Late at night.
Leng Yan's family's plane had already landed outside the villa. Lin Zhao, Shen Xingchen, and others logged off one after another. Hearing that Leng Yan was treating them to hot pot, Ding Chi and Zhang Jun were particularly excited. Everyone else logged off, leaving only Chen Xue still online, arranging for 500 people to stay up all night to level up the guild's rank. In "Tianxia," guild leveling was simple: members teamed up to gain guild experience, and once enough experience was accumulated, the guild would level up. It was all about grinding, with no particular skill involved.
Lin Zhao sat beside Chen Xue's gaming pod and asked, "How much longer?"
"Five minutes."
Chen Xue spoke in-game, "You go ahead first."
"No, I'll wait for you."
"Okay~~~"
Chen Xue's "okay" was a little too gentle.
...
A while later, at a Chongqing hot pot restaurant nearby.
Six members of the Crimson Moon Knights, plus Leng Yan, making a total of seven people, gathered around a table. Not far away stood Shen Xingchen's guard captain, the young man named Nangong Jilin, with a fiery red metallic object on his elbow, a signal light flashing. On the other side were several bodyguards brought by Leng Yan, also with metallic objects on their elbows.
After ordering, Lin Zhao turned and asked, "Jilin, do you want to come and eat with us?"
"Ah?"
Nangong Jilin looked flattered. "I'd better not. I'm on duty. You guys eat. We'll have our own meal later when you're done."
"Okay, that works."
Lin Zhao sat down again, with Leng Yan on his left and Roman on his right. Both wanted to sit next to Lin Zhao, while Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue were indifferent; it was all the same where they ate.
Ten minutes later, the hot pot began to bubble. The ordered side dishes also arrived one by one: luncheon meat, beef and lamb, shrimp paste, fish balls, and so on. This made Lin Zhao feel particularly emotional. Back on Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, he had partnered with Jia Zhong and his wife to open a hot pot restaurant in town, relying on his memories from the real world. Countless warriors and sword immortals ate there daily. Now, returning to reality, he still felt a strong yearning for the days on Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, which lingered in his memories.
Leng Yan looked at the hot pot, then at Lin Zhao. With her keen senses, she naturally understood his emotions.
"Are you thinking about things on Snow Domain Heavenly Pool?" she asked softly.
"Mm."
Lin Zhao smiled. "I'm thinking about the Chongqing hot pot at Baiwei Xuan. It's a pity... the demon race pushed south and flattened everything on Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Jia Zhong and Sister Qing'er were pierced by a spear by a rat demon..."
"Yes..."
Leng Yan asked, "Do you feel sad?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao nodded. "During the one month of the game's beta test, I was suffering from amnesia. I genuinely saw myself as the young man on Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. To me, Mr. Qin, Commander Chu, Old Huang, Guo Dongyang, Zhang Liucheng, and others felt as real as if they had existed. It's a shame they're all gone after a war."
Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips. "It's okay. Aren't we still here? Back then, you were fishing on the stone bridge, and Ah Yan and I passed by... We are all part of that town. Since we are still here, Snow Domain Heavenly Pool is also still here..."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao looked up and smiled. "When I was practicing punches on the stone bridge back then, I often saw Su Xinghe pursuing you. Ah, speaking of which..."
"Stop it!"
Shen Xingchen's beautiful eyes narrowed. "Don't bring up things you shouldn't!"
Lin Zhao laughed heartily.
Leng Yan smiled and asked, "Lin Zhao, have you thought about returning to Snow Domain Heavenly Pool?"
"Yes, I think about it day and night."
Lin Zhao nodded. "After the eight provincial cities are opened, I plan to find a way to return to Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to trace my roots."
"Mm!"
Leng Yan nodded emphatically. "You go first. I'll find you a little later, and when I do, it won't just be Miss Leng, but the Victorious Heaven Legion behind me!"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but feel a little touched. "Thank you, Miss Leng..."
Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, and Roman found their conversation a bit baffling and unaccustomed to their formal language. Chen Xue, however, knew they had a shared history, and only Shen Xingchen knew that memory was destined to be unforgettable for Leng Yan and Lin Zhao. Was it not for her as well?
As for Leng Yan, she liked Lin Zhao's current attitude when talking to her. Although this attitude had nothing to do with romance, it was just a conversation between good friends. Yet, Leng Yan particularly liked this feeling. Liking someone didn't necessarily mean being with them. Watching him roam the jianghu, listening to his stories, and looking forward to meeting him again amidst mountains and rivers were all the height of romance.
"Let's eat, let's eat!"
Everyone began to cook their ingredients.
Leng Yan picked up a slice of snowflake beef and smiled. "Is it thinner than what the machine cuts, or thinner than what the old sword immortal Han Buyu at Baiwei Xuan cuts?"
"Naturally, the old sword immortal cuts it thinner!"
Lin Zhao raised his beer glass and laughed. "Old Sword Immortal Han has peerless sword skills!"
Leng Yan and Shen Xingchen chuckled in agreement.
