Chapter 344-346

hapter 344: The Legendary Offline Event (2)

The guest room was different from what Old Master Zhao had said. Instead, it was rather clean and tidy. After Zhao Chengning saw her to the guest room, he stood at the doorway and took her hands into his, reluctant to part. “Just now, my Grandpa...don’t mind him.”

Shen Jingbin peeked out of the room and looked over to Old Master Zhao’s room. “I know. It’s late, and you must be tired. Go to bed early and get some rest.”

“You know, Grandpa’s suggestion suddenly doesn’t seem so bad after all.”

Shen Jingbin glared at him. “You beast!”

Zhao Chengning chuckled and bent down to kiss her before returning to his room.

Knowing that his sweetheart was currently in his house gave Zhao Chengning a rare bout of insomnia. He tossed and turned, but couldn’t fall asleep. Giving up, he got up and opened up his WeChat.

As expected, those night owls in the guild were still awake, fervently discussing something. He skimmed through the chat history and realised that they were talking about meeting up in real life.

After the final battle ended, > was updated. Following which, the people who made it onto the leaderboards were on the game’s official website. Most of the members from Jade Sea Pavilion were listed on it. Quiet And Steadfast, Next Week Is Unlikely, and the Four Monsters were even ranked among the top. Apart from the leaderboards, the game’s officials also released a piece of news. In order to thank players for continuously supporting > and the Yiju Corporation, their company’s headquarters would be organising an offline event to celebrate the smooth conclusion of “The Battle Between Good And Evil”. The top 50 players in the event, as well as the top 10 players from each leaderboard, would receive an invitation. Even the players on the game’s unofficial beauty leaderboards were included. (The ‘top-ranked’ ugliest women were obviously excluded.)

The event would be held in a carnival-like setting. Players who weren’t on the guest list but were interested in participating could join in as well. However, they had to pay for their own travel expenses and accommodation.

Since Yiju’s headquarters were located in B City, the offline event this time around would be held in B City.

Most of Jade Sea Pavilion’s members lived in B City, and they were ecstatic when they heard the news. Although they had been in the same guild for a long time, were on good terms, and weren’t all that far away from one another, they never had a gathering for some reason. Yiju’s offline event this time round undoubtedly served as an excellent opportunity for them to meet up. So, it was no surprise that all of them were very excited.

There were numerous elites from Jade Sea Pavilion, and most of them made it onto the guest list. They talked about it the whole night and decided that they’d seize this opportunity and meet up no matter what. It was no small feat for all of them to get along and play the game for such a long time, so this was indeed something worth celebrating.

National Treasures: Oh my god, oh my god! Am I finally going to meet our amazing Guild Leader and the two Vice-leaders? Ah! I’m so excited!

I’m Not A Monster: Hehe. Treasures, let me remind you that at this moment, apart from Dawn, the other two pros still haven’t said that they’d be going.

National Treasures: I don’t care, I don’t care! It’s really difficult for an opportunity like this to come by, they’ll surely attend.

Quiet And Steadfast: ??? What?

Descent Of Rain And Snow: Ah, Leader appeared.

Lingering White Clouds: Leader is actually still up at this time, how rare. /secretly laughs.

Quiet And Steadfast: I couldn’t fall asleep, so I thought I’d come and see what you guys were talking about. What’s National Treasures so excited about?

National Treasures: Ahhhhhh! My dearest Leader! To tell you the truth, I’ve been your die-hard fan since the very first day the game released. For your sake, I’ve been lying in wait in Jade Sea Pavilion this whole time just for this day! You’ll definitely come for the gathering, right?! /pitiful.

Zhao Chengning mulled over it for a moment. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll give you a reply tomorrow after I’ve asked around.”

I’m Not A Monster: Bleh. Ask around? Who’re you asking?

I’m Not A Monster: Could it be Nutty?

I’m A Monster, Dare To Hit Me: Oh, I think I smell an affair.

Eternal Rest: Me too.

