At noon, they found an ordinary tea restaurant by the long embanknt for lunch. They ordered six ho-style dishes and six bowls of rice. After finishing their al, Dong Chengling told Ren Suo that their next rendezvous was at 1:30 PM, at Exit A of the Shipai tro Station.
When they reached the tro station entrance, Dong Chengling waved at Ren Suo. "Just take Line 3, and you'll get there directly. I won't go down."
Ren Suo asked, "Aren't you taking the subway?"
"The date is over, and since you won't be around, I won't waste ti. I'll just teleport ho." Dong Chengling's lips curled into a slight smile. "The truth is, I don't actually like this kind of outdoor dating. Cultivation at ho suits better."
Ren Suo remarked, "High heels aren't comfortable either, right?"
Dong Chengling nodded. "Next ti, I'll wear flat shoes, but I really like this outfit."
"I also..."
Ren Suo wanted to respond with 'I also really like it,' but after thinking about it, he didn't say it.
Dong Chengling said, "You better hurry; don't make others wait. Bye-bye."
Ren Suo hesitated for a mont, then suddenly asked, "What if I don't go now? What if I want to go ho with you?"
Dong Chengling's large eyes blinked rapidly, and she shook her head slightly with a smile. "This is a date we both arranged. I can't spoil other people's plans just because I have a head start. Besides, even if I wanted to, the others wouldn't approve."
"If you truly decide to spend your life with soone, then you should bid farewell properly to the others, sort out your own feelings, clear your Heart Chamber, and prepare to welco the new occupant with all your love..."
Dong Chengling placed her hands on her chest, looked at Ren Suo, and said, "Go on."
Ren Suo nodded and turned to enter the subway passage.
Watching Ren Suo's silhouette disappear into the crowd, Dong Chengling stood still amidst the throng for a long ti. At this busy subway entrance, not a soul dared to approach her. The invisible pressure of a Fourth-Stage Cultivator was enough to deter all demons and monsters. Weaker humans subconsciously steered clear of this nacing beast, making her seem like a solitary island in a sea of people.
In fact, unless cultivators deliberately feigned weakness to ambush the strong, ordinary people wouldn't dare provoke them. All cultivators emit an invisible, authoritative biofield that repels weaker creatures, causing them to flee. This conclusion has been verified by nurous experints, the most noticeable phenonon being that mosquitoes never bite cultivators.
Especially when a cultivator is unhappy, even unconsciously, they still emit a particularly potent field, causing ordinary people who co too close to panic and try to escape imdiately.
It wasn't until a considerable amount of ti had passed that Dong Chengling finally sighed softly.
Even up to the very last second, Ren Suo remained calm, without the slightest agitation, without any fervor. He calmly accepted all of Dong Chengling's words, thought carefully, weighed them seriously, and followed Dong Chengling's arrangent to attend the next date. Actually, this was also what Dong Chengling wanted. She, of course, hoped that after rational consideration, Ren Suo would properly bid farewell to the other girls and return to her side without any doubt. But... if Ren Suo had not been so calm just now, if he had rushed over, grabbed her hand, and insisted on going back with her... Dong Chengling would certainly have criticized this comrade for his insufficient awareness, his improper thinking, and his unacceptable tactic of avoiding difficulties, then she would have happily taken him ho by the hand. Even if Xiao Qiao, Yue Yan, and Xing i later ca to her to break ties, duel, or issue any other chaotic challenges, she would have been willing to accept them and face all future challenges with Ren Suo. But he didn't.
Dong Chengling took a deep breath, turned, and decided to find a less crowded place to teleport ho.
Just then, her phone rang. Dong Chengling glanced at the caller ID and answered, "Suo?"
The other side didn't speak, and Dong Chengling wasn't in a hurry. She just held the phone, letting the call fees burn, and walked to a quiet corner, maintaining this tacit silence.
"Wait for ."
"Waiting."
After hanging up, Dong Chengling put her phone back in her bag, leaned against the wall, and gazed at the blue sky, lost in thought for a mont.
"Miss, what happened? Need any help?" A fashionably dressed, attractive young man boldly approached, attempting to strike up a conversation under the guise of a good Samaritan.
Dong Chengling glanced at him. The young man faltered for a second, then boldly t her gaze.
