Chapter 75: A Bet Must Be Honored
Meng Xueli did not understand Ji Xiao’s intention. He only felt those words were truly strange, so he could not help but press further: “So you mean you’ve seen them? Are they twin swords, a spiritual artifact, or a legacy cultivation method?”
Ji Xiao averted his gaze. “Neither.” He seemed a little embarrassed and did not say more.
Meng Xueli pondered. In the past, he knew absolutely nothing about ‘Weary of Rain’ and ‘Tired of Wind’, and even suspected they never existed at all—that Hu Si, displeased with him, had fabricated them just to stir up trouble. Now, however, he thought differently. Perhaps these treasures had been left specifically for Ji Xiao’s son. Hu Si did not know that Ji Xiao had raised a child, so he naturally assumed Ji Xiao’s closest relation was his “dao companion.”
That was fine too. Let others misunderstand and believe he carried rare treasures on him—at the very least, it would keep Xiao Tingyun a little safer.
So Meng Xueli resolutely refused: “You keep them! I don’t want to see them!”
Ji Xiao: “…” Preparing a gift was nothing like cultivating; he had hoped his little companion would like it. But if he truly did not, then it was fine—he would simply think of another way.
From afar, Jing Di was watching the two of them “exchanging glances and emotions.” He coughed lightly: “Someone’s coming.”
Even before his words had fully fallen, a shout rang out from the distance: “Where is Meng Xueli?” The voice drew nearer, accompanied by two approaching figures.
“Here!” Meng Xueli called back loudly. His eyes signaled his teammates to step aside, clearing the open space of the courtyard. The flat, wide expanse now became a natural arena.
The Central City lay at the heart of the secret realm, encircled by mountain ranges. Meng Xueli stood at the very center of the courtyard, surrounded by six towering stone pillars, as though standing at the very center of the world itself. Under the clear night sky, the rolling outlines of distant mountains were sharply visible. The brilliant Milky Way arched like a bridge across half the heavens, falling behind the far-off peaks.
Meng Xueli thought: this weather was perfect for stretching one’s limbs.
By this late stage of the competition, few participants remained, and all were converging toward Central City. Outside the secret realm, those who had already fallen victim to Meng Xueli’s “moral trials” had gathered together, venting their bitterness. But inside, the remaining contestants had no contact with the outside. To those who had never encountered Meng Xueli nor been eliminated, the phrase “Sword Sovereign’s dao companion” still meant “weak, pitiful, and helpless.”
So when they first heard his provocative announcement, their first reaction was disbelief—followed quickly by anger.
Meng Xueli’s words had been too arrogant. Even his friend Que Xianming felt an urge to beat him up, while only Ji Xiao managed to stay calm and amused.
The two contestants who arrived first did not rashly approach him. Instead, they pointed toward the people outside the courtyard and shouted at Xiao Tingyun and the others: “Hey, are you his helpers? Didn’t he swear on his dao heart it would be a one-on-one fight?”
Meng Xueli laughed. “It’s just me.”
That man studied him from a distance, then glanced again at Xiao Tingyun’s group. Suddenly he seemed to notice something and let out a surprised sound: “Eh? Jing Di, is that you? What are you doing here?”
Jing Di had wide connections and a strong reputation; many people recognized him.
Jing Di snapped impatiently: “Lost. Anyone defeated has to stand in this circle and watch. We don’t fight again.”
The circle had been drawn by Xiao Tingyun. It still had plenty of space left. Jing Di and his teammates had never seen the protective circle drawn during the rainy night when the mining squad had been rescued; they thought it was merely for show. Thus, their posture was casual—they stood, sat, fiddled with the array disk, or polished their pill furnace within it.
The newcomers clearly knew Jing Di and were astonished. They knew the strength of Mingyue Lake’s senior disciple, so seeing him defeated shocked them even more: “You all lost to him?”
Xu Sanshan chimed in: “That’s right. A real man honors his wager—we lost, so we’re here watching.”
