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Sometimes Xu Boyuan forgot he was technically acquainted with a celebrity. Multiple celebrities, even. Who were Glory pro players.
A younger, more naive version of him would have seen this as a point of pride. It would have been nearly a dream come true. He had loved Glory ever since he first played it, and he had admired the pros ever since he first learned of them. What kind of Glory fan wouldn’t want to know a pro player? What kind of Glory fan wouldn’t be proud of it if they did? People already bragged about their connections to regular in-game celebrities. Hell, people bragged about their connections to Xu Boyuan sometimes. A pro player was several steps above a club guild administrator. It was the sort of thing worth bragging about.
But Xu Boyuan did not brag about his connections to Team Happy. He most certainly did not brag about his connections to Ye Xiu. Now and then, he could live whole weeks at a time without reminders of said connections. The day-to-day grind of guild life and real life, in exhausting combination, kept his thoughts moving along the same familiar routes carved into them years ago, long before he heard of the name Lord Grim.
And then something would shake him off course, and he would plunge straight back into untrodden territory, alone with only his meager wits and ever-dwindling patience.
Lord Grim: hey old blue
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Hey, Old Ye.
Lord Grim: that’s a new one
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Tit for tat.
Lord Grim: a brilliant philosophy
Lord Grim: anyway, was wondering if you’d be interested in teaming up with guild happy in the new server for some wild boss hunts ;)
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Are we talking about the new server that’s to open in December??
Lord Grim: what other new server is there?
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: You were calling the twelfth server the new server just a few months ago, and half the people on there were max level by then.
Lord Grim: do you watch my interviews? that’s sweet
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Yes, shockingly, I keep up with the national team news.
Lord Grim: almost like you’re a fan
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Almost like that.
Lord Grim: is there anyone on the national team you’re particularly interested in?
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Of course!
Lord Grim: [raised eyebrows emoji]
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: My idol, Huang Shaotian.
Lord Grim: ah yes, the noisy one
Lord Grim: you wouldn’t like him if you had to spend more than five minutes in his presence
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: I could never dislike my own idol. That’s kind of what it means for him to be my idol.
Lord Grim: i’m just saying, if you complain about *me* despite how totally inoffensive i am…
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: INOFFENSIVE????
Lord Grim: wow would you look at that, we got totally off topic! new server, wild bosses, happy and blue brook, what do you say?
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: How do you even know I’m going to be in charge of that server?
Lord Grim: i didn’t actually, but that makes things a lot easier
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: [sobbing emoji] [sobbing emoji] [sobbing emoji] Why did you even contact me if you didn’t know………
Lord Grim: because i like you
Lord Grim: furthermore, yu wenzhou just shrugged and told me to go bother the guild if i was interested
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: I won’t believe that kind of slander.
Lord Grim: fine, he told me it wasn’t really his place to accept or refuse an alliance when he hadn’t been in touch with the guild for a while and he knows for a fact i have contacts among most of the club guilds, so why don’t i just ask about it myself?
Lord Grim: i am 99% sure this is just his way to avoid being implicated in whatever comes of any alliances
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Captain Yu is very smart. I also want to avoid being implicated in whatever comes of any alliances with you.
Lord Grim: but it’s not with me, it’s with guild happy! completely different
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Sure.
Lord Grim: just think about it and get back to me
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Sure.
Lord Grim: by the way, what did you think of worlds?
Blue Bridge Spring Snow: Well, you won, and that’s all that needs to be said on the matter.
Lord Grim: heh
Lord Grim: this is why i like you
Xu Boyuan promptly set his status to invisible, closed QQ, and then, for good measure, got up and left his desk entirely.
In his kitchen, he drank a tall glass of water. Then another. And another.
He stared at the ceiling and wondered if he was really going to consider this. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized Ye Xiu, damn him and his unfailing logic, had a point: an alliance with Guild Happy was not an alliance with him. Ye Xiu was retired, Worlds was over, and everything was supposedly back to normal.
Supposedly. Season 11 was due to start in a week and Ye Xiu had not announced his comeback. So…probably normal?
(Xu Boyuan wasn’t sure how surprised he’d be if Ye Xiu did make a comeback. But he admitted he would be very amused. And very scared for Blue Rain, who had surely been through enough in these last few seasons.)
