General’s Mountain, the player-exclusive courtyard of the Shen Ce Fu.
Tianxia Wushuang, Wudi Tang, and the other managers of Wushuang Lou gathered in one room.
Their expressions were grave, and they sat in complete silence, not uttering a word.
It had been two or three days since the bounty order was issued, but every report that came in from below indicated one thing: Wushuang Lou was on a downward slide.
Looking at the private report from the guild accountant, especially the line showing the number of members who had quit, Tianxia Wushuang took a deep breath, his face darkening.
He swept a cold gaze over everyone and spoke, “Talk. Have you all become mute?”
“Guild Leader, there’s nothing we can do. The plan was going quite smoothly the day before yesterday, but who knew that yesterday, many members of the action group were counter-ambushed by Xueyan Pavilion. Guarding dungeon entry points is no longer feasible.”
“Our assassination group is the same. The managers of Xueyan Pavilion and Jian Ge are holed up in safe zones and won’t come out. Ordinary members also travel in groups, making it hard to take action.”
Wudi Tang shook open his paper fan and said with a bitter smile, “Boss, Mu Qingxue is already on guard. We need to think of another plan.”
Tianxia Wushuang furrowed his brows, his fingers tapping incessantly on the surface of the low table.
He racked his brains for a long time but couldn’t come up with any ideas.
Ultimately, it was because Wushuang Lou itself was too weak to confront that group of women head-on.
“Tang, post an announcement in the guild group chat. Say everyone’s salary is increased by twenty percent.” Wudi Tang sighed.
“Okay, but boss, this isn’t a long-term solution either.”
Using money to stem the loss of personnel could work in the short term. But over time, with dungeons being blockaded, not everyone cares about that twenty percent raise.
Currently, the first-tier players in Xianjie had basically reached Level 30.
Judging by past patterns, the game would definitely update with new Level 30 dungeons soon.
That would be the most desperate time.
Tianxia Wushuang didn’t answer.
In the face of absolute strength, he had no recourse.
“Sigh, still no news from Lunhui Hall?” Wudi Tang shook his head.
Tianxia Wushuang looked up at the sky speechlessly and waved his hand at everyone. “All of you, go. Do what you need to do.”
The managers stood up and left the room one after another, leaving only Wudi Tang behind.
Tianxia Wushuang let out a long sigh and looked at Wudi Tang, asking, “What about her?”
The two sisters, Yunyun Doesn’t Want to Heal and Youyou Won’t Heal, hadn’t logged in for three days.
“No reply on Penguin, phone is switched off. Can’t get through at all.”
“Youyou too.”
Wudi Tang nodded. Hearing this, Tianxia Wushuang immediately became tense. Had something happened to them in real life?
“Tang, do you know their address?” “I do, but only roughly.”
“Rough is fine. Later, when you log off to post the announcement, send it to my Penguin account as well.” “Okay, boss.”
“Boss, are you going to look for them?”
“Otherwise? I worked so hard to train up two major healers. If something happened to them, wouldn’t all my efforts be wasted?”
Hearing Tianxia Wushuang’s explanation, Wudi Tang’s lips curled up slightly, but he didn’t expose him.
‘You’re worried about two healers?’
‘Bullshit. You’re clearly worried about Sister Yunyun.’
“Yes, yes. Our Wushuang Lou already has fewer healers than Xueyan Pavilion. If we lose two major ones, there really would be no hope left.”
“Exactly.”
Wudi Tang used his paper fan to hide his face, unable to hold back his smile anymore. “Then, boss, I’ll log off first.”
Tianxia Wushuang waved his hand. “Go. Remember to send the address.”
As soon as Wudi Tang left, Tianxia Wushuang opened his Friend List. Staring at the grayed-out ID ‘Yunyun Doesn’t Want to Heal,’ he fell into deep thought. ‘Three days offline, and both sisters together… It seems something has happened to them in real life.’
‘Didn’t I give her my phone number before?’
‘Why didn’t she call me if something happened?’
Tianxia Wushuang’s handsome brows furrowed tightly, feeling somewhat displeased. Carrying this displeasure, he directly logged out of the game.
