<h4>Chapter 39 Trying to act profound?</h4>


    William didn''t even bother to pay attention to Dn, instead he remarked coolly to Alice, "There wasn''t much to clean up in the room, so why don''t you just find a chair and sit down? You''re all jittery and restless. What''s that about?"


    "Jittery? Restless?"


    Alice was on the brink of exploding with frustration.


    She couldn''t understand why, in the first ce, she had agreed to be an apprentice to this man. What was even more baffling was that after realizing that William was just a young man, she had still agreed to honor him in the traditional manner of a student bowing before a master. She must''ve lost her mind!


    William, appearing younger than Alice, had the audacity to reprimand her like she was some inexperienced child. His words seemed more fitting for an elder speaking to their junior.


    Visibly agitated, Alice pointed at Dn and asked, "Master, given his current condition, how should he be treated?"


    Noting Alice''s discontent, William nonchntly responded, "What do you think should be done?"


    Raising an eyebrow, Alice responded, "He seems to have been severely traumatized. I would start by teaching him deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle rxation, and other rxation techniques to bnce his autonomic nervous system and promote physical rxation. Additionally, short-term use of anti-anxiety medication or sedatives might be considered to alleviate his symptoms."


    Leisurely sitting up and stretching, William remarked, "Why go through all that fuss? Just give him a good p across the face. Problem solved."


    Alice''s eyebrow shot up even further, now seriously questioning William''s medical expertise. Cure trauma with a p? Why not just pray it away?


    Dn, still in shock from the prior events and hearing William''s suggestion, shuddered.


    Why had he messed with this oddball in the first ce? A mere reprimand had shattered his courage, leaving him feeling utterly powerless. But what if, instead of Alice, William were to p him? Would one p from William finish him off? The mere thought terrified him.


    "Alice, hit me!" Dn''s face was contorted with emotion, tears streaming as he nearly begged Alice. "Please, just p me! I promise I''ll never bother you again."


    Alice was taken aback, suspecting that Dn might have lost his sanity. Begging for a p? Moreover, this was the same guy who had been relentless in pursuing her in the past. Now, he''s swearing never to chase after her again? That''s a silver lining if there ever was one.


    "You better remember what you said!" Alice rationalized that one p couldn''t hurt him that much, right? At worst, she could just administer a sedativeter. What mattered now was getting Dn to stop pursuing her.


    "If you p me, I swear on my life that I will never bother you again." Dn was almost desperate, fearing that William might suddenly lose his temper and p him instead.


    William sat in his chair, observing silently.


    Alice approached, bent down, and gently pped Dn. The p was neither hard nor soft, and Dn remained on the ground, looking defeated.


    "Was that it? Didn''t have breakfast or something?" William finally got up, saying, "Want me to show you how it''s done?"


    "No!" Dn shouted. If he could, he would''ve knelt before Alice, "Please, hit me harder! Use all your strength."


    Alice had never heard such a bizarre request in her life.


    But since it hade to this, she lifted her hand and with all her might, delivered a resounding p.


    "Smack!"


    That p was spot on!


    The sound of the p was sharp and resonant.


    It left Dn seeing stars!


    However, after the p, Dn suddenly felt reinvigorated. He got up and sprinted out of the courtyard.


    "My apologies!"


    From outside the courtyard, Dn''s scream echoed. William had scared the living daylights out of him without doing much at all.


    Dn''s reaction left Alice dumbfounded.


    Did just one p cure him?


    William chuckled, "Now do you believe what I said?"


    She couldn''t deny it. Just moments ago, Dn was sprawled on the ground like a ragdoll, terrified. But after one p, he was bursting with energy, running faster than a rabbit.


    In reality, whether Dn was pped or not was irrelevant. If William wanted him to be fine, it was just a matter of thought, no action required.


    For a moment, Alice was speechless. She stared at her hand, lost in thought.


    Was this merely a coincidence?


    Or was Dn just acting?


    The more she thought, the more puzzled she became.


    Perhaps, William came from an influential background and her grandfather had arranged for Dn to y along with William.


    In reality, Dn might not have been startled at all. Everything was a setup to support William''s act.


    Thinking this, it seemed the only usible exnation.


    With that thought, William didn''t seem that impressive anymore.


    Humph! Just trying to act mysterious.


    While William had the ability to easily discern others'' thoughts, he didn''t like to do so.


    Life was already mundane enough; if he knew what others were thinking, wouldn''t it be even more monotonous?


    "You two know each other, don''t you?" Alice raised an eyebrow and questioned.


    Though William didn''t actively probe her thoughts, when she uttered those words, he naturally discerned her musings.


    "If you think we know each other, then we do," William replied, too nonchnt to exin. At this point, Alice was the one wanting to be his disciple. Why should he care about her opinion?


    "If I''m to ept you as my master, you should at least demonstrate some real skills," Alice scoffed. "Are these mysterious antics really necessary?"


    William chuckled, amused, "Youngdy, let''s get one thing clear – it''s you who wants to acknowledge me as your master, not the other way around. Since we haven''t formalized anything, you''re free to leave whenever. I''m not stopping you."


    "..." Alice felt like talking to this young man was exasperating.


    Over the years, she had met countless individuals.


    Those men trying to woo her used every trick in the book. William''s antics weren''t particrly clever inparison.


    ying hard to get, feigning profundity?


    "Fine, I''ll leave!" With that, Alice turned on her heel and left the courtyard.


    William sauntered back into the house. The water was still heating on the stove. Once it boiled, he could brew a pot of tea. It''d taste just as delightful.


    After exiting, Alice immediately called her grandfather.


    "Grandpa, who exactly is William? What can someone his age teach me?" Aliceined. "Don''t think I haven''t figured it out. You probably want me to date him, right? I''ve told you before, I can handle my own affairs. There''s no need for you to rush things; I''m not in a hurry."