Chapter 39: One Healer Short
The chat was flooded with "666" and "He's so in love." Chi Zhen pretended not to see any of it. He knew Endless Time normally didn't watch his streams unless there was a reason.
As long as that loudmouth Blue Sky Beyond wasn't around, nothing unbearably embarrassing was likely to happen.
[When did you two secretly go on your romantic date behind our backs?!]
[Are you even a qualified streamer anymore?!]
Quietly turning on his mic, Xiao Chi said, "I'm a gaming streamer. I stream games. Don't make stuff up."
[Aren't you actually streaming an online romance? I've been following this for a month already. Summer vacation's here—can't the plot finally move forward? Huh?]
[What? Was my Fruit Bomb donation not loud enough? Here, have another one.]
By streaming convention, the broadcaster was supposed to read out every donor's username to thank them—especially for a Fruit Bomb, which cost one hundred yuan. It wasn't a small gift.
The problem was...
Xiao Chi's brain froze.
The viewer who'd sent the Fruit Bomb was named "Endless Chi Chi Comes Late." Something about reading that name aloud felt... wrong.
[Why aren't you thanking the donor by name? Getting too full of yourself now? Hm?]
[Forget it. Looking at that handsome face, I can't even bring myself to scold him~]
[Friend] Endless Time: Get on YY.
The moment Xiao Chi joined Little Veggie Guild's YY voice channel, Endless Time spoke first. "Brother Xiao Chi, sorry about yesterday. Overtime kept me busy until midnight."
"It's okay," Xiao Chi replied hurriedly.
He knew Endless Time calling him Brother Xiao Chi was just teasing him, but he never knew how to respond whenever Endless Time joked around like that. He fumbled awkwardly, unable to think of anything to say.
[Such a scheming Endless Time. A working adult calling a college kid 'Brother—what are you plotting?]
[Stop teasing our adorable Baby Xiao Chi!]
[Every time Endless Time speaks, it's only a few words, but somehow it always feels like he's deliberately teasing Xiao Chi…]
[Endless Time, I misjudged you! You were so aloof over in Way of Heaven!]
"I've got something I want to tell you," Endless Time said, his tone suddenly serious.
Ever since logging in, Xiao Chi's character had remained standing exactly where he'd spawned. All his attention was on listening to Endless Time.
[HOLY SHIT! HE'S GOING TO CONFESS!]
['I've got something I want to tell you.' Please become my cultivation partner. #doge]
['I've got something I want to tell you.' Actually... I'm not straight. #doge]
Xiao Chi wasn't even looking at chat anymore. He waited intently for Endless Time to continue. Instead— He heard a quiet laugh. The low chuckle sent a pleasant numbness through his ears, leaving him utterly confused.
Endless Time said, "Brother Xiao Chi, your viewers are hilarious."
Xiao Chi: "..."
The stream exploded. To be fair, Xiao Chi's chat had been lively almost every day over the past month. He'd practically gotten used to it.
But this time… He was genuinely stunned.
The messages flew by so fast that he couldn't even read them.
Most were people "sending wedding gifts" and spamming 666. The rest were all jokes about shipping the two of them.
Xiao Chi suddenly wanted to end the stream. Ban everyone. Delete every comment. A hundred thoughts flashed through his mind. Instead, he simply stood there frozen, his brain completely blank.
Meanwhile— Endless Time actually started responding to the chat one message at a time.
"'Why are you lurking in the stream?' Because it's fun," he answered calmly, sounding so natural it was as though he were the streamer. "I watch streams sometimes too. Gaming streams."
"'What kind of streamers do you like?' Skilled ones. People like Brother Xiao Chi."
"'Do you think Xiao Chi is handsome?' Very handsome. Do you even need to ask?"
"'Do you mind viewers shipping you two?' Not at all." His voice was low, carrying the hint of a smile. "Brother Xiao Chi is so handsome. It's my honor to be shipped with him."
[Classy! That's the server's number one player for you!]
[No wonder he's an older guy. He totally understands internet trolls. Xiao Chi, learn from him! Just let the jokes go in one ear and out the other. You don't have to care at all.]
[No, Endless Time, you're acting so weird! You were never like this in Way of Heaven. You talked less in an entire year there than you've talked to Xiao Chi in just one month. #LOL]
Endless Time even thanked the donors on Xiao Chi's behalf without the slightest hesitation. "Thanks to 'Endless Chi Chi Comes Late' for the Fruit Bomb. Thank you. Very generous, boss."
After the stream settled down a little, Endless Time finally returned to what he'd originally wanted to say.
