Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shen Ce Lost in Confusion

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Shen Ce Lost in Confusion

Although there weren’t many players at the entrance of the Divine Guild at this hour, with the guild leader present, plenty of gossip-loving members quietly gathered nearby to watch. The events that unfolded next satisfied the curiosity of the masses.

The onlookers clearly hadn’t expected Han Qisha, adored by the female players of the guild, to confess to a male priest right here. What was even more astonishing was that the male priest completely ignored their leader’s charm and directly rejected him!

Han Qisha looked at the priest before him, whose demeanor was calm and resolute. Despite hearing the answer of refusal, Han Qisha still wore a gentle smile as he said, “Zero, you don’t need to reject me so decisively. No matter what, we can at least give it a try. If, after some time, you still feel nothing for me, it’s not too late to part ways.”

“Why bother trying?” The black-clad assassin standing nearby stepped forward, exuding an imposing aura simply by his presence.

Shen Ce, still pondering how to refuse more tactfully, felt a jolt in his heart when he heard Sylos speak—he already had a vague premonition about what Sylos would say next.

As expected.

“Zero can never agree to your request, because—” Sylos, behind his mask, let his lips curl into a sly smile, deliberately drawing out his words and turning to look at Shen Ce. “Zero is already with me.”

Shen Ce heard players nearby gasp softly. Han Qisha looked in shock between him and Sylos, the priest’s outfit in his hands quietly slipping to the ground. Han Qisha’s emerald eyes were filled with disbelief, while the black-clad assassin, who seemed intent on making the situation worse, wore an amused grin.

Han Qisha lowered his head slightly, his sharply defined profile still handsome, but his hand gripped the priest’s outfit tightly, quickly crumpling the garment.

Shen Ce noticed the bulging veins on Han Qisha’s hand—a sign that someone was about to lose their temper.

Shen Ce frowned, casting a sideways glance at Sylos, silently warning him not to say anything further. Being rejected at the entrance of his own guild headquarters was bad enough—Sylos’s actions were only rubbing salt into the wound.

Sylos crossed his arms over his chest, his deep, clear eyes filled with teasing intent toward Shen Ce, though he truly didn’t say anything more.

Shen Ce slowly approached Han Qisha, his tightly pressed lips moving slightly. “Qisha, I—”

“No need to say more,” Han Qisha’s expression grew cold, his demeanor becoming politely distant. “Master Zero, it was my fault for not investigating thoroughly. Last time, I asked Shui Linglong about you and mistakenly thought you had feelings for me... Now it’s clear I was just fooling myself.”

Han Qisha laughed self-deprecatingly, unfastened the dark golden badge from his chest, and threw it heavily to the ground with a clear metallic ring. Without looking back, he walked away through the crowd. All the Divine Guild members automatically lowered their heads to give him space, and only after Han Qisha left did whispers and sighs ripple through the crowd.

Hearing Han Qisha’s words, Shen Ce felt secretly relieved, but hadn’t expected the matter to affect him so deeply—he even abandoned the guild badge. This badge was a symbol of identity; players would be unable to retain their guild leader status without it. The NPCs recognized the badge, not the person. If Han Qisha wanted to mobilize troops in the future, lacking the badge would be disastrous.

Shen Ce realized Han Qisha intended to forge a new guild leader badge by his own efforts, but that would be time-consuming and laborious. Why trouble himself over Shen Ce? After all, he had paid cash for that badge originally; Shen Ce felt neither owed nor owing.

Shen Ce sighed at Han Qisha’s childish temperament, bent down to pick up the guild leader badge and the priest outfit, then said to Sylos, “Sylos, wait here for me. I’ll go return these.”

Sylos glanced at the items in Shen Ce’s hands, finding them extremely unpleasant to look at. He sneered, “That person just threw them away in front of everyone. What’s the point of returning them?”

Shen Ce shook his head lightly. “Just wait for me here.”

With that, Shen Ce headed toward the city gate. Many Divine Guild members who had witnessed the scene pointed and whispered, their faces full of disdain. Shen Ce ignored them all; he’d encountered similar situations during his school days, so meeting them again in “Heaven’s Traverse” didn’t embarrass him at all. He produced a bronze token from his storage space, and the NPC guards let him pass without issue.

Shen Ce wasn’t foolish enough to seek out Han Qisha directly. The other was furious now, likely not thinking straight—otherwise, he wouldn’t have done something as senseless as discarding the badge. Once inside the city, Shen Ce headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion in the trading market, intending to ask Shui Linglong to return the items. Shui Linglong, true to her name, was adept at handling all sorts of situations. He believed that, once Han Qisha calmed down, the chances of successfully returning the items would be high.

Before he could enter the shop, he found Shui Linglong already waiting at the door, as if she’d anticipated his arrival. Her sly, alluring gaze swept upward, and she adopted the posture of a seasoned gossip enthusiast. “Master Zero, have you checked the forum posts? You’re really famous now!”