...
Not far away, at a booth a short distance from Lin Zhao and his group, a group of students from a nearby university town were eating. However, at this moment, they were all looking in their direction. Initially, the college students found the women in this group to be truly beautiful. Shen Xingchen, Leng Yan, Chen Xue, and Roman were all top-tier beauties. Later, they were stunned by the content of their conversation.
A young man retracted his head, scooped up a piece of snowflake beef into his mouth, but found it tasteless. He frowned and muttered, "Did you hear them? They were talking about things in the game, and the background story of the prequel, the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool chapter of 'Tianxia.' I've read the entire Snow Domain Heavenly Pool story. The Confucian Sage Qin Suihan, the Great Chen Dynasty's Chu Huaixi, and the hot pot restaurant at Baiwei Xuan in Tianchi Town, the old sword immortal Han Buyu who loved hot pot and wine. I know all the characters they mentioned... Who are these people?"
"Hush!"
A young man with dyed blond hair frowned. "Did you hear that? The beautiful girl called the man Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao... isn't that the name of Lin Baiyi from Snow Domain Heavenly Pool?"
"Damn, Lin Baiyi from Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Does such a person really exist? That's impossible, right? He's just an NPC from the prequel chapter, and he died over a hundred years ago."
"Not necessarily."
The blond-haired young man directly opened his phone and brought up some in-game pictures. "The man called the other woman 'Miss Leng.' As far as I know, Lin Zhao always called Leng Yan 'Miss Leng' among the ten beta testers. Look at this map, isn't the beautiful woman next to him very similar to Leng Yan, the leader of the Victorious Heaven Alliance?"
"Holy crap..."
Another young man's expression changed drastically, and he frowned. "No way? Is it really Leng Yan? Then... is that man really Lin Baiyi from Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, the Lin Zhao from reality?"
"Look again!"
The blond-haired young man brought up another picture. "Look at the beautiful woman sitting next to Leng Yan. Don't you think she looks very much like Shen Xingchen, 'No Star Seen,' from Xinghe? As everyone knows, Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan had a very close relationship during the beta test and later became good sisters. This is already strong evidence."
"It can't be..."
The first young man sat there, trembling all over. "That person... is really Lin Zhao? And Leng Yan and Shen Xingchen are right next to him. Oh my god... Lin Baiyi from Snow Domain Heavenly Pool isn't dead. On the contrary, he's having hot pot with Miss Leng and Shen Xingchen in reality..."
He was almost in tears. "Damn it... that's great, that's great... If this is the ending, I'd rather it all be real. Oh my god, I want to go over and take a picture with them..."
"Wait, calm down, Old Four!"
The blond-haired young man said, "Look closely. Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan are both accompanied by bodyguards. Look at the equipment on the bodyguards' arms, isn't that the nanotech form of Yan Emperor-level armor? Seriously, don't go over. It might cause trouble for all of us. Besides, if those people are really Lin Zhao, Shen Xingchen, and Leng Yan, no matter how much we like them, just watch from afar and don't disturb them. That's the least amount of respect for people you admire, right?"
"Right!"
Another young man said, "I used to think anyone with dyed hair was no good, but Old Third, you're different. You're truly the strategist for all of us!"
"..."
...
Therefore, the few young men dared not act rashly. Only after Lin Zhao and the others finished eating and left did they breathe a sigh of relief. They paid the bill and left. Now, they would have something to talk about when they returned to their dorms, and they might not even sleep tonight.
Crimson Moon Knights, Studio.
Lin Zhao and the others entered the villa, while the bodyguards stayed outside. Today, the bodyguards from the Shen family and the Xu family were working the night shift together. Nangong Jilin exchanged a knowing glance with the other bodyguard captain, feeling a sense of camaraderie. Neither of them would get any sleep tonight, but there was no need for conversation. You protect your people, I protect mine.
Inside the villa.
Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan took a shower together, causing quite a commotion. Leng Yan, the cheeky rogue, kept touching her, while Shen Xingchen's cheeks were already flushed. Their room was filled with laughter.
Lin Zhao, Ding Chi, and Zhang Jun, after finishing their meal, went to the gym downstairs to play some table tennis. Sweating profusely, they came out to get ready for bed.
"Lin Zhao."
On the second floor, Leng Yan, wearing Shen Xingchen's pajamas, her curvaceous figure especially alluring, stood gracefully looking down and smiled. "Are you going to sleep?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded. "I played some table tennis. I'll take a shower and go to bed."
"Aren't you going to practice your sword stance and cultivation mantras?"
Leng Yan tilted her head and asked with a smile.
Lin Zhao couldn't help but laugh. "After waking up from the game, I've forgotten all about my punch stances and sword cultivation mantras. It's a real pity. I won't be able to practice martial arts anymore. Also, Miss Leng, you're interfering too much!"
Leng Yan chuckled, waved her hand. "Alright, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Lin Zhao nodded and went back to his room to sleep.
ps: Thanks to Yibo Lanqiao for the rocket!!!!!