I finally decided to walk right up to them. Once I stood right in front of Yue Qing Qian, she stared at me in shock. Her beautiful eyes carried her pleasant surprise along with a small fraction of embarrassment. After a few moments, she carefully asked, âAre you⦠Brother Xiao Yao?â
I stuck my hand out with a smile and said, âIâm Li Xiao Yao, my ID is Xiao Yao Zi Zai. And you are?â
âIâ¦â Yue Qing Qian stuck her hand out as well to shake mine. Her face was bright red as she said, âIâm Nan Gong Yong Cun, ID Yue Qing Qian. Brother Xiao Yao, youâre just as handsome as you are in the gameâ¦â¦â
I rubbed my nose awkwardly and said, âNot really, I just didnât change my appearance⦠Qing Qian, are you hungry? You were gnawing on such a big cucumber in the middle of the streetâ¦â
Yue Qing Qian made a big smile and said, âCucumbers can be used to beautify yourself. Itâs good to eat a lot⦠umâ¦â
She tilted her head to look at the two beauties next to me, and said in a stunned voice, âWoah, those two⦠are Cang Tong and Cang Yue? Wuwu⦠to think that Brother Xiao Yao has such beautiful girls with himâ¦â¦â
Wan Er reached out and said, âIâm Cang Tong, Lin Wan Er!â
Dong Cheng Yue also stuck her hand out and said, âIâm Cang Yue, Dong Cheng Yue!â
Yue Qing Qian shook each of their hands and said, âI must have great luck today, meeting Fan Shu Cityâs two most beautiful women. Brother Xiao Yao, you shouldâve told me earlierâ¦â
âOh, that⦠I forgot. Oh right, whereâs Wei Liang?â
âShe went to buy some drinks, she should be coming soonâ¦â
âOk!â
Nearby, someone called out âBig sister!â A girl wearing a pink dress similar to Yue Qing Qianâs appeared. On top of that, the two looked exactly the same. As expected, they were identical twins in real life!
âAhâ¦â Yue Wei Liang looked at me, and the drinks in her hand fell to the ground. âThis⦠this is Guild Master Brother Xiao Yao? How handsome, just like in the gameâ¦â
I nodded and smiled, âGood afternoon, Wei Liang!â
Yue Qing Qian suddenly smirked mischievously and started tugging my arm as she said, âBrother Xiao Yao, turn around and donât look. How about we play a game?â
âUh, a game?â
Although quite a few people stopped to watch what the four pretty girls around me were doing, I wasnât disheartened yet. I turned around; behind me, Yue Qing Qian and Yue Wei Liang whispered a few times. After a few seconds, one of them laughed and said, âAlright, Brother Xiao Yao, turn around!â
When I turned around, Yue Qing Qian and Yue Wei Liang stood there coyly, looking at me. They giggled in unison and asked, âCan Brother Xiao Yao still guess whoâs Qing Qian, and whoâs Wei Liang?â
âThisâ¦â¦â
I muttered to myself, then walked closer. Among the two of them, one held a drink while the other held a cucumber, but it was definitely not that simple. Then, I stood in front of the two and stared into their faces. I smiled and tapped the left girlâs shoulder and said, âThis is Qing Qian, without a doubtâ¦â
Yue Qing Qianâs beautiful eyes widened as she said, âThis⦠How did Brother Xiao Yao tell Yue Wei Liang and I apart with just one look? Even our uncle wouldnât be able to tell the difference between the two of us instantlyâ¦â
I pursed my lips and said, âAlthough you switched the things you were holding, Yue Qing Qian, you canât change that smell of cucumber in your mouth. Arenât you underestimating my intelligence a bit too much?â
Yue Qing Qian burst into laughter and said, âAlright, Brother Xiao Yao is just too amazing! When should we go in? Mama said that Yue Wei Liang and I have to return to the hotel by 6, or else sheâll come looking for usâ¦â
I turned around toward the ticket booth and bought 5 tickets. Afterwards, I gave one to each girl, and the five of us entered the newly opened Xixi Wetlands.
There were quite a few people inside the park. Perhaps because of the fact that it had just rained, the grass on either sides of the road was partially submerged. The smell of musty autumn mud filled our noses, enchanting us all. We had all been immersed in the game for a whole month, so going to a park like Xixi Wetlands was a rare chance to relax. Thus, we thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get outdoors.