It was not often (anymore) that Ye Xiu himself shook Xu Boyuan off course, but then again, what else had he expected? The two of them were (technically, barely, reluctantly) some manner of colleagues. Time had passed, things had changed, yet stupid Peerless Looks remained a member of Guild Happy in the tenth server.
The last time he logged into that account was two weeks ago.
Xu Boyuan wryly shook his head and headed back to his desk. He still had work to do, and worrying about what nonsense Ye Xiu might rope him into would do him no good. Ye Xiu was a non-issue now. There was nothing to worry about.
Probably.
* * *
That conviction, half-hearted thought it was, lasted up until Xu Boyuan had established the latest iteration of Blue Brook in the new server. After the initial tedium of beginner quests and queues, it was smooth sailing, and though his work was repetitive and underappreciated, he delegated enough of it that he didn’t have to supervise around the clock. He found other things to do, like watch dramas, listen to music, and mess around on alternate accounts no one knew about.
One of those alternate accounts, a Ghostblade called Blue Moon, was on the new server. It was another “fun account,” as he had taken to calling them, in which he didn’t do anything but hang out with regular players and practice his skills. Nothing dramatic happened when he was on his fun accounts, which was why they were fun. He didn’t get closely involved with anyone, he stayed away from club guilds, and he didn’t compete for records or event rankings or levels.
On December 13, he took his baby Ghostblade for a nice long grind to Level 20. By nighttime, he was at Level 18 and contemplating his chances of finding a decent party to challenge Frost Forest’s dungeon. Then he heard a strange noise, out of place in the spooky backdrop of Skeleton Graveyard, and wheeled his view around until he spotted the source of the commotion.
A duel…?
Blue Moon charged over, but by the time the avatar was close enough to see what was going on, the battle was basically over. A few other players grinding nearby had gathered to watch the show, and some were even crowded into the battleground itself, interfering with random attacks. But the winner, who Xu Boyuan singled out with long years of experience, withdrew a second before his opponent hit zero health.
Impulsively, Xu Boyuan had Blue Moon follow them, typing a quick hello into the public chat as he went.
“Hi,” said the stranger. It was a male voice, coming from a male Blade Master, and…
Xu Boyuan narrowed his eyes. “Hidden Sun, what an intriguing name. I saw your skills back there. Would you be interested in joining me in Frost Forest later?”
“For the dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’d like that.”
“Not gonna ask about the drops?”
Hidden Sun laughed a tortuously familiar laugh. “We can talk about it when we have a party. Not gonna ask about the guy I just killed?”
“Hold on, I’m going to message you. Friend request incoming.”
Hidden Sun has accepted your friend request!
Blue Moon: Old Ye is that you???
Hidden Sun: ?????
Hidden Sun: i think you’ve mistaken me for someone else, who are you?
Blue Moon: Xu Boyuan!!
Blue Moon: Er, that is, Blue Bridge Spring Snow.
Hidden Sun: oh
Hidden Sun: what a coincidence! you even have blue in your name, i should have guessed
“This is actually so funny,” said Ye Xiu. “I don’t think this has happened to me in all the years I’ve played Glory. Well, unless you count that time with Wei Chen. And maybe the time with Zhang Jiale. And—”
“This isn’t a unique occurrence, I get it,” Xu Boyuan grumbled. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here? I thought you were using Blue River in this server too.”
Xu Boyuan straightened up. “Is it about the alliance? I’m still thinking.”
“It’s not about that. I’m just having fun.”
“Ah.”
“Yep.”
“Same.”
“So you still know what fun is. That’s good to hear. C’mon, let’s hurry to Level 20 and put together a party for the dungeon.”
Blue Moon kept pace with Hidden Sun as they headed for a more isolated corner of Skeleton Graveyard. “What was that back there?”
“The battle? Nothing much.”
“Not sure I believe you.”
Ye Xiu laughed. It sent a jolt down Xu Boyuan’s spine, like a gazelle that spied the gleam of a lion’s eyes in the swaying grass. “Besides you, nobody even knows who I am.”
“Not sure that makes a difference.”
“So hard-hearted,” Ye Xiu teased.
“Very sure I should be, where you’re concerned.”
They exchanged a few more comments about Ye Xiu’s credibility or lack thereof, then quietly settled down to grind.
