In the center of Ning City, skyscrapers pierced the clouds. Amidst the potted plants and trees on the rooftop, a hot pot feast was laid out. This table was a "special order." The hot pot restaurant below had specially dispatched a lobby manager and two servers. It was impossible, the Xu family was just too wealthy. Nearly half the floors in Ning City Center were assets of the Xu family, so a word from Miss Xu Yan was practically an imperial decree to the hot pot restaurant. If the young lady was happy, their rent for the next half-year might even be waived.
...
Lin Zhao and Shen Xingchen arrived.
"Ayan!"
Shen Xingchen greeted with a smile, walked forward, gave Leng Yan a big hug, and then held Leng Yan's hand as they sat down on one side of the square hot pot table. Lin Zhao sat upright on the other side, looking at the setup, feeling a little nervous. He said, "This is my first time eating open-air hot pot, on a rooftop... is it more expensive?"
"What do you think?"
Shen Xingchen shot him a look and said, "The hot pot restaurant isn't obligated to move tables to the rooftop to serve us. Besides, the rooftop of Ning City Center is not open to the public. Do you think anyone can just come up here?"
Lin Zhao grumbled; all thanks to the damned capitalists.
Not long after, the hot pot began to bubble, and everyone started to cook their food. Leng Yan had some beers brought up and gave Lin Zhao two bottles, smiling, "Hot pot with wine, the more you drink, the richer you get."
"Hahaha~~~"
Lin Zhao laughed heartily, "That's a classic quote from the old sword immortal Han Buyu!"
"Mm!"
Leng Yan nodded and smiled, "The hot pot restaurant at Baiwei Xuan, actually Xingchen and I have patronized it. The taste is indeed good, but what we eat in the game is just fake. It only stimulates the senses but doesn't truly fill you up. So... now we can truly experience hot pot with wine."
"Good."
Lin Zhao clinked glasses with Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan, then downed a glass of beer in one gulp. The fiery sensation of the tripe just eaten, coupled with the icy coolness of the beer, was like a heavenly blend of fire and ice. Hot pot with wine was indeed exhilarating. He looked up at Leng Yan and smiled, "Ayan, do you know? The old sword immortal Han Buyu is actually still alive."
"Ah!?"
Leng Yan was slightly taken aback, "I recall... at the end of the closed beta storyline, the old sword immortal was killed by the great demon Lu Hai. His head was twisted off. How could he possibly still be alive?"
"He did die, but he survived in a different form."
Lin Zhao said, "The current Old Sword Immortal Han is a Cloud Master, at the Tenth Realm Star River Realm. His strength has been preserved to some extent. His Yin spirit was consecrated as a mountain and river deity, which is a very common thing in the game's background. I even ate and drank with him at Xueyu Tianchi last time. Old Sword Immortal Han is truly a wine immortal!"
Leng Yan chuckled, "Mm, it's good that he's alive. When Bai Di City opens later, I'll go to Xueyu Tianchi myself to pay my respects to Old Sword Immortal Han. I wonder if he'll still remember a minor character like me."
Lin Zhao smiled, "In the closed beta storyline, Miss Leng was indeed a minor character."
"Sigh..."
Shen Xingchen held her forehead and sighed softly. There was no help for it, she was single by choice, there was no way to argue with that.
But Leng Yan wasn't angry. She simply smiled with her dimples showing at Lin Zhao. After all, her presence in the closed beta was truly minimal. Lin Zhao was telling the truth. She, Leng Yan, had seen great things in the world. Compared to someone who lied to comfort her, Leng Yan preferred the honesty Lin Zhao displayed. Fools liked to hear lies and flattery; intelligent people always focused on the essence of things.
"A while ago..."
Leng Yan scooped a piece of snowflake beef for Shen Xingchen and said, "Once the Goblin Treasure Map was opened, all the major cities were in fierce conflict. I heard your Scarlet Moon Knights were being targeted by Seeking Immortals. At that time, I even considered leading the Sheng Tian Guild on a thousand-mile march to Tian Ji City to help you secure the S-class gem mine before returning to fight Xinghe again."
"No need, thank you for your kind offer, Ayan."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Let us Scarlet Moon Knights resolve the matter of Tian Ji City ourselves. If we can't even get past this hurdle, there's no point talking about contending with the Seeking Immortals guild in the future."
"Mm."
Leng Yan smiled and nodded, "As it turns out, I was worrying unnecessarily. With Xingchen planning in Tian Ji City, the Seeking Immortals guild couldn't gain any advantage. The reason I was worried about you was that I never expected the Wu Wang Guild to be so obedient and cooperate with your Scarlet Moon Knights, willingly taking second place and being satisfied with just one S-class oil well."
Shen Xingchen smiled faintly, "There's no choice. Our Scarlet Moon Knights had a more humble approach to cooperation, which made Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng tempted. There's no doubt that Xian Bai probably never intended to give any S-class resources to Wu Wang. And our Scarlet Moon Knights fought with all their might to secure an S-class oil well, showing full sincerity in our cooperation. Shu Mei Jian Qing Feng isn't stupid; he naturally knew who would bring greater benefits."
"Yes."
Leng Yan said, "Currently, the situation in Tian Ji City is roughly a tripartite standoff. Seeking Immortals is the strongest, Wu Wang is second, and then the Scarlet Moon Knights. It's roughly equivalent to the Wei, Shu, and Wu of the Three Kingdoms period. The Scarlet Moon Knights' positioning is Shu, and at the point of retreating from Jiang Xia. It was indeed not easy to secure an S-class gem mine at that time."
