translator: Oyen editor: Ciel
As they walked off the stage, Qin Mo and Xiao Han were stopped by an official reporter, who came forward and asked excitedly. “Congratulations to god Han for winning the individual competition. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?”
Taking the microphone, Xiao Han replied simply. “Thank you for your support.”
This sentence was something he would say in every interview, letting nothing else slip.
“Today’s game was very intense and wonderful, and even went into overtime,” the reporter continued. “How would you evaluate Qin Mo’s performance?”
Xiao Han rarely spoke, but this time, he immediately offered many sentences of praise. “Today, I was able to meet an equal in the fight against Qin Mo, and it was extremely enjoyable. Qin Mo is a very careful person, and his tactical ability is very outstanding. Although I defeated him with my hand speed at the last minute, in my heart, Qin Mo did not lose. His level is not any worse than mine. To me, he has always been the opponent I respect the most.”
The reporter had no idea that Xiao Han, who usually liked to play cool in front of the camera, would actually praise Qin Mo.
Hearing this, Qin Mo’s lips curved upwards, forming a small smile.
Seeing this rare smile of Qin Mo, the reporter couldn’t help but to ask. “Is it because captain Qin is around that god Han offers so much praise?”
Xiao Han immediately shook his head. “Of course not, I genuinely want to praise him.”
“Thank you, I will accept this praise,” Qin Mo replied.
The reporter handed the microphone to Qin Mo. “God Mo, do you regret losing to Xiao Han in the finals?”
“There is no need to regret,” Qin Mo replied calmly. “It is enough for me to play at my own level. This game was just to fulfill our agreement from that year; whether I win or lose doesn’t matter.”
Xiao Han agreed. “That’s right, being able to fight against Xiao Mo on the field again is much more important.”
“Is there anything the both of you would like to say to each other?” The reporter asked.
Xiao Han looked at Qin Mo, his gaze incomparably gentle. “I’m very glad that we are now teammates, and not opponents.”
“I feel the same.” Qin Mo replied.
The scene was very harmonious as both people shared a smile. Obviously, they didn’t care about the outcome of the match.
“For the upcoming partner competition, will the two of you form a team? Or will you both bring a different team member with you to compete?” The reporter asked curiously
“Of course we will be partnered together,” Xiao Han replied frankly. “If not, we would be a letdown to the name of Twin Stars.”
Qin Mo nodded. “En, we are already decided for the partner competition.”
Hearing this, the fans became extremely excited, and the cheers at the scene were deafening. Backstage, the players of the other teams were somewhat worried—— wouldn’t Xiao Han and Qin Mo be invincible if they teamed up? It seemed that starting from today, they ought to study strategies to fight this new BOSS, the Twin Stars.
***
After the finals had concluded, there was still another match to decide the third-place victor, Nie Yuzhu VS Chen Jiang.
Originally, many assumed that after watching Qin Mo and Xiao Han’s brilliant fight, this third place battle wouldn’t be very interesting. However, much to the audience’s surprise, the two captains Nie and Chen also showed many brilliant plays in this game. Chen Jiang’s hand speed was faster than Nie Yuzhu, but Nie Yuzhu’s awareness and tactical ideas were stronger than Chen Jiang. In the end, veteran Nie Yuzhu won third place in the individual competition by a three-second margin.
The award ceremony of the individual competition was to be held immediately after the competition. Holding up the trophy, the host invited the commentators on stage to present the awards.
Side by side, the three commentators walked up the stage. Ye Chao held out the third place trophy to Nie Yuzhu, congratulating him with a handshake.
Next, Ling Xuefeng personally handed the award to his apprentice Qin Mo. The master and apprentice pair looked at each other, feeling rather emotional.
Back then, when Ling Xuefeng and Qin Mo stood on the stage for the first time, Qin Mo had only been 15 years old. The teenager who hadn’t finished puberty had been extremely nervous about entering the esports circle, but simultaneously had the conceit and arrogance of a newborn calf who was unafraid of the tiger. At that time, Qin Mo always followed Ling Xuefeng; if his master told him to go east, he never dared to go west. When Ling Xuefeng’s expression was chilly, he turned pale with fear and wrote an entire stack of reviews filled with self-criticism.
To think that the him of today would be standing here on the stage, receiving a trophy presented by his master, but it was as Mojue’s captain that he did so.
Handing the trophy to Qin Mo, Ling Xuefeng whispered in a voice that only they could hear. “Qin Mo, accepting you as an apprentice was the best decision that this master had made back then.”
Qin Mo’s eyes turned red. This sentence, while simple, represented Ling Xuefeng’s recognition and affirmation of him.