When Blue Moon was Level 21 and Hidden Sun Level 20, they headed to Frost Forest as agreed. Ye Xiu, surprisingly, did not have a small herd of experienced players or outrageously talented rookies dogging his steps, so they would have to gather a party the hard way: by begging in the public chat.
Thankfully, there was an abundance of players online, and midnight was around the corner, meaning those who wanted to retry the dungeon were lining up for the chance. In short order, they had recruited Black Sheep, Cleric; Willow Warden, Witch; and Nighttime Rendezvous, Sharpshooter.
It was a lopsided party, what with the lack of an obvious tank, but Ye Xiu volunteered for the job and switched out his equipment accordingly. The other three players said they had no problem with this, which was either a great sign (they were experienced enough to be flexible) or a terrible one (they were green enough to write off a tank’s importance).
The former turned out to be correct. They entered the dungeon and came out on the other side with zero casualties and evenly split drops.
“That was fun,” said Black Sheep. “We worked really well together. Why don’t we add each other as friends and party up again when we get the chance?”
“Good idea,” agreed Xu Boyuan. Three friend requests promptly appeared on his screen.
Since Willow Warden and Nighttime Rendezvous had come as a pair, they headed off together. Black Sheep, on the other hand, chose to accompany him and Ye Xiu to the leveling area. They proceeded to grind for another few hours before calling it a night.
Just before Xu Boyuan shut down his computer, he checked QQ one last time. In the group chat titled Five Great Experts, he’d been tagged an exorbitant amount, immediately raising concerns, but when he checked the contents of the chat, what he saw was a series of increasingly ridiculous birthday messages and memes.
He glanced at the date at the bottom of his screen. It was December 14 already.
* * *
By the time everyone in their party was past Level 30, it had become clear that Willow Warden and Midnight Rendezvous were undercover(?) guild recruiters. What had not become clear was their recruitment strategy.
“Tiny Herb has a Blade Master and a Ghostblade on the roster. Obviously, Blue Moon and Hidden Sun would make a great pair among the elites of Herb Garden. We have more than enough equipment for them.”
“Oh, come off it, Willow. Obviously, Herb Garden has more than its fair share of Blade Masters and Ghostblades. Be honest, how much equipment is left over by now? Samsara, on the other hand—”
“Herb Garden has more equipment because we have more people, and we have more people because we’re more famous.”
“How the hell do you figure?”
“Two championships.”
“Samsara also won two championships. In a row! And anyway, using the team’s achievements to say the guild is all that—”
“Blue Moon, tell the truth, which team is more famous?”
Xu Boyuan sent out a sleepy emoji. Blue Moon was idling just inside the entrance to Line Canyon, waiting for Ye Xiu to return from a supply run. His view was pointed at the direction he’d surely approach from, eager to spy Hidden Sun’s silhouette on the horizon. As soon as he got here, the two of them would disappear into Line Canyon or some other nearby area and mute these two idiots.
“Blue Moon, answer!”
“Fuck, are you two actually recruiters at all? Aren’t you just sabotaging Herb Garden and Samsara at this point? I’m not joining either of your guilds and neither is Hidden Sun!”
Silence.
“We’re not recruiters,” said Willow Warden with a cough.
“We’re just regular players like you,” Nighttime Rendezvous agreed.
Not deigning to reply, Xu Boyuan moved Blue Moon several units away.
Because Willow Warden and Nighttime Rendezvous couldn’t take a fucking hint, they followed him.
Xu Boyuan gave serious thought to leaving the party and attacking them both. It would be a terrible match-up, but if he could catch Nighttime Rendezvous before he leapt away…
Finally, Hidden Sun appeared in his view and quickly closed in, their Cleric beside him. They must have met up on their way here.
“Thank god,” Xu Boyuan muttered, then asked in a louder voice, “What took you so long? Hi, Brother Sheep.”
“Had to deal with a fly buzzing in my ear and got sidetracked,” Ye Xiu replied. “What, did someone try to PK you?”
“Huh? No, why?”
“I can’t think of why else you’d be so glad to see me.”
Before Xu Boyuan could respond, Black Sheep greeted the three of them in his usual calm, understated way. Xu Boyuan relaxed a little as he realized Black Sheep was the perfect buffer in this scenario. In fact…
Blue Moon: Quick, tell Black Sheep to distract the other two while we get away.
Hidden Sun: what happened??