Shen Ce was momentarily at a loss, not understanding her meaning. Shui Linglong winked, smiling broadly. “Just look at the official forum! A live thread was posted five minutes ago, titled ‘Three Men, One Drama.’ It’s already trending on the homepage in red, with record-breaking views and replies!”

Shen Ce hadn’t expected Divine Guild members to film a demo of their guild leader. His expression darkened, but Shui Linglong remained unfazed, grinning mischievously. “Tsk tsk, Master Zero, I told you you’re prone to attracting romantic entanglements, and you didn’t believe me. See? No girls have come after you, but now things seem even more suggestive…”

“Enough.” Shen Ce moved beside Shui Linglong, interrupting her in a low, commanding tone.

Seeing Shui Linglong fall silent, Shen Ce retrieved the badge and outfit from his storage space and handed them to her. His expression softened as he solemnly instructed, “Return these to Han Qisha. Whether you give them to him directly or find someone else to pass them on, I leave it to you.”

With that, Shen Ce turned to leave. Shui Linglong, obediently accepting the items, realized only then that Shen Ce had left her with a mess. She hurriedly waved and called out loudly, “Hey! Master Zero!”

Unfortunately, Shen Ce had no pity for Shui Linglong’s predicament. His figure gradually disappeared from her sight. Shui Linglong rolled her eyes at the weighty items in her hands, then resigned herself and walked into the Treasure Pavilion.

When Sylos saw Shen Ce emerge, his gaze brightened slightly. Shen Ce calmly nodded to him and said, “Let’s go back.”

At the sound of “let’s,” Sylos’s lips curved upward unconsciously, and the two returned to Ling Shui City together.

But Shen Ce said nothing along the way. When they passed a secluded street corner, Sylos finally stopped, blocking Shen Ce’s path and staring into his eyes. “Zero, why did you refuse that person earlier?”

He and Shen Ce were only married in name. If Shen Ce had agreed to be with Han Qisha, Sylos had no grounds—emotionally or logically—to interfere.

Sylos’s intense gaze unsettled Shen Ce, making him feel agitated. He answered reflexively, “I like women.”

The atmosphere paused for a second. Before Shen Ce could process it, Sylos suddenly pressed him against the wall!

This was a dangerous signal!

Shen Ce’s eyes flew open, staring in shock at the black-clad assassin before him, unable to comprehend what Sylos intended. At that moment, Sylos braced one hand against the wall and gripped Shen Ce’s nape with the other.

A sudden, unexpected kiss.

All the air seemed sucked away—no time to retreat, no time to resist, forced and deep, the whole world felt strangely unfamiliar.

Everything was overturned, and the abrupt turn of events left Shen Ce’s rationality completely drained.

When Shen Ce finally came to his senses, he pressed his lips tightly together, attempting to resist Sylos’s fierce kiss. Sadly, no matter how much a priest trains his physique, he is destined to be no match for an assassin.

Shen Ce felt as if struck by lightning, his body trembling, while the man behind the silver mask let out a low chuckle.

The unfamiliar heat was so close; the other’s clear eyes were unfathomably deep, like whirlpools that could wreck ships—the deadliest kind of temptation.

Gradually, Shen Ce steadied himself, meeting Sylos’s gaze indifferently. After a long moment, their lips parted, and Sylos finally released his grasp.

Sylos looked at Shen Ce with meaningful intent, the smile at his lips only deepening. “Well?”

“What?” Shen Ce remained stiff, rationality telling him he ought to beat Sylos soundly, yet, for some reason, he didn’t lift a hand. When Sylos spoke, the impulse faded even further.

Shen Ce appeared calm and detached, seemingly unruffled, nothing like someone who had just been forcibly kissed for minutes. Of course, that was merely appearance.

“You just said you’re only interested in women. Coincidentally, so am I,” Sylos paused, his gaze steady. “So I figured, on a whim, I’d see what it feels like to kiss a man. Did you feel anything?”

Shen Ce was utterly stunned—such a ridiculous reason!

“No,” he heard himself reply.

At that moment, his heart pounded, yet he truly felt nothing—neither joy nor disgust, but not numbness either. Wasn’t this, perhaps, the most frightening feeling of all?

Sylos raised an eyebrow, troubled. “I didn’t feel anything either. Maybe we should try again? If you’re not willing, you can kiss me back instead.” Before he finished, he really moved forward again.

Sylos’s words left Shen Ce with complicated emotions. His eyelid twitched, and, regardless of how ungraceful it seemed, he simply logged out.

Author’s note: 2333, Master Zero, escaping is useless. Why didn’t you feel anything? Because kissing with a mask is too uncomfortable... [Mud stain!]

I have driving lessons tomorrow (:3ゝ∠), so if I can’t update daily, don’t hit me, okay!