So beautiful…

Jian Xingyi was momentarily lost in thought.

He then stepped forward to examine it closely and activated his skill.

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x30】

The amount of essence was neither too much nor too little—it was about the same as the trees in the vicinity. There was nothing particularly special about it, nor did it contain any unique seeds.

Jian Xingyi asked, “Shuixi, what is this?”

Shuixi came over to take a look. “I’m not sure, but judging by its appearance, it should be a rare item.”

In that case…

Jian Xingyi carefully transplanted the flower and placed it in his backpack.

Once it was in his backpack, the system promptly displayed a management prompt.

【Snow Lotus】 Must be planted in the ground; requires a constant temperature in a greenhouse to survive.

So this thing is a snow lotus!

As expected, when encountering something unfamiliar… just grab it! However, the system didn’t mention any effects. Jian Xingyi now knew that items without described effects either belonged to a realm he hadn’t explored yet or were features he hadn’t unlocked.

For example, when he planted lychees earlier, the system didn’t mention that lychees required a greenhouse, but once he unlocked the greenhouse, that information appeared in the coffee’s description.

So… just pick it first and worry about it later!

Although the benefits haven’t been unlocked yet, the system at least told him how to preserve it—meaning this snow lotus would occupy one plot of land in the greenhouse for storage.

Hmm… that’s not so bad. He has plenty of fields now, and although the greenhouse can only hold five plots at the moment, it will expand in the future.

So Jian Xingyi planted the snow lotus.

Shortly after, Shuixi was ready. Just as Jian Xingyi was about to climb aboard, Shuixi suddenly got out and said, “You sit in front.”

It was much safer for Jian Xingyi to sit in the front; that way, she could avoid being hit by flying debris from behind and prevent herself from being thrown out.

The only downside was… this meant Shuixi was practically holding Jian Xingyi in his arms.

Shuixi lowered his gaze.

“Oh…”

Jian Xingyi didn’t mind.

Once they were ready, Shuixi started the engine.

Jian Xingyi asked curiously, “Will this really trigger an avalanche?”

“Yeah, this is a spot where avalanches frequently occur. Several layers of snow had already fallen by the time we came up just now.”

“Oh.” Jian Xingyi took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

Roar—

The motorcycle plunged downward.

Whoa—!

Jian Xingyi felt the same sensation she’d experienced when she and Shuixi first met, as they plunged down the Fire God’s Belly Cliff.

Back then, Jian Xingyi had been genuinely terrified, his legs going weak, but now he’d actually grown somewhat accustomed to it.

The biting cold wind whipped across his skin, stinging sharply. Snow from the ground flew up around her, and the sensation of rapid descent and weightlessness lifted Jian Xingyi’s buttocks off the seat, but he was held in place by the front restraints and didn’t fly out.

Shuixi asked, “Is it fun?”

Jian Xingyi laughed, “Hmm… kind of.”

Just like riding a roller coaster, once you get used to it, it actually feels kind of thrilling.

“Then the difficulty level is about to go up.”

“Huh…? Huh…!!!!”

Oh my god!!!

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened as he stared at this so-called “upgrade in difficulty.”

This is way too much of an upgrade!

The ground began to crack, the fissures growing wider and wider until the surface split into several chunks. Then, these blocks of snow started collapsing and tumbling downward.

Shuixi floored the throttle, moving faster than the snow was cracking apart, skimming over the fragments to stay on the surface.

But the slightest misstep, and the two of them—along with the motorcycle—would sink into the churning snow and be swallowed whole.

Jian Xingyi gripped the handlebars tightly, feeling the violent shaking that made his internal organs rattle.

Clack—

Roar———

Jian Xingyi didn’t need to look back to know that snow waves several people high were chasing them from behind.

Meanwhile, the people at the foot of the mountain were stunned. Lone Wolf and Haihai had witnessed the avalanche unfold with their own eyes. The two riders, ahead of the snow wave, looked as tiny as ants.

Lone Wolf exclaimed in admiration, “That guy named Shuixi is so amazing… I wonder what kind of big shot he is!”

Haihai was also speechless, “He really is amazing. No wonder everyone on the public channel is so curious about his identity.”

Lone Wolf’s eyes sparkled. “I’m even more curious about where Xinghe found such a master. I really want to fight him! I feel like I could learn so much!”

The two watched as Shuixi dodged the crisis with superhuman skill. This time, he had even anticipated the aftershocks, bringing Jian Xingyi to a stop in a completely safe spot.