Blue Moon: They’re insufferable.
Hidden Sun: i think you’re just irritable, old blue [laughing emoji] they’re not so bad
Blue Moon: That’s because they respect you more than me! Whenever you’re not around, they become 5x as annoying!!!
Hidden Sun: i won’t leave you alone with them anymore then
Hidden Sun: poor old blue [broken heart emoji]
Hidden Sun: i should never have trusted these strangers with your delicate self
Blue Moon: Fine, you can be the distraction and I’ll get away on my own.
Hidden Sun: no no no, listen
Hidden Sun: let’s hunt a wild boss
Blue Moon: ????
Rather than respond in their private chat, Ye Xiu said, “Guys, let’s hunt a wild boss.”
“What?” Nighttime Rendezvous rounded on Hidden Sun.
“What?” Willow Warden echoed. “What wild boss? Where?”
Black Sheep snorted. “Don’t you check the public chat?”
Xu Boyuan immediately pulled up the public chat for Line Canyon. Sure enough, after a bit of scrolling, he found a short exchange of tips to combat Cliff Ronin Alpine. It was too early on a weekday afternoon for Line Canyon, or Glory in general, to boast many players, so it would have been an easy exchange to overlook in busier times. In Xu Boyuan’s case, he had merely been distracted.
Then again, these kinds of developments meant little and less to him when he was on a fun account. Blue Bridge Spring Snow worried about wild bosses; Blue Moon just dungeoned for the hell of it and got himself into trouble alongside Hidden Sun.
Though, so far, the only real trouble he’d gotten into alongside Ye Xiu’s Hidden Sun involved their insufferable party members. (Black Sheep not included.) He assumed it had something to do with karma: specifically, Ye Xiu’s.
“The deal is, we bag the boss, Little Willow and Little Night negotiate for the drops between themselves, and we never speak of Herb Garden or Guild Samsara again. Okay?”
There was a pause as everyone thought it over. Black Sheep, unsurprisingly, was the first to agree.
“What’s this about? Why are you giving us the drops?” Nighttime Rendezvous demanded.
“To save your lives,” Ye Xiu answered seriously.
Rolling his eyes, Xu Boyuan said, “Fine by me.”
Willow Warden took a little longer to decide, but eventually he said, “Okay, let’s do it like that. We’re not from the club guilds, though.”
“Yes, you’re regular players,” Ye Xiu said, somehow managing not to sound condescending.
Black Sheep hummed. “You know, I think they’re telling the truth.”
Xu Boyuan scoffed, but he was done debating it. He received a few potions from Hidden Sun and sent Blue Moon into Line Canyon without another word. His party hurried after him.
Along the way, they passed a number of players, including several with club guild tags attached to their names. They seemed to be scouts only, though, because they hadn’t rallied, and they hadn’t approached the boss. The part of Xu Boyuan that would always belong to Blue Brook approved. Protocol had to be followed no matter what, and tackling a wild boss without adequate support was a waste of resources. He took note of who wore the Blue Brook tag so he could quietly bump them up in the guild ranks later.
“Is it just me or are the club guilds being too cautious?” Black Sheep wondered aloud.
“Cautious about Cliff Ronin Alpine?” Ye Xiu made a disbelieving sound. “They clearly don’t have enough people.”
“If one guild tries something now, they won’t be able to fight the boss and the other guilds at the same time.” Willow Warden’s explanation was brisk but on-point.
“Then guilds are still terrible about ganging up on people,” Black Sheep said.
“Yep,” said Ye Xiu.
“So what’s to stop them from ganging up on us?”
“You’ll see.”
* * *
Cliff Ronin Alpine was not such a challenging wild boss, compared to some. Fighting him sucked mostly because of the mountainous terrain. His worst feature was Super Armor, but with a pro like Ye Xiu in the party, Xu Boyuan’s usual concerns were rendered null. He himself was no slouch in the art of wild boss hunting, and neither were his companions—as much as it pained him to admit. If Willow Warden and Nighttime Rendezvous were a little more incompetent, he’d not be inclined to tolerate them.
As it was, they were very competent and very in-sync with the rest of the party. Black Sheep had been right that first night: the five of them worked very well together. It was fun to play as a team with people who were always on the same page as you.
