Unassuming Hidden Gem

Only after many days of merrymaking did Theodore choose to end this brief period of bonding and relaxation. One morning, he put on his regular attire once more and was about to slip away into his cultivation chamber, when Cheong Suhyeon barred his path, her hands on her hips and her right eyebrow raised in a playfully accusatory manner.

"Are you trying to go outside looking like that?"

Stepping forward, she straightened out his collar and adjusted his clothes for a time, until she was finally happy with the result.

"You know that I prefer a casual look, right?"

Scrutinizing himself a little, he felt unaccustomed to the prim and proper state of his shirt. If it wasn't for the fact that the one who had just made him appear more presentable was still right in front of him, then he might have returned it to a messy condition already.

"And I think you look more dashing like this. Got a problem with that?"

Staring up at him in amusement, she crossed her arms underneath her chest. Considering that she was wearing nothing but a see-through nightgown, it was quite the sight, one that he had thoroughly indulged in for far too long. Rolling his eyes at her, he shook his head, then stepped closer and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Fine, fine. Have it your way. Anyway, I'll be o–"

Suddenly noticing something, he turned to face the door, and more specifically the group of maids who were approaching it from the other side, led by Li Shuying.

"You've already called for them? Won't they wake up Mei'er and Qiao'er?"

As he shot her a questioning glance, she showed a slightly mischievous smile and shrugged, clearly not too worried about her two new sisters.

"It's their fault for being all bark but no bite. It's high time that they get their lazy butts moving."

Although Xie Mei's proclamation had been a grand one, and they had indeed joined in on their 'battle', in terms of endurance, the girls couldn't keep up with the two of them. By now, they were completely drained, happily snoring away in quite unflattering positions. If Theodore hadn't felt a hint of compassion and covered them in a blanket, then it would be an even more shameful display.

"... alright, but let the records show that I stuck up for them."

Choosing to let these three figure out their private matters themselves, he removed himself from the situation and exited the room, where he came across the maids. He had originally just intended to greet them in passing and then casually stroll towards his cultivation chamber, foregoing teleportation in the process–but due to this, an unanticipated change occurred.

"My Lord, may I have a word?"

Stepping forward and bowing slightly just as he was about to continue onwards, Li Shuying's expression was far more solemn than usual. Intrigued by this, he nodded and had her follow him until they were out of earshot of the others, who were about to begin with their cleaning duties.

"This should be far enough. Speak, Ying'er."

Taking a deep breath, she locked eyes with him, her gaze one of unwavering conviction.

"Despite training as hard as I can, I am painfully aware that I am lagging behind far too much. Other than some simple household chores, I cannot be of any use to you–and even in that field, my colleagues can do everything tens of orders of magnitude more efficiently than me. I am truly just a burden, at least the way that I currently am. Which is why... I'd like to ask to become your Subordinate, my Lord!"

Naturally, Theodore had picked up on the fact that she had been fading more and more into the backdrop, merely helping out with dinner, making tea and cleaning for the majority of the time. It couldn't be denied that she was giving it her all during training, but with her natural limitations being what they were, comparisons would be soul-crushing.

"... just to make sure: You are aware that this won't help with your cultivation at all, right? And that aside, the unfathomable mental burden of growing unimaginably stronger will knock you out for a considerable while. It's even possible that your mind won't be able to handle it, making you go insane, or killing you."

In the face of his well-meant reminders, she simply nodded confidently, completely undeterred. This alone was already enough for him to again mourn the fact that she had been born with the worst aptitude for cultivation imaginable. Her mindset and loyalty were truly outstanding!

Whilst he had initially been against the idea of bringing her aboard, as he knew that compared to everyone else, she wouldn't live long, she had definitely grown on him. Not enough for him to go above and beyond, but certainly to a sufficient degree to earn her spot amongst his Subordinates.

"So, you've made up your mind... I understand. Then far be it from me to hold you back. Here you go. But again: Be careful!"

Seeing an invitation to become his Retainer pop up in her field of view, Li Shuying immediately accepted, only to lose consciousness the very instant after. If Theodore hadn't reached out and caught her, then she would have fallen backwards like a doll with her strings cut.

'That's why I warned you multiple times...'

Sighing a little, he speedily carried her to her quarters and tucked her in. But just as he was ready to leave, he halted in his tracks and stared back at the frail girl in astonishment. It had only been a few seconds, and yet she was already about to reawaken!

'There can only be one explanation for this!'

Quickly pulling up her Status Panel, he found the one part of it that he had been looking for.

[ Mind: 1,001 ]

'... that's about as high as my siblings. It seems that I've unknowingly picked up a treasure. My apologies to you, Ying'er–it appears like I'll have to heavily revise my plans when it comes to you.'

