"He Yucheng..." Lengjiang murmured coldly, watching He Yucheng materialize out of thin air. He Yucheng glanced at Lengjiang’s ID, offering a faint smile.
He Yucheng never wanted to tie the game too closely to reality. It was just a game. Dragging real-life baggage into it would only make it exhausting.
"You bullied my wife. How do you plan to settle this debt?" He Yucheng asked with a "kindly" smile. He’d been lurking nearby for a while, intending to ambush them. But he’d noticed Lengjiang—a pure support Cursers—hadn’t tried to flee. Instead, she’d stubbornly aimed to *defeat* Lengjiang. That puzzled him.
He Yucheng looked down at Lengjiang beside him. "Wife," he asked curiously, "what were you thinking earlier?"
Lengjiang’s eyes held resentment and hurt. Finally, she whispered timidly, "She... said bad things about you..."
"... ..."
For this absurdly simple reason, Lengjiang—a pure support Cursers who stood no chance against Lengjiang—had charged in anyway.
"Foolish girl," He Yucheng chuckled, stroking her hair. The reason was flimsy, yet he felt deeply moved. He believed the real-world Lengjiang must be just as thoughtful. Her mind was simple, but her heart was warm.
Lengjiang shot him a reproachful glance. She’d defended him, yet he called her "foolish girl"...
"You’ve got guts. Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down," Lengjiang sneered. He Yucheng withdrew his hand, meeting Lengjiang’s gaze calmly while keeping an eye on the two others surrounding them. "Ah, is that so...? How diligent of you."
Lengjiang and Lichou truly were cut from the same cloth—their rotten natures identical.
"You two always love ganging up on one person, don’t you?" He Yucheng raised his weapon, its blade glowing faintly as buffs boosted his attack power.
"So what? Think you can beat all three of us? There are *three* of us here!" Their arrogance mirrored each other’s—certain victory through numbers.
He Yucheng sighed. "If it were just me, maybe not..." He lifted his head, voice calm. "But with my wife here? You’re barely a challenge."
**TAB High-Intensity Drawn Blade Slash!**
He Yucheng struck first. The sword wave from his High-Intensity Drawn Blade Slash couldn’t be blocked—only dodged by leaping airborne.
His eyes never left Lengjiang. Naturally, Lengjiang assumed He Yucheng targeted her first. Cursers often carried healing spells; "supports" were always priority targets in team fights.
All three opponents jumped. Lengjiang held a long-cooldown Displacement Skill. Unhurried, He Yucheng charged, his blade sweeping toward her.
His strike covered wide range. Lengjiang had to burn her Displacement Skill. Her teammates instinctively closed ranks to protect her.
A slight curve touched He Yucheng’s lips. Lengjiang’s expression shifted—Lengjiang hadn’t cast *any* buffs on him!
If He Yucheng aimed for her, Lengjiang would’ve boosted his speed and attack to whittle her HP. But she hadn’t! His target wasn’t her?!
Lengjiang was right. He Yucheng’s initial target *wasn’t* her.
**Mirror Image. Charged Thrust.** Mid-skill, two needle-thin beams—one red, one blue—struck He Yucheng precisely. His speed surged two, threefold!
A blistering five-hit combo slammed into the player left of He Yucheng and Lengjiang. Lengjiang’s TAB buff granted instant, high-intensity boosts—lasting barely one or two seconds. But in that sliver of time, He Yucheng unleashed a storm of skills!
**Upper Cut. Rising Dragon Slash. Slam.** Amplified by buffs, his attacks exploded in power. The combo drained a quarter of the player’s HP. Only after the final **Slam** did He Yucheng pivot toward Lengjiang!
Cursers like Lengjiang usually packed healing spells. That’s why they were priority targets!
He Yucheng had hidden his ability to use **Mirror Image** twice. But he’d revealed he could still use **Charged Thrust** after his combo. After the **Slam**, he instantly **Charged Thrust** back to Lengjiang!
He Yucheng fought like a hit-and-run ranger—constantly repositioning, impossible to pin down. With Lengjiang’s buffs, his dashes matched instant evasion speed. That split-second burst was enough to flank enemies and lock them in stagger!
