As soon as Xia Zichen left the guild, he was flooded with PMs from An Jing and the others, their chat spam-like and clearly shocked by his departure.
‘PM’ [Late Night Shadow]: Xiao Chenchen, don’t leave the guild! Screw Yi Cheng, that bastard! Don’t take it out on him, what am I supposed to do without you?
‘PM’ [Red Matchmaker]: Holy healer, why did you leave!!!!! If anyone should leave it’s those women!!!! Come back!!!!
‘PM’ [Cunning Azure Blue]: Shenxi, sister didn’t mean to argue with them, but they were really going too far. Don’t be angry, there are still plenty in the guild who stand with you. Come back.
‘PM’ [Dusk Assassin]: When you’re done being quiet, remember to return.
‘PM’ [Lotus Concubine]: Hey, don’t be angry, it’s just a weapon. Even if Wuqing insisted on giving it to me, I couldn’t do anything about it. You leaving makes it look like we bullied you, that’s not good, right?
‘PM’ [Heartless Blood]: Zichen, bro will add some money for you. If you really want that weapon, I’ll bring you to farm it again next time. This time just give it to Fei’er. Don’t be angry, it’s just a small matter. Come back to the guild.
……
Xia Zichen’s lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
He could no longer remember when the guild first started arguing, but most disputes were related to him. It seemed that whenever he, Canmo Wuhen, Shen Yi Cheng, and Lotus Fei’er were involved, the dynamics were like incompatible poles, repelling each other intensely and dragging everyone around them into conflict.
Truthfully, he didn’t care much about who got the weapon—it was just a pile of data. If Lotus Fei’er truly wanted it, as a man he wouldn’t argue with a woman over it. But the chaotic way they argued was something he couldn’t accept.
Perhaps his relationship with Shen Yi Cheng in the game had been too special, causing all these later problems. He didn’t want to imagine what things would have been like if Lotus Fei’er had never appeared. Since reality was already set, there was no point thinking further.
If his relationship with Shen Yi Cheng had begun because of him, then it should also end because of him.
For Xia Zichen, the Battle Requiem Hall was like a house he had personally built. He never intended it to be grand or towering—only a place that could give him a sense of belonging. Yet, without him noticing, Shen Yi Cheng and the others had turned it into a sprawling building, filled with members and noise. But with that liveliness came cracks in its foundation.
He could listen to others talk about its collapse from afar, but he couldn’t bear to watch it fall apart—and even less could he destroy it himself. So at the right time, he chose to leave. That was, to him, the best way to preserve it. At least in his heart, Battle Requiem Hall would remain as it once was—lively, unchanged, even with a few arguments.
Just as he was about to log out, Shenxi was suddenly bound by a long whip around the waist. The scenery shifted, and in an instant she was pulled beside Canmo Wuhen.
Seeing the refined, elegant figure of Canmo Wuhen, Xia Zichen remained silent. Perhaps Canmo Wuhen had sent him PMs, but he had already blocked chat channels. Right now, he did want someone to talk to—but he also felt too drained to explain everything. To others, Shenxi was simply throwing a tantrum over not getting a weapon, but only he knew the truth. He didn’t know who could understand him without needing explanations. Perhaps Canmo Wuhen was a good choice—but he didn’t know how to start, especially since this had nothing to do with him.
Just as he was thinking, a QQ window popped up. Seeing Canmo Wuhen’s name unexpectedly made him feel a strange sense of calm.
“Finished your raid?” Canmo Wuhen asked.
“Not yet, only cleared the second boss,” Xia Zichen replied honestly after logging out of the game.
“You disappearing from my side all of a sudden is a bit hard to get used to,” Canmo Wuhen sent a smiley emoji, then continued, “You left the guild?”
“Mm.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
There was a brief silence on the other side before Canmo Wuhen replied, “If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to. I’ll listen when you’re ready.”
Xia Zichen’s lips curled slightly. The coldness in his eyes slowly softened as he joked, “So you like gossip too?”
“No interest in others. Only yours,” came the reply.
It sounded like teasing, but for some reason, Xia Zichen felt that every word from Canmo Wuhen was serious.
He gradually smiled, and without resistance, told him everything that had happened that night. He didn’t exaggerate or complain—just stated the facts. As for why he left the guild, he only said he wanted some quiet time to play.
After listening, Canmo Wuhen asked, “Do you hate arguments?”
Xia Zichen nodded. “Yeah. It always feels like once people argue, everything changes.”
“Mm. It’s hard to avoid sometimes, but don’t argue with people you care about. One wrong word can really hurt someone—it’s not worth it,” Canmo Wuhen agreed. “You seem cold, but once you care, you take things seriously.”
