PTYS Chapter 74

Su Jin and her group lived in Building 8, Unit 2, which wasn’t far from the apartment Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu were considering, and their windows happened to face each other.

When Su Jin brought them inside, Chen Kaijie and Zuo Tiantian were stunned to see them, their faces filled with delight after a brief pause.

“Miss Xiao, Miss Shen!”

Xiao Muyu nodded slightly at them, while Shen Qingqiu looked at them with a half-smile, not greeting them.

Used to her attitude, Chen Kaijie and Zuo Tiantian didn’t mind and busied themselves making tea.

Although they had only been apart for a little over a week, each had gone through an instance during that time, making this reunion exceptionally precious and exciting.

“Did your instance go smoothly?” Xiao Muyu asked, taking a sip of water and glancing at Su Jin.

Su Jin nodded, “My second instance was unexpectedly simple, much easier than the one we did together, so my rating this time was an S.”

Chen Kaijie smiled, but his expression was still full of lingering fear: “Though it was the last instance for B-level, the difficulty was less than that of the ‘Phantom Lamp.’ However, it was a survival instance, and the teammates I encountered weren’t great. I went without food for four days in the instance and was tormented quite a bit, so my rating was only an A.”

Zuo Tiantian had changed significantly. Initially timid and often screaming in fright, she now showed no trace of the delicate demeanor she once had. Though surprised to see Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, she controlled her excitement and spoke with newfound calm. “In our instance, there was a person with two S-level offensive items. He forcibly recruited several players right away and maliciously took others’ items. So… I barely cleared it.”

Zuo Tiantian’s description was brief, but the fear and anger in her eyes told Xiao Muyu she had indeed endured a tough time in her instance.

Seeing this, Su Jin’s eyes were full of concern.

Xiao Muyu, noticing, didn’t ask further. She simply said in a calm voice, “It’s all over now. Coming out safely is what matters most.”

Her tone seemed indifferent, but her eyes held soothing reassurance and understanding.

Zuo Tiantian lowered her head, holding back her emotions, and managed a smile.

During their conversation, the topic of Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu renting a place came up, and Chen Kaijie and Zuo Tiantian, like Su Jin, advised against it.

Xiao Muyu briefly explained their reasoning. The three shook their heads but, recalling the duo’s impressive performance in the instances, found it understandable.

“By the way, there’s something else. Starting from A-level instances, there might be team instances. Have you thought about forming a team?”

Xiao Muyu, considering herself emotionally detached, hadn’t spent much time thinking about others.

With instances looming, she remembered that while the three weren’t exceptionally outstanding, they had successfully cleared three B-level instances. Moreover, they weren’t bad in terms of character, making them good candidates for teaming up.

Chen Kaijie was stunned. In the previous instance, he had considered teaming up with them but felt too intimidated by Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu’s prowess and their aloof personalities to ask. He hadn’t expected Xiao Muyu to bring it up herself.

“You… you mean, we can team up with you?” Zuo Tiantian asked tentatively, barely daring to believe it.

Xiao Muyu nodded.

Before they could celebrate, Shen Qingqiu spoke indifferently, “Muyu has a good impression of you three, but frankly, I’m not impressed. With your performance, don’t even think about clearing SSS-level instances.”

Their faces fell, wanting to retort but knowing she was right.

“The ultimate goal of forming a team is to survive. If you three don’t have the determination to endure till the final level, there’s no point in discussing this further today.

Of course, determination alone isn’t enough. Hoping solely on item cards, relying on luck, is meaningless in my eyes. Muyu, for instance, generally has two draw chances, far more reliable than yours.”

Shen Qingqiu’s blunt words were hard to argue with, and while harsh, they carried a certain weight coming from her.

“So, Miss Shen, what’s your point?” Su Jin, though unoffended, was still visibly affected. She stood straight, meeting Shen Qingqiu’s gaze, and asked directly.

“If you want to team up with us, remember to improve your own skills. My abilities are limited, and I need to protect Muyu with all my might. I dislike weaklings and hate those who hold us back even more.”

Ignoring Su Jin’s eye-roll, Shen Qingqiu continued frankly, “Of course, if you can’t stand my bad temper and don’t want to put up with me, then forget it.”

Su Jin, a perceptive person, had some understanding of Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu. Both were not ordinary, with meticulous minds and outstanding abilities. Because of their prowess, they didn’t bother hiding their true selves.

