Floating in the air, Chu Qianze first released Zong Xinjue and then descended to the ground himself. The mechanical wings gently swayed, as if in slow motion, stretching time infinitely.
The extended wings detached from Chu Qianze’s back, spinning, converging, compressing in the air, and quickly disappearing.
“Doesn’t it feel like riding a roller coaster?” Chu Qianze stretched lazily, feeling that this skill could be put to good use, and the experience was fantastic. He noticed Zong Xinjue’s unusual silence and snapped his fingers in front of him, saying, “What are you thinking about?”
Zong Xinjue realized and responded, “Nothing much. Since the mission is complete, let’s move on to the next instance.”
“No need to be in such a hurry. We can take it slow. How about we play together for a while? I remember there’s a main city nearby.” Chu Qianze took a step forward, noticing that Zong Xinjue didn’t follow. He turned back and found that Zong Xinjue had deliberately avoided eye contact.
“?”
Zong Xinjue also knew he had reacted too strongly, but right now, he felt out of control. He could only clear his throat to shift the focus.
“So, should we head to the main city now?”
“No objections. We’ve used quite a bit of resources, so it’s a good idea to replenish them on the way,” Chu Qianze glanced at Zong Xinjue, but because of the dark night, he couldn’t discern the other’s expression.
“Can you walk now, or do you need assistance?”
“No need, I can manage on my own!” How would he help anyway? Carry him like a princess?!
Zong Xinjue took a few quick steps forward, leaving Chu Qianze behind.
He exhaled a breath, suppressing the unruly heartbeat that refused to listen.
“Oh, is that so? That’s a shame,” Chu Qianze teased, quickly catching up.
Upon hearing Chu Qianze’s words, the heartbeat that had just settled down began to rise again. His facial expression tightened a bit, desperately reminding himself to stay calm and not easily reveal emotions.
Entering the main city, it was exceptionally bustling at this hour. Every small shop was adorned with lanterns of various shapes and colors, creating a vibrant and beautiful scene.
“Hurry, hurry! The show is about to begin!” A few children walked past, loudly expressing their excitement about going to watch an event.
“What’s going on here? Feels like I’ve missed something.” Chu Qianze walked to a nearby shop and bought a string of candied haws.
Zong Xinjue recalled what he had seen on the forum in the morning. “It’s probably the Lantern Festival. To promote the mainstream ideology and promote traditional culture, the game has specifically used ancient times as a reference background and established several main cities.”
“Guessing lantern riddles and admiring lanterns, that kind of thing?”
Chu Qianze took a bite of the candied haw, grimacing at the sourness. “Oh my god, this is too sour.”
While Zong Xinjue originally intended to go to the weapon shop or visit the apothecary to replenish supplies, considering Chu Qianze’s personality…
“Where do you want to go?”
“I’ll see if there’s a snack street or maybe take a stroll in a restaurant.” Chu Qianze looked mysteriously pleased. “People prioritize food. Based on my experience, the probability of encountering mysterious big shots in these places is much higher. Plus, you can gather a lot of insider information. Two birds with one stone.”
“If you want to eat, just say so.”
Seeing through Chu Qianze’s intentions, Zong Xinjue spoke straightforwardly.
Taking another bite of the candied haw, Chu Qianze lazily remarked, “I never thought I hid so well. You found out everything.”
Ouch, that sourness could make teeth fall out.
Seeing the exaggerated reaction, Zong Xinjue couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is it really that sour? If you can’t handle it, just don’t eat it.”
“Actually, it’s not bad. Once you get used to it, you’ll find that the taste is quite good.” With a few quick bites, Chu Qianze finished the last one and tossed the stick into a nearby trash bin.
“In that case, let’s each go our own way and meet up when the time comes.”
“No need. Following your suggestion, I also want to see what this Lantern Festival is all about.” Thinking about the experiences of the past few days with Chu Qianze, Zong Xinjue hesitated for a moment. “Maybe we can really discover some hidden missions.”
“Sure.” After scanning the nearby shops with his gaze, Chu Qianze soon appeared with a plate of rice cakes in his hand.
“Then let’s go check out the weapon shop.”
