Chapter 25: It Must Be Shen Gun, Right?

Yu Mi kept staring at that blessing message, but he didn’t dare to confirm it.

It shouldn’t be.

They were from opposing factions, how could Shen Gun possibly write a message for him?

Don’t overthink it, don’t overthink it, don’t, don’t…

Yu Mi repeated this mantra to himself for a long time, trying to calm down, but he just couldn’t.

“Hope Tian Nuo Nuo Hero has fun—in this Jianghu, and in this world.”

Such a gentle sentence, yet it hit him hard.

He really liked this blessing.

There wasn’t anything particularly special about it, but it just warmed his heart and made the corners of his mouth lift up.

Yu Mi tried to hold it in… but he couldn’t!

He took a screenshot and sent it to his sect’s group chat, asking if it was from his master or someone else.

Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun: “Not me, TUT. I’ll write one for you after work tonight!!”

Yu Mi quickly replied, “No need, no need! I just found this suddenly and was surprised. Master already cares for me a lot! No need to trouble yourself, just rest well after work.”

His senior sister also chimed in, “Not me, junior brother. @Tian Nuo Nuo, it must be someone who secretly likes you.”

Senior brother: “Not me, junior brother. I remember this event requires teaming up with someone, right? Who did you do it with?”

Yu Mi: “With Shen Gun. You guys weren’t online, so I did it with him.”

Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun: “Then it might be him. [Laughing and crying] What a coincidence that you found this lantern yourself?”

Yu Mi immediately denied it three times: “It can’t be him, we’re arch-enemies, how could he? He’d curse me rather than bless me.”

Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun: “Why don’t you just ask him directly?”

Yu Mi: “No way, if it’s not him, wouldn’t I be humiliating myself?”

He refused to ask Shen Gun no matter what.

Then Yu Mi opened his friend list, trying to find a kind-hearted person who might have sent him the blessing.

He looked through it… but still couldn’t figure out who it was.

Honestly, he had a good reputation, was polite in the game, and had a newbie buff, so he was usually well taken care of. Plus, he was famous for being single-killed by a healer, making him quite the spectacle in the server—no, more like a laughingstock. Although he made a lot of jokes, he also brought a lot of joy to everyone, and with his handsome face, it was normal for someone to secretly bless him.

He convinced himself of this, then returned to the game, carefully saving the screenshot of the stranger’s blessing, and went to class.

Because of this blessing, Yu Mi was in an exceptionally good mood, feeling like sunshine, unable to suppress his smile.

To say he fell in love with the anonymous hero because of this blessing would be an exaggeration, but he was genuinely happy! It made everything in the world seem so wonderful… He couldn’t help but greet the stray cats and dogs he met on the way with a “Hello!”

He didn’t ask his roommate Chen Ziming if he wrote the blessing because Chen Ziming wouldn’t do such a thing; he only took care of him in daily life.

After class, Yu Mi seriously drew what he experienced in the game today.

He drew the scene of Shen Gun taking him to do the public task, the huge Tianxiang tree covered in red ribbons, the lanterns filled with wishes, and the huge surprise he got at the end.

This time, he drew it to scale.

He labeled Shen Gun’s head with [Shen Gun].

[@Evil Popcorn: OMG, such a surprise, such a joy, so touched! Thank you, anonymous hero, for the blessing. I had a great time! TAT The teaching plan is so fun, I love this Jianghu! [Crying] Also, wish you happiness every day! May you have lots of hair and make lots of money!]

After a while, he went to check the comments, and everyone was saying it was Shen Gun who wrote it for him?

@Reliable Adult Li Laoshi: What anonymous hero? It must be Shen Gun who went with you! Ahhh! So sweet, why do I find this sentence sweeter than “I like you”? It’s really gentle, inexplicably touching [Tearful].

@Bala La: I cried, I also love reading everyone’s wishes there, often moved to tears QAQ, and there are so many daggers. Trust me, it’s definitely Shen Gun who wrote it! He secretly likes you!

@Ri Bai: If it’s not Shen Gun, I’ll eat instant noodles upside down!!

@I Will Have Cats: I understand, I understand! I was in a low point in life before, and I went to that big tree and read a lot of wishes. Later, I saw one written for me, and I burst into tears! I asked and found out it was my master who wrote it for me QAQ, I really cried to death! It really gave me a lot of energy, and I worked hard to get back on my feet. I’m really grateful to my master. This game is really warm.

