What if I don't want to ascend to immortality?

Chapter 28 Dean Fang

Moving was a big deal for Meng Qingtong, so she had to carefully consider and think it over before making a decision.

After all, she only managed to rent that apartment at a low price long-term through favors she made through connections. Moving out was easy, but moving back would be a real test of her not-so-thick skin.

Moreover, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't bring herself to ask her partner to buy two apartments across the street just because of a tiny bit of awkwardness in her heart.

Whether from a cost-effectiveness or convenience perspective, finding a large apartment and renting one of its bedrooms to share is the best option.

But...but...no matter how much older Senior Han is than her, he's still a handsome, ancient-style young man who makes her heart race at first glance.

Even if that old ox only wants to coax her into becoming his personal disciple for now, this tender young grass who's easily swayed by the wind might not have that much willpower.

What if she can't hold back... If she succeeds, great, but if she fails, how will they get along in the future? Wouldn't the cooperation become incredibly awkward?
No, no, she quickly patted her face, reminding herself that even if it succeeded, it wouldn't be so bad. There would be even more problems. Once the cooperation turned into a merger, how could the accounts be kept in order?

It's so frustrating. I feel awkward saying yes, but I feel even worse if I don't...

"Xiaotong, Xiaotong, are you daydreaming?"

A hand was waved in front of Meng Qingtong's eyes, finally pulling her thoughts back from their reverie.

"It's rare to see you like this. Are you not feeling well?"

She quickly shook her head, clearing her mind of all inappropriate thoughts, including the image of a disheveled, ancient-style Han Jie in a restricted CG. She cleared her throat, smiled, and said, "No, I was just thinking about this commission. I'm worried I might have handled something wrong. Dean Fang, how are the sweet potato chips? Still the same taste?"

Among the various organizations in Dongding City, the Second Hospital is considered to have relatively abundant finances, but the dean's office is not large and the decoration is not particularly exquisite, looking rather plain than the rooms of most teachers in the hospital.

Fang Min, the dean of the Second Spiritual Academy in Dongding City, dressed as simply as she did in her office: a simple shirt, bow tie, and pencil skirt; shoulder-length hair; plain black-rimmed glasses without any design; and her only makeup was the polite lipstick typical of a professional woman.

Although she is not yet forty years old, she is a powerful spiritualist. However, the fine lines around her eyes are clearly visible, indicating the erosion of worldly affairs on her and the irresistible power of time.

She looks very dignified when she's expressionless, but now, with a half-eaten sweet potato in her hand and a kind and gentle smile on her face, sitting opposite Meng Qingtong, she naturally exudes a motherly aura.

She took two bites carefully and said, "Not bad, it tastes just like when I was a child. When my relatives and friends from over there come to me for help, they always bring expensive but impractical things, nothing compares to this bag of dried sweet potatoes you have."

Meng Qingtong took a long walk around the Second Hospital in the morning. She had already met all the teachers she needed to greet and signed in. With the rest of the time free, and with her mind in turmoil, she just wanted to stay in the dean's office and chat.

She slumped onto Fang Min's desk and said lazily, "He's stingy, but he's willing to buy dried sweet potatoes. Dean, you don't need to comfort me like that."

Knowing that she only showed this relaxed and unserious side in front of a few people, Fang Min suppressed the urge to correct her and simply said, "Is there anything to worry about regarding the commission? I read the report, and it seems you've found a very capable partner."

"Hmm. Pretty impressive, and only eighteen years old, a self-taught student. I was thinking of having him registered at our academy, but he said he'd think about it. What do you think, Dean?" Although there weren't many secrets between them and Dean Fang, Han Jie's matter could easily cause big trouble, so Meng Qingtong had no choice but to help cover up his identity first. "If he gets a student status here, he'll be a genius graduating from the Second Academy in the future."

“His mastery of the spirit weapon system is indeed frighteningly strong. I’m afraid none of the teachers in this department in the academy can match him… So what do you think we can teach him?” Fang Min pointed to the computer screen. “I’ve watched the surveillance footage of you dealing with the patricide seventeen or eighteen times, and I still can’t see where he took the weapon he forged from.”

“Uh…” Meng Qingtong didn’t expect Dean Fang to care so much about the person who appeared next to her, and she was a little flustered for a moment. “He’s not from the orthodox academy, so he must have some unique secret techniques of his own. Anyway, I’m sure he’s not learning those three forbidden techniques, so Dean Fang can rest assured that he won’t cause trouble for the academy. I was just thinking of getting him a safer identity.”

"That way we can keep it a secret. It was actually you who dug it up, right?"

Meng Qingtong pouted, pulled her braid apart, and buried her face in her hair, whispering, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. That's why I came to ask you for help as soon as I got back."

