"Because of some abnormality, I have been watching from the side, so I discovered you."
On a slope in the suburbs, two men were lying and sitting, facing the morning sun, chatting casually.
"There are not many people in the free world who can attack like you, not even professional players."
"So I'm no longer a professional player."
"Humph, even though I am not one now, I still have to say... you are very cowardly."
The lying man didn't reply.
"Still unwilling to say it?"
Nature in the free world is very beautiful. This is the consensus of every player who comes to this game. Although in any virtual game world, the designer's free design can create shocking natural or Humanistic landscapes, but they are still not as good as the pure natural beauty, and the harmony that belongs to this kind of beauty - the endless grassland on the soil slope, as well as the sparse trees, are all changing with the morning. Swaying slightly with the gentle breeze, the rustling sounds are their own language, used to soothe the hearts of everyone who hears them.
Most people who see this scene will feel calmer, and the two people in front of them are no exception. However, it seems to be too late at this moment - behind them, a large area of summer flowers is blooming. The grasslands that had just grown out of life had been completely destroyed. Judging from the traces all around, it seemed that a war had just occurred here. Shallow or deep ravines irregularly divided the grassland into many pieces. There were still some fallen tree trunks in the middle, and some of them had been chopped into wood chips all over the ground. In other large and small potholes, the underground soil was turned to the surface, exposing rocks in the deeper soil, and...perhaps the bones of those who died several years ago. I don't know where this is. Something happened a long time ago.
However, all this is just a cloud to these two people, whether it is beautiful or cruel.
"Think about it now, more than three years have passed." Jian Beidong smoothed the half-length hair in front of his forehead, but his eyes were looking in the direction of the morning sun: "Think about it for the past three years... It’s pretty quick.”
"That's because the scenes from the past are still vivid in your mind, right?"
"......Yes."
"Young man, you need to grow up."
The shabby cloak fell down as the morning wind stopped. The man looked at the man who was lying on the side without speaking, and a feeling of resentment suddenly surged into his heart.
"You mean...that's it?"
"The past three years...have passed like this?"
"How many people have changed because of your disappearance, how many things have failed because of your disappearance, how many dreams have been shattered because of your disappearance, you..."
"I know." Duan Qing replied, "This is inevitable."
"But other than saying I'm sorry to them, I can't do anything else."
"I can only do this, and you can only accept it."
"I never agreed...to accept!"
A muffled roar was squeezed out of Jian Beidong's throat, but this only caused him to take a few heavy breaths again: "Forget it, I don't want to fight with you anymore."
"Smart decision." The man lying on the ground said, "This is the expression of growth."
"It's all fucking nonsense." Jian Beidong thrust his sword into the soil: "I would rather not grow up."
"Face the reality, classmate, I've already asked about it. Your performance in the past three years has fully proved... your growth." Duan Qing laughed and said: "But..."
"Swordsmanship is still as simple as ever."
There were wild birds flying over the heads of the two people with their chirping, adding a new tone to the originally monotonous natural harmonics. The two of them were silent for a while in this tone, and finally Jian Beidong broke the silence.
"After that day...I left the team."
He put his hands on the ground and looked up at the sky.
"After your news spread, many people came to me, as well as Lou Yushang and the others, wanting to know what happened. Hmm, how do we know what happened? We didn't even react ourselves..."
"Later, we didn't believe the news officially announced by the alliance. Miss Lou even went to the headquarters to cause trouble for a while, but there was no result. Then we tried to find you..."
"You can't find anything." Duan Qing interrupted.
"Cruhid did not even celebrate the championship trophy, but completely fell apart, because some people suspected that there was an internal problem and found people to make trouble. Many members of the guild left due to pressure from the outside world. Many people, although there are some very loyal core members left, but... as time goes by, they eventually leave." Jian Beidong glanced at him, and then continued his topic.
"In the final analysis, I still have no confidence in myself." Duan Qing commented.
"There is no way, even if you have ideals and ambitions, people always have to go to higher places. I heard that Lao Zhang later went to the world of martial arts, but he didn't achieve anything..." Looking at a flower from As white clouds drifted over the sky, Jian Beidong's voice became deeper: "People from Lanshan, Jianghu, and many other guilds and teams have all come to look for me, not to mention the ordinary members. Some forces that wanted to cooperate were even eliminated in the past time, like the Bloody Hands, who disappeared later, and I don’t know where they went..."
"They stopped playing? When did it happen?"
"Probably... last year, in the semi-finals of the League Cup Summer Professional Tournament, Blood Hand was defeated and never showed up again."
"That's it..." Duan Qing sighed: "They were okay back then."
"When you get old, you have to accept your old age." Jian Beidong shook his head instead: "I still remember that game. From technology to tactics, they were completely defeated."
The sound of blades of grass and the chirping of birds intertwined, and the two of them were silent for a while.
"After I returned home, I also used my family connections to find your whereabouts." The half-finished man turned his attention to the person next to him: "The initial result was that you were dead, but later I didn't believe it. I checked the information from the alliance, and it didn’t take long for someone to come to me and tell me...or warn me not to check any more."
He looked at the other person's face and found that Duan Qing's expression did not change at all.
"I had no choice but to go back, so I simply became a lone ranger, staying away from the world and avoiding them. I also rejected the secret invitations from the guilds one by one. But now, I feel It’s still very good. Ever since I started playing virtual games, I haven’t enjoyed the fun of gaming so much for a long time.”
"I warned you a long time ago, but...you probably couldn't listen at that time."
"Humph, you're right." Jian Beidong muttered a few words, and then continued: "But I still haven't given up. I think people like you, even if they disappear, will definitely not give up in the end. Games, so I played a lot of games and entered many worlds, hoping to find you in those worlds. But it turns out that my idea was wrong, and it actually helped a lot of passers-by..."