Lone Wolf and the others immediately surrounded him.

“We did it…!”

“Holy crap, you guys are way too good?!”

“That’s insane… I never even dreamed there was a way like that! That’s incredible!”

“Xinghe, which server is Shuixi from? He must be T1! No, wait—none of the T1 players I’ve seen are that good!”

“Xinghe, you’re amazing too—daring to go up and down the mountain with him… If it were me, I’d have wet my pants long ago! It’s terrifying just watching from here!”

Jian Xingyi just smiled and didn’t answer the question about Shuixi’s identity.

Of course, he’s amazing—he’s an AI, an NPC!

Jian Xingyi felt a strange sense of pride.

Jian Xingyi said, “Oh, stop praising him—Shuixi will get embarrassed. Hurry up and go collect the wood; it’s another bumper harvest!”

Everyone looked around at the logs washed ashore by the waves, their eyes lighting up.

Indeed!!

Heiye and Baizhou, the numbers in the guild log kept climbing higher and higher. Just two hours ago, it was 29,000, and now it was skyrocketing right before their eyes.

31,020……

36,051……

47,511… …

Jian Xingyi was so thrilled he almost jumped for joy. The logs rushing down from above were all Grade A, so there were plenty of them, and everyone was so engrossed in gathering them that they forgot all about their troubles.

Lone Wolf laughed heartily, “Oh man, we were just wandering around out there like headless flies. Following Big Shot Xinghe… and this Big Shot Shuixi is definitely the way to go!”

The loot from the avalanches would have been plenty even if Jian Xingyi had collected it alone, but now there were a dozen people gathering together. Since the wood could be collected three to five times, the quantity was rising rapidly.

After two avalanches, the guild’s wood supply had reached a staggering amount.

Wood: 102,000

Zombies Killed: 3,400

Building a single wall requires 400,000; with special construction methods, it might be less. Now that everyone has gathered 100,000, the goal… isn’t toooo far away!

Akita was green with envy and wanted to join Jian Xingyi’s group.

Lone Wolf: 【Get lost! Scram!】

Akita: 【?】

Haihai: 【Lone Wolf means it’s pointless for you guys to join. We’re about ten people here, and that’s just the right number for gathering wood. If you come, there’ll be too many of us, and there’s a limit on how much wood we can collect.】

Akita: 【Oh, okay then. I’ll stick with Feiyi on another track. Damn it, does that jerk Lone Wolf even know how to speak properly?】

Akita found Feiyi, and the two teams merged to tackle a higher-difficulty dungeon.

They were indeed on a different track. After three or four hours in the dungeon, they hadn’t gathered a single piece of wood, but once they cleared it, they could contribute three to seven or eight thousand pieces of wood to the guild in one go.

Lone Wolf: 【Go ahead and curse me, go ahead and be jealous. Anyway, I’m the one following Xinghe now, and I can even ask Big Shot Shuixi for combat advice.】

Akita: 【I feel bad for Big Shot Shuixi. Even if he teaches this guy well, it’s just a waste of time.】

But he was definitely jealous—in fact, everyone else in the guild was jealous too.

……I really want to see the legendary Big Shot Shuixi! And reap a huge harvest alongside Big Shot Xinghe!

Heiye: 【Alright, everyone stick to your roles—we’ll do our best too!】

Baizhou: 【^^】

Besides leading the remaining low-level members—like Chacha—to protect the guild’s safety, Heiye and Baizhou didn’t waste any spare time. They were busy figuring out how to build walls, manually chopping down trees, or gathering wood to construct artificial fences for everyone.

After gathering all the wood near the avalanche site, everyone entered the coniferous forest and split into two teams: one to cut down trees and the other to collect the wood.

After all, everyone now had axes, and since the coniferous forest was a higher-level area on the map, cutting down trees there was quite profitable.

However, with the higher-level coniferous forest came increased danger.

Shuixi led the front of the group, with Lone Wolf and Haihai bringing up the rear; everyone kept their guns at the ready, on high alert.

The sounds of wild beasts filled the air, zombies appeared from time to time, and the sub-zero temperatures were another challenge.

“Bang—!”

Shuixi had taken down another zombie.

With so much cover in the woods, zombies appeared out of nowhere, but Shuixi had excellent instincts; he usually flushed them out and killed them before anyone else could react.

All I can say is, being on the same team as Shuixi gives me a real sense of security.

