I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 27 Emotional Master DuPont
Exiting meditation, DuPont looked at Man Shi, who had returned empty-handed and was cursing his bad luck, and couldn't help but feel curious.

"What's wrong with you? Did you run into some old hag and get ravaged by her?"

"Get lost! If there really is such a thing that dares to seduce me, you'll see if I don't beat him up." Man Shi said with a displeased look, "I originally wanted to see if there were any suitable prey, and I was lucky enough to actually find the tracks of a brown bear today. But when I was about to catch up, I unexpectedly ran into my ex-woman. She saw that I was going hunting and chased after me, cursing me all the way until I came down the mountain. It was so annoying."

"Hunting is also a way of life, so why is she scolding you?"

This guy really overestimates himself. He thinks he can beat a brown bear?

"That's right. Nobody cares when those farmers and hunters go up the mountain to hunt wild game, but she won't let me. She says that I'm killing innocent people and destroying the ecological environment, which could lead to natural imbalance. Maybe the next day a natural disaster will strike here to punish the world, and I'll be the culprit. It's like even the Orcas in the abyss has to give way to me."

"Ah, this..." DuPont blinked after hearing this: "Your ex-wife?"

"Ah, I guess so." Man Shi said impatiently, "What bad luck. I should have prayed to the ancestors before I left."

"Hey bro, have you ever considered that she might just be being affectionate with you?"

"Acting coquettishly?" Man Shi looked incredulous. "Nonsense! Putting aside the fact that she's always turning into an animal, how much womanly charm does she have left? And how can you act coquettishly like that? It's just plain disgusting!"

“It’s possible she’s not very good at expressing herself. You also mentioned she spends all her time with animals.” DuPont pointed to the now-cold wolf: “Let’s imagine, if a creature you don’t care about dies, would you be sad?”

"Of course not." Man Shi replied without hesitation: "Many people die every day in this world. It's not like I killed that person, so what does it have to do with me?"

“Yes, those farmers hunt to make a living, and even druids can’t really say anything about it, after all, humans are part of nature.” As they spoke, the two walked towards the pavilion: “But you are different. She knows you and you even had a relationship with you, so her expectations of you are naturally different from those of strangers. In her mind, your behavior should be more in line with her aesthetics and values, and since you can’t do that, that’s why she is so harsh on you.”

Man Shi was surprised to hear this, his expression one of disbelief: "You mean, she only makes so many demands of me because we're close?"

“That’s right.” DuPont nodded. “It’s human nature. Just like parents always have higher expectations for their own children, while they usually give insincere praise to other people’s children. As for whether other people’s children are good or bad, what does it matter to them? Saying some nice things to please others is what matters.”

After listening, Man Shi remained silent for a long time. Just when Du Bang thought he had successfully enlightened her, the barbarian finally spoke: "You mean this woman is sick?"

DuPont nearly vomited blood after hearing this: "How can this be considered a disease? On the contrary, I think she still has feelings for you. If she really hated you, why would she even appear in front of you? As a druid, her mastery of nature and her ability to perceive the environment are far superior to yours. You killing an animal doesn't cause too much of a problem for the environment. If she truly despised you from the bottom of her heart, she could simply not appear. Would you deliberately appear in front of someone you hate and scold them?"

Man Shi blinked: "If I can beat him, why wouldn't I do it?"

"Your understanding isn't wrong, but women think differently from men. If she's annoyed with you, she wouldn't be so bored as to deliberately come and do something childish. Her usual approach is to find a man who can flatter her. If you don't believe me, let's consider another possibility: if she really dislikes you and wants to annoy you, she could easily find a man who's no worse than you, or even better, and then appear in front of you with him, mocking you and then beating you up, wouldn't that work?"

After listening, Man Shi fell into a long silence. He scratched his hair, which was full of small braids, and looked like he was thinking: "What you said seems to make some sense, but she has friends and I have friends too. If she wants to beat me up, I can also find my friends to beat her up back."

DuPont was speechless. This guy definitely wasn't misunderstanding; he was just subconsciously making excuses for himself: "That's not the point! Even if she didn't fight you, she could bring a man to mock you. You'd call someone to fight back just because of that? The real reason is that she has higher expectations of you because she feels differently about you. And even if she still has feelings for you, with a place like Felix and Harua, why would she choose to stay in this remote mountain village, constantly bickering with you?"

After listening, Man Shi scratched his head and pondered for a long time before saying, "What you said seems to make some sense, but when we went on our adventures before, she made quite a few demands on Lavoisier and Judy as well. What you're saying about only having a preference for me is completely unfounded." DuPont smiled and threw out a question that sealed the deal: "So, is she still going to see Lavoisier and Judy now?"

Man Shi fell silent, his expression quite fascinating.

Although he and Lavoisier don't see each other much anymore, they still chat with Judy every day, but he's never mentioned this matter.

After a long while, Man Shi cautiously asked, "You mean that woman still has feelings for me, right?"

"I wouldn't say 100%, but there's definitely a high chance." DuPont nodded. "If you haven't lost feelings for her, you could try to communicate with her, and maybe you can get back together."

"I have absolutely no feelings for her," Man Shi retorted instinctively, but then fell silent again. After a long while, he looked at DuPont with some suspicion: "How do you, a little kid, know all this stuff? Are you just making fun of me?"

"Except for a few rare races with low perception or who are born heartless, emotions are the same for adventurers and ordinary people alike." DuPont rested his chin on his right hand and smiled wickedly. "From a worldly perspective, although you and I belong to two different types of handsome, I am more attractive to women than you in terms of age and appearance. My natural charm is also above average, and I am a smart mage. There are quite a few girls in the academy who are fond of me. Isn't it normal to have these insights?"

"Hmph, my muscles make me a real man, while you little brat are just a pretty boy at best." Man Shi retorted again, but Du Bang ignored him, sitting to the side with a reserved smile and a mocking look in his eyes.

"Damn it, this is so annoying." After pacing for a while, Man Shi first cursed, then looked at DuPont: "What if your guess is wrong?"

"So what if you get another scolding? You just got one, it's no big deal." DuPont looked incredulous: "Your risk is only a couple of mild insults, while the chance of success is to get back together with a woman who loves you. Isn't the risk completely negligible compared to the potential reward?"

After hearing this, Man Shi stood there blankly for a long time before scratching his forehead and saying, "What you said does seem to make some sense."

“Yeah, you’re not losing anything anyway.” DuPont said, standing up. “Of course, if you feel embarrassed, I can leave now. Maybe that will give you more courage?”

"Get lost! Even a dragon can't scare me, what is a woman?"

“Women are sometimes more terrifying than dragons. After all, when facing the latter, all you need to do is take out your weapon.” DuPont smiled. “Alright, let’s go. She may not be far away yet. If you miss this opportunity, she may leave tomorrow. Then you’ll probably regret it every day because you’re concerned about saving face and lost this opportunity.”

"I never realized you talked so much nonsense," Man Shi muttered, then got up and walked into the house.

This surprised DuPont; he hadn't expected this guy to be so stubborn: "Hey, why did you go back? Aren't you afraid you'll regret it later?"

"Regret my ass! I'm going to change my clothes and find my charm-boosting ring while I'm at it."

DuPont: "."

These damn rich people, they're just jealous of the wealthy.

(End of this chapter)