—
Kyoto, within a certain traditional courtyard house.
Qin Wushuang removed his game helmet, quickly changed into casual clothes, and walked out of his bedroom.
“Wu Bo.”
In the central courtyard of the house, a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit stood to the side, hands clasped behind his back, watching the maids clean the courtyard.
Hearing someone call him, he quickly turned around. Seeing Qin Wushuang walk out, his eyes showed clear surprise.
“Young Master Qin, you’re not playing Xianjie today?”
Usually, Qin Wushuang was practically immersed in the game, only coming out for meals.
“Call over a dozen skilled men.” If he only knew the general location, he would definitely need people to search.
“Skilled men? If I may ask, Young Master Qin, what is the purpose?”
“To find someone.”
“Understood. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
After notifying the butler, Wu Bo, a message from Wudi Tang followed closely. Qin Wushuang glanced at it.
‘Xiaoyun lives in Modu City?’
He had Wu Bo buy plane tickets to Modu City for them, and the group flew to the city in a grand procession.
The dozen or so men Wu Bo arranged were all ex-military, highly skilled, and experts in reconnaissance. They would definitely be much better at finding someone than ordinary people.
They could also incidentally protect Qin Wushuang’s safety.
Two hours later, outside Modu City airport.
Qin Wushuang and over a dozen bodyguards walked out of the airport, not drawing much attention.
They were all in casual clothes and kept a certain distance from each other.
Having over a dozen people surround one person was too conspicuous. Besides intentional showboating, it served no purpose for Qin Wushuang.
Showboating?
Please, he had gotten tired of that years ago.
Therefore, Qin Wushuang only had two people beside him, one of whom was the leader of these bodyguards.
“Young Master, what next—”
“Wait for the people Wu Bo arranged.”
As soon as he finished speaking, two black business vans drove up from the distance. Qin Wushuang got in one and left first. The remaining bodyguards followed in batches afterward.
—
Jingjiang Residential Quarter.
An ordinary residential area in Modu City. Most of the residents here were local middle-class families.
The entry of two black business vans immediately caught the attention of the community security guards.
The guards had never seen these vans before. It was clear they didn’t belong to residents, so they quickly stopped them.
Two young security guards holding electric batons walked to the driver’s side window and knocked lightly.
The driver rolled down the window. The guard took the chance to glance inside.
“What’s the matter?”
The driver was also one of the bodyguards. His fierce aura made the guard’s pupils contract. His intuition told him these people weren’t simple.
He quickly made a hand gesture behind his back, signaling his colleague in the back to call the police. Seeing this, the colleague understood and quietly retreated to make the call.
The driver got out of the car.
“Form.”
Seeing the driver’s unsmiling attitude, the guard felt nervous.
“Since you are not residents of this community, everyone must fill out a form and sign it.”
The driver frowned. The oppressive atmosphere made the guard swallow hard. He gripped the electric baton tightly, ready to swing it at the first sign of trouble.
However, the driver showed no intention of acting. He turned back and informed Qin Wushuang, who was sitting in the back seat.
“Fine. Tell the people in the back to come down.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
As the doors of the two black business vans opened, four or five burly men stepped out.
Moreover, more vehicles kept driving in from behind.
This scene sent chills down the security guard’s spine.
‘Just what is going on with these people?’
His colleague returned and gave him a nod, indicating the police had been called. Only then did the guard relax slightly.
“Brother, brother, what brings you to our community?” Looking at these burly men, the guard knew they weren’t ordinary. He quickly put on a smiling face and asked.
The bodyguard didn’t answer, instead looking toward Qin Wushuang, who had just gotten out of the back seat.
The guard realized this young man was the one in charge and walked up to Qin Wushuang.
“May I ask your surname, sir?”
“Qin.”
“Mr. Qin, may I ask what brings you to our community? If you wish to enter, you need to leave your identification information.”
“Looking for someone. I wonder if you know a pair of sisters? The older one is called Yun, the younger one called You.”
Hearing this, the guard was stunned. He sized up the young man of extraordinary bearing before him, and his vigilance instantly rose.