—— Ling Xuefeng had never regretted accepting him as an apprentice, and Qin Mo was most grateful for the opportunity to recognise him as his master.
Back then, Qin Mo left Wind Colour without telling his master, which upset Ling Xuefeng greatly. However, Ling Xuefeng still forgave him in the end, because he still worried and cared for his apprentice.
Receiving the trophy with trembling hands, Qin Mo met his master’s gaze. “I won’t let you down, master,” he replied gratefully.
Ling Xuefeng patted his apprentice’s shoulder. “I look forward to your future achievements. Good luck.”
“En.” Qin Mo nodded vigorously.
On the other hand, the master and apprentice pair of Li Cangyu and Xiao Han had a completely different style. Both of them hugged each other, before Li Cangyu handed the trophy to Xiao Han with a smile. “As expected of my apprentice.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Indeed,” Xiao Han nodded. “If the master is a tiger, the apprentice cannot be a dog.”
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After the commentators who presented the prizes left the stage, Xiao Han, Qin Mo, and Nie Yuzhu lifted their trophies, posing for a group photo. The stadium was filled with unending applause.
In inviting Li Cangyu and Ling Xuefeng to commentate and award the prizes this time, aside from allowing both masters to personally witness the final showdown between Xiao Han and Qin Mo, also served as a form of ‘inheritance’. Three years had passed since Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu retired together, and their apprentices has now joined forces to create the new Mojue team, marking the beginning of a new era in esports.
***
Qin Ye had watched everything as part of the audience, in the VIP lounge. “Although Xiao Mo is only the runner-up, his display of tactical awareness today shouldn’t be any worse than the you from back then?” he questioned lightly.
Beside him sat a young man, who replied with a smile. “But of course; the younger generation will surpass us in time. Besides, how could the nephew of god Ye be any worse than me?”
Qin Ye turned to face him. “How do you know about my relationship with Qin Mo?
The man remained unperturbed, offering Qin Ye a gentle and friendly smile. “Both of you are surnamed Qin, your appearances are similar by at least three points, and your ancestral home is in Xi’an. If someone dedicated goes to search, they will eventually discover the truth. You are from the previous generation; Qin Mo’s father is your older cousin, and although you are only older than Qin Mo by a few years, according to seniority by generation, you are his uncle.”
Qin Ye frowned. “Oh? What else do you know?”
The young man continued to smile. “I also know that the reason Qin Mo retired that year was because of a car accident, and that the news was hidden by his father.”
Qin Ye’s frown continued to deepen. “Ye Chenxi, you are exactly the same as before, horrendously black-bellied!”
“Many thanks to god Ye for the praise,” Ye Chenxi replied affably.
“Since you’ve clearly investigated these things, do you mean to intervene in the affairs of Peerless Jianghu league?” Qin Ye’s expression was cold.
However, Ye Chenxi shook his head. “Of course not. I was merely curious, so I looked into things. Still, it would be too devaluing if the masters were to get involved in affairs between their apprentices. I will leave Beijing tomorrow; the reason why I stayed was to watch this historic battle.”
Qin Ye harrumphed. “You took Su Cheng in as your apprentice; does Lan Weiran know about this?”
Ye Chenxi smiled helplessly. “He knows Su Cheng exists, but my master is an extremely lazy person, and doesn’t want to inquire about his grand-apprentice.”
“Was it because of his outstanding tactical abilities that you took Su Cheng as an apprentice?” Qin Ye questioned.
“No,” Ye Chenxi shrugged. “It’s because I like his musical talent.”
Qin Ye: “…”
What a wonderful master! No wonder he accepted Su Cheng as a disciple. They turned out to have similar tastes; both were stinky people, and liked literary and artistic things like words and music.
Unwilling to continue, Qin Ye changed the topic. “The tactical awareness displayed by Xiao Mo today will definitely attract the attention of other experts, including your apprentice Su Cheng, as well as the likes of Nie Yuzhu, and Chu Jianxin. Their tactical awareness is not bad, and they will thoroughly study Qin Mo and Xiao Han’s style of play. After being studied by their opponents as samples, future competitions will be more difficult for Twin Stars.”
Ye Chenxi laughed. “Why? Is god Ye thinking of offering some pointers?”
“Qin Mo does not need my help,” Qin Ye shook his head. “He’s capable of dealing with it himself. What do you think?”
Ye Chenxi nodded. “I think so too.”
The two people had coincidentally met in the VIP lounge, and seemed to be casually chatting for a little bit, but the underlying message was clear—— in the future, the younger generation’s affairs should no longer be intervened in.
That was their consensus.