"Do you think I'd help you without you saying so?" Fang Min chuckled, brushing her hair aside and pinching her cheek. "Do you think his temporary status would be approved so quickly just because you pleaded for him?"

Meng Qingtong made a face as Fang Min pinched her hand, and said with a smile, "I knew Dean Fang was the best. So if I can convince him, I can get a place at our college, right?"

"It still depends on his intentions. Besides, I've looked into the situation at the ruins, but I have no idea how strong he really is. It's just the two of us here, so you should tell me the truth so I can be prepared."

Meng Qingtong lay on the table, rolling her eyes as she carefully selected what she felt was appropriate to say. She wanted to showcase Han Jie's strength without revealing any secrets, and even added a detail for him: "For over 1800 years, he was like someone practicing some kind of hibernation technique. He went in at eighteen and came out at eighteen, knowing nothing about the outside world. He woke up completely out of touch with the times, possessing immense power, which is quite pitiful. Dean, you can't tell anyone about his condition."

Fang Min nodded. "I know what I'm doing. If you see a suitable opportunity, bring him to meet me. Otherwise, I'm not comfortable with a young man always following you around."

"It's not just following him around, I'm practically his roommate..." Meng Qingtong wiped her mouth and muttered softly, "I know. I know what I'm doing. You know me, I'm not the kind of silly, naive girl who just throws things around."

“It’s precisely because I know you’re not someone to be taken lightly that I’m even more worried. An ordinary guy wouldn’t be so capable of getting you to take care of him like this.” Fang Min glared at her. “While you don’t have any other requests lately, hurry up and get this done. I won’t help you with the enrollment procedures until I see him in person.”

"Oh, I see." Meng Qingtong played with the ends of her hair for a while and said, "Dean, do you think... I'm pretty stubborn?"

"Yes. It's heartbreaking how stubborn she is." Fang Min patted her head and said with a smile, "Why are you suddenly starting to reflect? Is it because of that boy? Well, I'll have to treat him to a meal and thank him properly."

"Don't even mention food. Now, as soon as I close my eyes after exercising at night, all I can think about are recipes..." Meng Qingtong sighed and stretched. "Dean, once you've met him and learned enough about him, could you let him take a closer look at Dongding?"

“No.” Fang Min shook his head firmly. “The Demon-Suppressing Cauldrons in all the major districts are under enhanced defense, and the area within a kilometer radius is already at the highest alert level. But what’s the point of getting so close to such a huge cauldron? Anyone with good eyesight can see it from outside the Third Ring Road. Is your partner nearsighted?”

Meng Qingtong thought for a moment and made up a reason, "Because he felt that the Demon-Suppressing Cauldron was different from the one 1,800 years ago. But he couldn't see how it was different for the time being, so he decided to investigate."

"I see..." Fang Min pondered for a moment and said, "Then we'll have to wait until this period of time passes. Rumors that some spiritualists have ill intentions towards the Demon-Suppressing Cauldron have been spreading. Your partner's identity is full of suspicious points, so it's best to lay low for a while."

"Oh, I'll tell him." Meng Qingtong nodded obediently, then looked at Dean Fang's eyes and said, "You didn't use the skincare products I bought for you last time, did you? They're specially for getting rid of crow's feet, they're mixed with spirit stone powder, they're so expensive."

Fang Min slapped her on the head. "You used it, but don't fall for it again. You're such a smart girl, but you always make a fool of yourself when it comes to me. Don't you know whether that stuff works or not? Instead of wasting time applying that stuff in the morning, I'd rather check a few more teachers' lesson plans."

She said with a grin, "Actually, I said it was too expensive to return so you could use it. It was a discounted sale from the agent, and I didn't even feel bad about the price. If you don't use it, I won't buy it again."

Fang Min turned to look at the sky outside and said softly, "Xiao Tong, it's not a bad thing to grow up, mature, and grow old with time. Life is meant to have more experiences. I've never been afraid of getting old, and you don't need to be afraid of those marks on my behalf. My dreams in this life don't need those boring things like youth and beauty to support them. Do you understand?"

Meng Qingtong clearly disagreed, "Wouldn't it be better to achieve your dreams while also looking beautiful?"

Fang Min was silent for a moment, then turned around and said, "By the way, your academic teacher sent me an email last time about your recent grades..."

"Dean!" Meng Qingtong stood up abruptly with a serious expression. "I just remembered I have urgent business to attend to. There are follow-ups to Ms. Lin's request that I need to handle. I have an appointment, so I'll be leaving now!" Watching the little girl practically flee, Fang Min leaned back in his chair and revealed a sly smile.

After a while, she opened the video on the screen and continued to stare at Han Jie's figure in it.

