"Tell me about it~~~"
Shen Xingchen smiled faintly, placing a slice of snowflake marbled beef into Shen Lingyuan's bowl. "You can tell me slowly after you finish eating. I didn't see your fight video, and you didn't release it. Bai Yi was also discreet and didn't release it. It seems only the two of you know the specific details. Tell me everything, I want to know how this Bai Yi beat you."
"Oh..."
Shen Lingyuan looked ashamed. After wolfing down a large piece of snowflake marbled beef, he said, "Actually, I can't even explain how I lost. I just lost very quickly, the fight ended in about 15 seconds. I didn't even have a chance to cast 'Revival Wind' before my health bar disappeared. That Bai Yi hits like a truck; I estimate his true attack power must be around 2000 points."
"That high?!"
Shen Xingchen asked, "After killing you, what was his health status?"
"Huh?!"
Shen Lingyuan's jaw dropped. This time, he truly wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into. Covering his face, he said, "Sister, can we not bring this up today? This fight... to be honest, it almost shattered my Dao heart."
"Face it bravely, brother."
Shen Xingchen chuckled. "He didn't defeat you at full health, did he?"
"Pretty much."
Shen Lingyuan continued to cover his face and said, "Damn it, most of my attacks were blocked by him, or they hit his protective sword aura and dealt no damage. Moreover, his crit and lifesteal were incredibly high. In the blink of an eye, he had replenished his health. So, when I died, Bai Yi's health bar was indeed at 100%."
"Now that's embarrassing, brother..."
Shen Xingchen covered her mouth and laughed gleefully.
"You're still laughing?!"
Shen Lingyuan grumbled, "Your brother was bullied, and you're laughing so happily?"
"You've always been so arrogant and overbearing..." Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips and said, "You tell me, since we entered 'Tian Xia,' how arrogant have you been? Among heavy armor players, besides Su Xinghe, who else did you ever take seriously? If I hadn't been able to keep things under control with Xinghe... you, the leader of the Abyss team, would have been beaten up long ago. But... to be able to defeat my brother at full health, this Bai Yi is indeed no ordinary person."
She narrowed her eyes and asked with a smile, "Face your soul and answer me this question: why were you beaten so badly? No excuses, no feeling embarrassed. In front of me, you don't need any face."
"Sigh..."
Shen Lingyuan sighed. "That Bai Yi... his positional play is exceptionally good, truly. When I fought him in positional play, I couldn't gain any advantage at all; I even suffered quite a bit. His consecutive normal attacks put me into a momentary stun state, and it was in that instant that he landed a counter-attack. Bai Yi seems incredibly confident in PK, casting skills without even looking."
"Is that so..."
Shen Xingchen furrowed her brows. She naturally understood her brother's strength. Shen Lingyuan wasn't the absolute top player in the national server, but he was at least a first-tier heavy armor player. Over half of that status came from his top-tier equipment. As the young master of Xinghen Group, his equipment couldn't be bad. But beyond that, Shen Lingyuan's personal operational skill was also very strong. As far as Shen Xingchen knew, Shen Lingyuan's positional play in close-quarters combat, even if not first-tier, was at least borderline first-tier, right? To be so thoroughly outplayed, what kind of fantasy was this?
"Is his positional play really that good?"
Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips. "Compared to Su Xinghe?"
"At least not worse."
Shen Lingyuan said, "When I was sparring with Su Xinghe, I didn't suffer such a significant disadvantage in positional play. Of course, it might just be a coincidence that this Bai Yi managed to catch the counter-attack opportunity."
"There are no coincidences."
Shen Xingchen's lips curved. "There are no coincidences on the Stage of Life and Death. If you lost, you lost. His positional play was good, his counter-attacks were precise, his predictions were accurate. These are all reasons why he defeated you at full health. You lost, so you lost. Are you just a sore loser, brother?"
"How could I be?"
Shen Lingyuan rubbed his nose. "I can take a loss."
As he spoke, he frowned. "Xingchen, you're not thinking of going to meet Bai Yi, are you?"
"I have a bit of a notion."
Shen Xingchen pouted. "But there's nothing to meet him about. At this stage, besides Su Xinghe, no heavy armor player can match me. Bai Yi can't either."
"That's true."
Shen Lingyuan smiled. "Your Immortal-grade talent is tailor-made for fighting physical classes, and your magical burst damage is strong. Bai Yi might not even get a chance to get close before his health is depleted."
"Alright~~~"
Shen Xingchen smiled. "If there's an opportunity, I'll help you get your honor back. Don't be so glum all the time. Let's eat. It's just one loss. We Shen family members aren't afraid of losing."
"En! And also..."
Shen Lingyuan mumbled while eating, "When we first met, that scoundrel Bai Yi called me 'brother-in-law.' I don't know if he did it on purpose..."
"Oh?"
Shen Xingchen's eyebrows subtly knitted. In that case, not meeting him was truly out of the question.
...
The dinner was exceptionally lavish. Chen Xue even personally tied on an apron and helped Wang Ju cook like a charming young chef. Soon, dishes appeared one after another on the table: a plate of succulent braised pork ribs, a plate of braised wild yellow croaker, a portion of bean sprouts with stir-fried pork, a portion of spinach stewed with beef, and also shredded pork with celery, stir-fried lotus root slices, and other home-style dishes.
"Damn, is it New Year's?"
Ding Chi plopped down, picked up his chopsticks, and said with delight, "Want some red wine?"
