Chapter 56: When the Iron Tree Finally Blossoms
Chi Zhen had never expected there to be a day when the Little Vegetable Guild would be this lively. All eight guild members stood in front of the guild hall, touring it like tourists—looking around, commenting, and marveling at everything they saw.
When the guild was first founded, the Guild’s Sanctuary had contained nothing more than a tiny meeting hall. Calling it "rustic" would have been generous; calling it a bare shell was more accurate. It could barely squeeze in ten people. Inside were only a few chairs and a table. Otherwise, it was completely empty.
The farmland and the buildings in the Guild's Sanctuary were upgraded separately. Chi Zhen had always focused solely on the farmland and ignored everything else. As everyone ran back and forth through the instance, they'd passed the meeting hall countless times without paying much attention to the building that looked no different from an ordinary cottage.
But today, after logging in, they found it completely transformed. The shabby shack had become a proper two-story pavilion. Stepping inside, they discovered the interior had expanded several times over. A plaque now hung above the entrance, paintings and calligraphy decorated the walls, and an NPC stood inside. Sha Polang clicked on the NPC and exclaimed excitedly, "Wow! Master! Second Master! This NPC sells equipment! Can I buy some?"
Wei Yu Ning Qiu had been sitting silently in the YY voice channel all afternoon. Only after Sha Polang addressed her did she finally speak in her usual cool tone. "What good equipment could a guild NPC possibly sell? Dungeon drops are better."
Qian Yu nodded in agreement. "The equipment from dungeons is better. Didn't you buy a dungeon carry yesterday?"
A dungeon carry referred to a player paying an established raid group to take them through a dungeon. After paying, the buyer didn't need to contribute at all. Every piece of equipment for their class that dropped during the raid—except Divine Artifact weapons—belonged exclusively to the buyer. Any equipment for other classes was auctioned off among the raid members, with the proceeds divided equally as payment for carrying the run.
For a thirty-player raid, buying a carry cost around 200,000 spirit stones, making it extremely expensive.
And even then, it wasn't guaranteed. Paying the fee didn't guarantee good drops. An unlucky player might spend 200,000 spirit stones and come away with nothing but a few worthless miscellaneous pieces. A lucky player, on the other hand, could finish gearing up in a single run.
Most new players could never afford to gamble 200,000 spirit stones on random loot. Normally, a player's progression looked like this: First, diligently complete daily quests to earn contribution points and exchange them for equipment sold by the guild NPC. Once you had a decent starter set, move on to five-player dungeons for Spirit Artifact gear. After completing that set, challenge ten-player raids. Then, once properly geared, tackle thirty-player raids, whose Immortal Artifact equipment represented the best gear available in the current version.
For PvE players, obtaining a full set from the thirty-player raid essentially meant graduating from endgame progression. After that, only enhancing equipment and obtaining a Divine Artifact weapon remained.
So when Wei Yu Ning Qiu immediately paid to carry Sha Polang through a thirty-player raid, it had been an incredibly extravagant gesture.
With average luck, Sha Polang should have replaced most of his equipment, if not finished gearing entirely. Even random leftover pieces from a thirty-player raid were superior to anything a freshly max-level character could normally obtain.
Unexpectedly, after hearing Qian Yu's question...Sha Polang fell silent.
So did Wei Yu Ning Qiu.
Sister Gou, who was standing beside Sha Polang, clicked to inspect his equipment. She, too, fell silent.
Qian Yu inspected his gear as well and shouted over YY in disbelief, "Sha Polang... why is the only Spirit Artifact piece you're wearing a pair of pants? Don't tell me your entire carry yesterday only got you one pair of pants?!"
The entire Little Vegetable Guild went silent.
Even the livestream chat paused for a full three seconds.
Then Sha Polang suddenly perked up. "Besides the pants, I also got a necklace! Thank you, Second Master, for buying me the carry! I learned so much yesterday! Next time I go, I'll definitely be able to clear the raid myself!"
Two hundred thousand spirit stones...for one pair of pants and a single accessory. His luck had truly been catastrophically bad.
No wonder Wei Yu Ning Qiu had gone quiet.
