CH 51.1

July 01, 2023 by Wyrd

The evening breeze was gentle as it came over the river, carrying a moist scent that curled the young man’s hair.

His forehead was fair and full, with a beautiful pointed tip hidden beneath his hair.

His skin was white and delicate, with faintly visible fine capillaries. Under the evening sun’s orange hue, they were barely discernible, with a subtle dark color.

Perhaps it was because his skin was too fair.

The fine black veins were even more prominent on his neck. He wore a plain white t-shirt with a large, slightly askew collar. The route of the blood vessels from his collarbone to his neck seemed elongated.

Ning Changfeng leaned against the bridge, looking up and observing everything clearly.

At the same time, he noticed two peculiar children who were staring at him motionlessly.

When he first heard that Shi Tianzhu mentioned that the young man might become the second Ning Changfeng, Ning Changfeng felt disdainful and somewhat unhappy.

When he finally saw this young man, he couldn’t quite describe his feelings.

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel the slightest bit unhappy.

Moreover, he realized that this young man was truly extraordinary, and if he really wanted to go after him for points, he would have to be cautious.

“Little brother, it can’t be like this. We are both targets that Shi Tianzhu wants to kill, so we should stand together...”

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly turned around.

Even though he reacted swiftly, he was still a step too late.

A purple sash ensnared his neck.

The whip looked thin and fragile, yet it tightly strangled the player who ranked first in the game base, tightening its grip.

When Shi Tianzhu gave the “Heaven-Piercing Silk” to Ning Su that day, Meng Jiang had mentioned that Shi Tianzhu favored long-range weapons the most. She didn’t need to approach her opponents; she could bind, control, and even kill them from a distance.

All high-quality weapons like silk sections, whips, and bows and arrows, made of pure silver birch, were her first choice.

This purple sash was indeed held in Shi Tianzhu’s hand. She stood on the rooftop of a small western-style building by the river, with her windbreaker and long hair swaying with the wind together.

With a cold and indifferent expression on her face, she flipped her hand and wrapped the purple sash around once, tightening it even further.

Ning Changfeng turned his body diagonally, and a huge serpent tail emerged from the river. In mid-air, the scales of the serpent shone with a golden-orange glimmer.

After the flip, it crashed onto the surface of the river with a loud “bang,” creating massive waves taller than the surrounding small western-style buildings.

The water surged into the sky, blocking the evening sun and forming a vibrant rainbow in the sky.

Almost all the water in the river was struck into the air by the serpent’s tail, scattering the waves in all directions, with some rushing towards the bridge tunnel.

Several neighbors inside the bridge tunnel were seen rolling up their bedding and seeking refuge inside.

Ning Su heard voices from nearby and far away.

“Shi Tianzhu and Ning Changfeng are fighting again!”

“Oh my god! Where is it happening?”

“Near the Main Base Bridge!”

“I saw the waves. The fight between the big shots is so exciting. Let’s go and watch!”

“They haven’t fought for a long time, right? How come they’re fighting again?”

“Damn! Isn’t the use of skill weapons forbidden in the Main Base? That weapon in Shi Tianzhu’s hand, even if it’s not a special weapon, can actually flip Ning Changfeng?”

“The top five ranked guild presidents and players have privileges, don’t you know?”

“It wasn’t Shi Tianzhu who flipped the river, it was Ning Changfeng himself. Otherwise, she would have snapped his neck!”

“But isn’t killing prohibited? What is Ning Changfeng afraid of, getting his neck snapped?”

“Why don’t you let Shi Tianzhu give it a try?”

“The key is that Ning Changfeng can’t die. So many people have tried to kill him for the reward from the Yinhua Guild, but he’s still alive and well.”

“Dropping one’s head is certainly not a big deal. After all, he has inherited the bloodline of the ancient god, the nine-headed serpent!”

“It’s because he can’t die that he can turn the tables. Without having to worry about dying, Shi Tianzhu can attack him mercilessly, and it will only be very painful.”

