A/N: I tried to make Ye Xiu more taunting, but it still feels a bit...weird. Any suggestions?
Oh, and Merry Christmas everyone~ Enjoy the holiday~
"Brother Ye! Brother Ye! I've reached level 25!" Cai Lin crowed eagerly. "Now can I play with you and Rou Rou Jie?"
"Alright Little Lin, come meet us at Boneyard." Ye Xiu agreed, and sent her the coordinates.
"Yea!" Cai Lin cheered, rapidly controlling Alsheon to meet up with Ye Xiu and co.
"Oh, did something good happen?" Jing Jing asked distractedly.
"Yup! I can finally play together with Brother Ye and Rou Rou Jie!"
"That's great." Jing Jing replied, eyes glued to her screen.
"Jing Jing Jie what are you doing now?" Cai Lin asked, her eyes drifting to Jing Jing's monitor.
"Heavenly Domain Challenge."
"So fast?" Cai Lin gawked.
"Yup, I've been carrying her. Besides, she's just reached level 50, and wanted to give it a shot." Chen Guo explained.
"What if she died? Won't her character lose experience?" Cai Lin asked, concerned.
Chen Guo laughed gaily. "No they don't. If they did, Glory would have been shut down already."
Cai Lin nodded her head, and turned back to her screen. "Good luck Jing Jing Jie!"
"Thank you," Jing Jing said and continued tapping away, Green Fish hopping agilely from one rock to the other. Almost there… "Shit!" Green Fish missed the next rock and fell into the creek.
"Ahhh you were so close!" Chen Guo sighed.
"No worries, I'll just try again." Jing Jing smiled, and restarted jumping. Halfway through the quest, Jing Jing heard Cai Lin exclaim, "yea! How dare you try to PK us!"
Distracted, Jing Jing tapped the wrong key, sending Green Fish into the water. She and Chen Guo peeked at Cai Lin's screen, and saw Alsheon, Steamed Bun Invasion and Soft Mist attacking Ashen Moon. Oh? Who's that? Hmm… Jing Jing wondered, and tried to recall the storyline. Ah! Team Tiny Herb! This must be Qiao Yi Fan!
"Haha." Chen Guo laughed, delighted that Alsheon and co. bullied Ashen Moon, who had failed to PK Lord Grim. Despite their combined efforts, they were unable to quickly kill off Ashen Moon, and he escaped when a witch attacked Soft Mist and Steamed Bun.
"Too bad y'all didn't manage to kill him before he escaped." Chen Guo sighed, before leaning back and stretched. "Jing Jing, are you gonna continue with your Challenge?"
"Mmm… ...maybe not. Let's continue dungeoning, I'll try it again in the future."
"Okay." Chen Guo nodded her head, and Jing Jing exited the dungeon instance, following Chasing Haze to another five man dungeon.
As Chasing Haze and Green Fish steamrolled through the dungeon, Jing Jing was vaguely aware that Cai Lin's tapping became faster and more violent. She quickly snuck a peek at Cai Lin's screen, and saw her attacking three players together with Soft Mist, Steamed Bun and Sleeping Moon. Hmmm...it must be Tiny Herb again. Oh well, it's not like I can help her. Shrugging nonchalantly, Jing Jing pushed that thought to the back of her mind and calmly continued dungeoning.
Nearing 11 P.M., Chen Guo and Jing Jing logged off Glory, bading Cai Lin, Tang Rou and Ye Xiu goodnight before heading upstairs to sleep.
...
The next day, as Chen Guo had some cafe matters to settle, she was unable to continue power leveling Jing Jing. Jing Jing nodded understandingly, and worked on her quests, occasionally doing her Heavenly Domain Challenge. Despite slaving over Glory, Jing Jing made sure to take sufficient breaks, in addition to meal times and toilet breaks.
Around 8 P.M., Cai Lin and Tang Rou woke up, and came downstairs to eat dinner.
"Good evening Jing Jing Jie!" Cai Lin greeted.
"Good evening Lin Lin, Rou Rou." Jing Jing replied with a cheerful grin.
"Good evening." Tang Rou nodded, smiling warmly.
Having finished her dinner, Jing Jing nibbled on a slice of apple, and listened attentively to Cai Lin's rendition of last night's fight with Tiny Herb. Tang Rou sat beside them, quietly eating her rice, occasionally adding a comment or two.