Lone Wolf gazed at Shuixi with admiration, hesitating to speak, wanting to approach but too afraid to do so.

The next moment, Lone Wolf’s admiring gaze shifted from Shuixi to Jian Xingyi.

These guys… they’re all hidden talents and prodigies!!!

Because the very next moment, Jian Xingyi pulled a… chainsaw out of his backpack.

Jian Xingyi was just in the mood to give it a try; he hadn’t used this new item he’d bought from the VIP Store yet.

Once it started up, a “dada-dada” of motor noise filled the air, and in an instant, everyone turned to look at Jian Xingyi.

What’s that noise?

Jian Xingyi held up the chainsaw and gave a nervous laugh, “Just testing out a new gadget.”

The crowd: “……”

The crowd: “???!”

Jian Xingyi gave it a try, and holy cow…

It works like a charm!!

Sir, times have changed!

This thing is incredibly effective; he felt like he didn’t even have to exert any effort.

“Wow…”

“Wow…”

Envy filled everyone’s eyes.

All one could say was that the big shot had all sorts of strange gadgets.

Jian Xingyi was busy activating his skills to collect essence, and Shuixi was mostly focused on keeping everyone safe, so Jian Xingyi handed his two chainsaws to Haihai and Lone Wolf, the two who were dedicated to chopping trees, strong, and full of energy.

The loud “vroom vroom vroom” of the engines rang out nonstop as the two of them chopped away with abandon.

Now that they had chainsaws, they realized just how hard life had been when they were chopping trees with axes!

So satisfying…!

Lone Wolf didn’t forget to take a photo and post it in the Guild Administrator group to show off.

Lone Wolf: 【/photo/ This is how easy it is when you’re with Big Shot Xinghe!】

Akita: 【……】

After working in the woods all day, it was suddenly midnight.

Many in the group were starting to feel dizzy—after all, it was freezing out there—so Jian Xingyi called everyone over to sit down and handed out ginger tea.

Lone Wolf: 【/photo/ Following Big Shot Xinghe even gets you soup!】

Akita: 【Holy crap, will you ever stop?!】

Jian Xingyi and Haihai were left both amused and exasperated, seeing Lone Wolf post another photo to show off.

Haihai sighed, “Just imagine—if I had a younger brother like that, I’d definitely beat him up.”

Everyone gathered in a circle to drink the soup, with a campfire burning in the center.

Jian Xingyi took a sip of the ginger soup and felt his body warm up—it was incredibly comforting.

Jian Xingyi said, “Once everyone’s rested up, we’ll head back to the 【It’s Really Cold】 guild to regroup. Tomorrow, we’ll climb higher and explore further.”

After all, the coniferous forest had been thoroughly ravaged by the group for a day; it would take time to regenerate. It would be more efficient to climb higher after resting, and besides, he still had the Colorful Flag quest to complete.

Thanks to the contributions from Akita and Feiyi’s side, the guild’s wood supply had reached a higher quantity. Although gathering wood and chopping trees couldn’t match the haul from an avalanche, it was still quite good.

Wood: 124,000

Zombies Killed: 4,010

Haihai mused, “There’s naturally more wood further up, but can our team really handle it?”

Jian Xingyi looked at Shuixi.

Shuixi had unconsciously become the team leader. He unfolded the map and pointed to the route, saying, “We can avoid the dangerous areas.”

“Oh…”

Shuixi turned to look at Jian Xingyi: “By the time we’re about to reach the summit, they can stay in this snowy forest to gather resources while we head to the next dungeon to grab the colored flags.”

“Oh!”

Shuixi looked at Lone Wolf and Haihai and said, “The only dangers in the snow forest are the Dodo beasts and the zombies. It takes a day for them to respawn after being killed. Once I take out the Dodo beasts, you guys should be able to handle the zombies.”

“Oh…!”

Someone sighed, “It feels so good to have a big shot leading us…”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, You guys finally understand my joy.

“Yeah… It’s so reassuring. Thousand Bells Snow Mountain feels like it’s become a big shot’s private garden.”

“Plus, this soup from Big Shot Xinghe tastes so good. I bet Big Shot’s boyfriend is a big shot too!”

???

Jian Xingyi: “Cough, cough, cough…”

Jian Xingyi nearly choked on a mouthful of ginger soup.

So someone seized the opportunity to ask, “Xinghe, Xinghe, is Brother Shuixi your boyfriend?”

Everyone had been curious all day.