@Spicy Hot Pot Addict: The drawing is so beautiful! [Sneaky smile] Are you two really arch-enemies? I’ve never seen such sweet enemies. It must be him, no doubt. He likes you. You two should talk, really.

Yu Mi was stunned, a bit shaken.

Could it really… be him?

No way.

He switched to QQ, opened Shen Gun’s chat, wanting to ask, but was too embarrassed.

If it wasn’t him, it would be really awkward!

Or maybe he could do this? Throw the screenshot over and say, “You wrote this, right? I just happened to find it, do you admire me that much?”

No, no, that’s too awkward.

Yu Mi deleted the words he typed, went back to Weibo, and continued reading the comments.

@23333: I bet in the name of the sect leader, it must be Shen Gun who wrote it for you. So the question is, who did you send your blessing to, Popcorn? If it’s not Shen Gun, then it’s really sad… [Pitiful]

Seeing this comment, Yu Mi suddenly felt deflated.

Ah, this…

His blessing wasn’t for Shen Gun, but for Qi You’an in real life.

It really wasn’t equal.

So let’s just forget it.

Or maybe next time the event starts, he could write one for Shen Gun? But if it wasn’t Shen Gun who wrote it this time, wouldn’t he be sticking his warm face to a cold butt?

No, no, no…

Yu Mi quickly dismissed the idea. Plus, he asked in the sect group, and this kind of public event only happens every few months.

Who knows what will happen in a few months, let’s see then.

He slowly calmed down.

Not long after, a fan artist retweeted his drawing, and more people saw the comic, all saying it was Shen Gun who wrote it.

Yu Mi’s calm heart was stirred again.

But this ripple was quickly pierced by a bunch of daggers.

He held his phone, reading everyone’s retweets and comments, many players shared their own wishes or unforgettable messages they saw, there were so many unresolved feelings, so many regrets… Yu Mi was almost blinded by the sadness.

While it was certainly something to be proud of that his drawing resonated with everyone, being tortured into a silly dog was not his intention!

He was just a newbie who hadn’t been playing this game for long, not a chopping board!

The pain, it was too much.

Yu Mi couldn’t quite recover, so he opened Douyin and went straight to Qi You’an’s homepage.

To look at his pecs… no! To look at the senior’s handsome face to calm down.

But when he opened Qi You’an’s latest video, many comments were saying they wanted to bite his pecs. It made him feel awkward… he wondered if the senior’s pecs were healed?

He wanted to show concern, but didn’t have the face to do so.

The medicine had already been sent, no need to mention anything else, to avoid awkwardness for both sides.

Yu Mi silently watched his homepage for half an hour.

—The medicine worked wonders.

Not long after, Chen Ziming returned from the gym, logged in to complete his dailies, and his game partner Haitang Si Ai Nüdi said she saw a multi-person screenshot tutorial online and wanted to invite him, Yu Mi, and Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun to take a group photo.

Chen Ziming turned to call Yu Mi.

Yu Mi was free anyway, so he joined the team.

Before they joined, Haitang Si Ai Nüdi and Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun had already started taking photos.

Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun said, “Disciple, I’ll summon you directly.”

Yu Mi: “Sure, sure.”

Master used the master-disciple system to pull him over.

As soon as Yu Mi landed, his headphones started ringing non-stop.

“Why are there so many red names?” He immediately shouted, “Master, did you summon me into a pile of red names?”

“Hahaha!” Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun knew his disciple would react like this and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t worry,” Chen Ziming said behind him, “You didn’t turn on faction mode, they can’t hit you, it’s fine.”

Haitang Si Ai Nüdi said, “This is the Qingyun Alliance’s trade route, Baling County, they pass through here with their escorts. Look at this field of rapeseed flowers, it’s so beautiful, the tutorial was taken here. Let’s take some photos here too.”

Yu Mi forced himself to calm down, looking around at the vast fields of rapeseed flowers, the bright yellow flowers swaying in the wind, indeed very beautiful.

Many Qingyun Alliance players were riding horses through the flower fields with their silver.

Escort missions are PVP dailies, so when doing this task, faction mode is forcibly turned on.

Yu Mi noticed that the “Who’s Watching Me” panel showed many people clicking on him, probably thinking they were there to rob the escort, worried they might suddenly attack.