Of course, to say Ye Xiu was on the same page as the rest of them was a little insulting—to Ye Xiu. But again, he was a pro: he could play at their mortal level easily, and when a little bit of godliness was called for, he delivered.
Just like now.
“Little Night, your three o’clock.”
“Fuck.” Nighttime Rendezvous dodged out of the way of cannon fire. “Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?”
“Old Sheep, watch the west side. Looks like Herb Garden is rallying. Little Willow, we’re going to herd the boss east.”
“What difference will that make? We’re surrounded on all sides; east is only a little better than west.”
“A little better is still a little better!” Ye Xiu exclaimed with far too much cheer for someone who was surrounded by hostile club guild members.
A moment later, Xu Boyuan suspected he understood why. His awareness was nowhere near Ye Xiu’s, but in between attacking and dodging, he still managed to give his surroundings a glance. And in the east, at the edge of the cliffs, a good-sized group of players had gathered, all of them bearing the Guild Happy tag.
If he’d had the time to type full sentences, he’d have demanded Ye Xiu explain what the hell this hunt truly amounted to. If Ye Xiu used Guild Happy’s help to defeat the wild boss, there was no way he could talk them into giving the drops away to someone else—not without revealing himself. And if he revealed himself—
Well, it’d hardly be the end of the world. The fiasco with Lord Grim had not made waves so much as storms, and that had somehow turned out okay. It was Ye Xiu’s business what he did with his identity.
But things were fun as they were. Xu Boyuan and Ye Xiu were Blue Moon and Hidden Sun, two peas in a troublesome pod. When Hidden Sun was unveiled, Blue Moon would probably be scrutinized too, and that’d be the end of Xu Boyuan’s fun.
No, wait. He still had other fun accounts. Ye Xiu probably had other alts. If he wanted to play with Ye Xiu—
…Why did he want to play with Ye Xiu?
It ’s fun.
But he ’s so awful.
Not when business isn ’t involved.
But he doesn ’t care about you. He hasn’t cared since Happy went pro. The only reason he’s giving you the time of day is because he wants an alliance.
He doesn ’t have to spend so much time with me for that.
He met you by chance in this server. If he hadn ’t, he’d wouldn’t have bothered with you. What was he supposed to do, ignore you?
It ’s not like I forced him to acknowledge me. I couldn’t do that if I wanted to.
True, so there must be a reason for him to acknowledge you. He wants something—
Beware! Cliff Ronin Alpine is enraged!
“Old Blue, focus.”
Xu Boyuan took the hit with as much dignity as he could muster. A moment later, Cliff Ronin Alpine swept his sword at Hidden Sun, who backed away just in time to avoid the blow.
It was an example of the teamwork Ye Xiu was known for. A meaningless gesture from sentiment’s perspective. Xu Boyuan messed up, so Ye Xiu covered for him.
Still, wasn’t this why he liked Ye Xiu despite himself? Wasn’t this why playing at his side was so exhilarating?
But dammit, how did he manage to be such a nuisance when he wasn’t even scamming Xu Boyuan out of rare materials or inciting the guilds to riot?
Xu Boyuan gritted his teeth and did as he was told. Whatever Ye Xiu was planning, it’d probably be fine. He had nothing to worry about, not when Blue Brook wasn’t in the picture. Ye Xiu was a non-issue.
A few dozen units away, Dragonfly Princess, the Launcher in charge of the thirteenth server’s Guild Happy, stood on the front lines of an impressive battle team. Guild Happy looked to be ready for war, which was more than could be said of almost every other guild in the area.
Suspicious.
Suddenly, Hidden Sun veered north, and with an angry yell, Cliff Ronin Alpine took off after him. Ye Xiu was the tank, and the boss went where the aggro led him.
“Hey, what are we doing?” Black Sheep sounded nervous.
“Avoiding the guilds, I assume,” said Willow Warden.
“But there is no avoiding them. What was the plan for this scenario again?”
“We were never told,” Nighttime Rendezvous answered wryly.
Like streams channeling into a single river, the different guilds followed their hunting party as one large, murderous mass. It wouldn’t be long until the pursuit became an inescapable tsunami.
“We have to defeat the boss pronto.”
“I hear you, Old Blue!” Ye Xiu called, still cheerful, still unbothered. “Just four more minutes.”
That was weirdly exact, but— “We don’t have four minutes!”
“Yes, we do!”