“The main concern is losing face.” (T/N: In Chinese culture, the idiom “losing face” is expressed as “丢脸“ (diū liǎn). It refers to the loss of dignity, honor, or reputation in front of others. It implies that a person’s actions, behavior, or circumstances have caused them to feel ashamed or embarrassed, resulting in a loss of respect or credibility in the eyes of others.)

Ning Su: “...”

More and more players gathered on the bridge and by the river.

By this time, Ning Changfeng had already taken off from the surface of the river. His long snake tail transformed into slender and powerful legs. As he soared into the sky, a pair of daggers appeared in his hands. (*I’m not really sure if this was a dagger or some other weapon.)

“President Shi, how did I offend you again?”

“You offend me just by being alive!”

The daggers in Ning Changfeng’s hand flew towards the purple silk ribbon. The daggers were extremely fast, and as they swiftly passed by, a dazzling cold silver light clashed with the orange-red evening sunlight.

This clash emitted a strong beam of light. Players closed their eyes for a second or two, and when they opened them again, the pair of daggers had already severed the purple silk ribbon.

But at the same time, Shi Tianzhu’s other hand threw out an iron chain.

The iron chain visibly carried a layer of damp green aura, as if flying out from hell, ready to drag people.

The iron chain entangled Ning Changfeng’s leg.

Shi Tianzhu suddenly opened her eyes. She lifted her hand and swung the dozens of meters long iron chain, smashing Ning Changfeng towards the stone forest on the other side of the river.

Bits of stone flew up and scattered, revealing a bottomless hole.

“Has Ning Changfeng been dragged into hell?”

“What are you thinking? Even the entire Yongming Guild couldn’t send him to hell together.”

As soon as the person finished speaking, a tremendously long snake tail surged out from the surface of the river, unexpectedly coiling around Shi Tianzhu and slamming her into the riverbed.

“Will Shi Tianzhu be strangled to death?”

“You’re overthinking it. Shi Tianzhu will cut the snake meat at the bottom of the river.”

Ning Su: “...”

As numerous players watched the spectacle, Ning Su brought two children together to one side before he silently slid down along the bridge pillar, sinking into the depths of the river.

The river was much deeper than imagined. In the profound riverbed, a giant snake tail pinned Shi Tianzhu among the flourishing water grass.

Ning Changfeng floated above her, less than two centimeters away, with one hand tightly holding her wrist.

She held a flaming red long knife in her hand.

As the dagger in her other hand was about to stab Ning Changfeng’s neck, Ning Su swiftly lunged forward, using the momentum to flip over and kicked Ning Changfeng’s shoulder with both feet.

Ning Changfeng was caught off guard and was sent flying over a hundred meters away, landing on the distant surface of the river.

“See, I knew it. Shi Tianzhu, the goddess, is not that easy to control.”

“The bosses can’t determine the winner in a short fight.”

“But Shi Tianzhu is too powerful. I can’t even see Ning Changfeng anymore.”

Underwater, Ning Su carefully untangled Shi Tianzhu’s hair entangled with the water grass and helped her up. When Shi Tianzhu was about to rush out again, Ning Su grabbed her arm.

It was inconvenient to speak underwater, so Ning Su shook his head at her.

‘Stop fighting.’

While others were enjoying the spectacle, Ning Su realized that Ning Changfeng was ranked higher than Shi Tianzhu, not relying on luck like the guild rankings. If they continued to fight, both would get injured, but Shi Tianzhu would be at a relative disadvantage.

After a few seconds, Shi Tianzhu calmed down and nodded.

She had more important things to do.

Ning Su swam back, while Shi Tianzhu flew directly out of the water’s surface.

The people from the Yinhua Guild immediately brought a towel to wrap around her. For some reason, Ning Changfeng didn’t come back. Shi Tianzhu looked coldly in the direction he disappeared and said, “Issue another reward notice and take his tongue as well.”

“Yes!”

After calming herself down, she threw the towel to the head manager and jumped onto a small boat by the river.

“Is it over just like that?”

“I thought it would last a whole day and night like last time.”

“A day and night? Are they even human?”

“I wouldn’t last five minutes, probably.”

“You’re thinking too much. You’d die in a minute.”

“...”

“Let’s go, let’s go. If we keep watching, the Yinhua Guild will drive us away.”