Dong Chengling pondered for a mont, then asked, sowhat surprised, "You can see ?"
The young man hesitated, then replied, "Of course, that's..."
The next second, the young man froze.
The beautiful, adorable young woman with long, straight black hair and a white dress, who had been standing in the corner radiating a romantic aura, had just vanished into thin air!
Ghostly! A ghost sighting in broad daylight by the bustling embanknt! According to popular online lore in the Martial World, ghosts that can only appear before soone late at night are the weakest. Conversely, ghosts that can walk around in public in broad daylight are the most formidable! He had encountered a Ghost Queen!
The youth was so scared that he imdiately went ho, his original plan to pick up a girl, watch a movie, have dinner, and get a room—the whole package—was instantly canceled.
「...」
He arrived at the designated spot ten minutes early, but the other party seed to have arrived early as well.
"Have you been waiting long?" Ren Suo asked as he reached out and gently patted his sister's hood.
Ren Xingi, who was leaning against a pillar with her hood up, listening to music, imdiately shook her head. She removed her headphones, lifted her hood, and said with a giggle, "I just got here too, hehe. How's Teacher Dong doing? —Wait, never mind, don't tell . We agreed not to ask about the others."
Ren Suo smiled, looked at his sister, and said, "Your outfit today… has a nostalgic cuteness to it."
Today, his sister wore jeans, sneakers, and a black hoodie with red lining, her attire thoroughly tomboyish. If Ren Suo weren't so familiar with his sister's figure, he might not have recognized her at first glance.
Of course, one only needed to see her face to imdiately confirm that she was a genuine beauty.
If, six months ago, his sister could disguise herself as a boy and make others think she was a handso youth, now she had fully blossod. The gentle charm in her eyes and features was like a feather tickling one's ear, making the heart flutter.
His sister pouted and muttered, "When it cos to figure, I can't compare to the others, so I won't make a fool of myself. Besides, this outfit is quite comfortable. Skirts look nice, but they require attention to poise; wearing this, even if I—"
Suddenly, with an "Aha!" she executed a spectacular high kick forward, laughing, "it doesn't really matter."
Ren Suo spread his hands. "Where to next? You're the boss now; I'll follow your orders."
"Then first call 'Big Sis'."
"Big Sis."
"Good girl. Big Sis will take you to get a room and play so shooters. Got your ID?"
Then the two of them went to an internet cafe to play the shooting simulation ga *Rainbow No. 7: Flanking*.
"I've never played this ga before," Ren Suo said.
To tell the truth, he wasn't very skilled at FPS gas; he was the type who preferred story-imrsive gas and played MOBA gas because of the variety of heroes, combinations, and strong social aspects. He seldom touched high-threshold gas like FPS, wanting to avoid revealing his lack of skill and ruining his hardcore gar image.
"I'll teach you," Ren Xingi said as she sat down. "Follow and listen to my commands; Big Sis will carry you to victory."
Ren Suo smiled, purchased the ga, registered an account, skipped the tutorial, and entered the counter-terrorism practice mode with Ren Xingi.
In the past, Ren Suo could mostly only ride his sister's coattails. But now, not only was he a Fourth-Stage Cultivator, but he was also a player with Absolute Rationality and no emotional fluctuations. Furthermore, after four rounds of thought Strengthening and five rounds of reaction Strengthening, playing this kind of FPS ga required only a basic understanding of the operations to turn him into a human cheat machine.
Sure enough, after getting the hang of it in the first three rounds and understanding the different capabilities of various ga characters (yes, FPS gas do have different characters), Ren Suo began an exhibition of what could only be described as god-tier gaplay.
Peek out? Headshot.
Sneak attack? Counter-ambush.
Grenade? Detonated mid-air.
The first two were one thing, but after Ren Suo repeatedly detonated grenades thrown by others, sotis even causing them to explode back on the thrower, the opposing team finally couldn't take it anymore and reported him.
"Bro, you're way too good!" Ren Xingi exclaid, flabbergasted. She had thought that with her Ti Spell, she would be the most outrageous cheater in this ga. She didn't expect soone to be even more ridiculously skilled—exploding grenades mid-air is just too insane, right? She could see the mont a grenade was thrown, but her body couldn't react in ti.