"What red wine? Red wine is so expensive."
Chen Xue shot him a glance. "Our Scarlet Moon Knights are poor, we can't afford it."
"That's true!"
Ding Chi mumbled sheepishly.
"Get lost."
A soft, fair jade hand appeared on his shoulder. Luo Man grabbed Ding Chi and moved him to a nearby chair, then sat down next to Lin Zhao, smiling. "Leaning on brother makes eating delicious!"
Lin Zhao rolled his eyes and ignored her, instead serving Little Juzi some food, encouraging the little girl to eat more. Little Juzi thanked Lin Zhao brother while reciting a poem for him, the one about the sun setting behind the mountains and the Yellow River flowing into the sea. Lin Zhao listened with great joy. The once dirty little girl could now recite poetry. At a certain moment, he felt a pang of nostalgia, truly missing the little girl who had gone to Changming Mountain. How had she been these past hundred years? Had she already become a Sword Immortal?
Dinner concluded.
Little Juzi was writing homework in the main hall, while Lin Zhao and the others went upstairs to continue their endeavors. Wang Ju, unable to sit still, was mopping and cleaning the hall. She needed to do something, otherwise, she felt a slight unease.
...
In the evening, Lin Zhao roamed around the northern map of Yun Shang County. This time, he didn't encounter any quests he could accept, so he could only grind. He pulled a pack of level 67 Snow Region Iron-Backed Bears and continued to farm until past ten o'clock at night. He was still far from level 62, so he could only take it slow. The items in his inventory continued to pile up, almost overflowing: 4 Gold items, 21 Silver items. He had something to sell today.
"Ding!"
A message arrived from Chen Xue: "Lin Zhao, when are you coming back? I want to introduce you to someone."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao was slightly taken aback. "Is this person important? If it's important, I can come back immediately, as I have no quests anyway."
"It's up to you. They're somewhat important, but not critically so."
"Then I'll come back. I'll call you after I'm done with the equipment."
"En."
Lin Zhao then directly shattered a return scroll and headed straight to the auction house. He listed all the Gold and Silver items on auction; at least he could make some money from them. After that, he repaired his equipment, purchased potions, and so on. Once everything was done, he contacted Chen Xue, who then sent him a coordinate: the backyard of the Grand Cathedral.
Lin Zhao arrived with his sword. Chen Xue was under a tree, keeping accounts.
"The person hasn't arrived yet. Please wait a moment."
"En."
Lin Zhao sheathed his sword and stood beside Chen Xue, waiting.
Not long after, a figure entered the backyard of the Grand Cathedral. The ID was very familiar, and there was a crest of the Azure Knights Guild above his head. It was the player Bu Su Li Ren, a level 57 Sword Master, one of the top Sword Masters of the Azure Knights Guild.
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but be surprised. The Moon Sword in his repository lake had already taken flight, ready to be unleashed. Speaking of which, he was a worthy opponent!
"Alliance Leader Bai Yi."
Bu Su Li Ren's brows were tightly knit. From across a doorway, he slowly cupped his fists towards Lin Zhao, bowing very low. "Regarding the previous incident... it was my fault. I apologize. I failed to distinguish right from wrong at the time."
"What do you mean?"
Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow. He didn't have a good impression of this person. During the great battle in the Chaos Temple, he was killed by this Bu Su Li Ren. He frowned and asked, "Why aren't you staying by Li Canghai's side? What is your intention in meeting me privately?"
"I apologize!"
Bu Su Li Ren cupped his fists and bowed again, his expression quite humble. "I recently obtained a recording of the great battle on the top floor of the Chaos Temple from a friend's perspective. I finally confirmed that Alliance Leader Bai Yi truly did not attack anyone from the Azure Knights Guild from beginning to end. It was Li Canghai who was slandering, and Li Canghai who harbored greed and wanted to monopolize the first Flowing Gold tier boss."
"Therefore..."
His expression was grave. "I will immediately withdraw from the Azure Knights Guild, terminate my contract with Li Canghai, and will never join the Azure Knights Guild again."
"Bu Su Li Ren."
Chen Xue looked up and said, "It is said that your contract price with the Azure Knights Guild was extremely high. Terminating it requires triple compensation. Are you really willing to terminate it?"
"There's nothing I'm not willing to do."
Bu Su Li Ren gave a self-deprecating smile. He reached up, pulled off the Azure Knights Guild crest from his shoulder, and discarded it. "A person can't be a fool and be used as a pawn for their entire life, can they? Right and wrong, justice and shame, I still desire them."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded. What he said was correct.
Bu Su Li Ren cupped his fists towards Lin Zhao again. "Originally, I wanted to join the Scarlet Moon Knights, but at this point, it seems like a deceptive surrender. Therefore, I will not join the Scarlet Moon Knights for now. I'll wait for you to develop further. At that time... as long as Alliance Leader Bai Yi says the word, I, Bu Su Li Ren, am willing to serve the Scarlet Moon Knights with all my might!"
"Good."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Your sincerity has been received. We shall meet again in the Jianghu."
"Alright, see you in the Jianghu!"
Bu Su Li Ren turned and left.
...
"You're really not taking him?" Chen Xue asked with a smile.
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "He's right. The signs of a deceptive surrender at this point are too obvious. Time will tell. We'll see whether Bu Su Li Ren's heart is warm or cold after some time."
"En!"