Lin Zhao chuckled, "Isn't it similar to Liu Bei taking Jingzhou?"
"Pretty much!"
Leng Yan chuckled, her beautiful eyes looking at Lin Zhao's. She then quickly averted her gaze shyly, unable to meet his eyes. Lin Zhao also felt a little flustered and lowered his head to continue eating. The food at this hot pot restaurant was indeed delicious.
"Ayan."
Shen Xingchen clinked glasses with Leng Yan and said, "Sheng Tian's situation doesn't seem very ideal now. Xinghe has occupied both S-class resource mines in Chang Le City."
"As expected."
Leng Yan gave an awkward smile, "After all, Xinghe is acknowledged by everyone as the ceiling of the China region, their strength is too great. And the cooperation between us, Sheng Tian, and guilds like Jiu Ding and Luo Shen Fu, isn't very high. Our main forces were scattered by Xinghe several times. After that, we couldn't fight anymore. Taking an A-class mine is also fine; it's better than starving."
Shen Xingchen smiled with her dimples, raised her chopsticks, and said, "Let me state upfront, I haven't planned anything for Xinghe this time!"
"I know."
Just then, Shen Xingchen's phone on the table rang. The caller ID showed "Su Xinghe." It was Su Xinghe calling. Leng Yan was stunned for a moment, narrowed her eyes, and smiled, "This?"
"I don't know what it's about..."
Shen Xingchen got up, picked up her phone, and smiled, "I'll take this call. You guys eat."
"Mm!"
Lin Zhao nodded and continued to eat with great speed.
Leng Yan glanced at Shen Xingchen, then at Lin Zhao. After Shen Xingchen went to take Su Xinghe's call, Lin Zhao's expression remained normal. He continued to cook food and drink, completely unaffected. Leng Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes and smiled lightly. That's right. While Xingchen's looks were peerless, my Lin Zhao could still handle it, and would never be swayed by beauty.
On the edge of the rooftop, Shen Xingchen, in a shirt and short skirt, her hair dancing in the wind, was an otherworldly beauty.
"Senior Brother?"
"Mm, Xingchen!"
Su Xinghe said with a smile on the phone, "Long time no see. So I'm giving you a call. How have you been recently?"
"I'm doing very well."
Shen Xingchen smiled, "I've been living in the Scarlet Moon Knights for a while now and have gotten used to life here. Everyone treats me very well, and Lin Zhao treats me very well too. Senior Brother, you don't need to worry."
For a moment, Su Xinghe's mood became complicated. "Lin Zhao treats you very well?"
"Mm."
Shen Xingchen smiled, "A capable and efficient Vice Alliance Leader fell from the sky, and he's handsome too. Of course, he treats me very well, even meticulously!"
"..."
A million ancient beasts stampeded in Su Xinghe's heart, their hooves thundering. He desperately tried to steady himself and said, "It's good that he treats you well. It doesn't matter. I just wanted to know how you were doing. Our Xinghe has now entered its development track, and there will be many more long-term plans. You can come back anytime you want. The Vice Alliance Leader position has always been kept open for you. What I mean is... Xingchen, you can consider Xinghe as your maiden home. Come back anytime you wish, we'll always welcome you."
"Ah?"
Shen Xingchen's lips parted slightly, her willow-leaf eyebrows raised gently, and she smiled, "Senior Brother, you want me to consider Xinghe as my maiden home, does that mean I'm marrying into Lin Zhao's family?"
"I certainly didn't mean that..."
Su Xinghe wished he could slap himself twice. He said, "Please don't misunderstand. I just meant..."
"I know."
Shen Xingchen smiled, "Senior Brother, I understand what you mean. However... I won't lie to you. I really like the atmosphere of the Scarlet Moon Knights. Everyone is very kind. I've gotten used to living here and really don't want to move. As for Xinghe... when I first agreed to join Xinghe for Senior Brother, I said that once Xinghe was on the throne of the number one guild in the national server, my mission would be complete. So, whether I'm with Lin Zhao or not, I probably won't go back to Xinghe. Besides, the world is so big, there are many things worth doing. I can't spend my whole life buried in the game, can I?"
"Mm..."
Su Xinghe gritted his teeth, "I understand. It doesn't matter. As long as you're happy, nothing else is important. Um... when do you have time? I'll treat you to a meal?"
"Your family is wealthy and influential, Senior Brother. There's no need to trouble yourself."
"..."
...
After that call, Su Xinghe's heart was almost frozen. Shen Xingchen returned to the table to continue eating hot pot with Lin Zhao and Leng Yan. As soon as she sat down, Lin Zhao looked up at her and said, "Xingchen, was Su Xinghe trying to lure you back?"
"!!!"
Shen Xingchen glared at him indignantly. Is that what you should be asking? Shouldn't it be something else? But seeing Leng Yan beside them, that thought immediately vanished. She bit her red lips and said, "Mm, but my resolve is firm. I am determined to follow Alliance Leader Bai Yi for half a year. No one can shake my loyalty within these six months. Please rest assured, Alliance Leader!"
"You're being too fake..."
Lin Zhao's expression was a mess, and he didn't really want to talk to her.
...
Just then, Lin Zhao's phone suddenly lit up with a system message—
System Notification: [World] Reminder, a wave of powerful bandits is about to attack [Xueyu Tianchi]. Siege countdown in 30 minutes!