There are too many teammates who are complete losers.

Chapter 9 Past Events

"Yahoshi, you've come."

"grandfather……"

In the courtyard, upon seeing his granddaughter enter, the white-haired young man put down the potted plant he was holding, and a servant brought over a basin of water and a hot towel.

Shen Yanqing smiled broadly: "Initial stats of 33, main attribute as high as 25, really made Grandpa look good, haha!"

The girl lowered her head. "Grandpa, I don't understand..."

With a main attribute of 25, it means that with each breakthrough, she will have a numerical increase of 2 to the power of 2.5. Such talent is definitely among the geniuses.

But since becoming aware of her profession, Shen Yaoxing has never smiled.

"I don't understand, does not awakening a clan's inherited profession mean one cannot take over family affairs?"

Shen Yaoxing raised her head, her face filled with resentment:

"I'm clearly more talented than my older brothers and sisters, and my ability [Lucky Star] can even provide direction for clan decision-making. So what if I haven't awakened 'White-Haired Shaman'...?"

"Yaoxing, you can't say that."

"grandfather…"

"Come sit here."

A servant brought tea, and the grandfather and grandson sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard.

Shen Yanqing slowly said, "In every dynasty, geniuses and prodigies are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Even a powerful professional who can dominate for sixty years will not have a family that lasts for more than a hundred years. Why is that? It's because their profession cannot be passed down stably."

"Maybe, just maybe, my profession can be passed down?"

"Ha ha!"

"What's so funny..."

"If that's really the case, then we old men will regret it to death. We might even be ridiculed for being blind..."

Shen Yanqing smiled, looked at his granddaughter, and said, "However, this is the rule, and it has been so for hundreds of years. If a member of the clan has not awakened the 'White-Haired Shaman' of the Linjiang Shen clan, they cannot interfere in clan affairs."

"What kind of rule is this? Aren't you afraid of being resented and retaliated against for driving away geniuses like this?"

"Will you hold a grudge against your grandfather, or against the clan?"

Shen Yaoxing couldn't answer because she wouldn't hold a grudge. She knew better than anyone that the clan's rules were correct. Genius was important, but the stability of professional succession was more important than any genius.

Whether it's a fleeting moment of glory or a continuation of a thousand years, all aristocratic families would choose the latter.

"But why must I marry that He family from Jizhou?"

"Because you're not getting any younger."

"I'm only 16 years old."

"Your grandmother was already married to your grandfather when she was your age."

"You live in the old society. Now we advocate free love, and getting married and having children so early is very harmful to a woman's health."

"..." The old man knew that she was throwing a tantrum. The "White-Haired Witch Doctor" of the Shen family in Linjiang was a top-ranked witch doctor in the world. No one could hurt her.

"Besides, Shen Xinyue didn't awaken the White-Haired Witchcraft Awakening, so why should I have to go through with this marriage alliance when she doesn't need to?

"Because you are my granddaughter, and your father's daughter."

"Does the family's prosperity really depend on selling their daughters?"

"Yaoxing, stop saying things out of anger."

Shen Yaoxing felt so helpless; she had never felt so helpless before.

"Your mother was just like you back then. Look at her and your father, were they unhappy?"

Shen Yaoxing knew this; she was very clear that if she awakened the "White-Haired Shaman" within her clan, she wouldn't have to get married, and she could marry Long You. She had always thought she would awaken the White-Haired Shaman, but she didn't.

Astrologer, an extremely rare divine mage class, may be a very powerful class, but there is no precedent for it to reliably pass on its skills to offspring.

No one was wrong, no, it was her fault, the fault lay in not awakening the white-haired witch.

She was a noblewoman from a noble family, enjoying a life of luxury since birth, and would likely continue to do so for the rest of her life. The price she paid was simply that at the most important juncture in her life, she was unable to make her own choices. She did not resent the family's decision, but she was... unwilling to accept it!

"Will the stars guide you?" Just then, the white-haired man suddenly asked.

Shen Yaoxing looked up at her grandfather.

Shen Yanqing said, "There is a type of Void Beast called the Yearlight Firefly. The Yearlight Firefly is one of the few True Void Beasts that will not actively attack humans, and it possesses a healing skill called [Firefly].

Shen Yaoxing didn't know why her grandfather suddenly said this to her, but she still listened very attentively.

"Moreover, the Yearlight Firefly is extremely rare and has a very short lifespan, surviving for less than a day after birth. However, it is one of the rarest types of Void Beasts. Over the past few hundred years, only a handful of people have seen it. It is said that encountering the Yearlight Firefly is a symbol of extreme luck."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, looked at Shen Yaoxing, and said, "One year. During this year, you have absolute freedom. We will not interfere with anything you do. When you return after one year, if you can make [Huaying] appear in the clan, your grandfather will cancel your marriage with the He family of Jizhou, and the clan will not interfere with your life in the future."

Shen Yaoxing's eyes lit up with joy: "Really?"

"When did Grandpa ever lie to you?"

"But Grandpa, you also said that only about ten people have seen the Firefly of Time. Who knows if it really exists?"