***
The awards ceremony of the individual tournament was not grand, and ended after the trophies had been distributed. At the end of the year, the league would hold a more lavish award ceremony for the victors.
This time, the championship and runner-up positions marked the start of Qin Mo and Xiao Han’s journey in the Peerless Jianghu professional league.
After the award ceremony, the points for the major teams were counted, and displayed on the big screen——
In the individual competition, reaching the top 32 would net the team one point. Reaching the top 16 gained the team three points, the top 8 would gain five points, the top 4 gained eight points, and the champion earned ten points. Only the highest personal score would be calculated.
From Mojue, Liu Hong and Shen He both reached the top 16, while Qin Mo took the runner-up and Xiao Han won the championship. In total, Mojue earned 24 points.
From Dynasty, Lin Yao entered the top 8, while captain Chu Jianxin and vice-captain Sang Jun entered the top 16. Another member, Wen Hua, had reached the top 32, making their total 12 points.
Without Fire’s captain Nie Yuzhu made it to the top 4, while vice captain Jing Yang made it to the top 16. Adding on member Zhou Yanbing’s one point, their total score was also 12 points.
Sky, Frost Moon, National Grace, and Interlude all received 7 points.
Both Sword Song and Whisper earned 3 points apiece. On one hand, Sword Song’s captain, Lin Shuangcheng, was hospitalised at a critical moment, he could not gain more points from reaching the top 16. On the other, Whisper team was mostly comprised of umbrella flow players, and were originally weaker in head-on confrontations; they were stronger when playing with their umbrella arrays.
Graceful Beauty had only earned two points, with both members having lost after reaching the group stage.
Judging from this ranking, the other teams were not spaced too far apart, while Mojue sat alone at the top.
However, in later competitions, every loss would result in the deduction of one point, and the existing gaps could be filled up in just one or two matches. Besides, there would be more exciting competitions to watch in the later part of the year; the individual competition alone was now enough to affect the team rankings at the end of the year.
The moment the rankings were released, Mojue, who was sitting at the top, immediately became a big BOSS in everyone’s eyes.
As Xiao Han and Qin Mo joined hands to reach the finals, they earned double the number of points, temporarily killing other teams. However, in the upcoming partner competition, if Xiao Han and Qin Mo teamed up, they could only earn points once, and the other members of Mojue had not yet reached a level where they could sweep the league. Thus, how to target them would become an important consideration for the various team captains.
***
That night, after returning to the hotel, Qin Mo conveniently placed the silver trophy on the table. Seeing this, Xiao Han also left his golden championship trophy on the table, allowing both cups to sit side by side.
Qin Mo understood; in doing so, Xiao Han was telling him that they would advance and retreat together. His heart warm, Qin Mo turned to face his partner. “I don’t mind losing to you. It wasn’t necessary for you to praise me so much before the reporters.”
Xiao Han walked over, pulling him into a gentle hug. “But I mind,” he replied, his tone incomparably warm. “I don’t want to hear anyone doubting you.”
Qin Mo wanted to speak, but was silenced by Xiao Han’s sudden kiss.
This kiss was really too sudden, causing Qin Mo’s heart to suddenly skip a beat. His face glowing red, Qin Mo slowly wrapped his hands around Xiao Han’s shoulders, allowing Xiao Han to deepen the kiss.
In fact, Qin Mo already understood why Xiao Han wanted to kiss him.
Today, they had fought each other in the arena, doing their best to win against the other. At that moment, they had ignored their personal feelings, and had only regarded each other as the most important opponent of their lives. Over the course of the competition, it was also possible to feel their understanding of each other, the tacit understanding that no other could match.
They had played many games before today, with both having experienced winning and losing. At that time, Qin Mo only wanted to beat Xiao Han, and Xiao Han only wanted to surpass Qin Mo; there was never such a complicated feeling as there had been today.
It was the feeling of ‘having met one’s fated match’.
But, it was also coloured with the gentleness of ‘this person is the one he loves’.
After the match, Xiao Han’s words to the reporter were exactly what Qin Mo had in mind—— I’m glad that we are now teammates, and not opponents.
At this moment, all external interference was no longer present, and they could finally show their true feelings.
Xiao Han intensified the kiss, his tongue finding its way deep into Qin Mo’s mouth, passionately licking every inch, leaving the taste of himself inside his mouth.
Although Qin Mo’s heart was racing, he responded boldly, ignoring the way his cheeks were burning red.
Having received a response, Xiao Han became even more excited. Wrapping his arms around Qin Mo’s waist securely, he stepped forward, pushing Qin Mo onto the bed.
“Wu… en…”
Both of their lips and tongues were entangled, with ambiguous pants echoing in their ears, and their breathing gradually became messy.