Skill after skill erupted. Lengjiang frantically used **Forced Break**, but couldn’t avoid taking damage. Wearing them down *was* He Yucheng’s goal.
He hadn’t learned an **UltimateArt**—no execute ability. He’d chip away at their HP slowly.
Whenever He Yucheng closed in, Lengjiang cast speed buffs. When he needed burst damage, she amplified his attack. Why had he said he couldn’t win this fight without her? Without her speed boosts, his movements were too slow—too easy to dodge!
But with Lengjiang’s buffs, even a small dash became an instant Displacement Skill!
After forcing all three to burn **Forced Break** and **Invincibility**, they realized: eliminate Lengjiang first, *then* He Yucheng. But how could they catch him? With Lengjiang’s buffs, his agility was untouchable!
The skill gap was absolute. Their eyes couldn’t track He Yucheng’s movements. They could only endure his assault. Getting near Lengjiang? Impossible!
Finally, He Yucheng herded all three together with a knockback skill. His fingers flew—a blur of keystrokes. In three seconds, he unleashed six skills, chaining over thirty inputs!
With Lengjiang’s burst damage buff, his attack power matched all three combined. But his hand speed dictated skill release rate. Fully controlling them, finishing them off was effortless!
The entire fight—flawless. Zero damage taken.
Against top 500 players, their camera speed would match his movements. Predicting his skill placements wouldn’t be hard. Even with Lengjiang’s support, victory would be uncertain.
But these three? Nowhere near top 5,000. Lichou—a top 100 player—struggled to beat He Yucheng alone. What chance did *they* have?
The trio lay prone on the ground, HP at zero. He Yucheng stood over Lengjiang, voice cool. "Want to kill me? Send your Lichou. You? You’re not qualified."
Lengjiang gritted her teeth. He Yucheng pulled out a quest scroll, tossed it carelessly. It fluttered to the ground. He turned to the stunned Lengjiang. "I don’t want this ‘House Construction Scroll.’ This place doesn’t suit my taste. Take it if you like. Wait for your friends to revive you."
He waved over his shoulder, smiling at Lengjiang. "Let’s go, wife? If you dislike it here, we’ll find another quest."
"٩(๑>◡<๑)۶ Mhm!"
Ignoring Lengjiang’s furious shouts behind them, He Yucheng led Lengjiang away.
They walked through thick mist, encountering no strange creatures. The path back to the hillside was safe.
Only then did a notification pop up. He Yucheng opened it—Recomposed Words and Moonshadow had already fled the dungeon. Their message: *This place is damn scary...*
*Those two...*
He Yucheng sighed, turning to Lengjiang. "Wife, next time you’re ambushed alone? Just run..."
"I don’t want to..." Lengjiang murmured weakly, her eyes dim, her mood sinking. He Yucheng watched her, sighed softly, then smiled. "Silly girl. Their words don’t matter."
"No! Besides Sister, you’re the kindest to me. I can’t accept lies from people who don’t know you! My husband is strong and gentle. I won’t tolerate baseless slander! At least *I* believe in you! At least *I’m* here!" Lengjiang’s voice trembled with passion. He Yucheng’s gentle smile faded, replaced by solemnity.
"Uh..." Seeing his expression shift, Lengjiang flinched, lowering her head fearfully.
"Thank you." He Yucheng crouched slowly, gazing at her warmly. Lengjiang fidgeted. He chuckled softly, gently stroking her cheek.
To value someone so deeply—to fiercely defend them against a single harsh word. Others might call it foolish. But isn’t it precious to know someone holds you in such regard?
To shield someone from even a whisper of criticism... didn’t that mean He Yucheng had become Lengjiang’s anchor? Beyond online friends. Beyond ordinary companions. This was how Lengjiang saw their bond.
He Yucheng never realized she cherished him this much. It was just a game. Yet Lengjiang treated it like reality...
"Wife, get some rest. The villains are beaten. We’ll continue tomorrow. Haha." Despite his churning emotions, He Yucheng smiled.
Seeing his gentle expression, Lengjiang’s worries melted away. She beamed. "Yes!"
