Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Are You Afraid of Me?

Zhou Ye’s expression changed drastically at the sight of the call, but then he remembered that Kang Naixin was of no value to him anymore.

If he could appease Shen Zhiyao and get back together with her, then what happened with Kang Naixin no longer mattered to him.

So, he said in a fawning tone, “Babe, what are you doing? So what if Kang Naixin hears? That bitch isn’t worthy of being with me! I’ve been wanting to break up with her for ages. She’s the one who’s been clinging to me relentlessly!”

Shen Zhiyao couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. She spoke into the phone to Kang Naixin, “You heard all that, didn’t you, Kang Naixin? Now you can see what kind of person Zhou Ye truly is!”

With that, Shen Zhiyao hung up.

Shen Zhiyao had truly never met such a shameless man.

Not wanting to waste any more words on Zhou Ye, she said coldly, “Zhou Ye, I’ll repeat myself one last time. There is nothing between us. If you continue to pester me, if you say even one more useless word, I will make you regret ever being born.”

Zhou Ye failed to detect the impatience in her tone and pressed on. “I know you’re only rejecting me because of Jin Fan. You broke up with me and immediately got together with the young master of the Jin family. You can’t bear to leave him, can you? That’s fine. You can keep seeing him. Once you’ve made him happy, we can both get our hands on some resources. It’s a great deal, isn’t it?”

Shen Zhiyao truly didn’t want to deal with Zhou Ye, but after what he’d just said, ignoring him would make her seem like a pushover.

Just as Zhou Ye was about to say more, a sinister, cold wind gusted from behind him. Before he could react, he was dragged to the ground.

Then Shen Zhiyao emerged from the tent and looked down on him. “Zhou Ye, do you have any idea how high the grass has grown on the grave of the last person who spoke to me this way?”

The moment he looked up, his eyes met Shen Zhiyao’s, which were brimming with killing intent.

Zhou Ye stared at her, inexplicably startled. He asked in a trembling voice, “You… You’re not Shen Zhiyao… Who are you?”

The Shen Zhiyao he remembered was insecure and timid. She would never defy him, much less look at him as if he were already a dead man.

He’d noticed something was off before, but his own selfish calculations had made him overlook many of the details.

Shen Zhiyao’s expression was grim. “So you’ve finally figured it out. The Shen Zhiyao who loved you and went along with everything you said? She was hit by a car and died a long time ago!”

Before Zhou Ye could even react, his eyes flew wide open as a golden light shot out and pierced his mind.

Zhou Ye was knocked unconscious before he could utter a single word.

But this was no ordinary faint. It was a dreamscape Shen Zhiyao had specially crafted for him.

Within that dreamscape, Shen Zhiyao had woven in the original owner’s lingering obsession, which would now haunt him relentlessly.

The dreamscape was filled with apparitions of Shen Zhiyao. This was a Nightmare Array, something most Cultivators could not escape.

Inside the dream, Zhou Ye would be forced to flee constantly, experiencing different kinds of death over and over. In time, it would make him feel that he was living a fate worse than death.

“If he’s that annoying, why not just kill him?” Chen Yan’s voice came from behind her. Shen Zhiyao hadn’t even noticed when he’d slipped out of his tent.

Shen Zhiyao was a little surprised. After all, he was at the mid-to-late Nascent Soul Realm; she should have been able to sense an ordinary Cultivator approaching long before now.

At his words, Shen Zhiyao shrugged. “Killing is illegal. I’m a good, law-abiding citizen, you know!”

As she spoke, she seemed to recall something and added, “Oh, but I forgot. You’ve always been above the law. It wouldn’t matter even if you did kill someone.”

Chen Yan took a few steps forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Zhiyao by the shore.

The cool moonlight spilled across his face, casting a hazy glow that made him seem all the more captivating.

“If you want him dead, I can do it for you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Yan grabbed Zhou Ye by the collar with one hand and hoisted him up.

Below Zhou Ye was a five- or six-meter-high cliff. At its base, the dark ocean waves churned restlessly.

If Chen Yan so much as loosened his grip, Zhou Ye would disappear from the world forever.

’Chen Yan was actually going to kill him!’

“Wait!” Shen Zhiyao stopped Chen Yan. “Don’t kill him!”

Chen Yan explained, “Don’t worry. I won’t let any police trace it back to you.”

“I’m not worried about that. Stop messing around and put him down.”

’She was genuinely afraid that if his hand so much as trembled, Zhou Ye would be sent to feed the fishes.’

“Why?” Chen Yan’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Shen Zhiyao explained, “We’re in the middle of filming a variety show. If he suddenly vanishes without a trace—no living person, no dead body—it’ll cause a huge uproar. The production team would definitely have to stop filming. If the show gets canceled, then I fought for this opportunity for nothing, and getting future projects will be next to impossible. I’m not about to throw away my career for this scumbag!”

“Fine. I’ll spare him for now.” Chen Yan waved his hand, and Zhou Ye’s body flew back into the tent, falling silent.

“Whenever you decide you want him dead, just let me know. I’ll take care of it for you.”

’He said it so casually, as if killing someone were easier than taking out the trash.’

A sudden curiosity struck Shen Zhiyao. “Who exactly are you? How can you kill people without anyone batting an eye?”

’She had only killed Zhang Lin and his mother that day, and the police had grilled her endlessly.’

Chen Yan said, “Long ago, the world was in great chaos, and the common people suffered immensely. The Daoists of Wudang Mountain descended en masse to maintain peace in the realm, but they suffered heavy casualties. At the same time, the malevolent energy from the many innocents who died tragic deaths began to plague the mortal world. To suppress this evil, our Wudang Mountain made many more sacrifices. By all rights, the authorities owed us some special privileges. For example, when a Daoist from Wudang Mountain descends to exorcise evil, they are permitted to act first and report later.”

He spoke of it lightly, but when he mentioned the tragic events of the past, a flicker of sorrow crossed his face.

’Wudang Mountain holds a high status and is backed by special privileges. Most people would be envious just hearing about it.’

’But they don’t know that those privileges were bought with countless lives.’

’These days, talent on Wudang Mountain is so scarce that even the Mountain Master has to scrape by in the entertainment industry for a living.’

Shen Zhiyao nodded. “That’s quite a privilege you have. But it’s not worth using on a beast like him. Besides, for a piece of trash like that, a quick death would be letting him off too easy.”

Chen Yan let out a soft chuckle and turned to look at her. “Alright. Whatever you say.”

’She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but despite his obviously powerful background, he always acted so deferential toward her.’

’She couldn’t figure out what he was truly like.’

Seeing her staring intently at him, Chen Yan asked, “What is it? Is there something on my face?”

’He always spoke so cautiously, as if terrified he might say something to displease her.’

Shen Zhiyao probed, “Are you afraid of me?”

In her memory, Chen Yan had always been poised and at ease. So why, when he faced her, did he adopt the demeanor of a shy, delicate maiden?

Chen Yan quickly waved his hands in denial.

Shen Zhiyao asked, “Why do you always seem so cautious whenever you speak to me? It doesn’t feel like respect. It feels more like fear.”

“I do?” Chen Yan seemed stunned for a moment before he recovered. “I’m not afraid of you. If my way of communicating makes you uncomfortable, I apologize…”

Although Shen Zhiyao couldn’t see into his past and future lives, she could hear the sincerity in his words.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep