Chapter 69 – I'm a Daoist, I Have No Emotions

Listening to the voice from the other end of the phone, a graceful figure instantly surfaced in Su Ming’s mind.

It was a beautiful silhouette that could rival—perhaps even surpass—the allure of goddess Academy Beauties like Xu Qianqian and An Zijin.

She was the first person to ever leave Su Ming utterly breathless in his life, and the first he had ever deemed worthy of being called a goddess.

Perhaps it was because of her that Su Ming could remain unfazed by Xu Qianqian and An Zijin—unlike others who became infatuated, lost themselves, and fell at their feet—even daring to scold them in return.

Thanks to her, Su Ming had developed some immunity to beautiful women.

Thanks to her, Su Ming could maintain his composure in the presence of goddess Academy Beauties like Xu Qianqian and An Zijin.

Although she hadn’t possessed such charm back when they first crossed paths, it was precisely because of this that Su Ming had been able to interact with someone like her.

Even if he now deeply regretted it.

“Oh my.”

The voice on the other end seemed to finally snap to attention, as if just realizing who was calling, and suddenly became lively.

“Isn’t this my great benefactor?” The girl’s cheerful tone was unmistakable as she said, “My great benefactor, you’ve finally decided to contact me?”

Hearing this, Su Ming felt a strong urge to hang up.

Knowing her well, he recognized that tone—she was definitely planning to tease him.

“Long time no see,” Su Ming could only reply weakly. “I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“What do you think?” The girl seemed to be covering her mouth while giggling. “In the dead of night, even children are tucked safely in bed. Only a troublemaker would call a girl at this hour—wonder what his intentions are”

Her teasing words made Su Ming roll his eyes.

“Can you speak properly?” Su Ming retorted. “I’m contacting you for serious business, not to be toyed with.”

“I know,” the girl replied with a light laugh. “If it weren’t for some urgent matter that has you at your wit’s end, a straight guy like you wouldn’t be calling me in the middle of the night.”

If Xu Qianqian had heard this, she would have wholeheartedly agreed.

After all, Su Ming had called her late at night more than once, dragging her out of bed.

Even An Zijin might have nodded in agreement.

Hadn’t Su Ming approached An Zijin just before bedtime to discuss learning Spirit Art, completely oblivious and dashing some of her secret hopes?

In a way, Su Ming was indeed quite straightforward—acting without regard for time or place, tackling things head-on whenever he felt like it. Put nicely, he was decisive and direct; put bluntly, he was stubborn.

Of course, Su Ming would never reflect on this.

“Who was it that used to call and harass me in the middle of the night?” Su Ming shot back.

“That’s exactly why I say you’re straight,” the girl chuckled. “When you call late at night, it’s always for serious matters. But when I call you late at night, it’s never for serious business, you know?”As she spoke, the girl’s voice became particularly enchanting, brimming with allure that sent Su Ming’s imagination running wild, nearly making him straighten his back in salute.

“Fox Spirit.”

Su Ming cursed under his breath.

“That’s right, I’m your little Fox Spirit, my great benefactor,” the girl replied, completely unbothered and even sounding delighted. “When will you finally come to pamper your little Fox Spirit? My dear lord?”

You’re the one who’s a ‘dear lord’! Your whole family are ‘dear lords’!

Su Ming felt as if he were being flirted with by Pan Jinlian mistaking him for Ximen Qing, leaving him utterly uncomfortable.

“Alright, enough banter,” Su Ming quickly steered the conversation back on track. “I need your help with something.”

“Go on,” the girl responded straightforwardly. “For you to call me at this hour, it must be important, right?”

“More or less,” Su Ming gave a vague reply before continuing, “I need an Alchemist, a highly skilled one.”

“A highly skilled Alchemist?” The girl seemed intrigued. “How skilled would they need to be to meet your requirements?”

Su Ming hesitated only briefly before answering her question.

“Skilled enough to refine the blood of a Nightmare Species into a Phantom Demon Potion.”

As soon as these words left his mouth, the other end of the line fell silent.

Su Ming didn’t press her, simply waiting quietly.

After about ten seconds, the girl’s voice slowly returned, tinged with melancholy.

“Was it really necessary to give me such a fright in the middle of the night?”

She seemed to have already guessed something.

“No choice,” Su Ming sighed. “I wouldn’t dare discuss something like this in broad daylight. You’re the only one I’d dare talk to about it.”

