Chapter 97 – An Incredible Past

It turned out that Yun Langyue’s capabilities were truly extraordinary.

Just as she had said, she merely made a phone call and then led Su Ming and Shi Lin to a remote workshop, claiming it was currently the most suitable place to serve as Shi Lin’s studio.

Although it was undoubtedly far more rudimentary compared to the studios of true Alchemist masters, Shi Lin seemed to accept it.

“Give me an hour.”

With those words, Shi Lin took all his tools and crafting materials, entered the workshop, and slammed the door shut.

Su Ming watched as Shi Lin disappeared into the workshop, feeling somewhat tense.

Noticing this, Yun Langyue teased him.

“So even my great benefactor can feel nervous?”

Her words made Su Ming roll his eyes.

“That’s the Bloodline of a Nightmare Species. It’s uncertain whether a second unused one can even be found anywhere in the world. How could I not be nervous thinking about the possibility of the crafting failing?”

Su Ming had no choice but to be anxious.

Even for him, after an entire year of opening so many packages, he had only managed to obtain this single drop of Nightmare Species blood—a result of sheer luck.

To obtain a second one from the packages, Su Ming had no idea how much more time and effort it would take.

Considering this, it would be strange not to feel nervous.

And this was Su Ming.

If it were someone else without a Golden Finger, someone who might never get a second chance at Nightmare Species blood if they failed, they would probably be so anxious they couldn’t sit still.

For Su Ming to only feel a little nervous was already quite good.

Yun Langyue, however, seemed oblivious to this and said nonchalantly, “What’s meant to be yours will be yours. You’ve done all you can. The rest is up to fate.”

Her words sounded somewhat indifferent, but coming from Yun Langyue, they carried a deeper meaning.

Just as Su Ming began to feel this way, Yun Langyue abruptly changed the subject.

“Rather than that, shouldn’t you be paying more attention to me, who’s been running around for you?”

Her voice took on a plaintive tone.

“Uh, this…”

Su Ming’s lips twitched.

He knew this woman was about to mess with him again.

“Someone hasn’t contacted me since the Demon Hunter Academy started, not even a single phone call. And yet, when this ungrateful person came asking for help, I tirelessly ran around for him without any complaints. Don’t you think you should say something more?”

Her resentful words sent a shiver down Su Ming’s spine.

“Thank you.”

Left with no choice, Su Ming forced a smile and spoke.

“Is that all? Just a thank you?”

Yun Langyue continued to gaze at him mournfully.

“Didn’t I promise to go shopping with you later?”

Su Ming spoke with difficulty.

“Really? Seriously?” Yun Langyue replied with a sarcastic tone. “Don’t tell me someone actually thinks going shopping with me is a bad thing, or that such a small favor is enough to repay me for all this?”

Su Ming was left speechless.

What could he say?

Admit that he really did think going shopping with her was a bad thing?

If he did, he’d dare take her surname if she didn’t immediately give him a hard time.”Alright.” Su Ming gave a bitter smile and looked at Yun Langyue, speaking sincerely, “I owe you a lot this time, including when you helped me out of that predicament with the Xu Family. I’ll remember this favor.”

This wasn’t just empty words.

Su Ming truly meant it.

If you owe someone a favor, you should repay it—that’s a fundamental principle of being human.

So, whether it was Yun Langyue or Xu Qianqian, Su Ming wouldn’t forget their help.

Seeing Su Ming like this, Yun Langyue’s smile softened.

“Alright, I was just teasing you,” Yun Langyue said softly. “I still haven’t repaid what I owe you. How could it be your turn to repay me?”

Hearing this, Su Ming’s expression turned complicated.

“You don’t owe me anything anymore, not for a long time, okay?”

Su Ming sighed.

He didn’t know what attitude to take toward Yun Langyue.

Because the story between them was somewhat unbelievable.

It was actually the fault of the parallel world.

Just like with An Zijin—Su Ming hadn’t met her because he came to this parallel world, but because this overly adorable girl was originally his childhood neighbor, though her family had moved away when they were young.

In the original world, An Zijin’s family had gone abroad, but in this world, they had moved to another Base City. It wasn’t until An Zijin was discovered to have a Spirit Constitution and she chose to return to Longyao City’s Demon Hunter Academy as an exchange student that Su Ming was reunited with his childhood neighbor.

So, although the circumstances between Su Ming and An Zijin had changed, their relationship remained the same, which was why Su Ming genuinely cherished this childhood friend and was even willing to give her an Intermediate Spirit Art Spell Formula book to enhance her strength.

