Which way to go is the road?

To everyone else, Lao You and Zhang Chu's relationship remains ambiguous. Their romance hasn't officially started, but it hasn't ended either! They just continue to get along as before, maintaining a delicate balance—neither too close nor too distant.

Unable to suppress his doubts, Du Xinpeng asked, "Did you two actually get together?"

"No!"

"Huh? So Zhang Chu rejected you?"

"No!"

"So what's your relationship now?"

"friend!"

"What kind of friend? You're not just a backup option, are you? Sigh, I mean..."

"Get lost, your mouth is really annoying. What kind of friend do you care about?"

……

No one asked Lao You any more questions, wanting to make a fool of themselves. They just secretly observed the two friends. After a while, they got bored and let it go, no longer curious.

Lao You's weight loss plan continued without fail; her daily morning run remained a regular routine, and she ate at most a bowl of porridge for dinner. A week later, Lao You announced that she had lost 5 pounds, but everyone acted as if they hadn't heard, busy with their own affairs as if it were none of their business. Come to think of it, seeing someone every day, if a big, overweight person loses five pounds, who would notice, who would care!

With Lao You's matter settled, everyone turned their energy and interest back to games.

The new server has been open for almost three months, and a lot of magical artifacts and divine beasts have been released. Players' levels are slowly rising, and they're no longer content to stay put, seeking fun beyond leveling up. Grudges and rivalries are inevitable, and there are many ways to start a feud: stealing resources, verbal battles, trade disputes… But the most despicable of all is those who go looking for trouble, using "killing incense" (a PvP-specific item) to kill people in the experience zone for fun.

Bai Xue and Xiang Fei encountered this shameless gang. Without a word, the entire group, having consumed some kind of murderous incense, directly targeted their victims. Bai Xue, Xiang Fei, Zhang Chu, Zhang Fang, and Xiangzi all met their demise under the enemy's blade. Even in their dying moments, they saw a mocking expression appear above their attackers' heads, truly embodying the saying—"I'll kill you and then piss on your grave!"

"What should we do? Go and kill them all?" Zhang Fang asked in a low voice, his eyes gloomy, as he blew on the hair in front of his forehead.

"The difference is too great. The opponent is a full agility team, with each person having at least three divine weapons. Their firepower is also strong. We'll be wiped out as soon as they make a move! There's absolutely no hope of winning!" Before Xiang Fei could reply, Bai Xue said helplessly, pouting.

"We can't just let them bully us like this, you bastards! We didn't even offend them, and they just come at us like that! Killing someone is one thing, but then they make sarcastic remarks too. I can't swallow this! Zhang Fang, do you have any ideas?"

Even with his good temper and ability to tolerate losing face in front of his girlfriend, Xiang Fei couldn't get over it and was filled with rage!

"Xiangzi, Zhang Chu, you two leave the team. I'll call Sister Luomei over, and Tian Hai too. That way, each of us will have an average of one divine weapon. Let's give it a shot!" Zhang Fang thought for a moment and said, biting his lip.

"I'm afraid we still can't win this way. If we want to beat them, we'll have to put in some effort!" Bai Xue frowned, staring at the attributes of her character on the computer screen.

"What are they thinking? Can they even beat them?" Xiang Fei hadn't played the game long enough to understand its intricacies.

"Put all the attribute points into Constitution. Aren't they an agility-based team? Let's create a tanky team and wear them down. As long as they can't wipe us out in the first round, their doom is nigh!" Bai Xue explained.

Soon after, Qian Luomei and Tian Hai's characters also joined the group. They teamed up to reset their attributes, adjusted their equipment and pets, and then marched in a large group to the place where they had ambushed the passersby.

They arrived a bit early, having just attacked a team. However, it seemed they had met a tough opponent. Ten rounds passed without a clear winner, and the opponent suffered from being unprepared. In the eleventh round, they were all wiped out and went to meet Xiaobai.

Zhang Fang led his team, having already consumed the "killing incense" early on. The moment the enemy team's PK battle ended, he activated it! Immediately, the battle screen appeared, and the enemy team members were stunned, cursing their captain.

"Who told you to click that? Didn't you see everyone's health and mana aren't maxed out?"

"Exactly, what if we run into a tough opponent like last time? That would be troublesome!"

"I didn't order; they ordered it from us!"

"You've come prepared! Female demon, stop drawing blood and start calculating stat increases!"

Presumably to make it easier to send sarcastic emojis, every word they said in the current channel was seen by Xiang Fei and his group.

"This is it! The female demon was draining our life force with a percentage-based reduction in magic, and then our firepower followed up with damage. We might not have been able to hold on! Since they think so highly of us, let's not let them down!"

Bai Xue's words gave the whole team a shot of adrenaline. Even Qian Luomei, who was 30 years old, was filled with enthusiasm at this moment.

"Bai Xue, you're in charge! Who gets healed, who gets mana restored, which pet to summon—just give the orders. Unity is key to success!"

Bai Xue did not refuse. She also believed that no one knew the game better than her. After all, she watched her brother play the game when it first came out, and later she herself became involved in it.

"Baby heals Sister Luomei, who then unleashes a powerful attack. Hopefully, her agility wasn't off!"

"Xiang Fei, don't call me Yan Ruyu yet, it's not the right time!"

"Tian Hai is casting a spell, a wind spell. I just saw that the wind spell does more damage than the lightning spell!"

……

Bai Xue's series of commands left Xiang Fei speechless and amazed. He had led teams in quests before, but he never knew being a team leader required so much thought. He had assumed it was just about running around the map. It seemed this game was more complex than he imagined, and Bai Xue was even more so.

For the first time, Xiang Fei saw madness in Bai Xue—a focused charm, a terrifying fervor, and an inexplicable excitement. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Xiang Fei inexplicably envied Bai Xue's state, just as Bai Xue had once envied her brother!

"Oh no! The opponent's low-agility pet revived the agile fairy!"

"Are you alright? She must have grabbed the man. I rushed over instantly, but he couldn't stand up. They still lost!"

"Besides, I still have 10 HP, so her damage shouldn't be that high!"

"It's not that simple!"

Just as Bai Xue said, the opposing team's Min Xian didn't revive anyone; instead, she directly cast a spell to deal damage, and a single critical hit wiped out all the living creatures standing on their side. Four for five, Xiang Fei and his team still lost!

"Damn it!" Bai Xue uttered the word "dirty" for the first time in front of Xiang Fei, and pushed the keyboard in front of her to close the game.

The others weren't in a good mood either. After all, they went there with the intention of revenge, but they died before their ambitions were fulfilled. They felt frustrated no matter how they thought about it, but there was nothing they could do!

One by one, they logged off the game early and left Shuiyunjian listlessly.

Qian Luomei wanted to say something to comfort everyone, but after thinking about her own experience in college, she smiled and remained silent. She greeted them and returned to her cozy little home.