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 Wujin Shi normally didn't watch his streams unless there was a reason.
As long as that loudmouth Qingtian Wai 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 "Wujin Chichi Lai." 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] Wujin Shi: Get on YY.
The moment Xiao Chi joined Xiao Cai Guild's YY voice channel, Wujin Shi spoke first. "Xiao Chi-ge, sorry about yesterday. Overtime kept me busy until midnight."
"It's okay," Xiao Chi replied hurriedly.
He knew Wujin Shi calling him Xiao Chi-ge was just teasing him, but he never knew how to respond whenever Wujin Shi joked around like that. He fumbled awkwardly, unable to think of anything to say.
[Such a scheming Wujin Shi. A working adult calling a college kid 'ge—what are you plotting?]
[Stop teasing our adorable Baby Xiao Chi!]
[Every time Wujin Shi speaks, it's only a few words, but somehow it always feels like he's deliberately teasing Xiao Chi…]
[Wujin Shi, I misjudged you! You were so aloof over in Way of Heaven!]
"I've got something I want to tell you," Wujin Shi 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 Wujin Shi.
[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 Wujin Shi to continue. Instead— He heard a quiet laugh. The low chuckle sent a pleasant numbness through his ears, leaving him utterly confused.
Wujin Shi said, "Xiao Chi-ge, 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— Wujin Shi 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 Xiao Chi-ge."
"'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. "Xiao Chi-ge 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, Wujin Shi, 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]
Wujin Shi even thanked the donors on Xiao Chi's behalf without the slightest hesitation. "Thanks to 'Wujin Chichi Lai' for the Fruit Bomb. Thank you. Very generous, boss."
After the stream settled down a little, Wujin Shi finally returned to what he'd originally wanted to say.
"I want to put together a team for the new season's Wendao Tournament," he said. Right now we've got Qingtian Wai, Qian Yu, and me. Xiao Chi-ge... would you like to join us?"
Wendao 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 Wendao Tournament. He'd just never participated in it before. No one had ever invited him. To be honest, ever since he started playing Wendao Qingtian, 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, Wujin Shi had assembled a powerhouse team in Way of Heaven and ultimately finished fourth on the entire server. A team formed by Wujin Shi obviously wasn't just for fun. Xiao Chi was afraid he'd hold everyone back.
Wujin Shi replied, "You're already this amazing without even playing much PvP. Xiao Chi-ge, 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..."
Wujin Shi 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 Wujin Shi. Unless they knew absolutely nothing about Wendao Qingtian.
[Damn... Wujin Shi 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 Way 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 Wujin Shi 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? Qing Ning?"
Xiao Cai Guild only had one healer: Qing Ning.
Wujin Shi shook his head. "Qing Ning doesn't play PvP."
"Oh..."
"I'm still looking for a healer," Wujin Shi continued. "Originally, I wanted Wei Yu Ning Qiu, 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, Wujin Shi continued explaining matter-of-factly. "Wei Yu Ning Qiu’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 Wei Yu Ning Qiu in front of Xiao Chi, your current partner?! Hmph!]
[Wei Yu Ning Qiu definitely teaming up with Han Jian Ying now. They'll ride off into the sunset together.]
"I've been searching for a healer this whole time," Wujin Shi said. "Once Qingtian Wai and Qian Yu get online, the four of us can discuss it. hey probably won't be on until tonight."
He paused before adding, "Xiao Chi-ge, we've never played battlefields together before. Carry me for a few rounds?"
At some point, the Blade Cultivator carrying the black Kunwu Blade had walked over until he was standing directly in front of Qingzhou Yiguo.
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 Wendao Qingtian into 'Wen Dao Qing Tian'.]
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