"Beep!"
A message came from Xiao Xia: "Yuan Qi, you're finally online!"
"Mm."
Yuan Qi Man Man frowned, "Xiao Xia, you've all joined the Scarlet Moon Knights, haven't you..."
"Yes."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "You once predicted that if Chang Ye Yu Huo went back on his word, Bai Yi wouldn't really send troops, he was just talking. But it wasn't like that. He truly kept his promise, leading the entire Scarlet Moon Knights, over 2600 people, on an expedition across cities and defeating Han Ye Chang completely. Actually... Alliance Leader Bai Yi is a really good person, not what you imagined..."
"..."
Yuan Qi Man Man's heart was filled with a mix of emotions, "Xiao Xue she..."
"She'll be safer in the Scarlet Moon Knights. No one will dare bully her anymore. Moreover, she's now a Shepherd God, her skills are much more formidable than a regular Nomad. I just heard from Xue Qian Cheng that they intend to cultivate Xiao Xue as the chief priest of the Scarlet Moon Knights. So, she'll only get better and better in the Scarlet Moon Knights from now on."
As she spoke, Xiao Xia's voice softened considerably, "Yuan Qi, stop being stubborn and come to the Scarlet Moon Knights. We can still go out to fight monsters and level up together."
"Will Alliance Leader Bai Yi... accept someone like me?"
"He doesn't even know you!"
"..."
Yuan Qi Man Man scratched his head and said, "Then... can you introduce me?"
In the end, he still wanted to be with Mo Chen Xue. As long as he could see Mo Chen Xue every day, was anything else important?
"Just come to Tian Ji City directly."
Xiao Xia said, "We've already bound Tian Ji City as our main city. Vice Alliance Leader Xue Qian Cheng seems to be online. Come over immediately and apply. I'll put in a good word for you. With your strength, joining the guild won't be a problem."
"Okay."
Not long after, Yuan Qi Man Man joined the Scarlet Moon Knights, but no one paid him much attention. Mo Chen Xue had already gone offline. Only Chen Xue smiled and welcomed the newcomer. After that, Yuan Qi Man Man said nothing. He opened the guild member list, found Mo Chen Xue, and stared at her ID for a long time before logging off to continue sleeping and adjusting his biological clock.
...
The next morning.
Lin Zhao, Shen Xing Chen, Chen Xue, and the others woke up early. After breakfast, they went online. It was time for a new day of hard work. Shen Xing Chen and Chen Xue tidied their inventory and took people to level up. Lin Zhao, however, had to return to the city regarding Mo Chen Xue's matter. Now he had to travel to Xue Yu Tian Chi again, a journey of another three to four hours.
In the early morning, the east square of Tian Ji City was peaceful and serene. The morning light spilled onto the city's paving stones, and even the wind carried the scent of dew.
Not far away, a familiar figure appeared. It was Mo Chen Xue. She had logged in very early today.
"..."
Lin Zhao hesitated. What should he call her? Mo Chen Xue? Too formal. She was called that when she was Sheng Shi Mu Dan. Lin Xue Qiong? He was used to it, but she might not like him calling her by her real name so casually. What then? Ah Xue? Definitely not. Chen Xue would beat his dog head if she got angry. Then Little Xue? Xiao Xia and the others called her that.
So, Lin Zhao walked up seriously and said, "Little Xue, so early?"
"Mm!"
Hearing him call her that, Mo Chen Xue's delicate face instantly flushed. Even though it was still "Little Xue," it felt more pleasant coming from him than from others. For a moment, Mo Chen Xue felt a little flustered. She looked up at Lin Zhao and said, "Alliance Leader, good morning to you too..."
"Morning."
Lin Zhao smiled, "You successfully transferred your job, right? Share your Divine Shepherd skills with me, I want to understand them first so I can assign tasks to you during group battles later."
"Okay."
Mo Chen Xue obediently shared all her Tier 1 Shepherd God skills with Lin Zhao -
[Divine Healing]: Deals a large amount of healing to a single target.
[Revival Storm]: Deals a large amount of healing to friendly units within a 20x20 yard area.
[Divine Healing Mastery]: Passive, increases self-healing by 50%.
[Shepherd God]: Releases a power of the Shepherd God within a 40x40 yard area. After 1.5 seconds, it will inevitably deal a critical spell effect to hostile targets within the area and put them into a confused state for 5 seconds.
[Divine Domain Storm]: Releases a Divine Domain Storm within a 40x40 yard area, dealing massive damage for 5 seconds.
...
"This..."
Lin Zhao frowned. This hidden profession seemed a bit shameless, didn't it? Shepherd God, Divine Domain Storm, these two skills were simply unfair. Without a doubt, the Shepherd God profession would be a deity on the battlefield in the future. Super control and super output, coupled with super healing skills like Revival Storm, it was truly a god-tier profession integrating output, healing, and control!
"It's good, it's good..."
Lin Zhao chuckled dryly, "It's indeed very powerful... Practice well from now on. I'll count on you during group battles."
Mo Chen Xue was a little shy. After all, she was only 19 years old, and a young man like Lin Zhao, who was 25, was like a big brother. But she particularly liked the approachable aura Lin Zhao exuded, with no pretension at all. His entire demeanor was completely different from Alliance Leader-level players like You Ling Wang, Chang Ye Yu Huo, and Li Cang Hai.
"Hi, Alliance Leader!"
From the pharmacy nearby, Xiao Xia walked over carrying her staff. Beside her were her boyfriend and Yuan Qi Man Man.
"Yuan Qi?"