Xu Boyuan wanted to say that wasn’t the case, not unless all these guilds decided as one to let them off the hook. Nonetheless, he chased Cliff Ronin Alpine, who chased Hidden Sun, who…seemed to be running for cover in the rocks?
Not a bad plan, but that was nowhere near enough to—
From behind a nearby boulder emerged a fearsome-looking Blade Master.
Sinister Star has joined the party!
“Who?” Nighttime Rendezvous sputtered.
“Little Night, Little Willow, split up and run!”
“Run where, you madman?!”
Before more questions could be asked, the Blade Master leaped onto Cliff Ronin Alpine and slashed away the last of his health.
* * *
The boss was dead, the drops were safely in hand, Ye Xiu ran off with Black Sheep, and Xu Boyuan made his escape with the only party member remaining: the mysterious Sinister Star, who had essentially KS’d their wild boss.
Except not really, because Ye Xiu added him to the party right before he attacked.
“Okay, who are you and where did that jerk pick you up?” Xu Boyuan asked resignedly.
“Huang Shaotian!” the Blade Master said.
Xu Boyuan almost coughed blood.
“And I resent the wording there—how would Ye Xiu of all people pick me up? Isn’t that revolting? Aren’t you ashamed? You wanna PK here and now?”
What the actual fuck?
“Um…” Xu Boyuan steadied his hands. “I’m, uh, sorry about that. Knee-jerk reaction. God Huang Shaotian, please forgive me, but what are you…”
“What am I doing here? Helping you out, obviously. Ye Xiu always drags me into his shit, I don’t know why I keep going along with it, but it’s fun sometimes.”
“Right,” Xu Boyuan said weakly. “Fun.”
“You’re Blue Bridge Spring Snow, right?”
If Xu Boyuan were a cultivator in a novel, he would be qi-deviating by now. “You know who I am?”
“Uh-huh, Ye Xiu told me all about you, didn’t he mention that? But I also know you by reputation—you’ve worked for the club for years and it’s not like I can know nothing about our own guild. That’d be weird. Anyway! To Congee Forest!”
In a daze, overflowing with questions he didn’t dare ask, Xu Boyuan ran with Huang Shaotian to Congee Forest. All part of the plan Ye Xiu never explained, he assumed.
Finally, he worked up the courage to ask, “Ye Xiu didn’t promise you the Cliff Ronin Alpine drops in exchange for your help, did he?”
“Nope, why do you ask? I don’t care about some low-level boss’s drops, that’s absurd. Oh, I guess as a guild administrator you’d be pretty concerned about materials. Well, no worries, I’m not getting involved in that shit, the materials are all yours.”
“They’re not mine, actually.”
“Oh? Whose are they then? Ye Xiu said it had nothing to do with Happy.”
“It didn’t.” Xu Boyuan didn’t think. “They’re a bribe.”
“A bribe? Wow, the plot thickens. Who are we bribing? What’s the story there?”
Xu Boyuan hesitantly relayed the terms of the deal their party had made. By the end of the very short story, Huang Shaotian was cackling.
“Wow wow wow, this is even better than I thought, this is amazing! No, this is fantastic! Even that fucker can be like this, huh? Alliance, my ass!”
Alarmed, Xu Boyuan asked, “What does that mean? What’s going on?”
“Ohoho, I’ve said too much,” Huang Shaotian wheezed out between bouts of laughter. “Just ask him! I’m not helping with this! No fucking way!”
In the party chat, a set of coordinates appeared courtesy of Hidden Sun. Xu Boyuan glared at the name. Hidden indeed! What had this nefarious god been plotting behind his back?
Several minutes later, Blue Moon and Sinister Star joined up with Hidden Sun and Black Sheep near the boundary of Congee Forest farthest from Congee City. The Cleric aside, Xu Boyuan had to admire the consistent theme of their avatars’ names. It nearly distracted him from the problem at hand.
“Glad you made it out,” Ye Xiu said amusedly.
“No thanks to you,” Huang Shaotian snapped, all combativeness, and the two of them devolved into a pointless argument.
Xu Boyuan knew Ye Xiu was a great multitasker, so he didn’t feel bad about attacking him while he engaged with Haunt Shaotian.
Blue Moon: What’s all this really about?
Hidden Sun: what do you mean?
