There are too many teammates who are complete losers.

Chapter 64 Starry Sky Giant Tree

Standing under the tree and looking up, the giant tree stretches its spiderweb-like withered branches toward the night sky. The stars twinkle at night, like the shadows of the tree swaying, and the stars turn into tiny white flowers, which are blooming all over the night sky by the giant tree.

What a magnificent being she was! Perhaps she was once incredibly vibrant. Just looking up at her, Lu Ren could conjure up countless scenes in his mind.

In spring, a gentle breeze rustles the branches, making the lone tree seem like a bustling forest. In summer, she is a still, giant cloud, the world shining brightly under her, yet a cool haven remains beneath her. In autumn, her fallen leaves dance across the city, blotting out the sun, as if in a rage—which is understandable, even human hair loss can cause anger, especially as the autumn wind gradually steals her former lushness. In winter, she is silent, yet firecrackers and fireworks explode in her ears, lion dancers frolic beneath her—does she find humans annoying? But she remains silent, watching as wave after wave of people come and go, her leaves turning green year after year, spring to autumn, winter to summer, ten years, a hundred years, several hundred years…

But now, under the cover of night, she is as still as an inanimate object, devoid of any vitality, like a giant tombstone standing on the hillside.

Suddenly, something floated down in front of him. Lu Ren reached out to catch it, and it landed in his palm. He found it was a leaf, a newly sprouted bud.

"Hey, this tree isn't completely dead yet? That's amazing!"

"𪠽——!!"

He had barely finished speaking when another muffled thud was heard.

A dry branch fell down and hit him right on the head.

Lu Ren felt a sharp slap on the back of his head, so painful that tears streamed down his face. He crouched down, clutching his head, and took a long time to catch his breath.

He understood that the withered branches and tender buds must have been dropped down from above by his master.

Why not just give it to him properly? Aren't you afraid of killing her apprentice?

This branch is damn hard! He tried his best to break it, but he couldn't. It felt very light, but it was so hard and straight, and it fit perfectly in his hand.

He held it for a while, found it felt good, and was very satisfied. He planned to go back and forge it into a fine sword.

Tomorrow I'll find a lower-grade bronze-level spirit bone and try to refine this wooden branch into a bronze-level weapon.

What are those tender buds for? His master didn't tell him either, so he just decided to go back and make tea with them.

There was no etiquette lesson tonight, so he carried the tree branch back to his lodgings.

Just then, Ji Liguang came back from outside, swaggering back home.

Good evening, Lu Ren!

After spending a month together, Shen Yaoxing, Jiang Yueying, and Ji Liguang were no different from Lu Youhe in his eyes. He treated them all as little sisters. Among them, the carefree Ji Liguang was the most lively, the most troublesome, but sometimes the most fun.

So as soon as Lu Ren saw her, he couldn't help but smile and greet her:

"Li Guang is back? What's making you so happy?"

"School starts tomorrow, and we're transfer students. Do you think some clueless kid might come and mess with me tomorrow?"

"You're a member of the Ji family, who would dare to provoke you? They'd be too busy licking your boots to even think about it."

Among the seven prominent clans of the Yu Kingdom, the Ji clan was even jokingly referred to as one of the top three clans; who would dare to offend them?

Suddenly remembering something, Lu Ren asked, "By the way, is there some secret about this league?"

"I don't know, who knows what this is for? But I've heard that the grand prize in this national league is a royal treasure?"

"I see, the royal family's treasure is that amazing..."

Ji Liguang suddenly let out a soft "Eh?" and asked, "Lu Ren, what are you doing with that tree branch?"

"This? I plan to use it to forge a weapon."

Ji Liguang grinned and asked, "You're using a tree branch as a weapon?"

"Yes, this was a gift from my master."

"When did you get a master?"

"I just recognized him; he's a senior member of the Shen family."

He glanced at the branch in Lu Ren's hand and chuckled, "Your master only gave you a rotten branch, how stingy."

"..." Shen Yaoxing had told him that the Ji family was full of trolls, and they loved to gossip.

He defended his master, saying, "This withered branch is very powerful; it's a branch from that giant tree."

"Then let me borrow it to play with."

"...I won't lend it."

"Let me play with it for a bit, it's not like I'm not going to give it back."

"My master doesn't allow me to lend my toys to others."

"You're stingy, and your master is stingy too. It's just a rotten tree branch, and you're treating it like a treasure. Forget it, I'm going back to sleep!"

As she spoke, she skipped three steps, her golden ponytail swaying in the night, and stood in front of her yard, turning back to wave:

See you tomorrow, Lu Ren!

Lu Ren smiled helplessly and replied, "Okay, see you tomorrow."

……

The following day was a rainy, overcast day.

Around 7 o'clock, when Lu Ren went out, he found someone kneeling in the doorway next door again.

He was startled and rushed over.

"Li Guang? Are you alright, Li Guang!?"

"Lu, Lu Ren?"