Even if her body could react, the mouse, keyboard, and in-ga bullets couldn't keep up! It was then that she realized grenades could actually be shot and detonated mid-flight! Was this so kind of divine prediction? Could it be that Ren Suo, as the Fairy Palace's Human World receptionist, gained the ability to beco a gaming god?
"Just average, world's third," Ren Suo said with a casual smile. When it ca to playing these competitive gas that focused on individual heroism, among Earthlings, only You Jiu and Angel Zack could possibly defeat him; no matter how skilled anyone else was, they would be suppressed by his unfathomable thinking speed and reaction speed.
"You got reported, so let's switch to another ga!" Ren Xingi said excitedly, opening sbeam. "Another Battle Royale ga was just launched! Each character has different skills, and you haven't played it, Bro!"
So, throughout the afternoon, Ren Suo accompanied Ren Xingi in playing various new online gas, switching to the next one whenever he got reported and banned. Occasionally, it wasn't just Ren Suo getting reported; his sister, who used her Ti Spell to pull off all sorts of bizarre and flashy moves, also beca a frequent target for reports.
Ti flew by quickly. By five in the afternoon, Ren Xingi stretched lazily, massaged her neck, and said, "Ti's up, Bro. You need to hurry to the next one, or the next lady will be very angry, you know."
Ren Suo looked at his sister. "Our date was just coming to an internet cafe to play gas?"
"What else?" his sister retorted. "Could there be a more interesting date than this?"
Based on Ren Suo's past preferences, indeed, that was the case.
Ren Suo laughed. "It's rare for us siblings to go out together. I thought you might have more places you'd like to visit with , more things you'd like to do together."
His sister raised an eyebrow slightly. "I suspect you're teasing , but I have no proof."
Ren Suo smiled without saying a word. His sister put down her headset and looked at the 27-inch large screen. "This is the place I want to go with you, the thing I want to do with you."
"Brother, you've gone through my mories before, but you wouldn't think... I play gas just to please you, or dress this way just to be close to you, would you?" His sister said with a smile, "Being too self-conscious isn't good, you know."
Without waiting for Ren Suo to reply, she continued, "Of course, you're part of the reason, but just a part, not more than 50%... definitely not more than 51%."
"And the other reason, naturally, is that I like it myself."
"I like dressing up beautifully, looking elegant and charming like a little fairy, but I also love dominating in gas, swearing and raging at incompetent teammates."
"I'll wear cool, practical clothes and flirt with girls like a handso guy, but I'll also have monts where my girly side erges, and I'll buy cute things by the caseload, filling my dorm with dolls."
His sister looked at Ren Suo, a familiar playful expression on her familiar face. "I'm your sister, Ren Xingi."
"We're an ill-fated pair, entangled since childhood, an inseparable family."
"Everything you like, I like as well."
She placed her hand on the keyboard, her finger hopping from key to key as if performing a one-finger technique. "At first, I might have played gas just to keep you company, but not anymore."
"Now, I want to play gas, and I need your company."
She chuckled. "You've completely corrupted ; I've beco an irredeemable gar girl."
"Maybe when I grow up, get a job, and beco so busy that I'll be too lazy to even shower when I get ho and just flop into bed. But as soon as I have free ti and want to play gas, I'll think of you first and ask you to team up and fight together in virtual worlds."
"Because this is the battlefield we've been familiar with since childhood."
"No matter what happens, Bro, you'll always be my permanent teammate."
His sister turned her head aside, repeating, "No matter what happens."
Her voice trembled slightly.
Unlike Dong Chengling, who could express her feelings straightforwardly, Ren Xingi, with her tomboyish deanor, was neither willful nor direct. On the contrary, like Ren Suo, she too suffered from procrastination. Even when she was prepared to elope, she didn't dare speak her true feelings, procrastinating and planning to wait until Ren Suo was disqualified from the Human World before making a move. But even Dong Chengling could sense the change in Ren Suo, and naturally, Ren Xingi, who had known Ren Suo since childhood, was the one who felt this change most profoundly. She also sensed a slight change in Ren Suo's feelings for her—less like passionate lovers with ups and downs, and more like calm, steady siblings. Her conclusion was the sa as Dong Chengling's: Ren Suo had found true love. That's why he had changed his attitude, planning to treat her as he used to treat his sister. Actually, there was no difference from before; she had always been Ren Suo's sister. If it hadn't been for Didra, if Ren Suo hadn't had to pretend to be her, if one of them truly hadn't been the 'free gift with a phone top-up' child, perhaps their relationship in this life would have remained strictly that of siblings. Then Ren Suo would marry another woman, have children, and move towards happiness. That would be normal; that would be reality. She had been prepared for such an ending before, and those assets saved up for elopent could actually beco Ren Suo's wedding gift fund—for soone like Ren Suo, if he didn't want to mooch off his parents, finding a wife would be quite a challenge. It was just like waking from a dream; a wanderer shouldn't continue chasing illusions. However, however. She was unwilling to give up, and she wasn't ready to let go.