Temperate Scarlet Moon: +1.

Faint Blue Seaweed: In that case, is there a chance of Nutty coming along as well? I saw her name on the guest list. Leader, I request to be a part of the live audience when you have your affair!

Yanmen Imperial Sister: Request to be a part of the live audience when you’re having an affair +1.

Long Life: +2.

Big Buddhist Nun: +3.

==

Chapter 345: Crushed By Luck Yet Again (1)

The next day, Zhao Chengning talked about it with Shen Jingbin while sending her home.

Shen Jingbin paused for a moment before she said, “I’ll go if I have nothing on that day. Anyway, I have a feeling that that manservant, Shen Jingchen, would probably give me hell for it if I don’t agree to go.”

Zhao Chengning laughed. That really did seem like something Shen Jingchen would do.

“National Treasures and the rest are very curious about you.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint them.”

“You won’t disappoint them. The only thing you’ll do is exceed all expectations,” Zhao Chengning replied confidently while looking ahead.

Zhao Chengning left after dropping her off at the lobby without even stopping for a drink. Even though the couple was in their ‘honeymoon’ phase, the period where they were passionately in love, they weren’t interested in heart-wrenching goodbyes.

Shen Jingbin had just fished out her keys when the door opened, and Shen Jingchen appeared before her with an extremely vulgar smile on his face.

On reflex, she raised her hand to look at the time. It was only just after 8, and this brat was actually awake? How odd.

Shen Jingchen stood before the doorway, blocking her path. “Hey, Shen Jingbin. You didn’t come home last night, right?” He knew the answer to his question, yet he still asked anyway. The shit eating grin on his face only growing wider.

Shen Jingbin tossed what was in her hand at him and pushed him away. “Don’t you know the answer already?” she asked as she changed her shoes.

Shen Jingchen rounded her and stood on the other end. “Did you stay at Ah Ning’s place? How was it? What happened last night? How did it feel?” he asked in a depraved manner.

Shen Jingbin looked up and rolled her eyes. “Why are you so dirty minded?”

Shen Jingchen immediately adopted an innocent look on his face. “Why am I the filthy one?! I was just worried about how you slept last night. What are you going on about?!”

Shen Jingbin shot him a withering gaze. Shen Jingchen recoiled for a moment before he spoke again. “You and Ah Ning are in your honeymoon phase, so I was just afraid that the two of you might’ve gotten caught up in the moment. Besides, the two of you are adults, and you know what you’re doing, so there’s no need to be secretive about it.”

Shen Jingbin shot a disdainful glare at him. “Would a single dog like you even be able to understand if I told you?”

Shen Jingbin then spun around and made her way back to her room without waiting for him to reply. Shen Jingchen was left standing there dumbfounded till he finally came to the realisation that he’d been made fun of. “Zhao Chengning definitely didn’t manage to satisfy that girl last night!” he shouted in a fluster.

Shen Jingbin had taken a bath the night before at Zhao Chengning’s place, but she didn’t have a change of clothes. So, the very first thing she did when she got back to her room was put on a fresh set of clothes. Once done, she made her way downstairs and was greeted with the sight of Shen Jingchen sitting on the sofa with an expectant look on his face.

“You’re aware of the offline meetup, right?”

Shen Jingbin nodded. “Yeah. If I’ll come along with you guys if I don’t have anything on that day.”

“You’ll come along with us? You mean Ah Ning agreed to it too?”

Shen Jingbin provoked him once again. “Do you really think he wouldn’t go if I went?”

“...”

Shen Jingbin was his senior when it came to romance, so he had no choice but to bow to her seniority. Shen Jingchen glared at her for a moment before he pulled out his handphone and began fiddling with it. “I’ll tell National Treasures and the rest. You have no idea how much they’re looking forward to meeting you. Even I don’t get this kind of treatment, hmph!”

“What happened to the game’s update?” she asked.

“Oh, it’s a little complicated. Login later in the afternoon and see for yourself.”