"In the end, you got the title of swordsman, right?" Duan Qing said with a smile.
"What they say is their business and none of my business..." Jian Beidong touched his cheek with some embarrassment, and then continued: "But of course there are troubles. Many people I come here because of my reputation, I just want to defeat me and become famous, and I don’t know how I built the circuit in my mind. Is there any sense of accomplishment in defeating a past master?"
"Stop pretending, you're a washed-up master... Actually, you're actually laughing in your heart, there are so many people coming over to practice..."
"Nonsense. They didn't come here for training. What level are they at? They just got two pieces of amazing equipment and learned two powerful skills in the game and thought they were invincible? Everyone came to challenge me. The people who talk about it all have nice things to say. They talk about how to learn from each other, compete with each other, and so on. If they fight until the point is reached, aren’t they all people who are willing to die..."
Seeing Jian Beidong sitting there chattering without any sense of being a master, Duan Qing laughed for no reason: "Then you won't make an announcement or find a helper..."
"It's useless. They are crazy about wanting to be famous. In order to get into the league, these people can think of any way. They have sharp eyes. No matter how big the trouble you make, you are not good at it. , people can see it at a glance, and people in the alliance are not blind... You said that for people like this, what's the point of me issuing a statement? As for helpers..."
Jian Beidong's voice paused: "I have been playing for so long, and I am somewhat used to it."
Duan Qing didn't speak anymore - a person who is used to walking alone in virtual online games is indeed difficult to accept the constraints imposed by certain forces. This is not only because of the universal strength of loners, but also because of their I like to use my own hands to challenge various difficulties in the game world. However, Duan Qing knew that this was not the real reason why the other party said this, and he did not want to think about it anymore.
"Tell me about the free world." So he said, "How does it feel?"
"Very good." Jian Beidong shrugged: "When I first came to the free world, I really didn't feel the difference from other worlds. It wasn't until I discovered that there were almost no skills in this game that I became interested."
"Hey, have you tried any of those tricks the league identified?"
"Of course I have tried it. Ordinary rolling and stepping can still be used, because they are not beyond the scope of what normal humans can do, but attacks such as continuous slashing, continuous stabbing, R&G, and instant change of equipment are difficult. They have been used, including their derivative techniques, as well as various practical footwork, magic chanting techniques..."
"There is also an instant attack."
"Oh yes, there is also an instant attack. In the battle just now, I subconsciously wanted to use it..."
"It's been so long, haven't you changed your habits in this game?"
"Because it's not necessary." Jian Beidong smiled: "There are very few battles where I need to use these..."
Then there was another awkward silence.
"But the fight just now was pretty good." In the end, Duan Qing brought up the topic again: "After all, it's not a waste of swordsmanship."
"It's no longer needed for a long time." Jian Beidong whispered: "They are all flashy swordsmanship, I also feel it, it is better to be more concise..."
"You have made great progress and can now use your sword energy."
"Everything that can be thrown out in other games is just a reconstruction of the skill principles in this game." Jian Beidong waved his hand: "The so-called virtual reality game technology, in the final analysis, is still based on this It’s just my understanding of game architecture. Compared to you...if it were you, you should be able to do it, right? Just based on the pit you took on that street... ..”
"I'm no longer suitable for that kind of fighting style." After a long time, Duan Qingcai shook his head and said, "It's still you young people..."
"Hehehe, we are about the same age. Don't just pretend to be the boss. I am still at my peak. When will I pass my thirties? Let me serve my age again! And look at you yesterday... now It was the day before yesterday, and you played well? Why..."
He paused, then changed to a serious tone: "Why do you want to leave?"
I don't know how many times it was embarrassing silence. Duan Qing straightened his head and looked at the clear sky with the other party - ever since he made up his mind to pick up the game again, he had expected that one day , would be asked this question, but he did not expect that this day would come so quickly.
"Why..." he murmured, "because..."
"This day will come sooner or later."
The irrelevant words made Jian Beidong's hand on the other side suddenly tighten. He suddenly turned his head and looked straight at the man who remained expressionless after finishing speaking. After a while, he said dullly: "In that case..."
"forget about it."
He stood up.
He knew that it was an answer that Duan Qing had prepared for a long time. Now that he said the answer, its true meaning was self-evident, so he no longer struggled with it - a man's pride is usually hard to breathe, especially But when that man carries a mountain of glory on his back, the contrast becomes even more unacceptable.
"Things here are almost done. I should have left, but I didn't expect to run into you..." He pulled out his sword and walked towards a nearby path.
"gone."
"Where are you going?"
"Tanya." Jian Beidong stopped, but he did not look back: "There are more masters there, I will have more opportunities to practice, maybe..."
"I will play in this year's UEFA Cup."
"That's good." Duan Qing, who had been lying on the ground with his hands on his hands, straightened his upper body: "I will cheer for you."
The man in the shabby cloak snorted coldly, and then took steps again.
"Wait a minute." When the distance between the two reached more than ten meters, Duan Qing's voice rang again: "She... how is she now?"
As if he realized something, the breeze blew between the two people again, pushing down the tips of the weeds again. Jian Beidong slowly turned around and looked at the man on the slope with a smile: "Chat." After talking for a long time at night and in the morning, I thought you wouldn’t ask, but in the end..."
"As expected, I still asked."
Duan Qing curled his lips, and then looked at the other person with a calm expression.
"The eldest lady has also recruited a group of people recently. They are all fans who have admired her in the past, or thugs and the like. They seem to want to do something. I don't know if she has it on a whim or if she has figured it out."
Jian Beidong turned around again and walked forward: "I will tell her, you..."
"Don't worry about it."
As the weeds swayed, the swordsman waved with his back to him, then jumped a few times and disappeared into the distance of the path.
