Chapter 43: Damian’s Shameless Redemption Speech

For a moment, there was silence between them as Damian didn’t speak.

He was now thinking about what kind of gift he should give Esmeralda.

After all, her multiplier was 100×, so she wasn’t an ordinary treasure chest.

He needed to maximize this encounter as much as possible, and that was why he remained silent, continuously thinking about what gift would be best.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda was also quietly observing Damian, not knowing what he was thinking because he was quite different from what she had expected.

She slowly lifted her jade cup and took a small sip of tea before finally speaking.

"Sorry for asking this, Fellow Cultivator Damian, but are you perhaps the famous Damian?"

Damian blinked once, confused. "The famous Damian?"

Esmeralda smiled faintly. "The one known for being quite a show-off and for gifting precious things to beautiful women."

Damian’s mouth twitched slightly.

He had expected his reputation to spread, but hearing it directly from Esmeralda’s mouth still felt a little embarrassing.

Still, he quickly recovered and nodded calmly. "Yeah, that’s me."

Esmeralda’s smile widened slightly. "So it really is you."

Damian leaned back in his chair and laughed softly. "What? Did you hear something bad about me?"

Esmeralda placed her cup down gently. "Not exactly bad. More like... interesting."

She studied him carefully. "From what I heard, you used to be quite arrogant, flashy, and somewhat ridiculous."

Damian’s eyebrow twitched.

Esmeralda continued with a teasing smile. "But seeing you now, you seem quite different from the rumors."

She rested her chin lightly on her hand. "In fact, you look more like a gentleman."

Damian immediately grinned. "Of course. I am a gentleman."

Esmeralda chuckled softly. "Are you now?"

Damian nodded seriously. "Absolutely."

Then he crossed his arms and spoke with great confidence. "Although it’s true that I like gifting beautiful women, don’t misunderstand me."

Esmeralda’s eyes curved slightly with amusement. "Oh? Then what should I understand?"

Damian smiled calmly. "I’m not a simp."

Esmeralda almost laughed.

Damian continued shamelessly, "I’m simply a lover of beautiful women."

The room became silent for a moment.

Then Esmeralda covered her lips and chuckled. "Is there a difference?"

Damian raised one finger seriously as he explained. "Of course there is. A simp gives everything away because he loses his mind the moment he sees beauty."

He then pointed at himself. "But me? I appreciate beauty while still respecting it. I give gifts because I want to, not because I expect a woman to throw herself at me."

Esmeralda’s smile became slightly more interested.

Damian continued, his expression casual but strangely serious. "That’s also why I’ve never touched the women I gifted."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "Never?"

Damian nodded. "Never."

He smiled faintly. "I can admire beauty, enjoy beauty, and help beauty grow... but that doesn’t mean I need to dirty it."

Esmeralda looked at him quietly for a moment.

For some reason, those words sounded shameless and elegant at the same time.

She had heard many men praise women before, but most of those words were shallow.

Most men praised beauty because they wanted to possess it, dirty it, or use sweet words to lower a woman’s guard.

But Damian’s words were different.

They were still shameless and maybe even a little ridiculous, but there was also a strange feeling behind them that made it hard to simply call them empty flattery.

Esmeralda then slowly smiled. "Strange."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Strange?"

Esmeralda nodded lightly while resting her chin on the back of her hand. "Yes. Very strange."

Her eyes curved slightly as she looked at him. "But from what I heard, didn’t you sleep with many women long ago?"

Damian’s face twitched instantly.

For a brief moment, the confident gentleman expression on his face almost cracked.

He quickly coughed into his fist and looked slightly away. "That was before."

Esmeralda’s smile became more amused. "Before?"

Damian nodded seriously. "Yes. Before."

He then straightened his back and spoke with a dignified expression. "The old me and the current me are completely different."

Esmeralda stared at him silently.

Damian continued without shame, "Before, I was reckless, stupid, and shallow. I wasted money, chased beauty without thinking, and acted like a complete idiot."

Then he placed one hand on his chest and spoke as if he had truly undergone some kind of great enlightenment. "But now, I only gift beautiful women and don’t sleep with them."

Esmeralda blinked once.

Then she could not help chuckling softly. "That is your proof of change?"

Damian nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

For a moment, Esmeralda looked like she wanted to laugh even harder. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

She had met many strange people before, but this was the first time she had met someone who proudly declared that his improvement was gifting women without sleeping with them.

Esmeralda smiled faintly. "Are you sure about that?"

Damian immediately nodded. "Very sure."

His expression then became slightly more serious. "Because I have a disciple now."

Esmeralda’s eyes moved slightly. "A disciple?"

Damian nodded again. "Yes. My first disciple."

His voice became calmer as he continued, "After accepting her, I realized something. I couldn’t keep acting like that old idiot forever."

He looked down at his hand for a moment before smiling faintly. "If I stayed the same as before, then I would only embarrass her."

Esmeralda quietly listened.

Damian’s smile turned a little self-mocking. "She already had a rough life before meeting me, so if I still stayed the same as before, wouldn’t that be too pathetic?"

For the first time, Esmeralda’s teasing expression softened slightly.

Damian leaned back and sighed. "So I changed. At least, I’m trying to."

Then, as if afraid he sounded too noble, he quickly added, "Of course, I’m still a man, so I still love beauty."

Esmeralda chuckled lightly. "At least you admit it honestly."

Damian grinned. "Why wouldn’t I? Beautiful women are beautiful. Pretending not to notice would be even more fake."

He tapped the table lightly with one finger. "But loving beauty doesn’t mean I need to lose control. It doesn’t mean I need to treat every beautiful woman like something to conquer."

His gaze became strangely clear. "I can appreciate beauty, help beauty grow, and enjoy watching it shine. That’s enough."

Esmeralda was silent for a moment.

She had originally thought his words were just another kind of polished excuse, but the more Damian spoke, the more she felt that he really did believe what he was saying.