Dinner was over early for Xiao Juzi and her daughter, who returned to their room. Lin Zhao and the others, to celebrate Chen Xue joining the Scarlet Moon Knights studio, opened some beers. They ate and chatted, strengthening their bond.
"Chen Xue," Zhang Jun said, a little tipsy after three cans of beer. "You're so beautiful, do you have a boyfriend?"
"Huh?!" Chen Xue's lips parted slightly. In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind. A boyfriend? I'm as beautiful as a flower, capable of carrying and lifting, and I live a perfectly happy life alone. What need do I have for a boyfriend? Besides, those greedy, lustful, selfish men only think with their lower halves. What's good about them? Why would I put myself through hardship to be with them?
However, Chen Xue furrowed her delicate brows. Times have changed. I shouldn't be too arrogant. After all, this Scarlet Moon Knights studio is a mixed bag. Lin Zhao is fine, but Ding Chi is unpredictable. This Zhang Jun right here is the worst, looking at me with gleaming eyes. If I say I'm single, it'll cause a lot of trouble.
So, Chen Xue puffed out her chest and smiled slightly. "With my looks, how could I not have a boyfriend? I do, I do. When there's a chance, I'll bring him out for you all to see!"
"Oh, is that so..." Zhang Jun's spirit instantly shattered.
Lin Zhao, acting as if nothing had happened, nodded and smiled. "Yes, yes, we'll wait to meet your boyfriend. When he comes, I'll have a good drink with him and share the camaraderie of this mortal world!"
Chen Xue rolled her eyes. Damn it... this scoundrel should at least put in a little effort. Doesn't he realize? Murong Feiyue has practically hinted that she wants me as her sister-in-law, and this foolish brother... Even if that doesn't work out, I should at least pretend to be sad and disappointed out of respect, right?
Ding Chi, wolfing down his food, smacked his lips. "The pickled fish today is so delicious! Sister Juzi's cooking is superb!"
Chen Xue sighed inwardly. Another scoundrel...
But this is fine. I'll just consider myself working for Lin Zhao at the studio. Once the Scarlet Moon Knights officially rise, I'll find an opportunity to retire gracefully and go back to my carefree, leisurely life.
...
At night, they continued leveling outside.
The addition of Rong Xing and Yao Guai slightly increased their leveling speed. Especially with the sharpshooter Yao Guai joining, the Scarlet Moon Knights now had a bit of "depth" in their output, rather than being exclusively melee.
"Lin Zhao," Chen Xue called out to Lin Zhao while they were leveling. "Shall we go chat nearby?"
"Yeah, sure." After Lin Zhao finished off a monster with a sword strike, he followed Chen Xue into the woods behind them. It was deserted, with only the two of them facing each other under the moonlight.
"What's wrong, Chen Xue?" Lin Zhao asked.
Chen Xue looked into his clear eyes and felt a momentary trance. Over the years, she had encountered all sorts of men, the most of them looking at her with lewd intent, or like Lin Qi, purely admiring her appearance. But Chen Xue didn't like any of them. Instead, in Lin Zhao's gaze, she was simply Chen Xue, the future Vice Alliance Leader of the Scarlet Moon Knights, her loyal partner, and nothing more. This almost dismissive gaze made Chen Xue feel somewhat... receptive? Or perhaps she even liked it. He didn't treat her any differently just because she was a great beauty.
"It's nothing major," Chen Xue calmed herself and smiled. "I just wanted to chat with you."
"Okay, tell me."
"From now on, try not to level with us. It will slow down your leveling speed," Chen Xue said with a gentle smile. "You should level alone and maintain your leading position in terms of level and combat power. This will establish the Scarlet Moon Knights' reputation. Also, this might be your first time playing a simulated game, right? You're probably not very familiar with some of the game's settings and concepts."
"Yes!" Lin Zhao nodded heavily. "Indeed, sometimes I feel like a noob in the game, always hitting walls when I'm exploring."
"Is that so..." Chen Xue chuckled. "How about... we spar a few rounds? I'll explain some of the game's mechanics, rules, and techniques to you."
"Okay." Lin Zhao immediately planted a blood-red battle flag and entered spar mode with Chen Xue.
Chen Xue held her spear, slowly facing Lin Zhao, a faint smile appearing on her lips. In terms of close-combat PvP, she, Chen Xue, was not afraid of many people in the national server. In fact, in close combat, there were probably no more than ten people in the entire Chinese server who could gain an advantage against her. This was also her significance to the Azure Dragon Guild. Without it, Yi Shi Cang Liang would not have tried so hard to keep her.
"Ladies first?" Lin Zhao lowered his sword, smiled slightly, and said, "You attack first!"
"Here I come." Chen Xue moved like lightning, her spear humming as the tip transformed into a cold gleam, piercing straight towards Lin Zhao's throat. It was both fast and accurate.