After her lunch, Shen Jingbin jumped straight into the game. Since information on the update and rewards for the previous event were all listed on the official website, she made sure to have a look at it before logging in.

The leaderboard for ‘The Battle Between Good and Evil’ was plastered on the homepage. Shen Jingbin glanced at it and found the names of the top 3 players. The system had coloured their names, making them especially conspicuous.

Unexpectedly, the one who’d accumulated the most points was actually Shen Jingchen. After which was Quiet And Steadfast, followed by Neverending Journey.

Shen Jingbin was ranked eighth. As she skimmed through the rest of the list, she couldn’t help but lament how destiny had matched her together with her nemesis yet again. Just below her name and ranked ninth was Nine Ballads.

Other than the leaderboards, there was also information about the event’s rewards and the offline meetup. Shen Jingbin briefly ran through them before closing the game’s webpage.

The moment she logged in, Shen Jingbin saw a system announcement making its way across the sky.

[System Announcement] Since time immemorial, heroes have been born from youths. Congratulations to players Dawn’s Twilight, Quiet And Steadfast, and Neverending Journey for taking the top 3 places on the leaderboards. They have been awarded the gold, purple, and red coloured title of ‘Hero’ respectively along with the following: ‘Large Exquisite Grade Contribution Gift Box ’, Medium Exquisite Grade Contribution Gift Box ’, and ‘Small Exquisite Grade Contribution Gift Box’. Let’s give these heroes a round of applause; three cheers!

[System Announcement] To thank players for their participation, there will be an ‘Exquisite Grade Lucky Gift Box’ drop every 15 minutes. Opening these gift boxes will give you a chance to obtain items like Pan Gu’s Stone, top quality equipment, and vaulted mounts. Note: These boxes will drop at random locations. Time to test your luck, young heroes.

[System Announcement] To thank players for their participation, contribution and xp rates will be increased from 7 pm to 10 pm tonight. Players who are interested are advised to plan their time accordingly.

[System Announcement] The Battle Between Good and Evil has ended. All of the players within the Shinra Sect have reclaimed their original identities. But, to commemorate them as once being part of the Shinra Sect, they will receive a 10% increase in chance for fortuitous events to occur within the Shinra Sect’s map. Players from the Six Great Sects who have yet to receive their rewards are advised to return to their sects as quickly as possible and claim them. Players who fail to claim their reward within these 72 hours will be deemed to have forfeited them.

===

Chapter 346: Crushed By Luck Yet Again (2)

[System Announcement] Extra, extra, read all about it! Fevered preparations are being made for > first offline meetup! For more detailed information, please refer to the game’s official page, Wechat account, and Weibo page. We will inform you of any further updates as soon as possible. The exciting tales of Celestials and Demons will leave you wanting more. Yiju looks forward to meeting you in person for the very first time.

All of the system announcements appeared in succession every hour to ensure that all of the players were aware of the news. After Shen Jingbin read all of the system announcements, she slowly made her way towards White Cloud Temple to receive her rewards.

These past few days, White Cloud Temple was filled with players who wanted to collect their rewards. Different from before, she was greeted with many sincere gazes and smiles that were filled with praise when she returned to the sect. Those looks of disdain and resent from before seemed to have disappeared overnight, and Shen Jingbin’s mood suddenly took a turn for the better.

Out of habit, Shen Jingbin made her way over to the Sect Leader’s residence, only to remember that Song Yuqing was no longer around when she arrived at the door. The rare good mood that she’d had just moments ago turned gloomy in an instant.

Just as she was about to leave, the door suddenly opened, and a grey-haired old man appeared from within. “Junior disciple, are you Song Yuqing’s direct disciple, Nutjob?”

Shen Jingbin sized up the old man before her. He appeared to be the very stern sort and had a stone-faced expression. He stared at her with a piercing gaze akin to that of a hawk’s; the kind that could make your scalp go numb.

Was this Elder Tan of the Discipline Hall?

“I am her. Greetings, Elder Tan.”