On the rivers of Xixi Wetlands, there was a sightseeing boat, but we decided to not ride it. Instead, we walked along the banks as we talked about the gameââ
Yue Qing Qian said, âBrother Xiao Yao, do you know about the Rise of the Heroes event?â
âYup! I registered before coming. How about you and Wei Liang?â
âWeâve already registered.â Yue Qing Qian smiled and said, âThe hotel my sister and I are staying at is right beside this park, so itâs really close. Thatâs right, now that Brother Xiao Yao has the Emperor Qinâs Sword, the Magic Spite Armor, and the Flaming Tiger God pet, youâre pretty much all set. I think that itâs a great opportunity for you. If Brother Xiao Yao can fight up to the top four, it will be an immense boost to the morale of our guild!â
I nodded and smiled, saying, âNot just for me, itâs the same for you and Wei Liang. You guys need to do everything in your power to get a good rank. If 3-5 of [Zhan Long]âs elite players end up in the top 15, then [Zhan Long]âs name would be renowned throughout the world. After all, [Zhan Long] is only well known in Ba Huang City. There are probably very few people outside of Ba Huang City who have heard of us.â
Wan Er toyed with a piece of grass in her hand and wryly smiled, âThatâs not true. [Zhan Long] is already pretty famous in Fan Shu City. At least, everyone knows that [Vanguard], the third biggest guild on the Chinese Server, has a thorn in its eye; thatâs [Zhan Long], whose Guild Master is Xiao Yao Zi Zai, ranked 22nd on CBN. That pretty much sums it up.â
Dong Cheng Yue chuckled and said, âYup, Xiao Yaoâs strength has improved by leaps and bounds. It has exceeded everyoneâs expectations and thatâs something that I can vouch for!â
Yue Qing Qian said, âBrother Xiao Yao is the strongest, and heâs very smart as well. From all the videos of his battles that I saved, I can almost guarantee that in every battle heâs been in, from the battle in Green Qilin Valley against [Wrath of the Heroes] to the battles in the City of Ancients, Brother Xiao Yaoâs skills and battle tactics have been constantly improving. Brother Xiao Yao has already transformed from a normal expert to an elite master. Heâs not far from the apex of elite players, but he just lacks the opportunity to make the last jumpâ¦â¦â
I was amazed and said, âWhat kind of a jump?â
Beside me Wan Er smiled, revealing her cute dimples. She began explaining, âEvery expert has one battle that propels them to fame, an instance that reveals their strength to the world. For example, 4 years ago, Jian Feng Han became famous with one victorious battle in a game called [Conquest] at an NGL World Tournament, securing his place as [Conquest]âs number one. Another example is that five years ago, Fang Ge Que had successfully invented a way to combine ice and fire magic in battle and accomplished the impossible when he defeated the player known to be the Lord of the game, âShen Linâ, with only 1 HP left. That battle made him renowned throughout the world. From then on, all of the players in China remembered the ID âFang Ge Queâ, and he became a legend. As for you, maybe you also need that one victory in order to reach the peak of fame like Fang Ge Que, Q-Sword, or Jian Feng Han!â
Yue Qing Qianâs jaw dropped as she said in astonishment, âWa, Sister Cang Tongâs an expert on game history! Amazing!â
Wan Er started to blush, âNot really. Iâm just a typical fan of games, so I happen to know a lot about the recent achievements of expert gamers.â
Dong Cheng Yue teased, âActually, thereâs more. In the legends of the top gamers of [Conquest], Wan Er and I have made our marks on history as well. In the 2016 WGL World Tournament, a beauty with the ID âYue Tongâ made her debut. After participating in that competition, she represented the honor of her class, and became the symbol of Assassins by defeating the Battle Demon, âYue Yunâ. With that one battle, she became the role model of all Assassins in the whole China server. Hehe, Iâm right, arenât I?â
Wan Erâs face turned several shades redder and muttered, âThat, that⦠Good men donât brag about their past achievementsâ¦â¦â
I couldnât help but smile and tease her, âWell, you arenât a good manâ¦â
Wan Er brandished her fist and lightly punched me, âAsshole, now you only help Dong Cheng and not meâ¦â
I grabbed her wrist and said, âNot at all, Iâm very happy to help you. But, you have to treat us to a meal tonight. How about it?â
âWuâ¦â Her wrist was held tightly in my grasp, and her face turned bright red, âAlright, alright, I will if you just let go. Qing Qian and the others are all watching, I⦠I willâ¦â
I awkwardly released my grip and said, âThe weather is very nice todayâ¦â
Wan Er also looked up and replied, âYea, the sun is so strongâ¦â
Drops of rain began falling onto the beautiful little missâs cheeks, as though the sky was mocking us for saying such an obvious lie.
â¦â¦
As we chatted while walking, the drizzle became heavier, turning into a downpour. I brought the girls to find a place to hide from the rain. After some searching, we all went to the pavilion of a teahouse and sat down. A waitress came over to pour some tea for us, and we carefully sipped from our cups, savoring the teaâs aroma. At the same time, I noticed that there was a famous poem carved into the wall. On it were two lines of textââ
The river flows into another as the scent of moonlight floats through the air.
â¦â¦
âThe river flows into another as the scent of moonlight floats through the air.â
I recited the poem under my breath, then looked over at Yue Qing Qian and smiled, âQing Qian, I feel like these two lines, when shortened, happen to be your ID in [Destiny]â¦â¦â
(Note: Qing Qianâs name is in the first line of the poem)
Yue Qing Qian blinked at me a few times then laughed and said, âStupid Brother Xiao Yao, this is from Bei Songâs Last Seven Lines. Wu⦠At the time, I was too young, so I didnât fully understand the meaning of the poem. I just took on the name since I thought Yue Qing Qian sounded pretty nice. Afterward, my sister chose the name Yue Wei Liangâ¦â
I couldnât help but smile in admiration and said proudly, âHm, thatâs really nice. To think that our [Zhan Long] was full of extraordinary people. Our members are all dignified, profound, ambitious, and extremely well-culturedâ¦â¦â
Yue Qing Qianâs face flushed, and she said, âWhat are you saying to yourself, I canât understand youâ¦â
Dong Cheng Yue face palmed and said, âBrother Xiao Yao is such an idiotâ¦â¦â
â¦â¦
Not long after, the rain finally came to a stop, and everyone continued to meander around the wetlands park. The sky began to darken, so we left the park. With Wan Er paying, we went to a famous restaurant nearby and had a hearty dinner. Afterward, we sent Yue Qing Qian and Yue Wei Liang back to their hotel. They were only staying in Hangzhou for a day, and were flying back tomorrow. We didnât exchange many goodbyes; instead, I made sure to remind them to work hard at the Rise of the Heroes Tournament, and help [Zhan Long] demonstrate our strength by advancing to the top ranks!