Blue Moon: This boss hunt, the alliance, inviting Huang Shaotain in here.
Hidden Sun: hmm
Hidden Sun: not sure i want to tell you
Blue Moon: Tell me or no alliance.
Hidden Sun: not sure you mean that
Blue Moon: Ye Xiu.
Hidden Sun: yes?
Blue Moon: Just tell me. I promise I won’t be mad.
Hidden Sun: very sure you won’t be, but it’s funny watching you squirm
Blue Moon: How do you know I won’t be?
Hidden Sun: if you think about it even a little bit, it’s really obvious
Blue Moon: No it isn’t. What were all those Happy guild members doing back there? What was the plan?
Blue Moon: Why did you just talk to me out of nowhere after all this time? Why have you been following me around?
Hidden Sun: is that what they call partying up nowadays? jeez
Blue Moon: YE XIU
Hidden Sun: didn’t i say it already?
Hidden Sun: i like you
Hidden Sun: you were one of my favorite people in the 10th server and i missed having fun with you while i was off winning competitions and whatnot
Hidden Sun: so now that i have officially retired, we can be friends
Xu Boyuan was really glad he didn’t have a standing desk or something dumb like that, because if he had, he would have fallen and hit his head and ended up in the hospital with a concussion and a bad case of shock.
Blue Moon: I didn’t think it meant anything to you.
Hidden Sun: why would you think that? you were happy’s number one babysitter and everything!
Blue Moon: …That’s pretty much why.
Blue Moon: Wasn’t I just convenient? Wasn’t I useful to you? That’s always how it is. I think you told me something like that yourself.
Blue Moon: It doesn’t explain the rest of it either.
Hidden Sun: if you mean happy’s guild, idk what they were all doing there either… besides trying to steal our boss like everyone else
Blue Moon: You didn’t tip them off or call them over?
Hidden Sun: old blue, you probably have more contact with them than i do
Blue Moon: Then what was all that alliance shit about???????
Hidden Sun: it was just a convenient excuse for us to talk
Hidden Sun: look bro, you *are* very useful, to me and presumably a whole lot of people
Hidden Sun: but like me, you’re also just a guy who loves glory, and i get along great with people who love glory
Hidden Sun: i even baited huang shaotian over here for your sake, so you can’t say i never did anything for you
While Xu Boyuan processed the fact that he was actual, genuine friends with Ye Xiu, God of Glory, national celebrity, and a damn menace, Willow Warden and Nighttime Rendezvous made their grand entrance.
“Don’t interrupt,” Xu Boyuan absently said of Ye Xiu and Huang Shaotian, who were still arguing like nobody’s business. “It might not end well for you if you do.”
Fortunately, the two of them were too worn out to do anything other than comply. Gods clashed and mortals watched from a safe distance: thus was the natural order of things.
“He sure is chatty, isn’t he? This Sinister Star,” said Black Sheep.
“Yeah. I have bad experiences with chatty Blade Masters in Congee Forest,” Nighttime Rendezvous replied.
Willow Warden snickered. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot what happened in the ten—”
“Shut up.”
* * *
Xu Boyuan stopped worrying about what Ye Xiu would or wouldn’t do. When Dragonfly Princess confusedly messaged him about an alliance, he accepted it for the symbolic gesture it was, recognizing that among the top guilds, Blue Brook was the easiest for Guild Happy to cooperate with. Tyranny’s enmity with Ye Xiu rendered any alliance a risky business, and Tiny Herb, a two-time championship winner, was one of Happy’s biggest competitors. Allying with them could backfire down the line. The same logic applied to Samsara, whose guild Nighttime Rendezvous did not stop hyping up. He did, however, stop trying to recruit Xu Boyuan and Ye Xiu.
Willow Warden ceased his recruitment pitches too, but he also started persuading them to hunt more bosses and run more dungeons. He became addicted to the high of victory, which was basically guaranteed with Ye Xiu in the party. Nighttime Rendezvous and Black Sheep supported this since the drops were fairly divided between the five of them.
At first, Xu Boyuan thought Willow Warden and Nighttime Rendezvous were collecting materials to pass along to their guilds, which was annoying but not worth protesting when he wasn’t working in his capacity as a guild administrator. But then, he realized they were selling materials—and making bank, judging by their equipment upgrades. It was almost enough to convince him they were indeed regular players. That, or they were guild admins on fun accounts of their own.