They were unwilling to part, when suddenly—— the doorbell rang.
The crisp sound of the doorbell ringing instantly caused Qin Mo to become alert, pushing Xiao Han away.
Extremely dissatisfied, Xiao Han went to open the door, prepared to get angry if it was Shen He who had come over to make a fuss. Only, the instant he opened the door, he met Ling Xuefeng’s icy gaze, instantly causing him to deflate. “Cough, god Ling… master,” he greeted, smiling widely.
Standing behind Ling Xufeng was Li Cangyu, who offered his apprentice a smile. “I hope we’re not bothering you?”
Indeed, they had been disturbed at just the right time—— Xiao Han wanted to cry, but maintained the proper appearance of a virtuous apprentice on the outside. “Of course not! Does master require anything?”
He blocked the door quietly, buying Qin Mo some time to tidy up.
Hearing the exchange from inside the room, Qin Mo hurriedly sorted through his appearance, and even tidied up the blankets that had been previously thrown into disarray.
“Why are you blocking the doorway?” Li Cangyu questioned suspiciously. “Not going to invite your master in to sit?”
Xiao Han coughed awkwardly. “That, um, master, please come in and have a seat.”
Qin Mo’s actions were extremely quick. In the short time that Xiao Han had entertained their masters at the door, both his clothes and the beds had been tidied up. Only, his cheeks were still slightly flushed, as if hinting at an unspeakable secret.
Glancing at him, Ling Xuefeng’s eyebrows furrowed, but the man said nothing.
“Master.” Qin Mo greeted him calmly. “Please have a seat, I will fetch you both some water.”
Li Cangyu took a seat on the sofa, with Ling Xuefeng taking a seat opposite him.
Fetching two glasses of water, Qin Mo questioned. “Is there anything master requires of us?”
“We came to visit you both.” Taking a sip of water, Li Cangyu continued. “I watched the live broadcast for this individual competition. You both have performed very well over the course of this competition, and your progress is obvious. Xiao Mo already has the style of a leading general, while Xiao Han is at his peak. To be honest, we are both very gratified.”
“Master’s praise makes sense,” Xiao Han replied straightforwardly. “Xiao Mo and I will accept them all.”
Li Cangyu laughed, turning to Qin Mo. “Xiao Mo, your switch to becoming a tactical player was a wise decision. There are many areas to be explored in this new game, and we greatly look forward to your future.”
“I understand,” Qin Mo nodded. “I will continue to work hard.”
“In fact, aside from visiting the both of you, there is another matter that we would like to address today,” Li Cangyu continued.
“What is it?” Xiao Han asked doubtfully. “Is master going to travel abroad yet again?”
“Not any more,” Li Cangyu replied, shrugging. “I’ve been everywhere in these past few years, and I’m pretty much tired. I plan to rest for a little while.”
“Then, is master coming back to Changsha?” Xiao Han questioned.
Li Cangyu shook his head. “I’m going to Nanjing.”
Glancing at each other, Xiao Han and Qin Mo recognised the suspicion in each other’s eyes.
Li Cangyu had no relatives or friends in Nanjing; why would he suddenly go there?
The previously-silent Ling Xuefeng clarified their doubts. “National Grace club’s manager Xu has already negotiated the purchase with me. Tomorrow, we will sign the contract.”
Xiao Han: “…”
Qin Mo: “…”
Seeing their shocked expressions, Li Cangyu smiled. “This piece of news is very unexpected, right? In fact, we didn’t want to get involved with the National Grace club, but Li Junru came to us on her own initiative. Xuefeng felt that the Wind Colour club had sufficient funds, and since Nanjing is close to Shanghai, it would not do him any harm to buy the club. This way, the girls can also rest assured, while they focus on the game.”
“Li Junru?” Hearing this, Qin Mo finally responded. “Was she expecting this day when she came to you on her own initiative?”
“This girl is not as simple as she seems,” Li Cangyu nodded. “Don’t you feel that the process in which manager Xu lost her reputation was too logical?”
Looking back on the whole process when Xu Lin was denounced, the informant had appeared at just the right time, kicking Xu Lin into the mud, and causing her to lose the opportunity to turn things around…
It couldn’t have been a coincidence.
“So, Li Junru was secretly adding fuel to the flames.” Qin Mo immediately understood. “She contacted master in advance, and seized the opportunity to expose □□, costing Xu Lin her reputation. The ultimate goal is probably for Xu Lin to step down, so that the club can switch to a more reliable owner?”
“Yes,” Ling Xuefeng replied. “In the future, we will be National Grace’s owners.”
