The Persistent Suitor and a Mysterious Profession

Lin Shenyue sensed a shift in Xu Linglong’s mood, prompting her to ask with a hint of confusion, “What’s wrong? Who is that?”

Xu Linglong realized Lin Shenyue didn’t recognize the man before them, and she subtly exhaled in relief. “He’s merely a young master from an influential family who has been persistently bothering us,” she stated coolly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shenyue’s expression turned peculiar. She deadpanned, “Are you sure he’s bothering *both* of us?”

“Indeed,” Xu Linglong affirmed with a touch of disdain. “Before you fell unconscious, that scoundrel had already set his sights on us.”

Lin Shenyue paused, slightly stunned. She considered that she had only been thirteen years old before her coma; could she truly have been targeted even then?

More importantly, Lin Shenyue understood such individuals: they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. However, she wasn’t overly concerned about her own safety.

She knew that after her previous injury, her parents would undoubtedly heighten security measures. If she were still to be harmed, it would imply her parents didn’t care for her, which was clearly impossible.

As for Xu Linglong, the situation was far simpler. As a member of a martial arts family, she could easily handle a dozen or so assailants.

Should more people appear, Lin Shenyue didn’t believe the Xu family would remain indifferent. They would surely intervene.

As if discerning Lin Shenyue’s thoughts, Xu Linglong remarked calmly, “He wouldn’t dare resort to force, of course. But his constant pestering is still incredibly annoying.”

Though the power behind this man was significant, their two families were equally formidable. Moreover, their standing within their respective families far surpassed his own.

While the Lin family was a burgeoning power, its influence wasn’t vast, yet its developmental potential was immense. As Lin Shenyue was the sole junior in the Lin family, she was, without question, their lifeline.

This was unlike the profligate young master from the Liu family, Liu Kuang, who often pestered them. At best, he held only a modicum of sway within his own household.

Thus, he dared not truly provoke either the Lin or Xu families. Nevertheless, he harbored immense desire for both Lin Shenyue and Xu Linglong, particularly the latter.

Having not seen Lin Shenyue in five years, Liu Kuang couldn’t be certain if her appearance still suited his taste.

****

Just then, Liu Kuang’s eyes lit up as he spotted Xu Linglong. He immediately rushed over. “Linglong, are you playing this game too?”

Xu Linglong hadn’t altered her appearance when she entered the game, making her easily recognizable.

Seeing Liu Kuang approach, Xu Linglong’s brows furrowed deeply. She said coldly, “Don’t call me Linglong. We aren’t that familiar.”

Liu Kuang paid her words no mind. He then noticed Lin Shenyue standing nearby and paused, before reacting with a touch of surprise. “Are you Yue’er?”

Five years had passed since he last saw Lin Shenyue, and his memory of her was somewhat hazy. However, Lin Shenyue hadn’t changed much in that time, allowing him to still recognize her.

Having already learned of the man’s character from Xu Linglong, Lin Shenyue naturally wouldn’t offer him a pleasant expression. Besides, she didn’t recognize him at all.

Thus, Lin Shenyue simply ignored Liu Kuang’s words.

Liu Kuang raised an eyebrow at her blatant disregard. In the past, even if Lin Shenyue disliked him, her nature would prevent her from making him too uncomfortable; she would always offer some kind of response.

But now, Lin Shenyue didn’t just ignore him; she didn’t even glance his way. This left him feeling rather awkward, unsure of what to say next.

As for Xu Linglong, she cared little for his embarrassment. She merely cast a cold glance at him, then directly pulled Lin Shenyue away.

After the two had departed, Liu Kuang’s expression visibly darkened. His face clouded over as he glared fiercely in the direction Lin Shenyue and Xu Linglong had left.

“Just you wait, you two little sluts,” he muttered. “I can’t do anything to you in reality. But in this game, it’s my world.”

Liu Kuang’s family guild, Monarch Overlooking the World Guild, ranked eighth on the game’s leaderboard. He understood that strict martial arts families like the Xu family would, at most, dabble in the game, incapable of forming such powerful guilds.

As for the Lin family, while Lin Feimu had spearheaded the game’s development, his relinquishment of authority meant he could no longer interfere with in-game matters. Therefore, for a nascent family, their in-game influence was effectively zero.

However, Liu Kuang then remembered that this was Vermilion Bird City, not his guild’s primary battleground. If his guild were to enter without permission, it could provoke hostility from all the guilds within the city.

His presence here was due to a hidden quest; otherwise, he would have remained in White Tiger City instead.

After a moment of thought, Liu Kuang’s eyes brightened. Even if his guild couldn’t directly intervene, he could certainly find a proxy here.

He decided to approach one of the three major guilds in Vermilion Bird City: Strong Man Guild. The scarcity of major guilds was because many had chosen to migrate to intermediate main cities, believing it more advantageous to dominate there than to contend in a high-level city.

Even with abundant resources in advanced main cities, little would be left for them after distribution.

Unaware of Liu Kuang’s encroaching intentions, Lin Shenyue followed Xu Linglong to the auction house. Unlike when they first arrived, the auction house now displayed numerous items.

Most of these were high-quality goods, as auction prices generally surpassed those from individual stalls, despite the 5% commission fee levied by the auction house.

Xu Linglong selected a decent weapon, though it was limited to bronze-tier. She didn’t have much money, and while Lin Shenyue had plenty, Xu Linglong chose not to borrow from her for this matter.

Lin Shenyue, on the other hand, was drawn to a skill book. It was an offensive skill for priests, Holy Light Arrow. The book’s price was neither exceptionally high nor low.

After all, while priests typically focused on healing and support, offensive capabilities were still necessary. Lin Shenyue acquired the skill book and was about to learn it when she received a system prompt.

[You do not meet the conditions to learn this skill. Please fulfill the requirements before attempting to learn it.]

Lin Shenyue froze, bewildered. ‘Conditions not met?’ Holy Light Arrow only required a Level 10 Priest to learn. Why couldn’t she?

She recalled the three question marks in her profession slot. ‘Could it be that my profession isn’t actually a Priest?’ But if so, why could she use Priest equipment and learn other Priest skills, yet not these offensive ones?

Noticing Lin Shenyue’s unusual mood, Xu Linglong inquired, “What’s wrong?”

After a moment of vexation, Lin Shenyue replied, “Nothing, just found out I can’t learn this skill.”

Lin Shenyue hadn’t hidden her purchase of the skill book from Xu Linglong. Hearing she couldn’t learn it, Xu Linglong, also a gaming novice, simply said, “Oh,” and added, “Maybe it’s a system bug. Don’t worry about it for now; our team’s damage output is sufficient anyway.”

“Alright,” Lin Shenyue conceded reluctantly. She temporarily set aside the thought of learning the skill. Her inventory still held an old skill book, Shadow Arrow, which she hadn’t been able to learn before, attributing it to her level. Now, it seemed, it was likely due to the unique nature of her profession.