Direct as he was, Su Ming hadn’t called the girl at this hour without careful consideration. If it weren’t for the dead of night, he wouldn’t have dared discuss something so important over the phone.

This girl was someone Su Ming felt he could trust, which was why he had reached out to her. Among all the people he could think of, she was undoubtedly the only one both trustworthy and capable of helping him—especially given her extraordinary abilities.

Even if it came at a cost.

“Should I feel honored by your trust?”

The girl’s voice carried a distinctly teasing tone.

“Just tell me,” Su Ming said, feeling his scalp prickle as he gritted his teeth. “What will it take for you to help me?”

“You already know what I want, don’t you?” The girl’s laughter was particularly heart-stirring as she replied, “I just want my great benefactor to pamper me. You know that.”

“Stop joking,” Su Ming pressed his temples in frustration.

It was precisely because this woman always enjoyed teasing and flirting with him, leaving him unsettled, that Su Ming was somewhat afraid of her. Especially since she was no ordinary woman—Su Ming couldn’t help but worry that if he gave in to temptation, he might not live the rest of his life in peace.

To make matters worse, this woman not only acted like a Fox Spirit but looked even more like one than an actual Fox Spirit.At the very least, among the men who had seen her, nine out of ten would be driven wild by her soul-stirring voice, imagining how to get her into bed, while the remaining one would lose control on the spot and lunge at her, only to meet a gruesome end.

Because of this, Su Ming was genuinely afraid of her—so afraid that he deeply regretted his past actions, which had led to her setting her sights on him.

But back then, Su Ming never could have imagined that a mere piece of bread would lead to such a disastrous outcome.

“Just tell me if you’ll help or not!”

Su Ming outright gave her an ultimatum.

However, she was no pushover either.

“I’m short of a man who can carry my shopping bags for me.”

This was no longer a hint but a blatant statement.

“You’re short of men?”

Su Ming’s lips twitched.

“Mm-hmm.” The girl giggled. “After all, in my eyes, only my great benefactor counts as a man.”

Apologize!

Apologize right now to all those men who bankrupted themselves just to pursue you!

Su Ming wanted to say that, but doing so would undoubtedly be like playing with fire.

So, Su Ming began making excuses.

“I’ve been really busy lately, you know, with the Huaming District campaign.”

“No rush, I can wait for you to come back.”

“But this is a war—who knows when it’ll end?”

“Then I’ll wait for you till the end of time, really, no rush.”

“…I’m not worth it.”

“How could that be? I only acknowledge you as my one and only, you know?”

“I’m a Daoist—I have no emotions.”

“No problem, no problem. Even if you were gay, I’m confident I could straighten you out. Let alone a Daoist—even if you were a monk, I’d have you renounce your vows in no time.”

“I…”

Su Ming’s excuses gradually spiraled out of control amid the girl’s teasing, to the point where he nearly cursed aloud.

“What if I die out there?”

Su Ming was ruthless, even cursing himself.

Unfortunately, he was ruthless, but she was even more so.

“I’ll have someone bring back your ashes so we can hold a posthumous wedding later.”

The girl’s utterly inhuman declaration made Su Ming feel like vomiting blood on the spot.

Su Ming knew there was no avoiding paying the price.

“…When can you find someone?”

Su Ming uttered these words with immense frustration, signaling his surrender.

“Just wait.” The girl seemed satisfied as she said, “I’ll let you know when I have news. For now, focus your energy on the Huaming District campaign.”

“Fine.” Though Su Ming felt his future was bleak, he inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Don’t worry, you know finding someone is nothing to me.” But as she said this, her tone suddenly shifted, becoming faintly ominous. “That is, as long as you don’t do anything to upset me.”

“…Like what?” Su Ming’s eyebrow twitched.

“Like…” The girl drew out her words, then said with a smile, “Like that cute girl next door, or the aloof Academy Beauty senior at the Academy, or the two pretty juniors you’re currently living with—if you do anything nice with them that you haven’t done with me, I’ll be very unhappy, you know?”

Su Ming instantly felt his whole world turn upside down.”Does this woman really know everything that’s happening around me?”

“I’ve been feeling so uneasy lately. My great benefactor has recently met so many cute and pretty young girls. What if you suddenly decide to start dating?”

“Just thinking about such things makes my heart ache terribly.”

“My great benefactor, you wouldn’t be so cruel as to make me this sad, would you?”

The girl’s suggestive words made both the corner of Su Ming’s mouth and the corner of his eye twitch violently.

But what could he do about it?

He could only weep bitterly.

(End of Chapter)