Lin Shang struggled to control his emotions, his voice slowing as he said, "An Yan, I was wrong before. But I hope you can forgive me this once. After all, we've been childhood friends for so many years. I don't believe you don't have any feelings for me!"
"Tell me, what do I have to do for you to forgive me?"
An Yan's eyes sparkled slightly. "How about you let me give you a beating?"
Lin Shang: "..."
Lin Shang clenched his teeth. "If beating me will make you feel better, of course I'm willing, but..."
An Yan didn't wait for him to finish, landing a slap directly across his face.
Lin Shang's head was struck to the side.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, which also contained two molars!
"An Yan! You..."
Mrs. Lin was about to rush over but was stopped by Lin Shang. "Yanyan, are you satisfied now?"
An Yan furrowed her brows. The heavy slap had only made the Bai Wu in her head flicker, as if it were an issue of force.
"Not yet! Let me hit you one more time!"
Half of Lin Shang's face was swollen. He certainly didn't want to be hit again, but An Yan hadn't agreed to get back together. If he gave up now, this slap would have been in vain.
Lin Shang resigned himself to his fate. "Fine! As long as it makes you feel better!!"
An Yan didn't hesitate and landed another slap. This time, Lin Shang spat out three teeth, and finally, there was a change in the Bai Wu in An Yan's mind.
On the branch that represented the Divination Technique, a leaf became clearly visible.
In an instant, An Yan felt her understanding of the Divination Technique deepen.
An Yan's eyes brightened. So Lin Shang was her exp-grinding mob for clearing the Bai Wu!
One side of Lin Shang's face was severely swollen, his eyes squeezed into a slit. He endured the humiliation and pain, his voice soft as he looked at An Yan, "Yanyan, have you let out all your anger now?"
"Not yet!"
An Yan struck out with another slap!
This time she added a bit more strength, and Lin Shang spat out four teeth.
But the Bai Wu didn't stir, not even a flicker.
An Yan, disbelieving, delivered another slap!
Fine, it really wasn't moving.
"Yanyan, I'll definitely treat you well in the future!" Seeing that An Yan had finally stopped, Lin Shang endured the pain and started his act again.
An Yan gave him a sidelong glance. "What are you thinking? Why should I give up a fiancé who is a million times better than you to reconcile with someone who betrayed me?"
Only then did Lin Shang realize he had been played. His face swollen like a pig's head, he gritted his teeth. "Do you think you're something special just because you've climbed your way into the Li Family of Shangjing City?"
"An Yan, I can tell you for sure that Mr. Li is just playing with you!"
"Do you know how many women he has? Do you know how he treats the women he gets tired of?"
An Yan watched him thoughtfully.
From Lin Shang's perspective, she seemed frightened. Even with his face swollen like that, it didn't stop the smugness shining from his eyes.
"Let me tell you," he continued, "Li Tianyao has bought several small islands in the Pacific Ocean, filled with countless wild animals—tigers, lions, wolves... All those women he tired of? He sends them to the islands, alive, to feed those animals!"
"The lucky ones get their necks snapped in one bite and die quickly. The unlucky ones are gnawed beyond recognition while still conscious."
"An Yan, I advise you to leave him as soon as possible, or sooner or later, he'll feed you to those animals!"
An Yan: "..."
She looked at Lin Shang with utter disgust.
Initially, she thought Lin Shang was a rare gem. Yesterday, she realized he was actually human trash. Now, she finally saw clearly: Lin Shang was simply an idiot! Thinking a few fabricated stories would scare her. Heh.
Just as she was about to call someone to kick the mother and son out, she heard a voice.
"Would Young Master Lin like to experience it personally?"
Li Tianyao, dressed in black, strode forward. With each step, the air in the courtyard seemed to tighten, inch by inch.
Lin Shang's face instantly turned ghastly pale.
Mrs. Lin was also terrified, quickly stepping in front of Lin Shang. "Ninth Master, my son was just joking."
"But I find what he said quite interesting," Li Tianyao remarked. "Lu Feng, go find out which island has the most wild animals. Apply for a flight path; we'll send Young Master Lin over shortly."
Lin Shang: "..."
THUD!
Mrs. Lin pulled Lin Shang down to their knees. "Ninth Master, we were wrong! We'll never dare to do it again!"
"Dare not do what?"
"We won't dare to spread rumors about you behind your back again!"
"Hmm?" Li Tianyao prompted.
"We won't... we won't dare to harass Miss An Yan any longer!"
"Remember what you said. Get out!"
The moment Li Tianyao finished speaking, the bodyguards behind him sprang into action.
They took the gifts brought by the Lin Family and threw them outside the main gate like trash.
Mrs. Lin, dragging a disheveled Lin Shang, scampered out, terrified that Li Tianyao might change his mind if they were too slow.
An Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud.
A trace of amusement flashed in the man's deep eyes. "Doesn't your hand hurt?"
An Yan lifted her hand and examined it. "It's fine! I only hit scumbags. As long as you're not one, you have nothing to fear!"
Li Tianyao's mouth twitched. "I've never been with other women! Nor do I have a hobby of feeding people to wild animals!"
Of course, An Yan knew that; after all, Ling Xiao wasn't incompetent.
"And you're not allowed to have other men! Understand?" Li Tianyao added.
An Yan nodded. "Of course, rest assured!"
"Good girl!" The man contentedly reached out and pinched the bun atop her head. "I'm off!"
So this guy came all this way just to drive Lin Shang and his mother away for her?
An Yan's mood lifted.
Not long after Li Tianyao left the An Family residence, he received an email from Li Han. It was a detailed investigation report on An Yan.
She had lived with her parents until the age of two, and because of her poor health, she had never even left the house.
After turning two, she lived with her master, Luo Zi'ang, in a Taoist temple in the Hengduan Mountains. The master and disciple addressed each other as grandfather and granddaughter.
Luo Zi'ang was a charlatan, dabbling in exorcisms, fortune-telling, and character readings—whatever one could think of. But in reality, he was most skilled in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The two of them provided medical care and blessings to the peasants of the nearby villages for a living.
The little girl was very smart and learned Luo Zi'ang's skills at a young age. Occasionally, when Luo Zi'ang was not around, she would take charge and was known as the Little Divine Doctor in that area.
She had even cured a patient with cerebral palsy named Ling Xiao. After his recovery, Ling Xiao became her subordinate, and she sent him to Luocheng, where he established the Xinyan Group.
As for the thumb ring, she didn't have it before she was two. But after turning two, such an ornament suddenly appeared around her neck.
"Sir, could the thumb ring have been given to her by Luo Zi'ang?" Li Han speculated.
Li Tianyao shook his head. Luo Zi'ang was already over seventy. If Gu Shifang wanted to be reborn, he definitely wouldn't choose such a body.
"Find Luo Zi'ang and protect him," Li Tianyao ordered. "Also, I want all of Ling Xiao's information."
"Yes, Sir."
「At the An Family residence.」
An Yaoluo stared at An Zhongbo in shock. "So, you're saying that after the Lin Family broke off her engagement, my sister immediately found another fiancé? And it's Li Tianyao?"
"Mm-hmm!"
An Yaoluo's handsome face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. "Dad! My sister is young; she doesn't know what kind of person Li Tianyao is. How could you... How could you agree to this?"
Has An Yan gone mad? To spite Lin Shang, she just randomly grabbed a man to be her fiancé? And that slap she gave Lin Shang earlier—what well-bred young lady from a renowned family would do such a thing? Doesn't the family have bodyguards? Did a young miss really need to resort to physical violence herself?
An Yaoluo felt like he was going to lose his mind.
Even when An Yan came in, his expression didn't soften in the slightest.
An Yan glanced at him, then gracefully sat down and started eating as if she hadn't noticed him.
An Yaoluo opened his mouth to speak, but then he remembered An Yan holding their mother's photo, and his heart couldn't help but soften.
Maybe I should wait a few more days. It might be better to teach her after we've become more familiar.
Initially, she hadn't believed in the Divination Technique. Her grandfather's specialty was medicine. As for all his talk about fate, destiny, feng shui, and the like, An Yan had thought it was just nonsense he made up to earn more money! Ever since she was three and saw someone throwing rotten eggs at their Taoist temple, she had resolved to study medicine and ignore her grandfather's superstitious ramblings.
But now, she felt differently. Li Tianyao truly did have an excellent fate, and the An Family was indeed surrounded by petty people!
However, how could she completely dispel the obscuring Bai Wu in her mind? It was clear Lin Shang was tapped out.
Perhaps it was time for a new target?
An Yan's thoughts turned to Bai Xiaoyun!
When it came to being trash, Bai Xiaoyun was even worse than Lin Shang, wasn't she? Lin Shang had wronged her, An Yan, but Bai Xiaoyun had wronged her father!
And she already had a perfect reason to deal with Bai Xiaoyun—she had stolen her mother's belongings!
So, I'll go to the jewelry stores today. If Bai Xiaoyun wants to get rid of the stolen jewelry, she'll likely go to a jewelry store, right?
After finishing her meal, An Yan took out her phone and pulled up a map. She planned her route and was about to leave when she suddenly halted in her tracks!