Orioles and Swallows

Ye Luo felt a pang of envy for Yan Hua Yi Leng's Flying Snow Robe when he thought of his own cloak.

"The Flying Snow Robe is so much better. It can keep upgrading and leveling up. It's already level 12 like Yan Hua's, and its stats have improved quite a bit," Ye Luo said, his tone full of admiration. "Most importantly, I won't have to worry about changing this piece of equipment anymore. It saves so much trouble."

That's right, Spirit Artifacts could be upgraded and would improve along with their owner's level, leading to stat increases. This undoubtedly saved a lot of trouble, at the very least saving Yan Hua Yi Leng the effort of grinding monsters to obtain a chest armor piece.

With these thoughts, Ye Luo turned back towards Novice Village, checking his friend list as he walked. Zhi Yue and Yan Hua Yi Leng's avatars were grayed out, indicating they had the same lifestyle as Yan Hua Yi Leng and Sister Feng.

"This is good. It's very regular," Ye Luo mused. After returning to Novice Village, he decided to log out of the game.

"Hoo..." He let out a long sigh. Thinking about everything that had happened in the game, Ye Luo's lips couldn't help but curve into a smile. "So this is what virtual online gaming is like. It's actually given me a sense of anticipation. This is after Sister Qiu left..."

After a quick wash, Ye Luo lay down on his bed. Thinking of the unforgettable image in his mind and the dungeon runs he had to do tomorrow, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Putting Ye Luo aside for now, let's talk about what happened after Yan Hua Yi Leng logged out.

In a not-too-large villa, Yan Hua Yi Leng logged out of the game. Listening to the chatter outside, a rare smile touched her lips before she headed out.

In the bathroom, several women were washing up. Some were stunningly beautiful and gentle as jade, others were intelligent and calm with serene auras, some were cute and charming like delicate young ladies, and others were heroic and spirited, not yielding to men. Coupled with Yan Hua Yi Leng's cold and aloof demeanor, they were all distinct. Most of the women were quite young, the youngest being seventeen or eighteen, and the oldest no more than twenty-three or twenty-four, radiating youthful vitality. Their playful banter and laughter showed that they had a very good relationship.

"Sister Feng, that little Yue Yue is quite good. She's smart and cute, and she has a certain understanding of Summoners. If given time, she could be cultivated into a master. I suggest we recruit her into our studio," a gentle voice said.

"That little girl is good. I like her a lot, Sister. We can consider recruiting her into our studio," a hearty voice replied. This was clearly the Sister Feng everyone was talking about. "Tsk tsk, such a young loli. This girl is very likable."

"Sister Feng, let's first do a simple background check on her. What if she's a spy sent by another studio?" a quiet voice interjected. Combined with her intelligent gaze, it was clear she was quite strategic.

"Hehe, Sister Shi, I've already checked her ID and other information. She's the second daughter of the Zhi family, but I heard she ran away from home recently," said a pretty girl wearing glasses. "The patriarch of the Zhi family also announced externally that she has gone missing."

"The second daughter of the Zhi family?" a faint voice asked. It was Yan Hua Yi Leng's voice. She murmured to herself, "I heard the eldest daughter of the Zhi family died suddenly recently, and the second daughter ran away from home. This is common knowledge in the online gaming world."

"Sister Yan Hua, you're here! You're 10 minutes later than usual," the pretty girl with glasses said. Then, as if remembering something, her expression turned much colder. "I heard the Dongfang family forced marriage upon the eldest daughter of the Zhi family, but she refused to comply and died in the Dongfang family's hands. After that, the second daughter of the Zhi family ran away from home."

"Hmph, the Dongfang family again!" Sister Feng snorted, then said, "It seems this girl isn't a spy. We can try to recruit her into our Misty Pavilion, or even our studio."

"Mm, I'll ask for her intentions tomorrow," the woman as gentle as warm jade nodded.

"Hey, Yan Hua, I heard you were with that Ye Luo Zhi Qiu," Sister Feng suddenly said, slinging an arm casually over Yan Hua Yi Leng's shoulder. "Tell me, how is he?"

"Hehe, what's there to say? He must be very powerful, otherwise, why would Sister Yan Hua team up with him and achieve the first kill of the Demonized Wolf King?" the pretty girl with glasses whispered.

"In reality, he's a master, probably much stronger than me. Judging by his movements, he has some resemblance to Baguazhang," Yan Hua Yi Leng recalled, her voice as cold as ever. "He can't quite merge the game and reality yet, so he's only a top-tier expert, but he has the potential to become a super top-tier expert."

"Who asked you about all that? If you're willing to team up with him, he's at least a top-tier expert," Sister Feng said irritably, then put on a mysterious expression. "I want to ask if that guy is handsome, and if he's an interesting person?"

Upon hearing this, most of the other girls' eyes lit up. Their curiosity piqued, they all looked at Yan Hua Yi Leng with interest.

Frowning slightly, Yan Hua Yi Leng seemed to encounter a great difficulty. After a long pause, she shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure, but based on what you've described – sword-like eyebrows, a chiseled face, and eyes like stars – he should be considered handsome."

"Whoa, if you put it that way, he's not just handsome, he's a heartthrob!" Sister Feng exclaimed loudly, putting on a fangirl expression. "Yan Hua, when can you bring him to meet me? Let me see if he's just a pretty face..."