Suddenly, Ye Xiu came up to Tang Rou, and asked to borrow Soft Mist. Tang Rou nodded, passing him her card. Jing Jing and Cai Lin followed Ye Xiu back to his computer, watching him log in to Glory and maneuver Soft Mist to where Tiny Herb was. Soft Mist soon reached the clay rooms, and all four could see the eleven players from Tiny Herb.
"Hey, hey. What BOSS? Should you be talking like that?" Ye Xiu said.
Jing Jing and Cai Lin burst into muffled giggles, while Tang Rou gave them a confused look. Jing Jing quietly explained that someone has called Ye Xiu a BOSS, so he was unhappy and throwing a tantrum. Tang Rou chuckled.
"Hey hey Little Jing don't think I didn't hear you. BOSS? Ha. If I became one, Glory would have shut down years ago. They should be thanking me that I didn't become one."
Team Tiny Herb sweatdropped. This taunting tone...definitely Ye Xiu. Wang Jie Xi thought.
"Who are these guys? Why do they keep coming back?" Tang Rou asked. Obviously, Tang Rou had recognised the five players from last night, and saw that they had called for more people to take revenge.
"They must be Brother Ye's admirers. Upset that he rejected them, they teamed up to PK him." Cai Lin cut in, her eyes sparkling brightly.
"You shouldn't watch so many dramas Little Lin, they're not good for you. If they were my admirers, they would have kowtowed to me and gifted me with rare materials on a silver platter."
Such arrogance! Not even Captain dares to claim that! Besides, whoever heard of fans gifting their idols in-game materials?
"Battle Mage." Wang Jiexi's Fiery Blaze walked up and said.
"Yup!" Ye Xiu said.
"Xiao Yun, you go up." Wang Jiexi called for him.
"Ah?" Xiao Yun stared blankly.
"Don't be nervous. Don't forget, you're one of the members of a champion team!" Wang Jiexi said.
Meanwhile, Ye Xiu covered his mike and asked Tang Rou, "Little Tang, wanna PK against some experts?"
Tang Rou nodded, and put down her bowl of rice, stepping forward to claim her place. Upon noticing Cloudy Heavens, Ye Xiu added more fuel to the fire before passing the controls to her.
"Ha ha, so it's you!" Ye Xiu laughed.
"Do you need a few Chasers first?"
Having finished his trash talk, Ye Xiu removed the headset and stood up. Tang Rou sat down, and put on the headset.
The two battle mages clashed, and exchanged blows. When Soft Mist crashed to the ground, Ye Xiu tapped Tang Rou, saying, "my turn". Both quickly swapped positions, and Ye Xiu began his lesson.
"See, it's best to use a few normal attacks between skills in order to change up your tempo. Blah blah blah…(omitted the rest)"
"Oh…" Tang Rou, Jing Jing and Cai Lin listened attentively, nodding their heads like a bunch of obedient students. Meanwhile, Xiao Yun was furious and miserable, realising that he was used as a teaching dummy. Sighing, Wang Jie Xi called Xiao Yun to withdraw.
As Cloudy Heavens withdrew from battle, Ye Xiu stopped fighting as well. During the pause, Cai Lin piped up. "Brother Ye! Brother Ye! Can I go up and fight too?"
"Sure, as long as you don't give up after suffering consecutive defeats."
Cai Lin nodded determinedly. Of course! They are pro players, it's normal for newbies like me to get wrecked. It's a good training opportunity!
"Hey, hey!"
"?" All three girls looked at Ye Xiu in confusion.
"Aren't we here to compare notes? Let's go to the Arena." Ye Xiu said.
"It looks like you have someone next to you who also needs guidance?" Wang Jiexi said.
"Yup! But I don't have as many people as you do."
"What type of person?"
"Little sisters from the Internet Cafe." Ye Xiu answered.
Cai Lin whispered, "Jing Jing Jie it's such a pity you are in the fifth server. Or else you could have joined us."
Jing Jing smiled, unconcerned. "It's okay. I'd rather reach Heavenly Domain earlier."
"Are you sure Little Jing? Training partners like them are hard to come by."
Returning Soft Mist to Tang Rou, Ye Xiu logged in to Lord Grim, and walked out of the clay room.
"I don't have an account in server ten. Plus, I doubt they'd be willing to come fight me with level 50 characters in the Arena, then switch to these low leveled accounts to fight you." Jing Jing reasoned.