Zong Xinjue was somewhat surprised. “Didn’t you say we were going to explore the snack street?”
“I’m eating right now. I checked the map just now, and there’s an inn next to the weapon shop that also sells potions.” Chu Qianze took a bite of the rice cake.
The taste was good, with a subtle sweetness, fragrant but not overwhelming.
The architecture here followed the Huizhou style, with white walls and black tiles. The paths were paved with bluestones, small bridges crossed flowing water, giving it a sense of ancient times.
Turning a corner along the road, they arrived at an apothecary.
Chu Qianze said, “I’ll be over here. Why don’t you go buy some potions first?”
“I’ll go somewhere first and be back in a bit. If you’re not interested, just wait for me in this restaurant,” Zong Xinjue said.
“Sure, I’ll be inside. When you’re done, come over. I’ll save you some sour plum soup.” With the snacks finished, Chu Qianze felt ready for a proper meal.
As soon as Chu Qianze entered the restaurant, the waiter approached. “Customer, are you here for a meal or to stay?”
Caught off guard by the opening question, Chu Qianze pondered for a moment. “Just a meal.”
“Sure, how many people?”
“Two, and we’d like a table by the window,” Chu Qianze said.
“No problem, please follow me!” The waiter tossed the cloth over his shoulder and led them upstairs.
Once at their table, Chu Qianze ordered a few desserts and sent the waiter away. The place was like a rooftop garden, specifically decorated for the Lantern Festival. Looking up, one could see the sky, and there would be a perfect view of the fireworks later.
“Sir, your order is here.”
While expressing gratitude, the table had already been neatly filled with various dishes.
It certainly looked the part, with grandiose and artistic names, but according to Chu Qianze’s understanding, these were just regular items like double-skinned milk, grass jelly, hundred-flower cake, purple rice rolls, corn porridge, and other everyday foods.
He tasted a spoonful, finding the flavor satisfactory. From his perspective, the obvious advantage of the restaurants in this online game was that eating here didn’t lead to weight gain.
Catching sight of Zong Xinjue coming upstairs, Chu Qianze raised his hand in greeting. “Over here.”
Pushing a few items toward him, Chu Qianze said, “Yours.”
Zong Xinjue took a seat across from him and glanced around. “The ambiance here is quite nice.”
“Yeah, I think so too. And the food tastes good.” With that, Chu Qianze took a sip of corn porridge and had a bite of purple rice cake.
When he looked up, he noticed Zong Xinjue smiling at him.
“What are you laughing at?” The question slipped out spontaneously, and then Chu Qianze realized something was off. He touched the corner of his mouth, finding purple rice sticking to it.
“Alright, stop laughing,” Chu Qianze grumbled irritably.
Initially, Zong Xinjue hadn’t found anything particularly funny, but seeing Chu Qianze in this state made him genuinely laugh.
“You haven’t cleaned it off.”
Hearing this, Chu Qianze felt a bit awkward. He raised his hand and wiped it off on the side. “Is it gone now?”
“Right under your chin.” Seeing that Chu Qianze hadn’t found it himself, Zong Xinjue reached out and wiped it off for him. When their eyes met, Zong Xinjue’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t show it on his face. He simply withdrew his hand naturally.
Chu Qianze said, “It’s gone now, right?”
“Yeah.”
Zong Xinjue put his hand down and wrapped the black rice grain in a piece of tissue.
“Alright, go ahead and eat. After finishing, we’ll go to the next place,” Chu Qianze said.
Zong Xinjue asked, “Are we going to look for food elsewhere?”
Chu Qianze replied, “Am I that kind of person? Of course, we’re going to look for herbs.”
“Got it, you’re not.” Zong Xinjue chuckled, picked up a spoon, and in that moment of lowering his head, he concealed the emotions in his eyes.
The streets were livelier now, with people strolling in pairs through the alleys. Occasionally, someone would solve a lantern riddle, prompting cheers in the surroundings.
After finishing the double-skinned milk, Chu Qianze continued to hold the spoon, looking down below, lost in thought.
Realizing his distraction, Chu Qianze turned to Zong Xinjue and said, “Got lost in thought for a moment.”