This was because their relationship hadn’t changed, and their past experiences were real, unaffected by the shift in worlds.

If the world hadn’t changed, Su Ming believed that, given the chance, An Zijin would have chosen to return and reunite with him.

Yun Langyue’s situation was somewhat similar to An Zijin’s.

Yes.

Su Ming had met Yun Langyue not after arriving in this parallel world, but in the original world.

However, unlike An Zijin, with whom he had grown up like childhood sweethearts, before coming to this world, Su Ming and Yun Langyue had only met by chance.

Su Ming vaguely remembered that it had happened several years ago.

Back then, he was still an innocent kid, thirteen years old, rarely troubled or burdened, unaware of the hardships of life, only focused on amusing himself. In short, he hadn’t yet experienced the harsh realities of society.

At that time, if he saw an elderly person fallen on the ground, he wouldn’t immediately suspect them of staging a scam—he would help them up without hesitation. If he saw a beggar starving, he wouldn’t immediately suspect they might pull out a QR code and a phone—he would toss them a coin or offer some snacks he happened to have.

It was under such circumstances that Su Ming encountered Yun Langyue.

At that time, Yun Langyue was a ragged, homeless child.Her beautiful face was smeared with grime, none of the current charm visible. Her hair was a tangled mess, making her look like a madwoman, nothing like the radiant figure she is now.

Anyone who saw such a person would assume she was a beggar.

But this grimy beggar didn’t plead pitifully like others. Instead, she wore a stubborn expression, hiding where no one could see her, hugging her knees as she silently endured hunger and bitter cold.

Su Ming discovered her by chance and wanted to toss her a coin, but she scratched his hand.

To this day, Su Ming still remembers what she said at that time.

“I don’t need anyone’s pity!”

It was these words that inexplicably extinguished the faint anger rising in Su Ming’s heart.

So, Su Ming didn’t give her money. Instead, he used the coin to buy a loaf of bread and threw it to her.

“If you don’t want others to pity you, then don’t make yourself look so pitiful.”

That was what Su Ming said at the time.

He admitted he was trying to act cool back then.

He had no idea where he’d learned that line—it just came out in the moment.

But those words made the girl freeze for a long, long time, and she eventually burst into tears.

Then, she picked up the bread, gave Su Ming a deep look, and left without turning back.

After that, Su Ming never saw Yun Langyue again.

He quickly forgot about the incident, continuing to indulge in anime like any ordinary kid, unable to tear himself away.

It wasn’t until he arrived in this world that Su Ming encountered Yun Langyue once more.

But by then, Yun Langyue had transformed into a Fox Spirit who captivated all, and she had gained an extraordinary status.

Later, Su Ming learned that Yun Langyue had actually come from a prominent family. A few years earlier, her family had suffered a great tragedy: her father was brutally killed, and she was separated from her mother, ending up on the streets.

It was only later that Yun Langyue, relying on her intelligence and cunning, spent two full years maneuvering against the enemies who had harmed her family. She managed to rescue her mother, and together they sought revenge, ultimately wiping out those who had destroyed their family and reclaiming what was rightfully theirs.

Su Ming’s encounter with Yun Langyue happened precisely because she had already reclaimed everything through her own efforts and used her influence to find him.

Thus began the entanglement between Su Ming and Yun Langyue.

It was perfectly normal for Su Ming to feel uncertain about how to face Yun Langyue.

After all, from his perspective, he hadn’t done anything—just given her a loaf of bread.

And that had happened in their original world.

Who would have thought that after coming to this world, the stubborn little beggar from back then would transform into Longyao City’s most sought-after goddess and cling to him, leaving him with incredibly mixed feelings.

Because of this, Su Ming had sighed more than once in the stillness of the night.

“I just wanted to be an extra, so why am I getting this protagonist-level storyline?”

Is that reasonable?

No, it’s not!Anyway, Su Ming never believed in things like free lunches falling from the sky, nor did he believe that a goddess possessing beauty, intelligence, family background, and all sorts of other virtues would ever throw herself at someone over a piece of bread.

Moreover, Yun Langyue’s status was truly extraordinary. If he provoked her, his path to becoming the Sword God of Shili Slope would likely end right then and there. Therefore, Su Ming had always kept his distance from Yun Langyue.

Yet Yun Langyue never changed her attitude, still calling him “great benefactor” at every turn, which was truly hard to bear.

(End of Chapter)