"You can use Alsheon..." Cai Lin offered.
"Thank you, but it's okay. I'm only familiar with Sharpshooter. Jiayou!" (1)
"Un!" Cai Lin said, and ran off to her computer next to Tang Rou. Jing Jing listened to Ye Xiu trash talk for awhile, before going over to Cai Lin's and Tang Rou's corner.
Upon logging in, Cai Lin quickly entered the Arena and joined up with the rest. She heard Ye Xiu ask, "can I use my unspecialised?"
Silence descended. It was broken by Wang Jie Xi, who said, "what are you guys worrying about? If you can't get over it, then go to bed."
"... …"
"Who wants to go first?" Wang Jiexi asked.
"Me!" Liu Xiaobie walked directly to Lord Grim.
"We've already agreed that you have to pass them first." Ye Xiu hinted.
"It'll be quick." Liu Xiaobie said full of confidence. He created a 1v1 room. The others joined as spectators. After Ye Xiu entered, he left a message and then left: If you win, come find me next door, password 15951.
"Rou Rou Jie, do you wanna go first?"
"Sure." Soft Mist joined the match.
Liu Xiao Bie went all out, using his APM and experience to crush Soft Mist. He defeated Tang Rou in 43 seconds, and impatiently said, "next."
Cai Lin calmly went up, and got defeated in 38 seconds. She bit on her lower lip, but did not cry or whine. Jing Jing patted her back soothingly, and said, "don't worry, the both of you did great."
Meanwhile, the pro players from Tiny Herb all cleared out, leaving Soft Mist and Alsheon alone in the room. Staring blankly, both girls left the room, and joined the room next door as a spectator. They couldn't find Lord Grim, and Cai Lin immediately realised the joke Ye Xiu had pulled. "Rou Rou Jie, I think find me next door is the room's name."
"Eh?"
"Come, let's look for him." Cai Lin urged, exiting the room.
Together, Cai Lin and Tang Rou began looking around for the room Ye Xiu was in.
"Found it~" Cai Lin typed in the password, and entered the room. True enough, Lord Grim was inside.
"How was it?" Ye Xiu asked
"They really were strong." Tang Rou said.
"Yea! That blade master has very fast hand speed, just like Rou Rou Jie!" Cai Lin added.
"That opponent just happened to counter you, Little Tang."
"It doesn't matter who the person is, I'll beat him." Tang Rou said.
"Well said Rou Rou Jie!" Cai Lin cheered.
The trio continued chatting until the pro players from Tiny Herb entered.
"Was there a point….."
Cai Lin quietly chuckled.
At the same time, Jing Jing logged into Glory. She said, "Lin Lin, I think I'll go do some quests first, call me when it's Wang Jie Xi's turn. I'm not interested in watching Brother Ye bully three-legged cats." (2)
Cai Lin nodded, and turned back to continue watching the show.
"I was talking about the system setup." Ye Xiu said.
"System setup?"
"Gambling match?" Wang Jie Xi intoned.
"Of course, it's a gambling match." Ye Xiu said.
"40 Strong Spider Silk?" Wang Jiexi saw Ye Xiu's bet.
"I don't think you guys have high-level materials either."
"We don't have these either." Wang Jiexi said impolitely.
"Come on, find a way. If you don't have these, then an equivalent exchange is fine. Would you like me to give you a list of items?" Ye Xiu asked.
Cai Lin burst out giggling. "Sorry, sorry," she apologised, taking off her headset.
"What's the matter?" Jing Jing asked.
"Brother Ye is conning them of rare materials!"
"Oh." A smirk crossed Jing Jing's face. "Mind if we share the headset? This is too good pass up."
Cai Lin nodded, positioning her headset in such a way that both girls share the sound.
Tang Rou chuckled softly. "You two…"
"What? You know we can't get this kind of entertainment from soap operas. Not to mention, a front row seat."
The rest of the Tiny Herb pro players, who were not haggling with God Ye, sweatdropped. Luckily we only have one female in our midst… (Jing and Lin: HEY! We resent that! You're probably just jealous we have so many girls. *sticks out tongue*)
"Say it. What materials do you want?" Wang Jiexi asked.
Upon seeing the long list of materials, Jing Jing and Cai Lin laughed, covering their mouths to prevent the sounds from escaping.
