
Ye Liyou slowly awoke from her coma, her eyes hazy, gradually regaining consciousness. She found herself in an exquisite room, seemingly a hotel.
Shen Anyu sat beside her, his large hand resting on her wrist, infusing True Qi.
Feeling her body warm up, a deep sense of gratitude appeared on Ye Liyou's cold and beautiful face, and she said:
"Senior, did you save me? You saved me again…"
[Ding! Detected a +10 increase in the destined heroine Ye Liyou's favorability, plundering +30,000 destiny value!]
Shen Anyu, however, had an extremely solemn expression, his brows tightly furrowed into a 'chuan' character.
The atmosphere in the luxurious suite was heavy, suffocatingly silent except for the faint hum of the central air conditioning. The golden light from the bedside lamp cast long shadows across Shen Anyu's face, accentuating the sharp angles of his jawline and the deep, worried pool of his eyes.
Seeing Shen Anyu's solemn expression, Ye Liyou's heart skipped a beat, a cold grip of anxiety tightening around her chest that had nothing to do with the poison.
In her mind, this young, handsome, powerful, and mysterious man before her was an incredible Senior, like a Heavenly Human Unity expert who walked the mortal world. When he had descended into that alleyway earlier, bathed in moonlight, he had moved with the grace of a deity. When he killed the Vulture members, he instantly annihilated them without even a flicker of his brow, demonstrating his immense power and unshakeable composure.
But now, with such a deeply furrowed brow and a heaviness in his gaze, could it be… her poison?
Shen Anyu, with the self-cultivation of a seasoned actor, furrowed his brows further, maintaining a solemn expression. He occasionally shook his head while looking at Ye Liyou's pale complexion, and sighed deeply, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of a tragic diagnosis.
'Perfect execution,' Shen Anyu thought inwardly, though his face remained a mask of concern. 'The more desperate the situation appears, the more grateful she will be when I offer the "solution." A little fear is the best aphrodisiac for obedience.'
This demeanor, appearing on a doctor, would be enough to scare ninety-nine percent of patients; as for the remaining zero-point-one percent, they would faint on the spot from the sheer pressure radiating from him.
Ye Liyou, the Blood Shadow Rose, a cold and beautiful assassin who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, at this moment, also felt her heart race uncontrollably. She nervously held her breath, her usually steady hands trembling slightly against the silk sheets as she asked with a quivering voice:
"Senior, please tell me. I am prepared."
Shen Anyu looked at Ye Liyou, let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to suck the hope out of the room, and then slowly began to speak, his voice low and magnetic:
"Your situation is very grim. The poison you have contracted is Qianji Poison!"
"The toxicity of Qianji Poison is more than ten times that of Red-crowned Crane Poison. It is an ancient, vicious toxin derived from the venom of a thousand mutated centipedes and refined with necrotic herbs. Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster with a body of steel would surely die after being afflicted, their internal organs melting into a slurry."
Shen Anyu paused, letting the weight of the name sink in, observing the fear dilating her pupils. He continued, painting a vivid, horrifying picture:
"Furthermore, before death, the suffering is immense: suffocation, weakness, full-body convulsions, muscle spasms, with the head and feet able to touch each other, and the upper body and calves straightened, as if being pulled by a loom. Qianji Poison gets its name from this—the 'Thousand Looms' that tear the body apart."
"If you had just been poisoned, and I had used True Qi to detoxify you immediately, there would have been a thirty percent chance of saving you."
Shen Anyu's hand tightened slightly on her wrist, his expression filled with regret.
"But you fought with those people for a long time, circulating your blood and Qi vigorously. The Qianji Poison has already invaded your bone marrow and merged with your dantian. It has reached a critical stage, with no conventional cure. Even with my True Qi maintaining your heart meridian, in less than half an hour, you…"
At this point, Shen Anyu shook his head and sighed softly, looking regretful and pitying, as if he were looking at a beautiful flower about to wither.
Half an hour!
The time limit hung in the air like a death sentence.
Listening to Shen Anyu's explanation, Ye Liyou's valiant and cold jade-like face also turned pale, her complexion gradually fading to the color of paper.
Such a terrifying poison, she had never heard of it, but she did not doubt Shen Anyu's words for a second. Why would a supreme expert lie to a dying woman?
If Shen Anyu had not intervened to save her, she might have perished along with those beasts from the Vulture, or even suffered a more tragic end, defiled before being killed.
Moreover, the young and handsome Senior before her, with his noble and upright demeanor, did not overstep any boundaries while she was unconscious. Even the large hand holding her wrist was separated by a layer of True Qi, without any skin-to-skin contact. He was a gentleman, a savior, a beacon of righteousness in her dark world.
How could she doubt such a righteous gentleman and her savior?
But she didn't want to die. How many people in this world are fearless of death, especially such a painful, ugly death? She was the Blood Shadow Rose, yes, but she was also a woman in the prime of her life.
