Chapter 6 Teammates

Name: Wang Liang (Jack-of-all-trades Wang Ji Long)
Gender: Male
Occupation: None
Level: 1 (80%)
Identity: None
Attributes (Unarmed): Strength: 6, Agility: 4, Constitution: 5, Spirit: 6, Status: Good
Talent: Celestial Dreamer
Skills: Proficient in Yi Jing Level 3, Mastery of Broadsword Level 1, Riding Mastery Level 1, Archery Mastery Level 1, Innate Heaven and Earth Skill Entry Level 1

Staring at these details, Wang Liang was momentarily stunned. He understood everything else, but what was this Celestial Dreamer talent? Was he dreaming or something?

At that moment, the bearded man in the lead asked, “So, what’s your talent?”

“Celestial Dreamer. What kind of talent is that?”

“I’m not too sure, but you’re in luck. Any talent with a ‘Celestial’ suffix tends to be powerful. I know of several Golden Immortals who have talents with the ‘Celestial’ suffix. Looks like we’ve found a treasure this time.”

Just as the bearded man finished speaking, the shortest man in the group scoffed from the side, “Who knows if he’ll live long enough for that to matter.”

The bearded man shot him a glare and said, “You’re a newcomer, but we recognize your talent. I’m sending you a team invite—accept it. Sometimes tasks might overlap; if you get a prompt, just choose to merge your missions with the team’s.”

As he spoke, the bearded man made a peculiar gesture toward Wang Liang.

Immediately, a prompt appeared before Wang Liang.

“Niu Xuanguang invites you to join the Grazing Bulls Skyward Team. Do you accept?”

Wang Liang didn’t even want to comment on these people’s naming sense. Grazing Bulls Skyward—who comes up with names like that? Are they that bad at naming things?

Nevertheless, Wang Liang quickly accepted Niu Xuanguang’s invitation.

The next instant, he noticed a row of portraits appear at the top left of his vision. The first was the bearded Niu Xuanguang, and behind his name were the words “Captain” and “Healthy.”

Niu Xuanguang glanced at Wang Liang. “So you’re the Jack-of-all-trades, huh? I thought you were the wealthy kind.”

“I am rich,” Wang Liang replied with a smile.

“In your dreams, maybe. In dreams, you can be anything,” the short man sneered again.

Wang Liang looked at him and realized the guy seemed somewhat hostile.

“Don’t mind him. He’s like that with everyone. You didn’t get a task, which is fine; just follow us. Let me introduce myself. I’m Niu Xuanguang. As you can tell from the name, I’m a fan of Yan Chixia—it’s an imitation.”

Niu Xuanguang puffed out his chest, as if waiting for Wang Liang to praise him.

But Wang Liang was thoroughly confused; he had no idea what was going on.

Just as two men, poised to play hype men, were about to praise Niu Xuanguang’s “Yan Chixia style,” they noticed Wang Liang’s dumbfounded face.

The short man scoffed, “What era are you from? You don’t even know Yan Chixia?”

Niu Xuanguang stepped in to stop the argument. “Alright, not everyone knows who Yan Chixia is—nothing strange about that. Let me introduce the team. This is Wei Ban—don’t be fooled by his sharp tongue; he’s a good guy. He’s our engineer, machinist, puppet master, and leads our crossbow mechanisms in battle.”

Wang Liang didn’t understand much of this, but Niu Xuanguang’s attitude made him realize that these things were common knowledge, and asking too many questions would only make him look suspicious.

Seeing Wang Liang nod, Wei Ban snorted and looked up at the sky, rather pleased with himself.

But no words of praise came. After the Yan Chixia incident, everyone realized Wang Liang was just a clueless rookie.

Niu Xuanguang lost interest in boasting about his teammates and simply introduced the other three.

“This is our diviner, feng shui master, and formation expert—Zhao Gongming of the Twenty-four Heavens. Just call him Old Zhao. He’s skilled in divination, geomancy, formations, and ancient texts. If you have questions, ask him.”

Stroking his goatee, Zhao Gongming replied, “Oh, I only dabble in those areas.”

The others laughed politely, but Wang Liang looked on, bewildered, not understanding what was so funny.

The atmosphere fizzled out, and Zhao Gongming, finding it dull, pursed his lips and fell silent.

Sensing the awkwardness, Niu Xuanguang quickly turned to introduce the two women.

“They’re sisters. The one with the long spear is the older; she used to cry and fuss a lot as a child, so we call her Miss Crybaby. Her sister, with the twin sashes, was always called Little Rascal at home, so her game name is Miss Rascal.”

Niu Xuanguang’s explanations sounded reasonable, but for some reason, with their mysterious expressions, Wang Liang couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about their names.

Still, since he knew nothing of these conventions, he decided it was safer to pretend he understood everything.

Seeing Wang Liang behaving, Niu Xuanguang let go of any earlier misgivings and passed two tasks to him.

“These are our team’s shared missions—accept them, and we’ll carry you through.”

Main Quest 1: Choosing an Alignment. Who would have thought that in a team of just 20, there could be four or five different alignments? Discover and join one, and begin the first step of the main quest.

Side Quest 1: Silk Road Brigands. On this wealth-laden Silk Road, countless ambitious men hunt for riches like wolves, seizing all they can see. Kill these brigands, and use their heads to prove your strength.

After accepting both tasks, Wang Liang was about to speak, but Niu Xuanguang cut him off.

“Don’t worry, both tasks are simple. For the main quest, all you need is for me to make the choice. For the side quest, as long as you’re nearby, any enemies we kill will count for you. Just focus on keeping yourself safe. Remember, even though this is just a game, don’t die if you can help it.”

Don’t die if you can help it? What kind of advice is that? Who actually wants to die?

Niu Xuanguang explained, “You’re a rookie—you don’t get it yet. This game…”