At first glance, they appeared cold and unapproachable. But Xiao Muyu was soft-hearted, helping within her ability as long as her principles weren’t violated. As for Shen Qingqiu, though harsh and bad-tempered, she was entirely different with Xiao Muyu.

As Shen Qingqiu said, she might not be a good person, but she wasn’t someone who took pleasure in harming others.

Teaming up with them was an opportunity Su Jin didn’t want to miss.

“I know the gap between us. After my third instance, if I make it out alive, please save a spot for me.”

Su Jin understood that the ultimate goal was to clear the SSS-level instance together. Occasionally getting help in-game was a stroke of luck, but relying on others to carry you through the final challenge was unrealistic.

True teammates weren’t just tools to save you at crucial moments but friends you could entrust your life to in emergencies.

Shen Qingqiu was slightly surprised, then smiled slightly. Su Jin was indeed interesting.

Chen Kaijie and Zuo Tiantian exchanged glances, hesitating. “We might not be up to your standards now. Would you find us too…”

“Too what? Some people are naturally talented, like her, with a sharp mind. Some are hardworking, like me.

Brains are something you’re born with, but my combat skills aren’t. Besides, you’ve reached A-level, so you’re not too bad. If you’re willing, we’ll team up. If not, forget it. Stop dithering.”

Shen Qingqiu checked the time, “It’s getting late. We have other things to do. Think it over.”

“No need to think. If you’re willing, we’re more than happy. And while we may be weaker compared to you, we’re not useless. We’ll definitely be useful as a team.”

Chen Kaijie believed his performance in the instances had been decent, but these two were so extraordinary that he often felt overshadowed. However, with useful item cards in hand, he felt he could contribute.

Shen Qingqiu was finally satisfied but then added nonchalantly, “Team binding. Without an item, each person needs 10,000 gold coins. You’ll have to handle that yourselves. Someone’s afraid I’ll squander our points, so mine have been confiscated. I can’t help.”

Chen Kaijie smiled wryly, “We wouldn’t expect you to cover our costs.”

Squandering? Confiscated? This was her way of subtly showing off how close she was with Xiao Muyu.

“Since we’ve made our decision, let’s start preparing. And by the way, I’m not exactly a talent-type either,” Xiao Muyu said, glancing at Shen Qingqiu with a hint of indifference.

Shen Qingqiu: …

“But Su Jin still has an instance the day after tomorrow. If we team up now, we might have to wait for the next instance,” Chen Kaijie mentioned, concerned.

Xiao Muyu pondered for a moment and then looked at Shen Qingqiu. Understanding her meaning, Shen Qingqiu responded nonchalantly, “That’s simple. We can just redo an instance together. No need for a reset card—such an opportunity doesn’t come often.”

“Redo?” Zuo Tiantian and Chen Kaijie were taken aback.

“Exactly. Don’t think that clearing instances quickly is always best. The later levels only get harder, and if you lack experience and strength, rushing in will just lead to an early death.

Players in the Tianwang world wouldn’t miss a chance to redo an instance, especially a B-level one. It’s a way to get some item draws and points. It’s better than being tortured in a new instance. Moreover, the time spent in instances doesn’t count in the Tianwang world. Since we’re newly forming a team, the most crucial thing is building trust and synergy, and redoing instances is the fastest training method. I’m sure you don’t want us to experiment in an A-level instance.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t avoid sharing information, some of which even Xiao Muyu wasn’t aware of, leaving Chen Kaijie and the others stunned.

But if things were as Shen Qingqiu said, trying it out seemed worth it.

After discussing the team formation, Chen Kaijie and the others invited Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu to stay for a meal. Since they had to sign the lease in the afternoon, Xiao Muyu agreed, and the two stayed.

After lunch, the five held their first team meeting.

Facing the four attentive stares, Xiao Muyu took a deep breath and began seriously, “Although it was Shen Qingqiu speaking before, her words reflect my thoughts. To clear the instances, we need both brains and physical strength, and most importantly, trust.

If you can’t trust your teammates, forming a team will only harm everyone. So please consider carefully.

Once you join, any ulterior motives or actions harming the team’s interests and our goal to leave Tianwang will not be tolerated. Besides being expelled from the team, I will ensure they pay a price. Understood?”