"So you really had prepared long ago?" Wang Jiexi looked at these materials. He contacted Plantago Seed, explaining his needs. As Wang Jie Xi's and Ye Xiu's conversation came to a close, Jing Jing turned back to her monitor, reminding Cai Lin to call her when it is time for the two gods to fight.
Upon receiving the materials, Liu Xiao Bie accepted the bet and joined the match.
"Wow, so quick! You really deserve to be called the Champion team!" Ye Xiu said.
"Cut the crap!"
Ye Xiu and Liu Xiao Bie fought, and it was uplifting to watch Ye Xiu crush the opponent who had wrecked them a while ago. Oh yea! Good job Brother Ye! Cai Lin cheered.
After making short work of Liu Xiao Bie, the cycle repeated itself. Cai Lin and Tang Rou were mercilessly bullied by the pro players, who in turn, were crushed by Ye Xiu. Having crushed all the pro players of Tiny Herb except Wang Jie Xi, Ye Xiu sent out a taunt: "Big-eyed Wang, you're not going to try?!"
"Come!" Wang Jiexi typed out. Together, Fiery Blaze, Alsheon and Soft Mist left the room.
Ye Xiu sent Cai Lin and Tang Rou a message each, "did you cry?"
"Yes! But I'll work even harder!" Cai Lin replied.
Ye Xiu consoled, "that's the spirit!"
"My face is covered with tears!" Tang Rou said.
"Wipe them away and continue fighting!"
"Yes!" Tang Rou replied.
Upon defeating the two girls, the three of them returned to 'find me next door'.
"Tsk tsk, you've become more merciful. If it was the you from before, then shouldn't one minute be enough? Of course, now that you're the captain, things have changed." Ye Xiu said.
"Let's start!" Wang Jiexi said.
"Do you want me to let you win this one? You guys have lost ten matches. If you happen to win this one, then it'd be a big boost to your team's morale." Ye Xiu said.
"But I don't think I'll lose for certain." Wang Jiexi said.
As usual, Jing Jing and Cai Lin started their habit of creating smoke, this time round Jing Jing made sure to cover the mic and prevent exposure. They had just gotten over the previous episode on Huang Shao Tian, the last thing they need is Ye Xiu hearing their stories. "Tsk tsk, look at Brother Ye. Taunting Wang Jie Xi will get him into trouble." Jing Jing whispered.
Cai Lin added, "yea, he must be so aroused that he tries to stop Brother Ye's brand of flirting."
"Maybe not. What if it's because trash talking reminds him of Huang Shao Tian? Imagine your lover imitating your rival, Wang Jie Xi would definitely get mad, but won't bear to hurt Brother Ye."
"Yeah, there is. Just look at Huang Shaotian." Ye Xiu said.
"…"
"Ohh that burn. Jing Jing Jie, you were right." Cai Lin nodded her head in agreement.
Jing Jing flips her hair, nose in the air.
"Oh oh the fight's starting! Let's watch." Both girls settled down to watch the match.
Both girls kept quiet, watching the battle between the two gods in awe. Wang Jie Xi's attacks became more and more unpredictable, the dazzling play style mesmerising all. Fiery Blaze and Lord Grim's health dropped rapidly, and the spectators watched anxiously, waiting to see who the winner would be.
Abruptly, a bang exploded. The two looked as if they collided and then suddenly crashed down.
"You….."
"Sigh, seeing how hard you're fighting, I should give you some face!" Ye Xiu dully said.
"True love! True love! Brother Ye loves him too much to finish him off!" Cai Lin squealed, eyes sparkling. Jing Jing nodded fervently, her hands clutching Cai Lin's tightly, forgetting to cover the mic.
Tang Rou laughed soundlessly, amused by their reactions. The interaction between Ye Xiu and Fiery Blaze was nothing unusual, but the two girls were able to 'infer' so much from their conversations. They really have active imaginations.
The pro players of team Tiny Herb froze upon hearing Cai Lin's comment, shocked that Alsheon is a fujoshi. Most had blanked out from the revelation, and were sitting silently in front of their screens. Only Liu Fei was thinking, another fujoshi? If she and Yan Qi can become best buddies, Yan Qi will no longer try to convert me or pester me about her favourite CPs!
(1) Jiayou 加油 - its meaning is something along the lines of 'you can it!' or 'good luck!' Another meaning for this two words is 'add oil' (literal meaning btw XD)
(2) Three-legged cats - a term used to describe someone who's not very experienced/ knows only the surface stuff.