Choosing to remain at her side for now, he waited for a couple more seconds, then her eyelashes fluttered open. Hastily, she sat up and bowed, showing an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but for how long have I been out cold? I hope I haven't been too much of a burden in the meantime."

A bit amused at the fact that she had lost track of time, the corners of his mouth rose, and he chose to simply tell her the truth.

"A whole twelve seconds. Congratulations, you now hold a record amongst my Subordinates."

Initially thinking that he was joking, Li Shuying smiled helplessly, but when the reality of the situation finally and eventually dawned on her, her eyes widened in disbelief. She had helped out some of the others during a few of these adjustment processes, so she knew how much of a mental toll it had taken on them.

Personally, she had also completely blacked out. If Theodore had told her that she had slept here for an entire month, then she would have believed him without a doubt. To hear that it had been but mere moments was an outright unreal experience for her.

"I... uh. I don't understand how this happened. Could you shed some light on this for me, my Lord?"

Staring at her in silence for a while, he eventually sighed and nodded.

"Of course. Come, have a look at your Mind Attribute."

Doing as she was told, she soon tilted her head in confusion.

"Is 1,001 a lot?"

Aware that some less reasonable Heaven's Chosen might beat her to death out of jealousy exclusively due to this one comment of hers, the right corner of his mouth twitched a little.

"For Standard Attributes, it isn't. However for Special Attributes, it is. To put it in comparison, that's a little bit less than half of my own Mind Attribute, and more than twice that of Navya's. Originally, Mei'er started out with 10. Now, do you realize what that number means?"

Feeling as if her eyes would pop out of their sockets if they were to widen any further, Li Shuying fell completely speechless, the news that there was something worthwhile about her own, initial Attributes stunning her. Up until today, she had always been under the impression that there was nothing remarkable about her at all–but at this moment, that had changed.

"... I get it, my Lord. I won't tell another soul about this."

Recognizing that sharing knowledge of this with others would simply invite trouble, she bowed again. But recalling the fact that everything else about her was far below ordinary, glumness soon took hold of her heart once more.

"Technically, there is a way for you to completely change your fate. It's merely extremely unlikely to succeed and requires you to pay a terrifying price."

Like the sweet whispers of the devil, his words reached her at this vulnerable moment, causing her to look up, her eyes shimmering with hope. No matter how small the probability was, she wanted to at least know more about it.

"Please elaborate, my Lord."

Seeing her will not yet falter at all, an appreciative smile stole itself on his lips as he explained.

"It's simple–you'll just have to die and hope to be reborn in a better body. Using some of my methods, I can help you retain your current Special Attributes, and even the status of my Subordinate. But no matter what, I have no way to tell where or in what kind of situation you'll end up. And although I can keep your memories safe here with me, you'll still initially lose them upon your visit to the cycle of reincarnation."

Falling silent again, she pondered for a while, her expression changing many times throughout. One moment, she seemed to have come to a decision, but the next, she appeared worried and indecisive once more. Very clearly, Theodore's method was not one that she could choose to accept without a second thought.

"I'll need some time to come to a decision. Is that alright?"

Being a picture of calm, he supportively patted her shoulder.

"Of course. Ying'er, take all the time that you need. You still have a few hundred years with us–it won't be too late to seriously consider this option then. After all, once you've died, who knows when we'll meet again?"

Slightly taken aback by his words, she hastily shook her head.

"No, no. That's not what I meant! Give me a few days at most!! The earlier that I'm on my way, the quicker I can be of some proper, actual help! I really shouldn't drag my choice out for too long."

Raising an eyebrow, he paused for a bit, then he nodded in approval. He had never intended to pressure her into following the potential path that he had laid out for her. Contrary to what he had told her, he could practically ensure her a better outcome than in this life, at least in terms of natural aptitude. However, he didn't want to influence her decision in this regard too much, which is why he chose to avoid telling her about this.

"Alright, then I'll be waiting for your news. Just know that I'll be secluding myself for a time, therefore you'll likely have to be a bit patient."

Quickly nodding, she bowed again, a smile of encouragement on her lips.

"Then I wish you the best of luck, my Lord! Don't worry about me, and focus on what you need to do."

Reciprocating with a smile of his own, he sauntered out of her quarters with a casual wave, disappearing into the distance.

"Got it, Ying'er. See you then."

Not long after, he found himself in his cultivation chamber, finally ready to get started again. This past period of pleasure had been welcome for sure, but now it was about time to return to making proper progress. With an excited glint in his eyes, he resolved himself to not step out of this room until he had broken through to the Dawning Numen Stage.