In fact, he was more nervous than the people doing the escort!

He quickly typed in the nearby chat.

[Nearby Chat] Tian Nuo Nuo: Just here to enjoy the scenery, not robbing the escort. Stop clicking on me, the kid is scared. #Pitiful

“Pfft…” Chen Ziming laughed, “Saying that makes you sound more like you’re here to rob.”

Yu Mi: “Huh?”

Haitang Si Ai Nüdi: “It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t listen to him.”

To take the group photo, she had Chen Ziming log into his Buddhist male character today, a very handsome monk, with the ID “Breaking Precepts.” Of course, the monk’s face and outfit were all designed by her.

So, in this four-person team, only Haitang Si Ai Nüdi was a female character, the other three were male.

Haitang Si Ai Nüdi directed them to stand in position, pose, and then she adjusted filters, parameters, and lighting in the screenshot interface.

Yu Mi opened his friend list, checking Shen Gun’s location, he was in the main city, was he setting up a fortune-telling stall again?

Meanwhile, in the Qingyun Alliance’s faction channel—

[Faction] Gu Gu Da Da: Is everything okay?

[Faction] Kun Kun Go to Sleep: There are four red baddies, not in faction mode, seem to be taking photos, but might attack at any time. [Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun] [Haitang Si Ai Nüdi] [Tian Nuo Nuo] [Breaking Precepts]

[Faction] Jun Shang Wu Ming: Wow, these IDs are hilarious, they all seem so intense!

[Faction] Tu Yu Men Qing Yue: Hahaha! They really do have a strong vibe! Can’t hold it in, ahhh!

[Faction] Nei Yu Shen Mi Sao Zi: Can my ID join them? #Pitiful

[Faction] Mu Mu: Baby, you’re not in the same style as them, don’t squeeze in pretending to be garlic (pat shoulder).

[Faction] Chan Yi: Baby, you’re not in the same style as them, don’t squeeze in pretending to be garlic (pat shoulder).

[Faction] Gu Gu Da Da: Ah, so many people! Gu is weak, so scared QAQ, is there a big brother to protect the escort?

[Faction] Lei Yu Lian Hua: [Tian Nuo Nuo] isn’t this Shen Gun’s game partner? [What Are You] National Master, stop fortune-telling, go manage him.

[Faction] Gu Gu Da Da: [What Are You] National Master, save me!!

Soon, Yu Mi’s private chat suddenly rang—

[Private Chat] What Are You: ? You’re robbing the escort?

[Private Chat] Tian Nuo Nuo: How could I dare? We’re just taking photos!

[Private Chat] Tian Nuo Nuo: No, what do you mean? Can’t I rob the escort?

Yu Mi thought, who are you looking down on? One day, Tian Nuo Nuo will become strong too, and then I’ll definitely try the joy of robbing an escort!

Not long after, a purple figure flew over with a starry effect nearby.

The focus list started flashing.

At the same time, Yu Mi’s screen popped up a reminder.

[Enemy Faction Player What Are You Detected! Distance 31 feet.]

Even though they had just done a task together during the day, seeing the other person approaching in faction mode, as a red name, Yu Mi couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Seeing him, Yu Mi thought of that anonymous blessing again, his curiosity piqued once more.

Was it really this guy who wrote it for him?

The other person jumped around in front of the four of them, and then Yu Mi noticed a “Fu” character stuck on his handsome face!

“What’s this?” He looked confused, “Why is there something on my face? Hey, do you guys have it too?”

“It’s your sweetheart who stuck it,” Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun said, “This is a prop from the Spring Festival event, you can stick a ‘Fu’ character on others’ faces, I’ll take you to do it when the Spring Festival comes.”

Yu Mi: “Okay, okay.”

“You can invite him to join the team, play with us, and take photos together.” Haitang Si Ai Nüdi said, “I’ll give you the team leader.”

Yu Mi didn’t want to invite him directly, so he asked if he wanted to take photos together, and after the other person said “OK,” he invited him to join the team.

So the five-person team was complete, by body type: one female, four males.

Haitang Si Ai Nüdi rearranged their positions, Yu Mi also opened the photo mode, planning to take some pictures to draw later.

After posing, everyone stayed still, adjusting their parameters.

Yu Mi was about to press the photo button when he suddenly saw his master’s shirt was gone.