"Nature exists."

"How did Grandpa know?"

"Because the ancestor of the Shen family, Shen Zhixian, the legendary fairy who spread the lamp and toured the world, had the skill 'Firefly'."

Shen Yanqing slowly said, "The final battle 300 years ago was fought by this ancestor and many titled experts. It is said that the continent was sunk in that battle. She single-handedly transformed all the mortals in the world into fireflies to protect them, like a sky full of stars. It was truly magnificent. This is also the origin of our Shen Clan's 'Heavenly Star Guild'."

"But throughout history, fewer than ten people have ever encountered the Firefly of the Year..."

"Don't tell me, Yaoxing, that your talent 'Lucky Star' will lead you down a path that benefits you?"

Grandpa Shen chuckled and said, "If Yaoxing can find the Firefly of Time within a year, then Grandpa and the other elders will accept our fate. If you fail to find it, then Yaoxing will have to accept our fate."

"...Does Haruka have any other options?"

"What was Yaoxing's answer?"

"Prepare to cancel the engagement!"

"Very confident, haha."

……

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling, completely different from the ornate and painted courtyard of the Shen family in my dream.

Shen Yaoxing lay quietly for a few seconds, clearly separating the sense of powerlessness in her dream from the control she held in her hands at this moment.

Yes, time is tight, but I have already set the direction.

Shen Yaoxing slowly closed her eyes again, recalling what had happened last night.

Although the specific circumstances differed slightly, the outcome was satisfactory.

Do you accept your fate?

But Grandpa, you don't know, Yaoxing is a woman who won't accept her fate.

It should be said that she wouldn't accept a fate she didn't want.

A year has passed, and the stars have not guided her to find the Yearlight Firefly, but that was only the stars' answer.

That wasn't her answer.

She still has time; at least for now, she has bought herself some time.

"You're awake? Want some steamed buns?"

Noticing that the girl in the bed had woken up, Lu Ren stood next to the makeshift bed on the floor, holding several large steamed buns:

"It's broad daylight now, so those who want to harm you shouldn't be so brazen. I'll take you to hail a taxi later and we'll go straight back to your Linjiang Shen family..."

Shen Yaoxing looked at Lu Ren. She remembered all the messy things that happened last night. She knew she had done a lot of shameful things in front of this man, but she didn't care because she knew it was useless to care.

She's gotten used to this stupid talent.

As long as you make a clean break and refuse to admit it, that's fine.

She shook her head. "Let's not go back to our clan's territory yet."

"Not going back? Then where to go?"

"The boundary of the river, the boundary of the earthen forest."

Lu Ren looked puzzled: "Why go to that place?"

Lu Ren sensed that the man's demeanor and eyes were different after he woke up compared to last night.

Shen Yaoxing said seriously and logically, "Since someone in the clan dares to harm me, the other party must be quite powerful. It would be unwise for me to go back rashly. I need to go to the Void Realm to improve my strength."

"..." He just stared at Shen Yaoxing, who met his gaze without a trace of guilt in her eyes.

"You're the boss, you make the decisions."

Lu Ren had nothing to say. He stuffed the bun, which was bigger than his fist, into his mouth. As he swallowed, it felt like something was passing down his neck.

Shen Yaoxing suddenly asked, "By the way, since you're a professional, what's your profession?"

When his profession was mentioned, Lu Ren ate his steamed bun, his eyes wandering.

Shen Yaoxing raised an eyebrow and said, "Although a professional's personal information shouldn't be easily disclosed, I'm just asking you to tell me your profession and inclinations, not to see your attribute panel, right?"

Lu Ren was somewhat surprised: "Can't we just let others see our attribute panel?"

"Don't you even have this much common sense?"

"And what about last night...?"

"Let's not talk about last night anymore."

"I see."

The young lady had shown him everything openly last night, so Lu Ren had nothing to hide. He pointed his hand in the air, and a semi-transparent screen appeared in front of the two of them.

Name: Lu Ren

Occupation: Passerby

Level: Mid-stage of the Flowing Firefly Realm

Attributes: 36 (Main 36, Secondary 0)

[Constitution]: Strength (4), Agility (4), Vitality (4)

【Affinity】: Element (4) Living (4) Undead (4)

[Spirit]: Yin and Yang (4), Resonance (4), Inspiration (4)

talent:

[Arrogance of a Passerby]: You will definitely gain skills by absorbing spirit remains, but they cannot be the spirit remains of virtual beasts killed by others.

【The Sin of Gluttony by Passersby】: You can absorb spiritual power, recover from injuries, and purify your state by consuming spirit remains, thus gaining satiety. However, your digestive ability is too strong, making you more prone to hunger.

Professional skills: None

Seeing Lu Ren's open and honest demeanor, Shen Yaoxing didn't say anything, but she was somewhat satisfied. However, she was stunned when she saw his attribute panel.

However, she wasn't the only one stunned; Lu Ren was too.

If he remembered correctly, when he looked at it the day before yesterday, each attribute only had 3 points, how come it has become 4 points now?

When did you upgrade?