Taking a deep breath, his sister turned to look at Ren Suo, only to find him extending his little finger towards her.
She was montarily confused—was this a mocking gesture?
"It's a promise," Ren Suo said earnestly, wiggling his little finger.
Ren Xingi finally understood Ren Suo's intention and extended her little finger to link with his.
Ren Suo said, "No matter what happens."
His sister repeated, "No matter what happens."
In the internet cafe, amid the flashes of light from blades and the sound of gunshots, under the watchful eyes of single players, Ren Suo solemnly said,
"Whether it's a winning streak or a losing battle."
"Whether it's a winning streak or a losing battle," his sister echoed.
"Whether we're cursed with bad luck or blessed by fortune."
"Whether we're cursed with bad luck or blessed by fortune."
"Whether it's a ga update or a server shutdown."
"Whether it's a ga update or a server shutdown."
"We are each other's lifelong teammates."
"We are each other's lifelong teammates."
"Only permanent account deletion can separate us."
"Only permanent account deletion can separate us."
"Pinky swear, cross your heart, for a lifeti, never change."
His sister wiped away the tears trickling from the corners of her eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Pinky swear, cross your heart, for a lifeti, never change."
Applause erupted. All the single onlookers witnessing this public display of affection couldn't help but clap and bless them.
This scene would forever be etched in the hearts of all the players who witnessed it, becoming an indelible urban legend, an endlessly reposted internet .
Once, there was a man who, without a ring, a priest, or a ceremony, pledged a lifeti vow to a girl in an internet cafe, using vows unique to them as players.
「...」
5:32 PM.
Ren Suo arrived at Exit B of the Lianjiang Tower tro Station. He walked along the subway tunnel and soon saw his third date.
Perhaps it was an aura-sensing unique to Fourth-Stage Cultivators; Qiao Muyi, who was playing on her phone, suddenly looked up, saw him, and crooked her finger, beckoning him over.
As soon as Ren Suo approached, Qiao Muyi spoke in a girlfriend-like tone, "You're late."
Ren Suo pulled out a red rose from behind his back. "Does this make it okay?"
Qiao Muyi tilted her head, glanced at him, took the rose with a soft "Hmm," and asked, "Where did you learn such a pick-up line?"
Ren Suo smiled faintly. "To prevent my beautiful girlfriend from running away, of course."
Qiao Muyi snorted. "Just one rose? I suspect you're looking down on , Young Master Mu."
"We'll take it slow. Next ti, two roses, and the third ti..."
Qiao Muyi interrupted, "Four roses."
Ren Suo blinked. "At that rate, I'd go bankrupt after just a few dates."
"You could also date those girls who don't require you to go bankrupt," Qiao Muyi said sourly.
Ren Suo laughed. "Then after I go bankrupt, can the roses I owe be put on a tab, and I'll repay you in the next life?"
Qiao Muyi hmphed, seemingly accepting Ren Suo's belated gift.
Then she took out two red booklets and waved them at Ren Suo.
One had Qiao Muyi's na and photo; the other had Ren Suo's na and photo.
They were their passports.
"These are our passports, both with Flourishing Sakura visas already processed."
Qiao Muyi raised her phone, which displayed an order confirmation.
"These are two plane tickets from Lianjiang direct to Tokyo. I've already booked them."
Qiao Muyi held the passports in her right hand and the phone in her left, her fox-like eyes shimring with affection.
"You want a partner who will be undyingly loyal, accompany you through the sea of suffering, and even accept your debts in the next life? I'll give you one."
"As for , I want you. Will you co with or not?"
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