Jian Xingyi’s ears turned slightly red as he stammered, “W-why are you asking that?”

“Because you two seem really close?”

“Right, and even if he’s not your boyfriend, you must be really good friends, right?”

Look really close…??

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened just a tiny bit.

“Plus, there’s been so much gossip on the public chat, and we’re pretty curious too.”

“Yeah, someone even said he was a bodyguard before, but now I can say for sure that’s impossible!”

“So… are you actually boyfriend and girlfriend?”

On the public chat… everyone’s saying that???

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened a whole lot.

Wait, what’s going on? Huh?

Haihai looked thoroughly smug, while Lone Wolf, with his clear-eyed innocence, asked in confusion, “Huh? Didn’t Xinghe say you were just friends? So you’re actually boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Jian Xingyi exclaimed excitedly, “No… cough… cough cough!”

He choked again.

Shuixi couldn’t stand it anymore. He reached out to gently pat Jian Xingyi’s back to help him catch his breath, then handed him a bottle of water: “We’re just regular friends.”

Jian Xingyi grabbed Shuixi’s wrist and drank a few gulps of water from his hand: “Right, right! Just regular friends.”

Lone Wolf: “Oh!”

Haihai and the others: “Ooooh~~~~~.”

After everyone had rested up, they headed to the “It’s Really Cold” guild. Jian Xingyi was currently in the Snow Mountain region… Of course, regardless of which region he was in, he was always a VIP, so the guild naturally welcomed him with open arms when he brought people in to rest.

On the way, Jian Xingyi grabbed Haihai and asked him furtively.

“Everyone on the general chat knows that Shuixi and I go on adventures together, and they’re always talking about us?”

“Yeah.”

“Do they think we’re a couple?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

Haihai looked at him with a mischievous smile.

“Anything else you want to ask?”

“……Nothing else.”

Thanks for the invite, it’s over.

Jian Xingyi wore a pained expression. He suddenly wondered if Shuixi had distanced himself from him because of this… Did Shuixi mind what others were saying about them, which is why he…

Jian Xingyi felt a bit down.

Shuixi must have been disgusted; otherwise, why would he have put distance between them?

After the group returned to 【It’s Really Cold】, it was still Wu Yun who came out to grant everyone access; the real Guild President, Cang Shui, remained elusive.

Everyone settled in the office, leaving only room for Shuixi and Jian Xingyi.

Jian Xingyi sat on the bed and whispered, “I can sleep on the floor.”

After all, Shuixi definitely wouldn’t want to sleep with him.

Shuixi paused for a moment before saying, “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

How could he bear to let Jian Xingyi sleep on the floor?

Jian Xingyi froze.

Shuixi really does… look down on… him!!

Jian Xingyi pouted. “I’m going out to clear my head.”

With that, he turned and walked out.

Shuixi: “……?”

It felt like he’d sensed a flash of murderous intent.

It must… have been a delusion, right?

After all, Jian Xingyi was such a gentle person—he never showed the slightest bit of aggression and always spoke in a soft, gentle tone.

Jian Xingyi strode out of the office.

He also wanted to harvest some essence points from the 【It’s Really Cold】 guild, hoping that the sheer wealth would force him to calm down.

What in this world can relieve one’s worries? Only wealth!

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x3】

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x8】

……

The essence values in the surrounding area were nothing special, but after harvesting the essence from the coniferous forest and the slope above, he now had a total of 503 points.

It was quite a haul—enough to upgrade his No. 5 Pig Farming Zone to Class C, allowing him to raise 10 piglets!

It was now deep into the night; the surroundings were completely silent and serene.

As Jian Xingyi wandered to a corner, he spotted a man in a wheelchair sitting by the wall, scribbling in a notebook. A small section of the wall in front of him had already been cleared.

The man paused when he saw Jian Xingyi, then smiled warmly. “Hello… I haven’t seen you before. Aren’t you a member of our guild?”

Jian Xingyi replied, “My name is Xinghe.”

“Ah… so it’s Xinghe. I’m Cang Shui,” Cang Shui said with a smile. “I haven’t seen you before, but I know about your dealings with our guild. Thank you very much for the resources.”

…!

Is this the Guild President of 【It’s Really Cold】?

He’d heard from Shuixi that the Snow Mountain region was full of hidden talents, and three players at full combat strength were here: Mao Tuan, Wu Yun, and Cang Shui.

But Cang Shui…

Jian Xingyi instinctively glanced at Cang Shui.