Just yesterday, after seeing the Little Vegetable Guild grinding through daily quests looking exhausted, she'd mocked them for wasting time on "pointless dailies" before proudly taking Sha Polang off to buy a raid carry instead.
[Awkward... unbelievably awkward.]
[Yesterday she was showing off. Today she's eating humble pie.]
[Sha Polang, how can your luck be this awful?!]
Then Qing Ning's gentle voice came over YY. "Take another look at what the guild NPC sells. Buy whichever pieces you can use first. I remember the bracers are pretty good, and you can get the belt too. As for chest armor and things like that, you can just farm five-player dungeons first. No need to spend contribution points on those yet."
Sha Polang checked the shop. "I don't have enough contribution points. I'll save up some more."
"I'll buy them for you," Qing Ning said. "Let's complete the master-disciple ceremony first."
Equipment purchased with contribution points couldn't normally be traded. The only exception was between a master and disciple. Masters could gift such equipment directly to their disciples.
However, the two players first had to formally establish the master-disciple relationship.
Sha Polang looked ready to burst into tears. "Thank you, Master! You masters are such wonderful people! Taking me on raid carries, buying me equipment... Master! Second Master! Your disciple will definitely repay your kindness and honor you both!"
After his heartfelt declaration, he practically dragged Wei Yu Ning Qiu along as the three of them flew back to the main city to complete the apprenticeship ceremony.
The livestream chat exploded with laughter.
[Sha Polang, you're an absolute legend!]
[This is the first time in my life I've ever heard someone call Wei Yu Ning Qiu 'such a wonderful person.' I'm dying!]
[Even Wei Yu Ning Qiu doesn't know how to respond anymore.]
[Xiao Chi: Wei Yu’s a good person? ...Thanks, Sha Polang. Finding you really was my greatest blessing.]
After finishing their tour of the upgraded Guild's Sanctuary, everyone split up to do their daily activities.
Chi Zhen turned to Wujin Shi. "Want to head to Mount Guguan and hunt Zhēng?"
Wujin Shi readily agreed.
The others prepared to take Sha Polang through five-player dungeons. Qingtian Wai even asked whether they needed any help. Wujin Shi replied, "Brother Xiao Chi is plenty fierce. He can carry me through it all by himself."
Qingtian Wai was speechless. "You say that like you've already managed to lure Zhēng out."
Wujin Shi replied, "Have faith in Brother Xiao Chi."
Chi Zhen and Wujin Shi teleported directly to Mount Guguan.
This time, the mountain was blessed with clear skies, making the climb much easier. Before long, they reached the summit one after the other. Chi Zhen first took out his water flask to collect snow, then lit a campfire and began roasting meat to lure out Zhēng.
Seeing the flask, Wujin Shi asked, "Has that Unknown Seed still not grown into anything?"
"Not yet," Chi Zhen answered. "It's grown quite a few leaves."
Wujin Shi: "I wonder what it'll turn into."
Chi Zhen tried his best to keep the conversation going. "Yeah... probably some kind of material. Hopefully a rare one."
Wujin Shi crossed his legs and sat down beside the campfire, looking as though he intended to chat for a while. "Speaking of materials... thanks, Xiao Chi."
"Ah... it was nothing..."
In the game, Qingzhou Yiguo lowered his head and quietly tended the campfire, occasionally turning the meat and sprinkling on seasoning.
The others had gone off to run dungeons. Qingtian Wai had already moved everyone into another voice channel. Only Chi Zhen and Wujin Shi remained in this one.
It was very quiet. The only sound was the crackling of the campfire.
Chi Zhen had long since turned off the game's background music so he could hear nearby sounds more clearly.
Against the endless white snowfield, there was only the flickering red fire...one figure dressed in black...and one in muted gray-green.
[Okay, okay... so this is a date now?]
[First time I've ever thought Mount Guguan looked this romantic. The snowy scenery is gorgeous.]
[Wait, why aren't you two talking? Why is the atmosphere this intimate?]
[This is talking! Back when he was in Way of Heaven, the only time Wujin Shi spoke this much was when he was leading raids or battlefields.]
[I'm screenshotting this! Screenshot, screenshot, screenshot!]
