After spouting out his words, the young boy Tan Polang retreated back into his own room from the living room.
Ye Ci did not mind him at all. She chuckled and shouted after Tan Polang, "Are you telling me that you know King?"
Tan Polang didn't immediately reply. He was still mourning for his lost snacks that were devoured by the two shameless robbers.
Paying no heed to Tan Polang, Ye Ci and Bai Mo continued their gossiping. The topic of their conversation eventually strayed back to Fate.
"The Sponsored Clearance Team has earned quite a small fortune for the guild. When should we continue to explore more dungeons?"
"We're not in a rush, I have something to attend to in a few days."
Bai Mo would, of course, pester Ye Ci with questions. He was always intrigued by her mysterious whereabouts. He was curious as to what she was always up to.
Ye Ci kept no secrets from Bai Mo. She told him of her deal with Fluttering Red Feathers. Bai Mo stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes at Ye Ci, "You only agreed to help because deep down, what you truly want is to have a rematch against Fleeting Time, right?"
Since Bai Mo had seen through her intentions, Ye Ci didn't have to cover up the truth. She chuckled and said, "Yup, you're right."
Bai Mo let out a sigh, "You're letting your feelings get ahold of you. In such a chaotic battle, and in a situation where you and your opponent are evenly matched, it's easy to fall for his traps. If you die just like that and lose your items and experience points, it's not worth it."
Ye Ci remained silent.
Tan Polang, who had left his room and was listening in on their conversation in the living room, spoke up, "Sister Ye Ci, do you want to have a PK with Fleeting Time?"
Ye Ci smiled, "It's just a mere thought, he might not even show up."
Tan Polang silently stared at Ye Ci.
Right at that moment, Zuo Xiaolan and Ye Nantian arrived home and the topic was halted, and a warm family time began.
The weekend passed quickly, and Sunday afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye. Ye Ci, Bai Mo, and Tan Polang, who had to go back to their schools went to the bus station together. While they were waiting for the bus, Tan Polang spoke up all of a sudden, "King didn't chicken out of the International Cyber Games Tournament. He had something else to attend to!"
Ye Ci looked at him and laughed, "Heh, as if you know him."
Tan Polang's temper flared, and he immediately talked back at Ye Ci, "Of course I know him! How can you be sure that I don't?"
Bai Mo let out a chuckle and said, "How do you know him?"
Feeling that a female will not understand such a thing, and a person with similar gender would be easier to talk to, Tan Polang turned around and said to Bai Mo, "I used to play on the national team. I met King during my time there."
It was the first time they've heard Tan Polang talking about this. Ye Ci's view of this adolescent child was changed. She had never expected such a young child to be able to make it into the national team.
"Why didn't you stay in the team?"
Ye Ci's question seemed to be a stab to Tan Polang's wound. The fervour left his eyes, and he grimaced mockingly, "Gaming is not the way of life, only studying and having good results is important."
Thinking that it might have had something to do with Tan Polang's dead parents, Ye Ci didn't pursue the topic, and immediately redirected their conversation, "So what was King like?"
Being the child he was, Tan Polang didn't seem to care, or he was very good at pretending. He acted as if he hadn't noticed Ye Ci's attempt to redirect the conversation, and the sadness on his face disappeared, replaced by a cheerful smile, "I think he's a good guy."
And he continued on with a mysterious manner, "Actually, I know why he didn't take part in this year's tournament."
Although Ye Ci didn't pay much heed to such matters, Bai Mo was intrigued. After all, he used to play the game as well, though not as good as Tan Polang. He remembered King as the expert amongst experts. And when there's gossip about such a player, how could he not take part in it? He must know!
"And why is that?"
"Because he's playing Fate." Tan Polang replied calmly. He spotted the bus that he was waiting for and boarded it right away, ignoring Bai Mo's questions about King's name in Fate.
Although Bai Mo was disappointed, it didn't affect him that badly. After all, it was still something rather trivial.
Four days passed in the blink of an eye, and Ye Ci arrived at the place where she and Fluttering Red Feather had agreed to meet; the Blitz Cavern.
She was on time, while the Black Plum Guild wasn't late. By the time she stepped into the place, the Black Plum Guild members were already there.
Since they'd received help from Ye Ci in the past, and had asked for her help this time, they greeted her warmly.
Without much words, they headed into the Cavern.
There were 5 bosses in the Blitz Cavern, and the map itself has 2 entrances. One of them was from the Southern Continent, while the other was an entrance from the Northern continent. The last boss was placed right at the middle. Anybody entering from whichever entrance would only face 3 bosses in the dungeon.
The Black Plum Guild had explored the dungeon multiple times. They managed to clear away the monsters quickly and were able to reach the first boss. But before the door leading to the first boss could fully open, a system notification rang out:
Attention! Players from the Northern Continent have entered the dungeon. You will be running into each other soon. Prepare for combat.
Ye Ci clicked open her map, and saw that the map that was originally half-revealed was now fully revealed, and tiny red dots were moving in from the other side of the map.
Before Ye Ci could speak up, Fluttering Red Feather was already by her side, "Awing the Heavens is here." And he stopped, biting back his words, hesitating to speak out his mind. Ye Ci who was curious, asked out loud, "What is it?"
"Fleeting Time is definitely with them this time, or else they wouldn't be able to clear away the monsters so fast."
Ye Ci's lips formed into a smile. She didn't say a word, but she knew that Fluttering Red Feather was implying that she had been lazing around. Ye Ci reviewed her actions and began to seriously take part in the monster-clearing.
This hastened up the Black Plum Guild's progress.