“Mr. Qin, what is your relationship with them?”
The Qi sisters were quite famous in the community. Basically, everyone in the area knew them.
Their parents had passed away, leaving only the two sisters to rely on each other. The people in the community took good care of them.
Hearing the guard’s words, Qin Wushuang smiled slightly. It seemed this person knew Xiaoyun and the others.
“Friends. Go tell them Tianxia Wushuang is here. They’ll understand.”
His rather confident tone lowered the guard’s vigilance somewhat.
If he didn’t know them, he wouldn’t suggest calling to ask.
“Alright, please wait a moment, Mr. Qin.”
The guard returned to the security booth. His colleague quickly followed him in, glanced at the line of black vehicles, and asked, “What’s the deal with these people?”
“They’re looking for the Qi sisters.”
“Damn? Look at these cars and the bodyguards. You can tell at a glance this guy is loaded. Did they hook up with a wealthy family or something?”
“Who knows.”
The guard flipped through the resident information and made a call to Qi Yun.
The other party’s phone was switched off.
No choice. He had to go ask in person.
“You keep an eye on them here. I’ll go find them to come identify him.” “Oh, okay. Hurry up, though. I can’t hold these people off.” “What’s there to be afraid of? The police will be here soon.” With that, the guard left the security booth.
—
In an ordinary apartment within Jingjiang Residential Quarter.
Qi Yun, wearing pajamas and an apron, was cooking lunch in the kitchen. Three days ago, she had spent one night at a hotel and then returned.
However, upon opening the door, she saw her younger sister unconscious by the doorway, nearly scaring her to death.
Fortunately, in the end, the girl had just fallen asleep leaning against the door and was fine.
“Sis, is lunch ready yet? I’m starving to death.”
Qi You, wearing cat-themed pajamas, walked into the kitchen. She gently leaned her head against her sister’s back, then wrapped her arms around her slender waist.
“Here you go again, huh? Get away, don’t cause trouble. Be careful of the hot oil splashing and burning you.”
“Hehe, okay.”
Qi You let go, turned to the fridge, took out a bottle of juice, inserted a straw, and brought it close to her sister’s face.
“Drink some juice.”
“No time. Can’t you see I’m stir-frying?” Qi Yun gave the wok a shake. Flames instantly shot up, startling Qi You.
Seeing the girl scared by her move, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly in satisfaction.
“Big sis, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Qi You glared at her.
“Did I?” Qi Yun averted her gaze, whistled a few times, and continued, “It’s clearly you who insisted on coming over. My fault?”
Qi You put the straw in her mouth, took a sip of juice, and then offered the straw to Qi Yun’s lips again.
“Here, want a sip? It’s very sweet.”
“Get lost. You already used it. There’s saliva on it. Gross.” Qi Yun wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“It’s not like we haven’t shared before. What’s there to be disgusted about?” Qi You muttered.
Hearing this, Qi Yun instantly flared up. She gave her a light kick on the buttocks.
“Bringing up the past, are you?”
Qi You was taken aback. She placed the juice on the cutting board, plopped down on the floor, and began flailing her arms and legs dramatically, throwing a tantrum.
“Big sis, you kicked me? You actually kicked me? You’ve never kicked me before. You’ve changed, boo hoo hoo…”
Qi Yun: “…”
While having such a drama queen for a sister could be quite fun at times, it could also be very annoying.
Especially when she was being unreasonable.
“Crying about what? I didn’t even use any force.”
“By that logic, if I insert it without using force, does that mean I didn’t insert it?” Hearing this, Qi Yun’s face flushed red. She raised the spatula, pretending to hit her.
“Your head’s full of dirty thoughts. Get lost now.”
Seeing her sister’s fierce demeanor, Qi You wasn’t scared at all. Instead, she stretched her head forward.
“Hit me. Hit me hard right here. If you make me stupid, I’ll stick with you for life.”
Qi Yun rolled her eyes. Suddenly smelling something burning, she immediately turned back to continue stir-frying. As she cooked, she muttered, “You’re just as stupid even without being hit.”