“Huh? I still wanted to go to Yinhua. Can’t let them know I’m so nosy!”

As people who were watching the fight gradually left, Shi Tianzhu stood on the boat and drifted along the river, eventually reaching the bottom of the bridge. She silently glanced at the young man and two children sitting at the edge of the bridge. “Come down, let’s go and stay at Yinhua.”

Ning Su blinked. “Is that okay?”

This time, it didn’t feel as fake as when he accepted the Crystal Ball. Mainly because he had points now and could buy a small house.

“What’s wrong with it? The Yinhua Guild has so many rooms, and they’re just empty.”

“Alright then!”

Seeing that she was still wet, Ning Su said, “You go back first. I’ll send the quilt back and then immediately go to the Yinhua Guild.”

No need to hold a place for the quilt here. He planned to go to Yinhua tonight and buy a small house tomorrow.

Shi Tianzhu nodded and went back first.

Upon arriving in the vicinity, Ning Su left two little children on the bridge and retreated to the bridge’s tunnel, wrapping the bedding.

The neighboring elder brother, with a confused look, stuck his head out and said, “Brother, not only do you know Chen Tian and Chen Qing, but you also know Shi Tianzhu?”

Ning Su cheerfully rolled up his bedding and replied, “Yes!”

“Then... um...”

“I know, don’t forget the old friends when I become prosperous!”

“You, have you not become prosperous yet?”

Shi Tianzhu was the richest player on the entire base.

Ning Su sighed. “I still need to work hard.”

The neighboring elder brother: “…”

If his neighbor still couldn’t succeed in his efforts, he would write a book titled ‘My Neighbor in the Bridge Tunnel and the Stories of the Big Shots.’ Perhaps it could become a bestseller in the base and bring prosperity to him.

***

On the roof of a small building close to the riverbank, Zhu Shuangshuang and Chen Qing, who were just sitting together watching the big shots fight, also saw Shi Tianzhu going to find Ning Su. Upon seeing Ning Su packing up his belongings, they could guess what was happening.

Chen Qing was surprised, “Is Ning Su that close to Shi Tianzhu?”

Zhu Shuangshuang took a sip of watermelon juice, “Do you know the Heaven-Piercing Silk? Shi Tianzhu gave it to him in the instance dungeon.”

Chen Qing took a sip of orange juice to calm down.

Zhu Shuangshuang continued, “And there’s also a Crystal Ball.”

Chen Qing took another sip of orange juice. “Wow!”

***

As Ning Su just got off the bridge, the grandfather who brought him soup today was waiting for him there.

Then Chen Qing quickly ran over, took the bedding from his hand, and said, “Perform well!” before dashing back.

Ning Su walked with two children, following the silent manager towards the Yinhua Guild.

“You seem to get along well with the president in the instance?” the old manager asked.

Ning Su heard that this old grandfather managed all the assets of the Yinhua Guild and honestly confessed, “President Shi gave me the Heaven-Piercing Silk and Crystal Ball as gifts and wants me to be loyal to her.”

The old manager remained silent.

“Oh,” Ning Su continued, “I feel that President Shi treats me well, mainly because when I’m unhappy, she gives me cute little cakes to eat, and when serving meals, she secretly gives me an extra fried egg.”

The old manager became even more silent.

Like a great mountain, silent yet heavy.

When Ning Su arrived at the Yinhua Guild with the old manager, Shi Tianzhu had already changed clothes. She first took Ning Su to the room, prepared for him, and let the two children play in the room before bringing him out.

“I’ll give you a physical examination,” she said.

Ning Su suddenly became nervous.

In the afternoon, when they were invited to join the Yinhua Guild in the meeting room, several people looked at him. They all thought that Shi Tianzhu treated him well in the instance, so he should be the first to join the Yinhua Guild.

Ning Su felt a pang in his heart.

Because he couldn’t.

When they first entered the game base, Ji Mingrui had told them about the recruitment of new members by the large guilds. It involved looking at personal panel data, and not to mention the high requirements these large guilds had for personal data. His personal data panel was simply embarrassing.

A row of “--“.