"Hmm?" Lin Zhao instinctively dodged and tilted his head back. As he avoided the spear, his sword edge struck the underside of the spear, allowing him to close in. The Qinglu sword grazed the spear shaft and slashed towards Chen Xue's shoulder.
"Ah?!" Chen Xue hadn't expected the opponent's attack to be so fierce and decisive. Her right hand suddenly loosened its grip on the spear shaft, and she gently pushed up with her palm. The spear immediately struck the sword again, forcing Lin Zhao's sword upwards and nullifying the threat. However, as soon as she completed this maneuver, Lin Zhao spun and kicked towards her. The entire sequence was clean and efficient.
Joking aside, the foundation of an eighth-level martial artist was truly present!
"Ah!?" This time, Chen Xue truly didn't see it coming. It was too late to dodge or block, so she had to activate her Holy Sanctuary Shield to take the kick.
With a soft "bang," Lin Zhao's kick landed on the outer side of Chen Xue's thigh, causing her to stumble backward. Lin Zhao, in turn, staggered back several steps, creating a five-yard distance and launching a sword energy collision!
Chen Xue was unfazed and activated the Holy Knight's charge skill!
With another soft sound, they collided, both stunned. The moment the stun effect wore off, Chen Xue thrust her spear tip forward, lightly jabbing Lin Zhao's left shoulder. Lin Zhao, likewise, thrust his sword diagonally, landing on Chen Xue's spear-wielding wrist.
At this moment, Chen Xue began to doubt herself. In terms of precise operations, she hadn't gained any advantage, and seemed to be at a disadvantage?! How could this be? Lin Zhao was just a newcomer...
"Stop!" Chen Xue's wrist throbbed with pain. She immediately called to end the spar mode. If they continued, she would likely lose. Her equipment was slightly inferior to Lin Zhao's, and if she was also outmatched in terms of skill, there was nothing else to say.
Lin Zhao raised his hand, sheathed his sword, and clasped his fists solemnly. "Thank you for the guidance!"
Chen Xue rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"Let me explain," she said, her red lips parting. "In our fight just now, during the initial probing phase, we each tested the opponent with basic attacks. All your tentative sword strikes, kicks, collisions, and so on, were to create opportunities for you to land a combo on the opponent. These small operations in this phase are called 'footsie' in game jargon. For ordinary players, movement distance is measured in yards, but for top players, it's measured in frames. In 'Tian Xia,' one yard is divided into ten frames, and the control of each frame can affect the outcome of the battle."
Chen Xue smiled. "Your footsie... is already quite good."
Lin Zhao stood quietly, listening like a student in class. Some things he could do but couldn't explain. After Chen Xue's explanation, it felt like a sudden enlightenment. Those probing attacks, those moves to disrupt the opponent's rhythm, and all operations to establish an advantage – they were called "footsie."
"Next is the second concept, stun." Chen Xue smiled. "When you kicked me just now, I actually entered a stunned state for a period. This stun period might only last half a second. If you had seized the opportunity then, you could have crippled my health with a full combo. Seizing the opponent's stun, or the startup or recovery frames of their skills, to launch a counterattack is called 'punish' in game jargon, short for 'definite counterattack.' Every top player must master the art of catching the opponent's punish, using their footsie to create punish opportunities, and then landing a combo on the opponent to suppress them."
"I understand!" Lin Zhao felt enlightened again. With these ideas clarified, it would greatly benefit his future PvP. After all, a fight with punches and kicks had no clear objective, but once the opportunity to seek a "punish" through "footsie" as Chen Xue described was understood, it made perfect sense. High-level duels were about seeking the opportunity to land one or two combos to defeat the opponent.
"That's enough," Chen Xue smiled. "There are other PvP techniques like counter-breaking, guard-breaking, and directional change, which I won't tell you about for now. Go level up to level 40 first. We have plenty of time to discuss those things later."
"Okay, okay." Lin Zhao smiled. "Then I'll go level alone, shall I? Chen Xue, do you want to come with me? Duo-leveling will be faster, and it will help bring up your level too."
"Ah?" Chen Xue's lips parted slightly, and her pretty face flushed. "No, I don't think so. If I disappear with you, they'll think we eloped. You go level alone quickly, and I'll lead the team."
"Okay, okay!" At this moment, Lin Zhao deeply felt how important someone like Chen Xue was to the team. Without her, he wouldn't feel at ease being a hands-off leader.
...
A short while later, having found a map where level 45 monsters spawned, Lin Zhao began to level alone. With the high attack power and splash damage of the Qinglu sword, his monster-slaying speed was extremely fast. Before midnight, he had already reached level 40. The moment he reached level 40, a bell sound reached his ears, causing his soul to tremble, almost to the point of tears—
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations on reaching level 40. You have officially awakened your past life ability: [Farmer's Three Punches] First form: [Pulling Scallions from Dry Land Style]. This punch technique can be fused with sword techniques!