If Third Senior Sister Goddess Doctor Murong Jieyu were by her side, there might be a glimmer of hope. Her Senior Sister's medical skills were unparalleled, but now, trapped in a hotel room with death approaching in thirty minutes, it was clearly too late.
Only half an hour!
However, Ye Liyou was not someone who would show an ugly demeanor at the brink of death. She took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing the terror back down her throat.
At this moment, she forced a smile onto her cold and beautiful face—a smile that was heartbreakingly fragile yet stubborn—and said to Shen Anyu:
"Senior, I originally wanted to repay your great kindness for saving my life, but I didn't expect there would be no chance."
"No, there is."
Ye Liyou gave Shen Anyu a strained smile, and her jade-like hand reached into her red dress.
The movement was slow, deliberate, and undeniably alluring.
Shen Anyu looked surprised, curious about Ye Liyou's abrupt action. Was she going to offer herself to him, to repay him before she died? 'Is she this decisive?' he mused, his interest piqued.
Soon, he saw that after the red dress was lifted, the fabric pooling around her waist, Ye Liyou's long, fair thighs were revealed. The skin was creamy white, flawless and smooth, glowing softly under the warm lamp light.
Contrasting sharply against the porcelain skin was a black tactical leg ring, tightening the flesh slightly, creating a soft indentation that drew the eye. The contrast of black and white was extremely alluring, exuding a dangerous, lethal sex appeal unique to a female assassin.
Ye Liyou took a gentle breath, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached into the holster. She pulled out a black gold bank card from the inner side of her thigh, where the leg ring was pressed tightly against her skin.
Because it had been kept so close to her body, the card carried a distinct warmth.
Then, Ye Liyou handed this black gold bank card to Shen Anyu.
Shen Anyu's nostrils flared, smelling a faint, subtle fragrance wafting from her lifted dress—a mix of her natural body scent, the metallic tang of hidden weapons, and a hint of wild orchid. His fingertips seemed to still feel the residual body temperature on the bank card as he took it, the heat transferring from her skin to his.
Seeing Shen Anyu frozen, staring at the card (and perhaps the leg that had held it), a hint of shyness flashed in Ye Liyou's star-and-moon-like beautiful eyes. Then her heart dimmed, realizing money was useless to the dead, and she whispered:
"This is an international black gold bank card. It contains all my savings from the past few years since I started. I'm giving it all to you, Senior. Although I am an assassin, I only kill those who are utterly evil. I haven't taken many jobs, so the bounties I've received are few, but it's still at least several hundred million."
She looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping he would accept it, so she wouldn't die owing a debt of gratitude.
Shen Anyu felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. He was always the one giving women hundreds of millions; this was the first time a woman was giving him hundreds of millions.
'Silly girl,' Shen Anyu thought, a possessive glint in his eyes. 'Your money is mine, but you... you are also mine. I don't want the card; I want the person.'
Shen Anyu shook his head, and under Ye Liyou's surprised gaze, he placed the international black gold bank card back into her palm. He didn't let go. instead, he clasped her small, cold hand with both of his warm, large hands, enveloping it completely.
The heat from his palms was shocking, sending a jolt of electricity through Ye Liyou's weakened body.
"Senior…"
Ye Liyou immediately grew anxious. She wanted to repay this life-saving kindness before she died, but she didn't expect Shen Anyu to refuse. Did he despise her dirty money? Or did he think it wasn't enough?
"Ye Liyou, I have a way to save you."
Shen Anyu no longer kept her in suspense. Looking at Ye Liyou, who was already preparing her will, he feigned hesitation, biting his lip slightly as if grappling with a difficult decision, and spoke.
"Is that true, Senior?"
Ye Liyou's star-like eyes immediately brightened, clearly excited. The despair that had clouded her gaze vanished, replaced by a desperate, burning hope. No one wanted to die, especially when she was so young and had many wishes and dreams to fulfill.
Seeing Ye Liyou's excited and invigorated appearance, her chest heaving slightly with renewed breath, Shen Anyu felt amused. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, increasing the intimacy of the moment.
He nodded slightly, explaining with a serious, scholarly tone:
"I Cultivate a special ancient martial art technique that is extraordinarily effective. Not only is my True Qi robust and powerful, but it also has healing properties. Although Qianji Poison is formidable, it is not terrifying for a Heavenly Human Unity expert who has undergone a qualitative change in essence, qi, and spirit, and has subtle control over their body."
"However," Shen Anyu paused, his gaze sweeping over her exquisite face, "this method requires... a specific catalyst."
"With my strength, combined with this special technique, I have full confidence in removing the Qianji Poison from your body."
Listening to Shen Anyu's words, Ye Liyou's cold and beautiful jade-like face was filled with joy and excitement, her star-like eyes sparkling as she exclaimed:
"There is actually such a miraculous special technique in this world, and Senior also has extraordinary opportunities."
From Shen Anyu's explanation, Ye Liyou finally confirmed that the Senior, who was around her age, was indeed a Martial Arts Grandmaster at the Heavenly Human Unity level.
She was saved!
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