Ye Xiu sold his shares too, as far as Xu Boyuan knew, though he did save the rarer materials for Guild Happy. Xu Boyuan thought it must be great to be retired. He wondered when it would be his turn to be so unburdened and free.
His materials, without question, went to Blue Brook. Something got sold here or there, but it didn’t matter if he was short on gold. Ye Xiu was more than willing to buy him equipment, potions, and anything else he needed.
It was good to be friends with a pro player, even if he was a menace.
The menace was on his side now.
(It was a very powerful feeling.)
“We should meet up someday,” said Black Sheep one night at the end of December. “Have you guys ever been to All-Stars?”
Shockingly, everyone said yes. “And I’m not going again,” Ye Xiu added. “Forget it.”
“We don’t know each other all that well either,” Xu Boyuan added, mostly because the thought of introducing these poor innocent souls to Ye Xiu in person was immensely unpleasant. There would be drama no matter what; Ye Xiu was a divisive figure.
The thought of introducing himself to Ye Xiu in person was nearly as unpleasant, but only because Xu Boyuan was sure he’d make a fool of himself in the process. He often felt like a fool around Ye Xiu anyway; he was only just beginning to learn to live with it. He needed at least another year to get used to this friendship business.
Later, though, he mentioned to Ye Xiu that he was going to be at All-Stars, as he’d been given a ticket for a gift.
“My birthday was a couple weeks ago,” Xu Boyuan explained. “My guild leader gave it to me.”
“I missed your birthday?”
Xu Boyuan almost said he did, but then he remembered— “You didn’t! It was the night we hung out at Skeleton Graveyard. December fourteenth.”
“Huh. You didn’t say anything. Was it a secret or something?”
“I was up past midnight and I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“So you forgot.”
“Yes, be quiet.”
Ye Xiu laughed at him but said he understood.
About a week later, All-Stars Weekend kicked off. Xu Boyuan’s ticket was VIP and included a backstage pass, which meant he’d get some of the best seats in the house and be allowed to meet some pros. It was, admittedly, enough to excite him. His previous experiences couldn’t compare.
At the end of the first day, while most of the stadium was emptying out, Xu Boyuan was led backstage by a smiling woman. He was the first in a line of eager fans, which was why he was also the first to spot Ye Xiu, who was chilling in a seemingly random hallway with a smiling Yu Wenzhou by his side.
He stopped in his tracks. The person behind him cursed as they bumped into his back, but Xu Boyuan didn’t even have the presence of mind to apologize.
Ye Xiu met his gaze, tilted his head, and walked over.
Xu Boyuan tried not to panic. Gazelle, meet lion. I didn’t think he’d be this intimidating in person.
(He wasn’t, Xu Boyuan was just stupid.)
“Xu Boyuan?” Ye Xiu asked with a vague smile.
“Um, yeah.” Xu Boyuan managed to shake himself into some semblance of normalcy. “That’s me.” Like a fool, he pointed at his name tag.
Ye Xiu looked at the woman who oversaw their group. “I’m stealing this one. We know each other.”
“Okay…”
Ye Xiu’s smile broadened into something more genuine. He waved a beckoning hand at Xu Boyuan.
Later, when the two of them sat down with Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou at a little out-of-the-way restaurant (yes, Xu Boyuan was living his best life, why do you ask?), Ye Xiu said, “So, I have some ideas about our alliance.”
Xu Boyuan carefully replaced his glass on the table. Was it his imagination or had his blood pressure just spiked? “Like what?”
Yu Wenzhou gave Ye Xiu a quizzical look. “I thought you weren’t in charge of your guild. What’s with all these ideas?”
“Well, they mostly involve me and Old Blue.”
“Romantic,” Huang Shaotian drawled. “I knew it. You have a crush.” He looked at Xu Boyuan. “He has a crush on you.”
“Uh-huh,” Xu Boyuan said, not believing that at all.
“Anyway, ideas,” Ye Xiu quickly said.
“I’m listening,” Xu Boyuan promised.
“You won’t be mad, right?”
“I’m sure I won’t be mad.” After all, Ye Xiu had proven he was a non-issue. The menace was on his side. They were friends. There was nothing to worry about.
Probably.
(By the end of dinner, Xu Boyuan was coughing blood.)