Mo Chen Xue looked at him, afraid he would clash with Lin Zhao, and said weakly, "Let me introduce you, this is Alliance Leader Bai Yi..."
"I know."
Yuan Qi Man Man nodded, "Alliance Leader Bai Yi, who rode his horse through Ning Zhou. This matter has long spread throughout the national server. How could this humble one not know him..."
"Hm?"
Lin Zhao looked at him, feeling that this guy's words seemed a bit odd!
"Alliance Leader, this is Yuan Qi, a friend we used to level up with," Mo Chen Xue introduced.
"Oh, hello Yuan Qi."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled at Yuan Qi, "The Scarlet Moon Knights welcome you. From now on, we are brothers who fight side by side."
"I dare not presume."
Yuan Qi Man Man said indifferently, "I'm just a soldier before the general. The Alliance Leader charges forward, and I'll be responsible for holding the horse for the Alliance Leader."
"I hold the reins myself when I charge."
Lin Zhao tilted his head and looked at him, finding this young man a bit strange.
Just then, Xiao Xia sent Lin Zhao a private message: "Alliance Leader, Yuan Qi actually really likes Xiao Xue. He's been pursuing Xiao Xue fiercely these past few days, and... the transfer proof for Xiao Xue's job was painstakingly obtained by Yuan Qi overnight. But he was worried Xiao Xue wouldn't accept it, so he asked me to give it to her. Xiao Xue doesn't even know about this. In fact, he's the biggest contributor to Xiao Xue being able to transfer to Shepherd God. But... Xiao Xue isn't interested in him, so..."
"Oh, I see..." Lin Zhao frowned.
Xiao Xia continued, "You should be able to feel it too, Xiao Xue actually likes you a lot, so this relationship is... a bit complicated..."
"I don't feel that?"
Lin Zhao was taken aback. He had never been popular with women since he was young. How could a beautiful girl like Mo Chen Xue like him? Was she blind? This was ridiculous. Thinking about it, Lin Zhao felt he couldn't go to Xue Yu Tian Chi in the short term. He had to resolve the guild's matters first, and he could only resolve them himself; otherwise, it wouldn't be good.
"Yuan Qi Man Man."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, "Shall we talk alone?"
"Ah?!"
Yuan Qi Man Man was startled and said, "Okay..."
"Let's go."
Lin Zhao led Yuan Qi Man Man into the Great Sanctuary and sat face-to-face on two long benches by the window. Yuan Qi Man Man was anxious and remained silent. Xiao Xia, meanwhile, grabbed Mo Chen Xue and climbed over the wall from the side. The two of them acted like thieves, sticking close to the wall, quietly listening to the conversation inside.
...
"You like Mo Chen Xue, don't you?" Lin Zhao cut straight to the chase.
"Mm."
Yuan Qi Man Man didn't mince words, nodding, "It's not just liking, it's deep love."
"The transfer proof for Shepherd God was also given to Mo Chen Xue by you, wasn't it?" Lin Zhao asked with a smile.
"Mm."
Yuan Qi Man Man's heart trembled, and he nodded, "Yes..."
Outside the wall, Mo Chen Xue felt struck by lightning, completely stunned, her mind a blank.
Lin Zhao frowned, "Xiao Xia said that Mo Chen Xue might like me. Although I don't know if it's true, I don't want to be the villain unknowingly. I don't want to be hated for no reason, so I want to make things clear with you."
"Alliance Leader, I..." Yuan Qi Man Man started but stopped.
"Don't rush to speak yet."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly and said calmly, "Actually, liking someone is a very sweet thing. I've experienced this feeling before. But liking someone doesn't necessarily mean you have to possess her. Just watching her shine brightly, watching her be happy and joyful, is also a form of bliss. You like Mo Chen Xue, that's true. Whether Mo Chen Xue likes me or not is not important. What's important is how you treat your liking for Mo Chen Xue. Don't let a pure liking turn sour because of jealousy and possessiveness."
"Alliance Leader, actually I..."
Yuan Qi Man Man gritted his teeth. At this moment, he even felt ashamed.
Lin Zhao chuckled, "Liking is a simple thing, yet not so simple. You are good to her, everything you do for her stems from your inner desire to do so. But you can't expect her to reciprocate just because you've done things for her. That's wrong. Love isn't a transaction. If it were just a trade, it wouldn't be love. So, this Shepherd God transfer proof, the Scarlet Moon Knights will repay you with an item of equal value in the future. Mo Chen Xue might not be able to repay it, but it's fine. The Scarlet Moon Knights will repay it. As for you, you can stay in the Scarlet Moon Knights, stay by her side, continue to accompany her, continue to like her, until the day she likes you too."
His eyes were incredibly clear, and he smiled, "Really, the reason I'm helping Mo Chen Xue isn't because I like her, but because I feel I should help her. In that situation, I couldn't stand by and do nothing. If I did nothing, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. So, Mo Chen Xue and I have nothing. We're just acquaintances, just friends. If you like Mo Chen Xue and want to be with her, keep trying. Actually, I'm happy to see that."
"Alliance Leader..."
Yuan Qi Man Man felt like crying, "Thank you for your honesty, really... Thank you... Alliance Leader..."
...
Outside the wall, Mo Chen Xue leaned against the wall, standing perfectly straight. The lines of her neck, chest, and abdomen rose and fell. She closed her eyes, and two lines of tears silently streamed down. She didn't blame Lin Zhao for saying that. On the contrary, it was precisely because Lin Zhao said that that she liked him even more. Such a pure person, with a pure character, unique and confident, this made her even more captivated.
As for Yuan Qi Man Man, he felt grateful and moved, but he didn't like her, and there was no reason for it.