“You don’t think I’m just throwing a tantrum over not getting a weapon?” Xia Zichen asked with a smile.
“No. Someone who sees games clearly wouldn’t care about data like that.”
“You don’t care either?”
“Don’t care.”
Xia Zichen’s smile deepened. So understanding someone didn’t necessarily require time—sometimes it only took a moment. Because they were the same kind of people, understanding came naturally.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“No need. It’s fate to meet someone like you. Cherish it.”
“Mm.”
Every word from Canmo Wuhen seemed to land exactly where it mattered. It felt strange—but comforting.
“Why didn’t you join a faction for PvP gear?” Canmo Wuhen changed the topic.
“I’m using a laptop. Performance isn’t great. Twenty-five-man raids are already my limit. Faction battles involve hundreds of people—it would lag and crash.”
“I see. Then your current gear is already enough for 2v2. Better weapons don’t matter if the person using them isn’t right for it. You’re already strong. When Yan Yang Zhu Yue upgrades, it’ll be several times stronger than that weapon anyway. With your mechanics, you don’t need it.”
“I know.”
After their conversation, Xia Zichen felt completely calm. Being understood always brought a sense of relief.
“Are you still in-game?” he asked.
“Yes. Why?”
“I need to log back in.”
“Dailies?”
“No. I want to thank Azure Blue and the others. Even if I left the guild, I should still say thanks.”
“I already did that for you.”
“Hm?”
“I told them you might not want to be disturbed, so I thanked them on your behalf for standing by you.”
“Thank you… you even thought of that for me,” Xia Zichen said warmly.
“Not a problem. When you need silence, I can handle the noise for you.”
Xia Zichen couldn’t help smiling. If there really were such a person beside him, it wouldn’t be bad.
The next morning, he received a call from An Jing. After a brief explanation, An Jing nodded and said they could team up again sometime. He also mentioned that Azure Blue and the others had been praising Canmo Wuhen nonstop, saying he was practically a god-tier player. No matter what An Jing asked, they just said he wouldn’t understand.
Xia Zichen laughed and told him about Canmo Wuhen helping him send thanks.
An Jing suddenly said, “Xiao Chenchen, are you sure he’s not trying to hit on you?”
“Get lost.”
“I’m being serious.”
Xia Zichen calmly said, “I once tried to tell him I was playing a female character, but he cut me off. He doesn’t seem to care. I think he and I are just the same kind of player—it’s just a game. Don’t overthink it.”
“I don’t get it,” An Jing groaned.
“You don’t need to get it.”
As long as he and Canmo Wuhen understood, that was enough.
In the following days, Xia Zichen continued running dungeons with Tianfeng Yage. Without the guild, nothing really changed—except his raid frequency increased.
A week later, Bai Cao Zhe sent a PM.
‘PM’ [Bai Cao Zhe]: Shenxi, want to join Tianfeng Yage? We even include a top-tier god.
Xia Zichen had just finished dailies and was waiting at the dungeon entrance for Canmo Wuhen.
‘PM’ [Shenxi]: Tianfeng Yage and Battle Requiem Hall are opposing factions. Even as neutral, it still feels inappropriate.
‘PM’ [Bai Cao Zhe]: Don’t worry, as long as Battle Requiem Hall doesn’t provoke us, we won’t gang up on anyone.
‘PM’ [Shenxi]: ……
‘PM’ [Bai Cao Zhe]: Besides, if you join, Can Mo will show up in guild more often. Otherwise he’s always orbiting you.
‘PM’ [Shenxi]: ……
‘PM’ [Bai Cao Zhe]: Guild materials and pricing stay the same. You can even raise prices if you want. Anything works.
‘PM’ [Bai Cao Zhe]: You’re earning guild contribution points daily anyway—might as well give them to us instead of wasting them.
‘PM’ [Shenxi]: So the point is contribution points?
‘PM’ [Bai Cao Zhe]: The point is not letting resources go to outsiders. Can Mo also wants you here—he just didn’t say it because he didn’t want to pressure you. So I’m asking instead. Think about it.
Xia Zichen hesitated.
Although Tianfeng Yage didn’t give him a strong sense of belonging, it was undeniably a good guild. Everyone prioritized the bigger picture, and there were many experts—he would likely only rank within the top ten there.
‘Shenxi’: I’ll think about it.
‘Bai Cao Zhe’: Alright.
After the chat ended, Canmo Wuhen arrived at the dungeon entrance. They formed a party and entered together. Xia Zichen didn’t mention the guild invitation. Before deciding, he didn’t plan to say anything. He would think it through first…