As he turned, their gazes collided.
Was this person… staring at him all this time?
Before Chu Qianze could ponder this, he heard a whooshing sound, followed by an explosion.
Looking up, a dozen fireworks shot into the sky, radiating with dazzling flames. With a thunderous boom, they burst open in the air, like petals blooming, one after another. Brilliant and colorful, they were exceptionally beautiful.
At this moment, everyone paused, looking up to admire the grand fireworks display.
Cheers and admiration echoed from the surrounding players, astonished by the beauty of the scene.
Chu Qianze quietly watched everything unfold. After the fireworks bloomed and a soft sigh escaped him, he lowered his head to prepare to eat, only to find that everything had already been taken care of.
[Player Zong Xinjue has gifted you a set of seasonings.]
Seeing the words on the interface, Chu Qianze put down the spoon and pointed at Zong Xinjue.
“For me?”
At this moment, the fireworks continued, booming and echoing, screams and cheers one after another. Chu Qianze’s words were drowned out by the noise.
Zong Xinjue seemed to understand nonetheless and nodded.
Given the impracticality of speaking in this situation, Chu Qianze decided to send a message. [Thanks, haha.]
Zong Xinjue replied: [No problem.]
Accepting the gift and opening it, Chu Qianze found a complete set of seasonings inside, with salad dressing dominating most of it.
Not sure what to say, Chu Qianze noticed that Zong Xinjue had already finished eating. He decided to inquire if Zong Xinjue wanted to leave through the interface.
Chen Qianli: [Ready to go now?]
Zong Xinjue: [Not watching the fireworks?]
Chen Qianli: [Feel like we’ve seen enough. Do you want to continue watching?]
Zong Xinjue: [No, let’s go.]
They settled the bill with the waiter and left the restaurant together.
Because of the fireworks, the streets occasionally lit up, resembling daylight, but it quickly returned to darkness. The transition between day and night was vividly displayed here. People held lanterns, wandering around.
As the final firework soared into the sky, the fireworks display came to an end, and the world returned to calm.
“It’s finally over,” Chu Qianze rubbed his ears.
“Senior?!” a male voice exclaimed.
In front of him stood two men, one appeared to be a priest, and the other, an assassin.
“Senior, it really is you!” The man’s face was filled with excitement, wanting to move forward for a hug but restraining himself.
Zong Xinjue asked, “And you are…?”
“I’m An Jueluo, Senior, don’t you remember me? You used to coach us back when we were in the club,” An Jueluo’s expression was excited, and he seemed quite enthusiastic. “Senior, I’ve been keeping an eye out, and I didn’t expect it to really be you.”
Zong Xinjue realized, “It’s you. You’ve changed a lot since then.”
“Haha, I was just a little kid back then, didn’t know anything,” An Jueluo scratched his head.
[An Jueluo (in-game and real name): Esports player, leader of the LOKI guild.]
The system appeared after a long absence.
Chu Qianze, who was originally nonchalant, became more composed.
“And who is this?” An Jueluo looked at Chu Qianze.
“Chen Qianli, my partner,” Zong Xinjue introduced.
“Oh, hello there! I’m An Jueluo. I learned under Senior’s guidance back then,” An Jueluo said, extending his hand for a handshake.
In An Jueluo’s impression, Senior had always been a lone ranger. The fact that he was now together with a partner meant this person must be formidable.
“Hello, my ID is Chen Qianli,” Chu Qianze said.
“Xiao An, who is this…” Bai Che interjected at the right moment, tugging at An Jueluo’s sleeve with a hint of curiosity in his tone.
“Xiao Bai, let me introduce you. This is my Senior. I’ve mentioned him to you before, a highly skilled Senior. If it weren’t for him back then, our team wouldn’t have won the championship.” An Jueluo’s tone was filled with respect.
Bai Che nodded and looked at Zong Xinjue. “Hello, Senior. I’m An Jueluo’s friend. You can call me Bai Che.”
A gentle smile played on his lips, his eyes filled with warmth.
[Protagonist: Bai Che (in-game name)]
Chu Qianze had one hand in his pocket, observing the couple’s equipment. He found the situation quite amusing.
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