When he struck, the shadow was truly just a fleeting moment; even the surveillance cameras imbued with spirit runes failed to capture the strike that severed the head of the kinslayer.

She watched it several times, and then opened several blurry videos retrieved from Suiyin City.

It's not very clear, but you can tell that he didn't use the methods for dealing with patricide.

Those few demons had some advantages in being able to roam the city, but in front of this man, they had no chance to fight back, let alone escape.

It wasn't just a difference in strength. This ancient spirit sorcerer, who called himself Han Jie, looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, yet he seemed to have slain countless demons. When he made a move, he already possessed a smooth and beautiful skill, like a master butcher dissecting an ox.

Moreover, she couldn't figure out what methods the man was using.

She closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and pondered quietly for a while. Then, she quickly encrypted and packaged the videos together, used the privileges of another hidden position to completely delete them from the network, and sent the file package to an address through a special channel.

Since I can't figure it out, I might as well stop thinking about it.

Anyway, she believed that Xiaotong would bring the person to her soon.

Having watched that child for so long, this was the first time Fang Min had seen her show such a girlish side.

This made Dean Fang look forward to the meeting that followed.

Is she an old man over 1800 years old? If she wants to be the future mother-in-law, this kind of attitude is hard to pull off...

"Achoo!"

Meng Qingtong rubbed her nose, wondering why she had sneezed so loudly.

She turned to look at the office building she had just left, wondering if Dean Fang was going to nag her about something again.

Looking down at my phone, I saw that Aunt Huang was still out of town and hadn't returned yet, so there was no need to visit her for the time being. Therefore, I could have a quick lunch and then go find today's important target.

The prices in the school cafeteria weren't exactly cheap, so she didn't hesitate to head to the food street diagonally opposite the school gate.

She spotted a few classmates from afar on the road, with whom she shared courses, but none of them greeted her, so she didn't bother to waste her enthusiasm.

After crossing the street, I ran into an acquaintance I was on good terms with, Mi Xiaojia.

She had just come out of a small restaurant across the street with her boyfriend Liang Nian when she spotted Meng Qingtong and waved to her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, she asked with a curious look, "I heard from my classmates that you recently unearthed a really amazing ancient site, is that true?"

"Hmm." Meng Qingtong nodded with a hint of pride. Thinking of Han Jie, her biggest gain, her lips curved into a smile that could hook the moon. "The rating is out, and it's very high."

"So, does that mean you'll be able to fulfill your wish and buy a house near the college?"

Mi Xiaojia's aunt is the vice president of the Heritage Conservation Association, so she is quite clear about the amount of compensation for heritage excavation.

Seeing how genuinely happy she was for her, Meng Qingtong had no choice but to make an excuse, saying, "It's not that easy. Ninety percent of my money is donated to the orphanage, as you know. Two or three million only brings me two or three hundred thousand in the end, which isn't even enough for a down payment on a small apartment."

Unexpectedly, Mi Xiaojia approached with a radiant smile and said mysteriously, "My aunt called me last night, asking about you. I also asked about your bonus. You mentioned last time that you had your eye on that small apartment, the down payment was only 1.2 million, right?"

Meng Qingtong, not understanding why, nodded first.

After all, among her classmates, the image she deliberately cultivated of being a frugal homeowner and a slave to mortgages had already taken root in their minds, so that people would not always speculate whether she was the nouveau riche who always bought whole bags of top-grade talismans in the academy's internal market.

"This bonus is fifteen million! My aunt helped me get it specially approved, and after tax, it will arrive in the next couple of days." Mi Xiaojia's eyes were shining with excitement. "Even if you keep your promise and only keep ten percent, you'll still have one and a half million! Remember to call me for the housewarming party when you move into your new house!"

Is that so much?!

Meng Qingtong gasped for breath in the sweltering summer heat, immediately realizing that she truly deserved the title of "a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

How wonderful! My childhood dream—to be someone who sticks to their principles no matter how great the temptation—is about to come true, but my heart is bleeding...

No, there are ways to stop the loss.

It's just being a roommate and a cook, isn't it? I already did that during those few days in Suiyin.

No matter what, it would be foolish not to take advantage of the cheap, large houses available for rent!

After dealing with the enthusiastic classmate Mi Xiaojia with a sweet smile, she immediately sent a message to Han Jie.

"I'll find you a place, I guarantee you'll be satisfied! Also, you can't back out of the deal to rent me a bedroom at a cheap price."

A few seconds later, a single word was replied.

"Ah."

Imagining Han Jie's indifferent yet slightly doting expression when he replied, Meng Qingtong touched the photo she had used as her wallpaper on her phone and secretly smiled to herself.

(End of this chapter)