18: Chapter 18 Senior, I want to follow you!

Night at Xiaoyao Peak.

Lu Chen lay sprawled out on the large bed in his bedroom, finally managing to shut out those chirping women from earlier in the day.

The world was finally quiet.

He yawned and rubbed his fingertips; the simple, ancient ring he had swiped from Su Chen appeared between his fingers, spinning.

This thing—back at the mortal teahouse in the afternoon, he had poured some "stuff" into it while he was bored.

As it turned out, he had poured it in too forcefully, and the tiny Soul inside had been knocked unconscious instantly, showing no signs of life for half the day.

By now, it should have recovered.

Lu Chen sent another surge of pure Spiritual Qi into it.

He wanted to see just how long it could play dead.

Less than three seconds after he poured it in.

"Buzz—"

The ring trembled violently, its surface glowing with a layer of red light.

Immediately after, a mature woman's voice—sultry, urgent, and tinged with a sob—drifted out, filled with grievances.

"Senior! Stop pouring!"

"It's full! It's really full! If you pour any more, it's going to explode!"

Lu Chen stopped what he was doing.

Oh? Finally willing to come out?

He tossed the ring onto the bed and spoke lazily.

"Come out and talk."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of eerie red smoke rose from the ring.

The red smoke curled and quickly coalesced in mid-air into an illusory yet incredibly seductive figure.

The newcomer had waist-length red hair that burned like fire, and she wore an equally crimson, high-slit cheongsam-style immortal dress that traced the breathtaking curves of her illusory Soul body.

The slit of the cheongsam was absurdly high, revealing glimpses of her straight, slender, illusory legs; every movement was heart-stirring.

One could only say she was exceptionally well-endowed.

This Soul body called herself Yan Lingji.

Her Soul body was solid now, clearly having been put through the wringer by Lu Chen's "brute force irrigation" earlier that afternoon.

She floated in mid-air with lingering fear, looking at the man lounging on the bed, and for a moment, she was actually dazed.

What a handsome man.

He was a thousand times more handsome than any Saint or Divine Son she had seen in her previous life.

To an old vixen like her who had lived for tens of thousands of years, he held a fatal attraction.

"This humble one is Yan Lingji. Greetings, Senior."

She steadied her mind and gave Lu Chen a graceful bow, her voice sweet and carrying a natural charm.

"In my previous life, I possessed a cultivation at the Half-Saint Peak, only one step away from proving my Dao as a Saint. I believe my Alchemy skills are second to none; I can even refine emperor grade Medicinal Pills."

At this point, her voice took on a hint of misery and resentment.

"Unfortunately, I was betrayed by that wicked disciple of mine. He conspired with outsiders to ambush me, and in the end, my Physical Body and Dao were destroyed, leaving only a wisp of a remnant Soul residing within this ring..."

Lu Chen crossed his legs and stroked his chin, listening expressionlessly.

Hmm.

This plot felt familiar.

An Alchemy powerhouse betrayed by a disciple, with a remnant Soul residing in a ring, waiting for a fated person.

Isn't this the standard Golden Finger template for a protagonist?

A portable "old grandma," and a hot, mature one at that.

Not bad, a qualified tool.

He looked Yan Lingji up and down and nodded.

"Alright, I get it."

"From now on, you'll follow my eldest disciple, the one named Leng Qingqiu."

Lu Chen spoke as if it were a matter of course, like assigning an item.

"She has a special Physique and needs the assistance of Medicinal Pills. Teach her Alchemy well, and there will be benefits for you in the future."

In his view, this arrangement was simply perfect.

Packaging this Golden Finger cheat and giving it to his disciple so she could stack buffs herself—how much trouble would that save him?

Once the disciple became powerful in the future, wouldn't his life in retirement be even more secure?

However.

After he said this, Yan Lingji stood there in a daze.

He wanted her to follow that little girl named Leng Qingqiu?

You've got to be kidding me!

Who was Yan Lingji?

In her past life, she was an emperor grade Alchemist at the Half-Saint Peak, proud and with standards higher than the sky.

The reason she was willing to assist the ring's new owner was to find someone to help reach the summit, so she could take the opportunity to reshape her Physical Body and seek revenge.

But what was the deal with this man before her?

The power that surged into the ring this afternoon was as vast as a sea of stars, domineering and peerless, carrying the pure Imperial Dao Law!

That was a Great Emperor!

A living Great Emperor!

A fine bird chooses the tree it perches upon.

With a Great Emperor's thigh—thick as can be—available to cling to, who would be willing to work hard to assist an uncertain little Trash?

Wouldn't that be insane?

Yan Lingji's thoughts had completely changed the moment she felt Lu Chen's Emperor's Might.

She shook her head decisively, her voice firm.

"No!"

"I'm not following that little girl!"

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

This Golden Finger is picky about its user?

Before he could even ask, Yan Lingji's figure flickered and floated directly from mid-air to the side of Lu Chen's bed.

She was almost pressed against Lu Chen's face, her Soul-stealing eyes blinking, her breath like orchids.

"Senior, I want to follow you!"

Fearing Lu Chen would refuse, she hurriedly began to promote herself.

"I'll even take you as my Master!"

"You're a Great Emperor, right? You have the Emperor's Might on you, and an aura of Emperor Fire even more terrifying than any Divine Fire I saw in my previous life!"

"Your strength is so heaven-shaking and earth-shattering, why would I follow a wet-behind-the-ears little girl?"

Yan Lingji became more excited as she spoke, her illusory body leaning even closer.

"Senior! We can make a deal!"

"emperor grade Alchemists are few and far between in the entire Human Realm! You clearly don't specialize in the path of Alchemy; I can be your exclusive Alchemist. I'll refine whatever Medicinal Pill you want!"

"As long as you can help me reconstruct my Physical Body in the future!"

"I'm willing to do anything!"

Lu Chen was dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at this "portable old grandma" who was recommending herself and practically begging to hang onto him; his mind couldn't quite process it.

Wait...

This script is wrong!

According to the process, shouldn't you be the cold and mysterious type who tests the protagonist in every way before reluctantly agreeing to guide him?

Why is it that when it comes to me, you're rushing to throw yourself at me?

"No, according to the script, you should be helping a piece of Trash counterattack and then have him help you get revenge!" Lu Chen couldn't help but complain.

"What's with you wanting to take me as your Master?"

Hearing this, Yan Lingji straightened her impressive Soul body chest with righteous conviction.

"Senior, you are mistaken!"

"A fine bird chooses its tree, and a wise minister chooses his lord!"

"With a ready-made Great Emperor like you here, why would I invest in a potential stock? What if that little girl is a useless Adou who can't be helped?"

"Isn't following the Final Boss directly the most secure choice?"

She winked and smiled seductively.

"I want to be the Great Emperor's leg pendant. Is there a problem?"

Lu Chen: "..."

He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

He just wanted to quietly be a local king in the Lower Realm, live out his retirement, and enjoy the scenery.

How did it happen that, for no apparent reason, he ended up with a yandere disciple, two tsundere maids, and now a mature remnant Soul who wanted to be his leg pendant?

How is he supposed to live his life?

Am I turning into Xiao Huohuo?

No!

I don't want to work hard, I don't want to suffer, I don't want to go through hardships—I just want to lie flat!

Lu Chen's heart was howling in madness.

His retirement life seemed to be spiraling toward an unpredictable direction, collapsing wildly.

"System! Save me!!"

Lu Chen screamed in his mind.

Fortunately, the System hadn't issued any tasks. As long as it didn't, he could still throw this hot potato away!