Xiao Muyu wasn’t as forceful as Shen Qingqiu, her strength being more intellectual. But now, sitting before them, her thin frame belied her sharp, intense gaze, compelling the three to nod earnestly.

With their agreement, the five shared their opinions and reached a consensus on forming the team.

The first step was understanding each other’s cards, items, and points for better coordination.

Currently, Su Jin had 186 points, Zuo Tiantian had 240, and Chen Kaijie had 196. Forming the team would leave their points tight.

But they didn’t seem worried. Chen Kaijie planned to buy groceries and a team card afterward to form the team.

Xiao Muyu didn’t mention point sharing, needing further observation before placing blind trust in anyone, with Shen Qingqiu being the sole exception.

Everything went smoothly. They naturally recognized Xiao Muyu as the leader, and after binding the team, Xiao Muyu noticed the names on her panel increasing, her expression subtly changing.

Glancing at Shen Qingqiu, she quickly clicked a few buttons and calmly said, “Everyone, check your information.”

Now, Zuo Tiantian, Chen Kaijie, and Su Jin each saw a new section in their control panel showing team information.

The team leader was Xiao Muyu, and the members were Zuo Tiantian, Chen Kaijie, and Su Jin. Curiously, their names were all listed in the second row as team members, but Shen Qingqiu’s name followed Xiao Muyu’s without any designation.

Chen Kaijie found it odd, “Leader Xiao, why isn’t there any title next to Miss Shen’s name?”

Xiao Muyu remained composed, “She and I are bound by a different item, unlike the team card, hence the distinction.”

Chen Kaijie didn’t doubt her, but Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flickered with amusement, watching Xiao Muyu, her smile fox-like.

“But looking at this, it seems like you two are a pair with three kids in tow, haha,” Chen Kaijie joked, trying to be humorous.

Xiao Muyu’s face grew colder, and without looking at him, she turned to leave, “It’s almost time to sign the lease.”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Chen Kaijie, chuckling, “I’ll take being paired with her, but I’ll pass on the three kids.”

Shen Qingqiu’s laugh was bewitchingly charming, transforming her cold features into striking beauty, dispelling her previous fierce image and causing Chen Kaijie to shake his head, dispelling the illusion.

“Miss Shen’s smile is hard to handle,” as a married man, Chen Kaijie reminded himself not to look, muttering to himself.

Su Jin looked complicated, “If you observe closely, you’ll see she often smiles like that at Miss Xiao… at Leader Xiao.”

Chen Kaijie pondered, “Do you think they’re actually a couple?”

While same-sex relationships were uncommon, they were not unusual in their understanding.

Su Jin glanced at Chen Kaijie, “It’s best not to gossip. If you anger Miss Shen, you’ll regret it.”

Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu followed Xiao Muyu leisurely, her eyes flitting towards her, finally teasing, “Did you block my title? What does it show on your end?”

Xiao Muyu knew her intentions, looked at her, and calmly said, “Bed warmer. Would you like them to see that?”

Xiao Muyu’s expression was so serious that Shen Qingqiu couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. However, she seemed pleased. “Even if it’s true, it’s no big deal. Let them see.”

Xiao Muyu raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t mind lowering yourself.”

“Getting to warm your bed is a privilege, not lowering myself,” Shen Qingqiu replied, winking flirtatiously. As expected, Xiao Muyu responded with a cold glare.

Hearing this, Shen Qingqiu became more convinced that Xiao Muyu was joking, though the joke hinted at something deeper.

“Could it be that the red thread directly binds us in marriage? Am I your wife now?” She remembered Xiao Muyu’s refusal to let her see the red thread’s effect.

“I’ve told you, I’m not interested in women.”

“I know, but this isn’t up to you. If the red thread caused it, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Seeing Shen Qingqiu’s mischievous expression, Xiao Muyu felt exasperated and helpless. “Shen Qingqiu, others come to these instances to escape and survive. Are you here for a matchmaking session?”

The more she thought about it, the more Xiao Muyu found it plausible. Why else would the system give her a “heart-thief” and then a red thread? It seemed desperate to marry her off.

“Now that you mention it, maybe I am. Once we move into the house, I’ll use whatever ghostly thing is inside as a betrothal gift for you. How does that sound?”

Xiao Muyu’s expression grew increasingly complex. She looked at Shen Qingqiu with a mix of emotions. “That means you’re destined to be alone forever.”

Shen Qingqiu: …