Ji Liguang's face was deathly pale, his eyes were lifeless, and his lips were severely dehydrated, resembling withered chrysanthemums—that's roughly what he looked like:*

"Help me up, help me up..."

Lu Renqi laughed: "You're running laps around the tribe's territory again, staying up all night?"

Ji Liguang's lips twitched, and he forced a smile, saying, "Yes, I couldn't sleep, so I just... just wandered around..."

Having spent time with these girls, Lu Ren treated them like younger sisters. Seeing how she had ruined herself, he couldn't help but feel a little reproachful.

"If you want to train, then train with us during the day. You're so weak at night, yet you still run all night. You're really not taking your body seriously."

Ji Liguang: "..." Heh, what could she say? Could she say that she was sleeping soundly late at night when her grandfather suddenly dragged her out of bed and inexplicably supervised her running around since dawn?

This is so bizarre! It's utterly bizarre! What did she do to deserve this?!

"Lu, Lu Ren, you just don't understand." Ji Liguang forced a smile that he thought was very handsome: "The more a person is afraid of something, the more they should face it, overcome it, instead of running away."

Lu Ren was surprised to find that this usually cheerful girl had such determination, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and respect for her.

"You don't need to run all night, do you? Can you even get up? Let me carry you back. It's still early, you can catch up on some sleep."

"No, no need, I'll recover by sunbathing for a while."

"What sunbathing? It's cloudy today. Look how thick the clouds are; it's going to rain soon."

Ji Liguang was startled, then looked up.

…look up

……look up

Her expression was peaceful as she lay in Lu Ren's arms, tilting her head back and gazing serenely at the overcast sky, as if it would last forever.

How to describe that peaceful expression? Is it serenity, or relief?

A pair of beautiful eyes gradually began to dilate.

Lu Ren was shocked: "Li Guang, are you alright?"

"Leaving the light?"

"Don't die, Li Guang! I'm going to find someone to save you!"

"Light Departs—!!"

In the garden, a flock of birds were startled into flight, and Lu Ren's voice carried far and wide.

But since Ji Liguang was in the Shen clan's territory, which was full of medical experts, it would be difficult for him to die even if he wanted to. A certain blonde girl was eventually saved, but she was not a member of the Shen clan's medical staff. Instead, she was saved by Lu Ren and his sister.

The bronze-grade alchemical artifact on Lu Youhe's body was specially prepared for Ji Liguang—an ultra-powerful solar spotlight!!

Place the near-death Ji Liguang on the ground and then shine an ultra-powerful sunlight on her; the effect on her is comparable to a gold-level healing ability.

"Fully recovered!"

After about ten minutes of taking pictures, the girl was lively and energetic again.

Still shaken, she laughed and said, "I thought I was going to die!"

Lu Youhe said irritably, "Strictly speaking, you were already dead. Your heart and breathing stopped just now. How could I have saved you with just this fluorescent light? It was my brother who kept performing CPR and artificial respiration to bring you back to life."

For the Ji family members, training until they were exhausted at night was a terrible thing.

However, this guy is also terrifying during the day. Unless it's a rainy day, if he can't defeat the Ji family members in a short time, they will definitely win in the end.

"Thank you all, please come in a moment..." Ji Liguang said in a softer voice.

Eh?

Why do I think I just heard something strange?

Ji Liguang pinched his chin, lowered his head, and whispered the words "breathing" and "artificial intelligence," then looked at Lu Youhe and asked uncertainly:

"Xiao Youhe, you just mentioned artificial... what was it again?"

Lu Youhe put away her treasure and said somewhat reproachfully, "Sister Ali, please don't do weight training all night again next time. It's really too dangerous."

"No, tell me first, your brother gave me... CPR?"

She seemed confused and somewhat unable to accept reality: "It's like, mouth to mouth, and then..."

Did I say that? I didn't say that.

"You said it, Youhe, explain yourself clearly, what do you mean by telling your brother to give me CPR?"

"I didn't say that."

After Lu Youhe finished speaking, he turned around and ran away.

"No, Yuhe, why are you running?"

"I'm going to have breakfast!"

"Come back here and explain yourself. Where is your brother?"

"I have no idea!"

"..."

When Lu Ren finished brushing his teeth and came out, he saw Ji Liguang chasing after his sister all the way away, and he shook his head with a smile.

These two girls have such a great relationship. It's so heartwarming to see girls of this age playfully teasing each other, like a scene from a Japanese anime.

Then he became a little confused. Just now, it seemed like he heard them discussing artificial respiration.

Probably not, Youhe promised not to tell Ji Liguang.

Although the situation was urgent and I was trying to save her, it's better for a girl not to know if she doesn't want to.

It's worth mentioning that although she can be a bit sarcastic, she actually has a sweet tongue.

Even if it tastes sweet, he still has to brush his teeth again, since Ji Liguang has been running all night and his mouth must be full of bacteria.

-

P.S.: The editor said it's going to be featured on the Sanjiang Literature City website next week, so it will be available for purchase next week. There will be a lot of updates after it's available for purchase, everyone, thank you!