Cang Shui shook his head. “I’m disabled in real life. I thought playing the game would let me rediscover the joy of using my legs, but I never expected that after everyone logged into the game, my legs would gradually sync with reality. Now… It’s just like in real life—I can’t walk.”

Jian Xingyi recalled his earlier discovery on Grapevine Peak: many small details in the game were aligning with reality.

For instance, certain areas of the map no longer regenerated, and wild beasts no longer circled in place…

It seemed Cang Shui’s legs were no exception.

Cang Shui had once been a player at full strength, but now… that was merely an empty title.

Only then did Jian Xingyi understand why Cang Shui had gradually handed over many guild affairs to Wu Yun and why he himself appeared less and less in public.

Jian Xingyi scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

“It’s okay, it’s no big deal. A dead camel is still bigger than a horse. I can still wield weapons now, and I can still do what I can here.” Cang Shui smiled and pointed at the wall.

Jian Xingyi walked curiously over to Cang Shui’s side.

“Wow…”

Jian Xingyi was taken aback.

The wall Cang Shui had built was quite unique. He’d used very few bricks, and there were gaps almost everywhere, yet the walls managed to interlock and support one another, preventing them from collapsing.

No wonder Mei Mei said Cang Shui and Wu Yun were actually brilliant engineers in the real world; Cang Shui was even Wu Yun’s senior and had worked on many major projects.

Cang Shui said, “A single wall requires 400,000 bricks, but using my method, only 350,000 are needed.”

Jian Xingyi: “Wow…”

That’s just too amazing…!

Heiye and Baizhou have also been trying to build recently, but they can only save a few bricks at most—like building a large section and then removing a few in the middle, which doesn’t actually save much.

But Cang Shui is different. He calculates everything carefully before building, so he saved a full 50,000!!

Cang Shui continued, “But it’s still not enough—far from it. My goal is 300,000, and I failed again tonight.”

As soon as Cang Shui finished speaking, he pulled out one of the bricks.

Crack—

Crack-crack—

As soon as he removed a single brick, the entire wall collapsed like dominoes.

Jian Xingyi’s eyes widened in amazement.

Cang Shui decisively dismantled the structure he’d just built, then bent down to scribble away again. The notebook he held was filled with patterns and formulas Jian Xingyi couldn’t make sense of.

The man with gentle features stared at his notebook with near-obsession, completely absorbed in his work, oblivious to whether Jian Xingyi was even there.

Jian Xingyi praised him sincerely, “You’re so talented! If you can reduce 400,000 bricks to 300,000, that would be absolutely mind-blowing!”

Cang Shui laughed. “Thanks. If I succeed, I’ll post the blueprints on the public channel. Wait for my good news.”

“Okay!”

The two were still chatting when they heard Wu Yun’s voice.

Wu Yun said helplessly, “Brother Cang Shui, it’s very late. Go back and get some rest.”

He walked over carrying a jacket, draped it over Cang Shui’s shoulders, and grabbed his wheelchair, ready to push him away.

“Wait…” Cang Shui stopped Wu Yun. “There’s one more formula. I want to figure it out before I go back…”

“Go back to your room. I’ll help you work it out. You’re not allowed to spend the night out here again!”

After saying goodbye to Jian Xingyi, the two of them headed back.

Jian Xingyi gathered essence for a while before returning to his room.

Wah.

Cang Shui and Wu Yun went back to their room happily together—who knows, maybe they’ll even have a candlelit chat tonight—while he’s still being looked down on by Shuixi.

But… they aren’t in the same kind of relationship as Cang Shui and Wu Yun.

Besides, Shuixi is just an NPC; he shouldn’t read too much into it.

Jian Xingyi hadn’t really thought much of it before, but after being hit with that blunt question today—and seeing the public chat filled with talk about him—he’d started to feel a little… flustered.

Jian Xingyi pushed open the door and saw Shuixi resting on the floor. He felt a bit uneasy: “Isn’t the floor hard?”

Shuixi: “……”

Jian Xingyi cut straight to the chase: “Are you really bothered by what they’re saying?”

At the very least… regardless of what others thought, he wanted to know what Shuixi was thinking first.

Shuixi froze. “What?”

Jian Xingyi sat down cross-legged in front of Shuixi. “Everyone on the general chat thinks we’re a couple. Does that bother you?”

“……”

Shuixi was completely taken aback by Jian Xingyi’s direct question.

…What happened to his social anxiety?