“Master…” Yu Mi was stunned, “Where’s your shirt?”

Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun also played a Daoist male character, now stripped of his immortal white Daoist robe, bare-chested, showing off his muscles. His pants turned into a pair of ethnic-style black trousers.

In the game, you can’t go out naked, even if you take off all your equipment, you’re still wearing the default starting outfit.

Yu Mi asked the newbie question: “I’ve seen bare-chested ones before, how is this done?”

Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun was amused by his disciple’s reaction and quickly explained, “This is an outfit. Just this style.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Ziming’s monk also took off his clothes.

Then Shen Gun, standing on the left, also lost his shirt.

Yu Mi looked at the three shirtless men: “You all have it?!”

Suddenly seeing three muscular men, some awkward memories attacked Yu Mi, his vision went black, black, and black again.

“Hahaha!” Haitang Si Ai Nüdi couldn’t help but laugh, “Good, good, not bad, just like that. Very good, very good.”

“Wow…” Looking at their muscles, Yu Mi couldn’t hold back, “I want one too, can I still buy this now?”

“You can only buy it from the Treasure Pavilion now, it’s overpriced.” Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun said, “This outfit was only 380 when the official sold it, now it’s… wait, let me check with the bot, wow, it’s selling for 1,300!”

The Treasure Pavilion is an official external trading platform where players can trade goods, mostly past outfits and such.

“Three to four times the price?!” Yu Mi was shocked, “Just for this pair of shorts? Ah?? Just for this pair of shorts?”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes,” Haitang Si Ai Nüdi said, “When it first came out, it was heavily criticized, but later everyone loved looking at muscular men, so this outfit became very popular, many people bought it, and it got more and more expensive.”

“But…” Yu Mi said helplessly, “I won over 8,000 in the lottery, haven’t spent much, if it were in the game store, I could buy it directly! But this money can’t be used in the Treasure Pavilion…”

“Don’t worry, I have it,” Shen Gun, who hadn’t spoken much, suddenly said, “I stocked up a few, I’ll give you one.”

He sent a trade request directly.

Yu Mi: “Huh???”

The other three in unison: “Wow!!!”

“This…” Yu Mi was a bit stunned, “Isn’t this a bit much? No need to give it, I’ll pay you, just give me a friendly price. If you don’t take the money, I won’t take it.”

Shen Gun said, “Then 88, for good luck.”

The other three again: “Wow!!!”

“No,” Yu Mi said, “You can’t cut it that much. It’s selling for over a thousand now, you could make a lot selling it, just give me a discount on that thousand-plus price.”

Shen Gun said, “No need, you’re still a student, I’ll give you a student price of 88.”

“Aren’t you a student too?” Yu Mi laughed, “Don’t worry, I have enough living expenses, I also earn pocket money by drawing.”

Shen Gun paused: “You can draw?”

Yu Mi: “Yeah.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jinjiang Zai Tao Shizun also proudly said, “My disciple’s drawings are great, super cute!”

Chen Ziming also said, “Yeah, TNN’s drawings are great, so adorable.”

Shen Gun said, “Then just draw me an avatar to offset the price.”

“No, no,” Yu Mi insisted, “Drawing an avatar isn’t a big deal? I’ll remember, I’ll draw one for you when I’m free this week. But I must pay for the clothes.”

The two of them went back and forth, Shen Gun raised it from 88 to 188, then 288, Yu Mi didn’t want him to lose out, didn’t want to take advantage of him.

Chen Ziming advised, “Give this monk some face, how about the original price? Shen Gun doesn’t ask for more, little Daoist doesn’t give less. What do you two think?”

The two finally reached a consensus, settling on the original price of 380.

Then Shen Gun sent a payment code on QQ.

Yu Mi opened the payment code, picked up his phone, and scanned it on the computer.

Before closing the enlarged payment code, he glanced at it and saw the other person’s name was (** An).

Yu Mi was stunned for a moment.

“Shen…” Considering the other person’s help, Yu Mi quickly changed his words, “Shen Gun Gege, does your name also have an ‘An’?”

Shen Gun hummed in response.

Yu Mi switched back to the game, accepting the clothes Shen Gun sent while saying, “It’s the same as a senior of mine, his name also has that character.”

He picked up his water cup and took a sip.

“Oh, what a coincidence?” Shen Gun’s voice carried a hint of amusement, “Do you have a crush on him?”