The newcomers sneered proudly: “Seems the ‘Ice Mirror Jade Wheel’ and the ‘Mingyue Sword’ weren’t so impressive after all.”
Jing Di did not get angry in the slightest. He already knew what their fate would be—perhaps in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, maybe even half that.
Those who lasted into the late stages of the tournament were all proud and competitive, each certain of their own skill. Hearing that Meng Xueli had defeated Jing Di only made their fighting spirit burn stronger.
One of them asked: “You said whoever defeats you can claim the Sword Sovereign’s relic. Do you mean it?”
Meng Xueli: “Of course I mean it.”
Que Xianming echoed Xu Sanshan’s style of heckling: “Quit stalling like you’re grinding soybeans. If you’re real men, get up there and fight. Are you men or not?”
The two took off their concealing cloaks—and turned out to be two female cultivators in skirts, one in pink, one in violet, hairpins glittering. Their voices returned to clear, bright tones: “Not men.”
Que Xianming fell silent.
Song Qianyi stood up. “Ah, it’s two senior sisters from Xia Shan.”
The one in pink looked at her: “You’re junior sister Song from Songfeng Valley? You lost too?”
Song Qianyi bowed: “I only watched from the side. I’m here to admire the senior sisters’ performance.”
The violet-dressed girl snorted coldly.
Song Qianyi sent a secret voice transmission to Meng Xueli: “Xia Shan’s side sect is known for many unorthodox techniques. These two sisters are famous for hidden weapons, poison arts, and enchantments. Elder Meng, do not judge by appearances, and do not let soft feelings cloud your judgment.”
Meng Xueli: “…Alright.”
The two girls did not underestimate him in the least. They stepped cautiously into the courtyard, one positioning herself under the stone pillar directly in front of him, the other moving to the opposite corner, behind his back.
Meng Xueli: “Actually, a one-on-one match would be better for the both of you.”
The girl in pink eyed him with suspicion: “You’re too cunning. One-on-one clearly favors you, yet you claim it would benefit us. What benefit?”
Meng Xueli: “Easier for me to give pointers.”
Suddenly, he heard a sharp rush of wind behind him. The girl in the violet dress took advantage of his speaking moment and swung a length of white cloth through the air, striking first. Almost simultaneously, the girl in pink’s long whip arrived.
Meng Xueli did not turn around, a hint of helplessness on his face. “Not fast enough.”
Author’s note:
Ferret: As long as there’s no straight man confessing, I’m living happily.
Ji Xiao: What is meant to come will always come.
I wrote a small “sword MMORPG” parody as a Christmas gift for everyone:
“Sword Out of Han Shan” is a large-scale xianxia MMORPG. Players could choose between human, demon, or monster races, each with multiple classes.
This year, Meng Xueli was a freshman, spending most of his free time in the game. His ID was “Snow Mountain King,” his race was Demon, and he livestreamed 1v1 arena matches. His wins earned him the title “Demon King.” Although he never showed his face, his gameplay was flashy, commentary clear, and voice pleasant—enough to gain some popularity as an amateur streamer.
However, fans noticed he had been acting strangely lately. His roommate, Que Xianming, was the first to notice this awkward shift.
Meng Xueli had become talkative and liked to show off, flaunting flashy moves. In the arena, he was like a mad dog, attacking anyone in his path.
Que Xianming asked: “Are you… in an online romance?”
Meng Xueli was shocked: “How did you know?”
“You’re like a little elementary student trying desperately to get the class flower’s attention.”
“…”
Que Xianming: “Be honest. I won’t laugh at you.”
“There was this one duo dungeon run, you weren’t there, so I invited a random player to join, thinking I’d carry them through…” But then the random player ended up carrying him. Embarrassed, Meng Xueli didn’t say more, just said:
“The player was skilled, spoke nicely, very low-key, didn’t show off. I really liked him. I wanted to get to know him, make a friend—not necessarily date him…” He sent a screenshot from the game: “That’s him.”