Qin Mo and Xiao Han looked at each other, suddenly feeling very pressured.
Li Cangyu guessed their thoughts, and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Xuefeng and I are just providing them with an environment in which they can play the game with ease. We won’t interfere in the team’s management.”
Ling Xuefeng nodded. “Just as Liu Chuan will not interfere in the internal affairs of your team, the current captain of the National Grace team is Li Junru. Matters regarding future competitions will be arranged by Li Junru herself. The reason why we are telling you both is to let you know the truth, and not keep either of you in the dark.”
“Will master stay in Nanjing in the future?” Qin Mo asked.
“No,” Ling Xuefeng replied simply. “We are just going to sign the contract, make sure the handover is good and valid, and rectify the club since we’re there. After that, I’ll return to Shanghai.”
Although their masters’ decision was a little sudden, Xiao Han and Qin Mo understood that their masters becoming the owners of the National Grace club was good news for the girls who were serious about the competition. The fact that neither great god was going to intervene in the team’s internal affairs was also good news for Qin Mo and Xiao Han; they wouldn’t know how to face the team under their masters’ guidance otherwise.
Xu Lin had intervened too much before, causing the girls of National Grace to feel extremely constrained. Now that they had changed bosses, they wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. Allowing Li Junru to lead the team was a much better decision, and one that Ling Xuefeng and Li Cangyu had decided after much consideration.
***
After sending away their masters, Qin Mo sat by the bed to think. Seeing this, Xiao Han put his arms around Qin Mo’s shoulders. “Don’t worry,” he comforted, “master already said that they wouldn’t interfere. It’s obvious that they hope for our generation to fight the competition on our own, and not under the guidance of our masters.”
“I’m not worried about this matter.” Qin Mo replied.
“Then, what are you thinking about?” Xiao Han wondered.
“I’m thinking, since we switched our secret books so many times in the final, the great gods of the other teams will definitely try to target us,” Qin Mo replied seriously. “In the partner competition, more people may bring secret books that resolve control statuses, or provide temporary immunity to damage, in order to guard against my control and your big moves. The partner competition will be more difficult than the individual competition. There are many types of partners, such as Lin Song’s combination of the long and short sword, Su Xie’s guqin and flute ensemble, Qin Yuan’s double summoners, and so on. It will not be easy to bring home a prize.”
It turned out that he was still thinking about the competition. Gently running a hand through Qin Mo’s hair, Xiao Han murmured, “Don’t think about it for now. Rest first; we can consider these things when we get back to the team.”
Qin Mo wanted to continue speaking, but Xiao Han only smiled, pressing him onto the bed.
“What are you doing?” Qin Mo’s face flushed slightly.
Leaning over, Xiao Han whispered. “Of course, I’m doing what I couldn’t finish just now.”
Gentle kisses rained down on his face, causing Qin Mo to close his eyes.
There were still many competitions in the future, and it was inevitable that Twin Stars would be targeted. However, with Xiao Han by his side, Qin Mo had nothing to fear.
If Qin Mo was the strategy general, then Xiao Han was the sharpest weapon. With the both of them cooperating, even if they were deliberately targeted by the other teams, they would still have a large chance of winning.
Aww Ling Xuefeng~ ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ) That was sweet~ He’s really the best master~! I hope we get to see more interactions with LXF and Catgod!
Lol LXF found out immediately what was going on~ (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) Xiao Han is so timid in front of him haha And Catgod is really too dense~
I’m looking forward to the partner competition~! It’s going to be fierce~
Thank you for the chapter! 💜
That’s why I cried when read this, and the chapter before, its so goood 😭
Agreed, Ling Xuefeng is really a good master ~
You’re welcome~ ❤
Anyways! This chapter is a pretty good filler, and LXF’s acknowledgement of Momo and how they all look forward to the uncertain future makes it suuper interesting and realistic. Im glad that Xuefeng and Cangyu aren’t interfering with National Grace’s club operations tho. I’m confident in those two to make the best environment for the girls to play in!! And also momo and Xiao Han steamy moments 👀 a pity it got interrupted at the start but hey, alls well ends well!
I started playing another MOBA game recently but I’m pretty sure I’m rusty now. I wish I cld apply book logic to games there but :/ i will die a dozen times first before I get to carry out some quadra kill. Thank you for this chapter la ahhaha
loll, it’s just like me, i also often skipped a chapter cause I forgot which chapter I’m in 😂
That’s right, they just become the boss to provide better environment for the girls to play freely 💕
Their masters interrupt their steamy times 😏
I don’t play any MOBA games anymore, my skill also become rusty, lol. Rn I just play some mmorpg to kill times 🙈