"Sister Feng, we can only leave Novice Village after level 40," Yan Hua Yi Leng stated calmly, then looked around. "Unless you recruit him into the studio too..."

Hearing this, the women's beautiful eyes lit up, and they started chattering excitedly, all agreeing with Yan Hua Yi Leng's suggestion and urging Sister Feng to recruit him quickly.

"Sister Feng, isn't that a bit inappropriate? Our studio is all women, and Xiao Shu is just a young boy, he doesn't count," said the quiet and intelligent woman, Sister Shi. She looked slightly worried.

"What are you afraid of? Does he dare to eat me? Hmph, if he dares, I'll smack him," Sister Feng said fiercely, then looked at Yan Hua Yi Leng. "Yan Hua, you're the strategist of our Misty Pavilion. What are your thoughts?"

"I suggest recruiting him into the Misty Pavilion. He has the potential to become a player on the Celebrity Ranking," Yan Hua Yi Leng said, looking at Sister Feng with a slightly serious expression. "Also, I repeat, if our Misty Pavilion wants to advance further, we must recruit male players, and on a large scale."

Frowning, Sister Feng shook her head. "We'll discuss recruiting male players on a large scale later. After all, there are too many perverts in online games, and I have to think about the girls in the pavilion. Since that Ye Luo Zhi Qiu has the potential you mentioned, we can try to recruit him."

"Hehe, that's great! Our pavilion will finally have a handsome guy," the pretty girl with glasses giggled. Then, her eyes sparkled as if seeing stars. "That little Yue girl praised Ye Luo Zhi Qiu to the skies. I want to see if he's really as she described."

Not only was she interested in Ye Luo Zhi Qiu, but the others, including the quiet and intelligent woman, were as well.

"I advise you all to give up. Ye Luo probably already has someone in his heart," Yan Hua Yi Leng suddenly said. She didn't know why she was explaining this. Seeing the confused looks on the women's faces, she continued, "I've observed him. He occasionally shows a look of dejection, followed by overwhelming killing intent. If I'm not mistaken, he's someone carrying a deep-seated vendetta."

"Dejected, killing intent, and with Zhi Yue..." the woman named Sister Shi murmured. Then her eyes suddenly lit up. "You don't think, perhaps the eldest daughter of the Zhi family was his girlfriend, and then..."

"It's highly possible," Sister Feng nodded, chuckling lightly. "It seems this kid entered the game for revenge, and his target is the Dongfang family. That's quite bold, considering the Dongfang family is the second most influential family among netizens in our country. Few people dare to provoke them..."

"Wow, carrying a deep-seated vendetta for the one he loves, and then entering the game for revenge. This only happens in TV dramas," the pretty girl with glasses exclaimed with a look of infatuation. "A truly devoted person, someone you can entrust your life to..."

"Get lost! If he's truly devoted, why would he accept you?" Sister Feng playfully chided, then looked at Yan Hua Yi Leng, her expression much more serious. "Yan Hua, have you tried inviting him? What was his reaction..."

Although Sister Feng wasn't old, she had some experience. Through certain events, she could discern a person's character. She wanted to see what kind of person Ye Luo was through his reaction.

"He was a bit hesitant and said he needed to think about it," Yan Hua Yi Leng replied truthfully. Then, as if remembering something, she continued, "But he wants us to recruit the second daughter of the Zhi family and take good care of her."

"Doesn't that feel a bit like entrusting his final affairs?" the girl with glasses muttered, then looked at Sister Feng. "Sister Feng, you said you've seen countless men. Is this Ye Luo Zhi Qiu a good man?"

Her face flushing slightly, Sister Feng spat, "You brat, what are you talking about? That was all a joke. This sister hasn't even had a proper relationship yet."

"Tsk tsk, it's rare to see Sister Feng blush," Sister Shi remarked, then changed the subject. "In that case, Ye Luo Zhi Qiu's character is quite good. We can recruit him into our Misty Pavilion. After all, we also have a grudge against the Dongfang family..."

"That's right, Sister Feng, we can recruit him," the other girls agreed.

"That still depends on his decision," Sister Feng said, then looked at Yan Hua Yi Leng. "Yan Hua, investigate him thoroughly. If he passes, and if he's willing, recruit him into our Misty Pavilion."

"Mm." Yan Hua Yi Leng nodded, then as if remembering something, she looked at Sister Feng. "Sister Feng, if you have time, can you send me a monster distribution map of Novice Village, especially the locations of the bosses? With Ye Luo and me working together, ordinary bosses are no problem."

"Tsk tsk, Sister Yan Hua is so amazing! As expected, she's the first among us to transfer to a hidden profession," the pretty girl with glasses exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Sister Yan Hua, how many pieces of equipment do you have? Besides the Flying Snow Robe, do you have any other high-level equipment?"

"I also have a Bronze-grade longbow, and I've almost collected all the other equipment," Yan Hua Yi Leng said calmly. Then, as if remembering something else, she added, "If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow I'll have another Bronze-grade cloak and a Tier 2 magic artifact. Once equipped, my defense will easily exceed a hundred, and my attack damage won't be inferior to a fully stat-allocated Swordsman."