Que Xianming nearly went black in the eyes. A random player? Really?
The in-game ID was Ji Xiao, race Human, class Sword Cultivator, titled Sword Sovereign. He was the top-ranked player across the entire server.
Meng Xueli: “Give me some advice.”
Que Xianming suggested he switch targets: “Good at the game? Impossible not to show off. Unless he’s socially anxious… maybe even a couch potato. You’re an adult—why are you doing an online romance?”
Meng Xueli ignored him.
Although Ji Xiao wasn’t a streamer, he was a well-known powerhouse in the game with even more fans than Meng Xueli. Wherever he moved on the map, anyone who saw him posted about it in the world chat.
Meng Xueli waited eagerly by the stone bridge in Hanmen City, timing it perfectly to stage a “coincidental encounter.”
Before he could even prepare mentally, he saw Ji Xiao walking straight toward him:
“Let’s have a ceremony of companionship? It’s Christmas romance quest.”
Meng Xueli was dumbstruck. What kind of luck was this from the heavens? Did he even deserve it? Probably not.
Ji Xiao asked again: “Let’s have a ceremony of companionship?”
Meng Xueli came back to his senses and typed furiously: “Y-yes! I’ve been waiting for someone to do this quest with me. I want to grind for the quest reward, the ‘Peachwood Sword.’ You came at the perfect time!”
Que Xianming sneered: “Peachwood Sword? You didn’t even pick it up when it dropped before.”
Christmas was the following Tuesday. The game company had launched the Christmas duo quest a week early, with double rewards for couples.
The two went to the Yue Lao Temple to register together. Ji Xiao, a paying player, was prioritized. In under three minutes, they both shed their single status and paraded through Hanmen City.
The forums quickly erupted: “Demon King and Sword Sovereign team up for Christmas? Little streamer and server’s #1 powerhouse CP? Game company hype?”
Meng Xueli ignored the forums and danced in his dorm room with joy.
Que Xianming: “Ugh!”
Meanwhile, Xiao Tingyun opened WeChat and clicked on Hu Si’s avatar: “He agreed.”
Ji Xiao’s real name was Xiao Tingyun. Hu Si was his childhood friend and experienced in love, full of tricks. By coincidence, the two had ended up under the same graduate advisor and now shared a lab.
In Hu Si’s view, Xiao Tingyun never went clubbing, never used social apps like Tinder, and would most likely spend his life with experimental data.
Dating was fine, but Hu Si had some prejudice against Meng Xueli:
“Why did you have to pick a small online streamer? I’ve watched his streams—he shows off, hides his face. Either a dramatic teenager or some rural emo kid.”
Too late. With Meng Xueli’s strong push, the two main characters in this story had already exchanged X signals.
After the other passed friend verification, inexperienced Meng Xueli sent a set of cute emoticons and two cat emoji packs, heart racing.
Que Xianming mocked him: “Such promise.”
Game characters could change outfits. After ceremony of companionship, Meng Xueli was generous, gifting Ji Xiao a Christmas-limited red cloak, worth four digits RMB in second-hand trade. He excused it: “Giving gifts increases intimacy with a partner and lowers quest difficulty.”
No one knew what difficulty lay in blindly grinding that dungeon.
The Sword Sovereign in white switched to the red cloak. The combination was awkward and mismatched, and Meng Xueli felt slightly embarrassed.
Ji Xiao: “Receive the package.”
Meng Xueli opened it, and his intimacy gauge instantly maxed out. Sixty rare forging materials, a full set of demon-race outfits—enough to mix and match for a month without repeating.
He was so shocked he didn’t speak. Calculating in his head, he realized he probably crossed the line for online scam punishments, and quickly backed out.
Ji Xiao: “Don’t like it?”
Meng Xueli: “Too expensive.”
Ji Xiao sent again, typing “Not expensive,” then deleting it, hesitating, typing and deleting again, and finally sending: “I want to give it to you.”