“Yeah, a stupid little sister can only follow a good big sister. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to survive.”
“Huh?”
Hearing this, Qi Yun was startled. She turned her head to look at Qi You. The affectionate look in her sister’s eyes made her feel a bit overwhelmed.
She quickly turned her head back, pretending to cough a few times.
“Ahem, enough of that. I won’t dwell on what happened before.”
“I think, sis, you should dwell on it.” Qi You grinned cheekily as she leaned closer.
Qi Yun glared fiercely at her perverted sister. ‘Of all things to like, why does it have to be your own sister?’
But there was no helping it. Who made this girl her only remaining family?
Qi Yun didn’t answer, silently finishing the dish and plating it.
Qi You stopped fooling around and disturbing her, quietly watching her work and helping to carry the dishes to the table.
Over ten minutes later,
The two of them sat together at the dining table.
Qi You eagerly picked up her chopsticks to taste. The familiar flavor made her quite content. “Mmm~ Big sis’s cooking is the best.”
“If it’s good, eat more.”
“Mhm, mhm.” Qi You nodded with a smile, but after a few bites, she suddenly stopped, her face filled with sadness.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Yun asked, puzzled.
“I really want to eat your cooking every day.”
Qi Yun smiled slightly but said nothing. However, her eyes were filled with helplessness.
“Sis, I want to be a streamer.”
“Huh? Why do you want to stream?”
“To make money. I want to earn lots and lots of money for you, so you don’t have to do part-time jobs anymore.”
“No need. I do part-time jobs just because I can’t sit still. Don’t worry, we still have some savings at home.”
“Sis, stop lying to me. We’ll eat through our savings sooner or later.” Qi Yun didn’t refute this point.
Indeed, although the compensation money was substantial, if they only spent without earning, it would run out eventually.
What puzzled her was, why had her sister suddenly thought of becoming a streamer?
“You, silly girl, why did you think of streaming all of a sudden?” “Sis, do you know that Chong Chong who’s always with Chen Xiaoyan?” “Yes.”
“She’s a streamer, and a big one at that. Tens of millions of followers! She streams for two hours a day and can earn over a hundred thousand, sometimes even millions.”
Qi Yun looked at Qi You, whose eyes were shining, and shook her head with a bitter, helpless smile. “Silly girl, that’s her. Do you have a base of tens of millions of followers?”
“Hmph, I might not have it now, but with my cuteness, I’ll have it sooner or later.” Qi You raised her head, quite confident.
Qi Yun thought for a moment and didn’t oppose any further.
This girl had been cooped up at home for too long. Since she had nothing else to do, letting her try it out wasn’t bad.
However, she knew the streaming world’s waters ran deep, and there were often ‘big brothers’ with ulterior motives trying to take advantage. She would have to keep a close eye on her.
But then Qi Yun remembered Qi You’s actions and words from a few days ago and hesitated.
This darn girl, she might look innocent and cute on the surface, but she was actually cunning and shrewd, with a dark side. She probably didn’t need her sister to screen things for her.
“Sis, why are you staring at me like that?” “It’s nothing. If you want to do it, go ahead. I have no objections.”
“Mhm, mhm. I plan to go to the Heavenly Abundance Nation streaming platform. Chong Chong is there, right? I can have her carry me, hehe, and also ride on her popularity a bit.”
Chong Chong?
Qi Yun’s delicate brows furrowed.
That girl was with Chen Xiaoyan, meaning she was part of Xueyan Pavilion. Getting too close to her would definitely raise suspicions among their guild members.
But seeing her sister’s excited, happy expression, Qi Yun didn’t say anything more.
She had thought a lot these past few days. In the end, it was just a game. Why should she constrain her own sister for the sake of a game?
As long as she was happy.
“Oh, right, sis, when are we going to log into the game?”
Qi Yun’s gaze darkened, her mood extremely complicated.
She wanted to log in too, but she really didn’t want to face Tianxia Wushuang and didn’t know how to face him.
These past few days, Qi Yun had kept her phone switched off precisely to prevent Tianxia Wushuang from contacting her.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“Okay.”
Qi You responded and didn’t