The next day, after Churan got up, he first called Song Qian and gave him an earful. Then his aunt and uncle came to visit him again, bringing breakfast.
Though Churan had repeatedly told them not to go to any trouble for him, he knew they’d still run around making arrangements.
After a few final words with his aunt and uncle, they left.
Earlier, Song Qian had said he’d bring lunch after his noon classes ended. So for Churan, another idle morning stretched ahead.
He pulled the laptop closer. With nothing else to do, he might as well kill time gaming.
Lengjiang had said she couldn’t take him on quests anymore. That meant he’d be solo again—hunted relentlessly while playing.
He Yucheng logged in and stared at his pitiful level 5… yes, level 5. Thanks to yesterday’s top-tier bounty debuff, he’d lost a level upon death, dropping from 6 to 5. Naturally, his level 6 skill, Drawn Blade Slash, was gone too—he’d have to relearn it once he hit 6 again.
But then he spotted another identical debuff: *Death reduces level by 1*.
“…”
“Seriously… throwing money down the drain…”
He didn’t need to guess. The guild leader of “Listening to Rain Pavilion” had reposted the top-tier bounty just for kicks. Thousands of yuan vanished in an instant. It wasn’t his money, but He Yucheng still winced.
*God, why are rich players so reckless?*
He spawned in a deserted spot. With that bounty active, if anyone spotted him and yelled “He Yucheng’s online! Block him!” in world chat, he’d be hunted forever.
The next main quest required a long trek. Dying mid-route meant more than just losing levels—without Lengjiang, every death would force him to restart the entire parkour section from scratch. To reach the main city safely, he had to avoid people entirely.
Truth was, He Yucheng wasn’t trouble-seeking. Quite the opposite—he preferred staying under the radar, invisible. Being gawked at like a circus monkey made him deeply uncomfortable. If he’d known his oath partner would be Lengjiang yesterday, he might not have pressed that button. Of course, that was his initial thought. Since it happened, he might as well embrace the chaos.
He slipped into a narrow alley, scaled a tree, then used an Upper Cut followed by two Skyward Skills to vault over the wall. Glancing back, he saw crowds swarming the newbie village center like ants—but not a single gaze landed on him.
*Perfect.* He leaped down from the wall. Just before landing, he tapped his basic attack to briefly hover, softening the fall. (Drop too high, and fall damage would kill you.)
He’d chosen this landing spot carefully—no players, no monsters. *Stealth mode: activated.*
On solid ground, he turned toward the dense forest. His shoulders relaxed. *Environment shapes mood—there’s truth to that.*
He was about to follow the quest marker when a purple blur *whooshed* past his side!
He Yucheng jolted. *WTF? Are people seriously camping the city gates for me now?*
Instinctively, he swung an Upper Cut at the figure. But the attacker blinked away instantly, reappearing a few paces ahead—motionless.
Even with distance between them, He Yucheng stayed on guard. He looked up—and froze. He’d met this player yesterday. Fought her, even. Her ID glowed a vicious, blood-red: **Nightingale**.
The #1 player on the Red Name leaderboard. The Queen herself.
Except the Queen wasn’t holding her crackling lightning spear. She wasn’t holding anything at all.
He Yucheng frowned. No sane player roamed without gear. And Nightingale just… watched him. No aggression.
A friend request popped up: *Nightingale wants to be your friend.*
“…” *Why?* Was she here to team up against “Listening to Rain Pavilion’s” endless bounty? *Ridiculous.*
Still, he accepted. Rejecting a request felt rude. Besides, she was Lengjiang’s sister. Holding a grudge over one kill would make him look petty—and honestly, he didn’t blame her anyway.
“Your custom weapon draws too much attention. It’ll expose your hidden strength,” Nightingale said, eyeing the four floating blades hovering beside He Yucheng.
“…” He’d braced for scolding over Lengjiang. Instead, she gave tactical advice? He was baffled.
“Uh… isn’t this trivial?” He didn’t see the urgency.
Nightingale’s tone stayed flat. “In combat, is it better for enemies to know your limits—or not? Especially now. If that weapon’s skills help you escape, revealing them means your first getaway works. The second? Not so easy.”
“…” He thought of his cosmetic weapon, *Stellar Guardian*—its two broken perks. *Mirror Image* was perfect for fleeing. Now with double *Mirror Image* uses and *Charged Thrust* added, he could even ditch Nightingale… *if she didn’t know the secret.*
He understood. Silently, he unequipped *Stellar Guardian* and swapped in a plain short sword. “Thanks. But why are you here?”
“How rude. I warn you on our first meeting, and this is how you respond?” Nightingale’s crimson eyes locked onto him, voice cool.
“Uh… sorry? First meeting?” He apologized awkwardly. *Didn’t we fight yesterday?*
“Yesterday wasn’t me playing my account. I’m here in person now. I’m Xiao Leng’s older sister. Call me Xiaoye—since Nightingale means nightingale.” Online, real names weren’t used.
Xiaoye spoke bluntly. To He Yucheng, she didn’t feel like a “Queen”—more like a no-nonsense older sister.
“So… what’s your *actual* purpose here?” He was utterly lost. No hostility. No scolding. Almost… friendly? *Shouldn’t she be interrogating her sister’s ‘boyfriend’ about house and car deeds?*
And where was the classic “trashy guy meets rich girl’s family” beatdown scene?
“Tsk. Still rude.” Xiaoye’s left eyebrow lifted slightly on her otherwise expressionless face.
“…” He Yucheng’s eye twitched.
“Fine. No more games. Do you have feelings for Xiao Leng?”
“…” Sweat beads dotted his forehead. *Feelings? What kind of feelings?!*
*She leads with THAT? Seriously?!*
How to answer? In-game, he and Lengjiang were oath partners. IRL? Just strangers who’d known each other for a day. You couldn’t fall for a pixel avatar!
This was a death-trap question. “Yes” or “no”—either might get him deleted.
“…How *should* I answer that? We literally met yesterday.” He opted for blunt honesty. If she’d tracked him down, she knew the basics.
“I see…” Xiaoye pressed on. “Then tell me—if someone bullied Xiao Leng in this game, what would you do?”
“Clap back. Hard. Even if I lost. Anyone picking on Xiao Leng…” He snorted. “Must have a death wish. She’s sunshine in human form.”
True—Lengjiang was a walking mood booster. In-game, she was cheerful and harmless. Only an idiot would provoke her.
“Not bad.” Xiaoye’s reply offered zero clarity. *Testing a potential brother-in-law? Is this a drama series?*
Watching his confused face, Xiaoye gave a faint smile. “Relax. I just wanted to see the person my sister swore an oath to. That’s all.”
“Huh?” He Yucheng’s brain short-circuited. *You said no more games!*
“I have an item that hides your location from the minimap. Want it?” Xiaoye took daily commissions. She knew he was hunted—top-tier bounties flagged players with a glaring icon on the minimap. That tiny map revealed hidden enemies through walls, terrain, anything.
That’s why he stuck to empty zones.
“…You’re giving it to me?” He tested cautiously. An item like that would be a lifesaver while he leveled.
“I don’t have one.” Xiaoye stated flatly.
“…” *Then why bring it up?!* He screamed internally.
“Since I mentioned it, I’ll get one for you. But there’s a condition.” She saw right through him.
“Name it.” He doubted it was easy to obtain—probably a rare boss drop or beta-tester exclusive.
“Marry Xiao Leng!”