Meng Xueli backed out once more: “I don’t like these. Everyone else wears the same things—it’s not unique.”
Ji Xiao felt a bit troubled. He had read forum posts before; whenever others were in a romance quest, they usually gave this kind of gift.
He opened Hu Si’s chat. Upon hearing what happened, Hu Si smirked: “Got trapped, huh? You little lab rat, do you even know what a dramatic emo teen likes? You have to give them what they want!”
Ji Xiao: “I’ll figure something else out.”
Ji Xiao said to Meng Xueli: “Wait a moment.”
Meng Xueli thought he was busy, so he sent a cute, obedient emoji, then added: “You handle your business first, I’ll wait for you (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～”
Then he started browsing Ji Xiao’s social feed. No selfies, only a few landscape photos—but Meng Xueli was thrilled as if he had discovered a world-shattering secret—they lived in the same city.
Two hours later, Ji Xiao: “Sent it to your email. Use it quietly, don’t resell it.”
Meng Xueli stared at the installation package, full of question marks.
Ji Xiao had actually written a game cheat for him.
The cheat had no other use: it couldn’t boost experience, loot, or lower the difficulty of combat.
It only changed appearance, giving the character long, seven-color shifting hair that sparkled, like a glowing marquee.
Meng Xueli used it for less than half an hour before standing out too much and drawing attention, resulting in a one-week account ban.
That day, the game forum’s front page was plastered with a red-hot post: “Streamer ‘Snow Mountain King’ caught cheating—HD screenshots, viewer discretion advised!”
Opening it showed Meng Xueli’s character standing in the main city. The Demon King’s once-white hair, wild and untamed, was now rainbow-colored, long bangs covering half his right face.
Replies were merciless laughter:
“Holy crap, I’ve never seen such a stupid cheat. Snow Mountain King is a genius!”
“Streamer, donate the right eye if you don’t need it!”
“What are you laughing at? Don’t be hypocrites, this is cheating hahaha!”
Xiao Tingyun realized he’d mishandled things and called to apologize: “I’m sorry. I’ll make amends.”
Meng Xueli answered incoherently: “It’s okay, I even gained followers. Not your fault…”
Que Xianming wildly waved his hands beside him. Meng Xueli quickly corrected himself: “Well… if you really feel bad, when you have time—later, I mean, when there’s a chance—you can take me out to eat…”
Feeling shy, Meng Xueli’s voice got quieter: “I saw your feed before… we’re both at Haishi…”
Xiao Tingyun: “Okay. How about Saturday?”
Meng Xueli: ???!
“Saturday?” Meng Xueli covered the receiver and glanced at Que Xianming. Que Xianming made an OK gesture.
Meng Xueli: “Okay, okay, okay!”
Xiao Tingyun: “Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”
Meng Xueli: “No, no!”
They agreed to meet Saturday at noon at a popular hotpot restaurant in the city center.
Hotpot was Meng Xueli’s impulsive suggestion. Que Xianming almost choked. Once the call ended, he raged: “Hotpot? Are you kidding? First date, you eat hotpot, smell like it afterward—wait until it cools!”
On Saturday, Meng Xueli styled his hair like an adult, wore a sharp suit, even polished his bicycle until it gleamed.
Roommate Que Xianming: “…you planning to ride home alone in the cold?”
Meng Xueli looked blank.
Que Xianming: “Take a cab! Don’t be ridiculous!”
But that evening, Meng Xueli was the one being driven home.
Xiao Tingyun opened his car door and unbuckled the seatbelt. Meng Xueli was extremely nervous, feeling he had performed terribly on the date, unsure where to put his hands, almost wishing to hide them in his mouth.
Xiao Tingyun didn’t know what to say either. He wanted to speak from the heart but feared it might be misunderstood as flirtatious. In the end, he said simply: “Merry Christmas.”
Meng Xueli whispered: “Happy… Christmas.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