"I want to put together a team for the new season's Quest for the Azure Heavens Tournament," he said. Right now we've got Blue Sky Beyond, Thousand Feathers, and me. Brother Xiao Chi... would you like to join us?"
The Quest for the Azure Heavens Tournament began every year during the July summer vacation and lasted for over three months, ending in October.
Players formed their own five-person teams and registered in-game when the season opened. Matches were held every weekend. Winning teams advanced to the following week's matches and continued climbing the bracket. Teams could replace no more than two members during the season; exceeding that limit was treated as disbanding the team.
Judging by the calendar, anyone planning to compete would already be looking for teammates around this time.
For top players aiming to make a deep run or compete for the championship, they would even begin practicing together and developing strategies well before the tournament started.
Of course Xiao Chi knew about the Quest for the Azure Heavens Tournament. He'd just never participated in it before. No one had ever invited him. To be honest, ever since he started playing Quest for the Azure Heavens, he'd always been a casual player. Most of his time was spent on life skills and leisurely content, with the occasional dungeon or battlefield. He wasn't a dedicated PvP player at all.
Caught completely off guard, Xiao Chi said, "Me? But... I don't really play PvP that much. I'm worried I won't do well..."
Last year, Endless Time had assembled a powerhouse team in Way of Heaven and ultimately finished fourth on the entire server. A team formed by Endless Time obviously wasn't just for fun. Xiao Chi was afraid he'd hold everyone back.
Endless Time replied, "You're already this amazing without even playing much PvP. Brother Xiao Chi, you're really good."
The compliment made Xiao Chi blush. Still worried, he added, "Spirit Cultivators don't really seem suited for PvP... Our skills don't do much damage..."
Endless Time answered immediately. "This season, I specifically wanted to find a Spirit Cultivator for the team and try a new strategy. I think the class has tremendous potential in PvP. It can definitely do things other classes simply can't. I don't agree with what most people think—that Spirit Cultivators are only suitable for casual players."
Xiao Chi agreed almost immediately.
Honestly… No player would turn down an invitation from Endless Time. Unless they knew absolutely nothing about Quest for the Azure Heavens.
[Damn... Endless Time got so serious that I don't even feel like joking anymore.]
[Seriously though, he's incredibly earnest when it comes to games.]
[He's always been like that. Back in Path of Heaven, he cared only about playing the game. He never got along particularly well with the guild leadership…]
[Heh. Big guilds don't play games—they play vanity and teenage power fantasies. No wonder Endless Time got sick of it and quit Way of Heaven, saying it wasn't fun anymore.]
[Wait, is nobody noticing they're still missing a healer???]
Seeing the comment, Xiao Chi asked, "What about a healer? Lime?"
Little Veggie Guild only had one healer: Lime.
Endless Time shook his head. "Lime doesn't play PvP."
"Oh..."
"I'm still looking for a healer," Endless Time continued. "Originally, I wanted Misty Autumn Rain, but she causes way too much drama. So I'm not considering her for now."
Xiao Chi's eyes widened.
The viewers immediately became excited again.
Apparently unaware that he'd just dropped a bombshell, Endless Time continued explaining matter-of-factly. "Misty Autumn Rain’s mechanics are good, her game sense is solid, and her schedule works with ours. She was actually the first player I finalized for the team."
[Too bad she confessed to you afterward. What a soap opera. #LOL]
[Why are you bringing up Misty Autumn Rain in front of Xiao Chi, your current partner?! Hmph!]
[Misty Autumn Rain definitely teaming up with Cold Sword Shadow now. They'll ride off into the sunset together.]
"I've been searching for a healer this whole time," Endless Time said. "Once Blue Sky Beyond and Thousand Feathers get online, the four of us can discuss it. hey probably won't be on until tonight."
He paused before adding, "Brother Xiao Chi, we've never played battlefields together before. Carry me for a few rounds?"
At some point, the Sword Cultivator carrying the black Kunwu Blade had walked over until he was standing directly in front of Light Boat Has Passed.
The tall young man dressed entirely in black faced the Spirit Cultivator, as though he had actually leaned down slightly and whispered into his ear, "Carry me for a few rounds."
Xiao Chi's hand slipped on the mouse. The Spirit Cultivator stumbled forward several steps— Looking for all the world as though he had thrown himself straight into the black-clad young man's embrace.
[HOLY SHIT! Are you two filming a romance drama?!]
[You're literally livestreaming your online romance??? My face is actually turning red.]
[You've truly mastered the art of turning Quest for the Azure Heavens into Love Story for the Azure Heavens.]
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