“You know me?” Elder Tan strode forward and stopped in front of Shen Jingbin.

Shen Jingbin suddenly felt immense pressure from his gaze. “My Master told me about you in his final moments.”

Elder Tan’s expression softened. “Your Master was a great man who sacrificed himself for the sake of the world. The karmic cycle and heavenly laws of reincarnation are still in play. He won’t be gone from us for long.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Huh?” Shen Jingbin couldn’t understand what he was saying, and she shot him a puzzled look.

Elder Tan just quietly shook his head and assumed his stone-faced expression once again. Left feeling helpless, Shen Jingbin could only bid Elder Tan farewell and prepare to return to Radiant Dawn Hall for her reward.

Just as she was about to leave, Elder Tan unexpectedly spoke again. “You did well in the last battle; these are your rewards.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Shen Jingbin thought to herself.

Shen Jingbin thanked him like a well-behaved child after receiving her rewards from him. “Thank you, Elder Tan. I’ll be taking my leave first.”

“Go on.”

All of the rewards were bundled together. Players would have to open the bundle to find out what their rewards were. Shen Jingbin left White Cloud Temple and made her way over to her own manor before taking the time to open her bundle.

The moment she opened it, a ray of dazzling golden light erupted. After it subsided, an ornately decorated gift box appeared before her along with a snow-white robe and 3 Pang Gu’s Stones.

[System Announcement] Player Nutjob has opened ‘Large Common Contribution Gift Box’. A golden light burst forth from it, revealing a ‘Ninth Heaven Phoenix Cry Gift Box’, a ‘Bustling Robe’, and 3 Pang Gu’s stones. Such phenomenal luck is simply unheard of!

Shortly after the system announcement, countless players were driven into an uproar once again.

The contribution packages were ingeniously designed. The gift packages that the top 3 players received had a 100% chance to produce a vaulted flying mount, a vaulted cosmetic item, some Pang Gu’s Stones, and several rare materials. The materials’ rarity was dependant on the type of contribution package opened. Gift packages given to 4th to 50th place on the leaderboards had a 100% chance to produce several Pang Gu’s Stones and a cosmetic item. Whatever else they could get was dependent on their luck. Gift packages for the 51st place onwards had progressively diminishing chances to obtain items.

Several thousand people had received their gift packages at this point. While most of them had received common gift packages because they were placed further behind on the leaderboards, not a single person had gotten anything as amazing as Shen Jingbin had.

It was yet another case of overwhelming Luck.

Countless people who saw the announcement were left roaring in frustration. It was truly vexing.

In spite of that, the charming beauty, Miss Shen, was unexpectedly calm. She blinked several times before picking up all of the items to inspect them.

The Ninth Heaven Phoenix Cry Gift Box contained a mount that could traverse land, sea, and air. It was released shortly after the game went into service and it looked amazingly cool, had blindingly fast speed, and there weren’t many of them in circulation. At present, there were almost none of them in circulation. They were so rare that their going rate on the market was absurdly high, and Shen Jingbin had somehow managed to get her hands on one. The Bustling Robes were a cosmetic item that was released not long ago. It wasn’t all that rare, but due to its unique design, it was very well received by female players and sold pretty well on the market. In short, she’d struck the jackpot.

The Bustling Robe’s design appealed to her sense of aesthetics, so she chose to bind it to her account without any hesitation. However, the mount box remained untouched. Shen Jingbin had always kept that incident on New Year’s Eve, when Zhao Chengning gave her a New Year’s gift, in her heart. She had her own specialised mount now too, so she didn’t have much of a need for this one. Since the Ninth Heaven Phoenix Cry Gift Box was so rare, she might as well give it to Zhao Chengning. And, it could also double as her New Year’s gift.

But, who knew exactly what he’d be able to get from the gift box? It’d be no fun if he managed to get a mount that was even cooler than what she currently had.

As she was letting her imagination run wild, she suddenly saw a system notification float by.

“Your husband, Quiet And Steadfast has logged in.”