[Any artists out there? Please feed us! I desperately want to see the tall Sword Cultivator holding the Spirit Cultivator in his arms! That height difference! I'll starve without this fanart!】
After remaining idle for a while, the Sword Cultivator entered his idle animation. He rested one hand against his cheek while casually draping the other over his knee, his body swaying ever so slightly as he quietly watched the young Spirit Cultivator sitting across the fire.
Chi Zhen felt as though he had merged with Qingzhou Yiguo himself. His own head kept lowering lower and lower. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself in the snow.
Wujin Shi let out a soft chuckle.
[WAIT! Wujin Shi, what are you laughing at?!]
[Xiao Chi, the tips of your ears are red!]
[I can't take this. Wujin Shi is such a flirt. He hasn't even said anything, and Xiao Chi's already flustered!]
[Our poor Xiao Chi is at such a disadvantage! He's streaming with a facecam. He can't see Wujin Shi, but Wujin Shi can see him!]
[If I were Wujin Shi and saw such a handsome husband, I'd be secretly smiling too.]
"Oh, right," Wujin Shi suddenly said. "The package was shipped this evening. It should arrive the day after tomorrow."
Chi Zhen could feel his face heating up.
Don't say that. Not during the stream. The viewers were definitely going to ask questions. They were definitely going to start teasing him. The chat already loved making outrageous jokes. If they found out Wujin Shi had mailed him something in real life, there was no telling what ridiculous conclusions they'd jump to.
Chi Zhen didn't even dare glance at his chat overlay anymore. Out of the corner of his eye, he could only see messages flying by at lightning speed.
All he could manage was a quiet, "Thank you."
Unexpectedly, Wujin Shi started acting like the stream's substitute host again. "What did I send? You'll find out the day after tomorrow. His address? I asked Xiao Chi for it. Thanks to 'Xiao Chi Please Date Me Online' for the Fruit Bomb. Thank you. Are we in the same city? No. Otherwise the package would've arrived tomorrow, right?"
"We're in different cities, but they're not too far apart."
"Thanks to 'Happy Little Kitty' for the Fruit Bomb."
"Thanks to 'Orange Ice' for the Fruit Bomb."
"Thanks to 'Endless and Chi Chi Are Real' for the Fruit Bomb."
After reading off a long string of donations, Wujin Shi sighed with amusement. "So many gifts today? Oh? Because you all got your CP fix? You bosses are really generous."
Chi Zhen: "..."
He didn't even need to look. He already knew the chat had completely lost its mind.
Just as Chi Zhen was becoming so flustered that he could barely face the camera anymore… Zhēng finally appeared.
He immediately made Qingzhou Yiguo stand up. Wujin Shi said, "Let's stop chatting for now." Everyone, Brother Xiao Chi's taking me to hunt Zhēng."
By now, the two of them were thoroughly practiced at fighting Zhēng together. Their coordination was flawless. Neither even needed to call out mechanics anymore. The stream suddenly became quiet. Only the sounds of the Sword Cultivator's and Spirit Cultivator's skills echoed across the snowy mountain, accompanied by Zhēng’s furious roars.
[So intimate... this is seriously way too intimate.]
[They're dating, right? They have to be dating.]
[When did the plot advance to the point where Xiao Chi gave Wujin Shi his real-life address?!]
[Uh... Xiao Chi should still be careful about protecting his personal information. Shipping the CP in-game is one thing, but who knows what Wujin Shi is actually like in real life...?]
[Why are some of you worrying so much? Xiao Chi's a guy. You've all gone completely crazy shipping this CP. They're just good friends. Not every male friendship has to be gay.]
[They've only known each other for such a short time. Xiao Chi's already giving Wujin Shi rare materials in-game, and Wujin Shi's mailing him gifts in real life. I genuinely don't know what to make of this.]
"What gift?!" Qingtian Wai's loud, astonished voice suddenly exploded through YY. "What gift?! What do you mean, real life?! Wujin Shi? Are you saying Wujin Shi mailed Xiao Chi a gift?!"
Not only Chi Zhen and Wujin Shi— Even the viewers were stunned by Qingtian Wai's booming voice.
Was this really worth reacting to that dramatically?
"My god!" Qingtian Wai blurted out in utter shock, idioms pouring out one after another. "A dead tree blooming again! An iron tree finally flowering!"
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