Tao Ge, She's Stringing You Along

Would you like two slaps across the face? How could your face be this thick? Zhu Wu was utterly speechless, but he still nodded.

"Fine."

Consider it a farewell meal—and your last meal before the chopping block. Care for some Spicy Rabbit Head?

"Then hurry up and wash up." Xiao Wu urged him with a grin before rolling over and continuing to lounge in bed.

Zhu Wu said nothing more and strode toward the bathroom.

Not long after, he left the dormitory, ate lunch in the academy cafeteria, and rushed to Spirit Hall in Notting City as fast as he could.

Seeing that the visitor was a child wearing a Notting Academy uniform, the guard made a few guesses. He merely glanced at Zhu Wu and paid him no further attention—until Zhu Wu walked up to him and politely asked, "Hello, big brother. I'm here to test my Soul Power and register as a Soul Master."

Register as a Soul Master? At such a young age, she had already broken through Rank 10 and obtained a Soul Ring? She wasn't here to deliver a letter or something? The guard was slightly startled and looked Zhu Wu up and down. Fair-skinned and adorable, and so polite too. Could she be from some major family? With that thought, his tone grew noticeably friendlier. "Little sister, go on in. Master Ma Xiunuo, who handles evaluations, is in the reception hall on the first floor."

Fuck me. Zhu Wu's mindset nearly shattered, but he did not want to explain further.

"Thank you, big brother." He gave a slight bow, then turned and ran through the main doors.

A glance around the hall revealed a young man and woman standing in a corner some distance away. Their voices reached his ears.

"Yuntao, you don't want us to have children in the future and not even have a place to live, do you? Besides, we're Soul Masters. If the descendants of Soul Masters live in some remote rural village, wouldn't that be humiliating? Once they enter an academy, they might even get mocked by the students around them."

"How about this? When you buy a house in the wealthy district of Notting City, I'll agree to marry you."

"Also, the house has to be under my name. It's not that I, Si Si, am coveting your house. It's just that when a girl marries into your family, she should have some security. And you need to prepare 500 Gold Soul Coins as a betrothal gift. My parents didn't have it easy raising me all these years, so as their daughter, I should leave them something for their retirement. My younger brother doesn't have Soul Power, so as his older sister, I have to think about him too."

"..." Zhu Wu went numb.

Why did that sound so familiar?

He could not help thinking of why he had come to this world.

In his previous life, his family had owned a pig farm, but their timing had been terrible. A sudden outbreak of viral influenza hit the country, and due to lockdowns and various other factors, their products immediately became unsellable.

To cut their losses in time, they could only sell at a flat price to the authorities and donate a few pigs to support the surrounding areas, earning some good karma along the way.

There was no helping it. His father believed in that sort of thing.

Then pork became scarce, and buying it himself was fucking expensive!

Perhaps because they had been stuck indoors for too long, his parents had been bored out of their minds. He had no idea which of their countless relatives they had contacted, but the moment the lockdown ended, they told him they had picked someone out for him and asked him to chat with her, hoping he could get married that year. A wedding was a joyful occasion, perfect for driving away their bad luck.

He did not believe in that superstitious nonsense, but out of consideration for his parents' feelings, he could only go meet her.

He had to admit, the girl was indeed beautiful.

More importantly, her tea-serving skills were truly top-tier! After a barrage of sweet talk, even someone as shrewd as him had been wrapped around her finger.

Though he did not want to admit it, the truth was that he had usually been too busy with work. Only at night did he get the chance to open a folder and make slow motions with both hands. Having never actually conquered a female demon, his practical experience had truly been somewhat lacking.

Very soon, the two sides settled on a marriage. Then came the all-too-familiar routine of buying a house, buying a car, and paying a 300,000-yuan bride price. Then, one day, the woman returned to her hometown on the excuse that something had suddenly come up. After that, he could not reach her no matter how he tried, and she ruthlessly blocked him.

"Son, did you two have a fight?" At first, his parents thought he had upset the girl.

Then, naturally, the truth came out, and both sides ended up facing each other in court.

"The funds transferred during the relationship were gifts. Since the purchased property has already had her name added, it is joint property and must be divided." He still clearly remembered the contemptuous look in her eyes when the ruling came down, as if she were saying, Not convinced? Then come hit me!

His mother wept bitterly, while his father sighed again and again. Half a lifetime of savings had vanished just like that. Of course they were heartbroken.

As for him, as a descendant of the Old Zhu Family, naturally he could not endure it.

Heh, of course he would not do something like hit someone. Nor could he be bothered to argue and make himself miserable. He had always disliked trouble.

So, after finding out her exact address, he strapped on the homemade device he had brought back from his hometown and waited quietly for the New Year.

With a boom, he sent her entire family to heaven!

Of course, that included himself.

Simping dogs truly met no good end!

So, Tao Ge, promise me you won't be a simp, okay? Looking at Su Yuntao's miserable expression ahead of him, Zhu Wu observed a moment of deep silence for him. Just from the conversation alone, he could tell that Si Si was also highly skilled at serving tea.

Tao Ge had clearly been wrapped around her finger.

"Big brother, it's you!" he called as he walked over.

Su Yuntao subconsciously turned his head. His eyes went blank for a moment. This... she looked so much like Bai Jin'er when she was little.

"Little friend, you are?" he could not help asking.

"Big brother, it's me! The one from Holy Soul Village who awakened the Silkworm Martial Soul." Zhu Wu smiled as he explained.

"I just returned today after obtaining my first Soul Ring in the Beginner Soul Hunting Forest. My teacher told me to come test my Soul Power and register as a true Soul Master."

"What? You obtained your first Soul Ring?" Su Yuntao was slightly startled. "So quickly?"

"Yuntao, aren't you going to introduce me?" Si Si, standing beside him, felt ignored and was somewhat dissatisfied.

Hearing this, Su Yuntao hurriedly turned around and introduced them in a placating manner.

"Si Si, this is the one I told you about before, the child who awakened a Rank 6 innate Soul Power Silkworm Martial Soul. Si Si, this child awakened under my care, after all. Please wait for me here while I take him to the reception hall to meet Master Ma Xiunuo."

A Silkworm Martial Soul. A trace of disdain flashed through Si Si's eyes. She nodded lightly. "Mm, go ahead. I'll wait for you here."

"Thank you, big brother." Zhu Wu glanced at her, then turned to Su Yuntao.

"It's nothing." Su Yuntao smiled and turned slightly. "Come with me."

"Mm." Zhu Wu nodded and followed.

As they walked, and once they had put some distance between themselves and Si Si, Zhu Wu lowered his voice. "Brother Yuntao, that auntie seemed to be stringing you along just now."

"Huh? Stringing me along? What does that mean?" Su Yuntao clearly did not understand the expression.

"It means she usually says all kinds of nice things to make you think she truly likes you, making you willingly spend money to buy her this and that. Whenever there's dirty or tiring work, she thinks of you and asks you to help. But when you want to take the relationship further, she finds all kinds of excuses to reject you—this isn't suitable, that isn't suitable, it's not the right time yet." Zhu Wu put it bluntly. "Then, when she finds someone better, she dumps you."

"I heard an academy teacher say that women usually call this finding a free wallet."

"..." Su Yuntao immediately flushed bright red, his face reddening in an instant as he shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no, Si Si isn't that kind of person!"

Then he could not continue. It seemed even he could not find any real examples to refute it, and his old face turned crimson from holding it in.