translator: Oyen editor: Ciel
For the second round, Luo Yuan followed Wei Guanghua’s arrangements to select Mingzhou Arena as the game map. Their intent to push for a head-on confrontation was obvious.
Watching from the backstage lounge, Li Muran couldn’t help worrying—— He Beiguang’s insufficient output was a big problem. Without the help of the terrain, he couldn’t beat the opponent. Even if his defense was strong, there was no way to win without defeating the opponent. He could only gamble on offensive or reflective secret books.
At the beginning of the game, the two sides directly entered a confrontation. Wei Guanghua rushed to the front row, throwing all his moves at He Beiguang, while Luo Yuan remained in the back row to boost Wei Guanghua’s attack and weaken He Beiguang. In the blink of an eye, He Beiguang already lost a third of his blood volume, showing how fierce Wei Guanghua’s firepower was.
Although He Beiguang brought an offensive secret book, a secret book could only be used once, while sect skills could be used repeatedly. In addition, the short sword flow’s combo rhythm was extremely fast, and had short cooldowns. Because of this, Wei Guanghua was able to chain his attacks consecutively. Even if Zhu Qingyue used the invincible barrier to prolong the war, helping to boost He Beiguang’s attack, He Beiguang could not kill the opposing swordsman, while Wei Guanghua’s fierce attack widened the blood volume gap between the two sides.
Luo Yuan stopped fighting with Zhu Qingyue. He stood at a distance, casting arrays to assist Wei Guanghua’s output. As Wei Guanghua had said, He Beiguang failed to survive his continuous attacks. The moment He Beiguang fell, Zhu Qingyue simply surrendered.
Seeing this, Luo Yuan was in a complicated mood. “Perhaps you ought to arrange things for the third game too?”
Wei Guanghua smiled. “You can arrange it, captain Luo.”
This young man had a high EQ. He wasn’t proud after winning the match, but instead took a step back and let Luo Yuan retain some face. However, Luo Yuan was very clear; if he wanted to win the third match, he had to continue with Wei Guanghua’s strategy of using violent suppression, ignoring Zhu Qingyue and killing He Beiguang as quickly as possible.
Luo Yuan coughed. “Then, we’ll follow the same plan from the second round,” he replied, embarrassed.
“En.” Wei Guanghua laughed.
It only took Zhu Qingyue a glance to recognise that the straightforward tactics from the second round were not his senior brother’s. However, it was precisely this sort of play that was the best method for dealing with his combination with He Beiguang.
It was not easy to make up for the disadvantage of the lineup. If Zhu Qingyue was a healer, he might be able to add blood and forcibly drag the time to win the war by consumption; otherwise, if Xiao He was replaced with an output, Zhu Qingyue could also assist his teammate to get rid of the opponent’s advantage as soon as possible. However, He Beiguang was a meat shield, and the damage from the secret book was not enough. Without environmental damage from the terrain, the chances of winning were close to none.
Zhu Qingyue judged the situation sensibly. In the third round, he used his arrays to prolong the battle, catching the opponent’s mistakes and looking for opportunities to counterattack.
However, Luo Yuan had calmed down in time and did not make any obvious mistakes. Wei Guanghua’s offense was still going strong. The third game lasted a total of 15 minutes, with both sides consuming each other’s blood and blue. In the end, He Beiguang died first, so Zhu Qingyue simply surrendered.
Walking to the centre of the stage, Zhu Qingyue gracefully stretched out his hand with a smile. “Congratulations, senior brother.”
Luo Yuan: “…”
Hearing this, Luo Yuan’s mood was very complicated. He had assumed that as long as he won the match, he could prove that he was better than his junior brother. However, he was very clear in his heart that despite the win, he had not won against Zhu Qingyue—— they had only won against He Beiguang, relying on the advantage of their professions.
Luo Yuan shook hands with his junior brother, before turning around and leaving the stage. Throughout this entire process, not a single word was spoken, and the expression on his face was extremely gloomy.
“Captain Luo, since we’ve already won the match, why do you still look so unhappy?” Wei Guanghua joked.
Luo Yuan frowned. “I don’t know either.”
Luo Yuan walked ahead, and staring at his retreating back gave rise to an odd feeling of loneliness. Wei Guanghua was amused; he constantly had the impression that Luo Yuan was at odds with Zhu Qingyue, taking his junior brother as an enemy that had to be defeated. Unfortunately, Zhu Qingyue didn’t take it seriously at all. Obviously, Luo Yuan was the senior brother, but he was more naive than his junior brother.
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.
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Stiffening, Luo Yuan immediately offered his greetings. “Master…”
“Captain Luo, you guys chat first, I’ll go to the bathroom.” Wei Guanghua immediately made his excuses and left.
Only after Wei Guanghua had left did Chu Yan finally speak. “Follow me.”
Luo Yuan followed his master into the small meeting room. Extinguishing his cigarette, Chu Yan tossed the butt into the trash can. “What are your thoughts about winning against your junior brother today?” he asked quietly.
“…” Luo Yuan didn’t know how to reply. According to his previous thoughts, after winning the game, he ought to taunt Zhu Qingyue to his face, proclaiming that he was their master’s best apprentice, but somehow, Luo Yuan was unable to reply when faced with Chu Yan’s question.
“The reason you dare not say it, is because you know very well that you did not win against him,” Chu Yan chuckled humourlessly. “In this match, it was Wei Guanghua’s victory against He Beiguang, and not your victory against Qingyue. On the contrary, you lost to Qingyue, be it in mentality, reaction, overall vision, prediction of skills… and even demeanour.”
Luo Yuan: “…”
His master’s words hit the nail on the head perfectly. Feeling his face burning with shame, Luo Yuan lowered his head.
Only, his master’s words were unable to be refuted.
Chu Yan eyed him for several long moments. “Last time, I told you that I didn’t mind Qingyue not continuing my auxiliary style of play. Do you know why?”
At this, Luo Yuan raised his head. “Why?” he whispered.
“Because Qingyue is tired,” Chu Yan replied.
Luo Yuan stared at his master with wide eyes, unable to believe his ears.
“I know he’s tired.” Chu Yan suppressed his heartache, continuing to speak in a low whisper. “When you left us unexpectedly six years ago, I asked him, who was less than 16 years old, to take your place on stage. When faced with all kinds of questioning voices, he only knew how to hide away and cry. At such a young age, I forced him to become the captain, subjecting him to so much cynicism. Over time, he ended up like this; constantly smiling regardless of whatever happens.”
Luo Yuan: “…”
Chu Yan paused for a moment. “Three years ago, I left the Pure Cleansing, and completely handed the team to him. Since then, he brought Pure Cleansing along with him, even with their poor performance, insisting on continuing the auxiliary core tactics that I passed on. In the Miracle alliance, he struggled so hard, only to lose continuously—— can you understand his feelings? Can you comprehend how it feels to have to smile even in the face of hungry reporters after continuously being beaten by stronger teams over and over?”
Luo Yuan: “…”
Chu Yan finally turned away to stare out the window. “Qingyue has suffered more than you know, and he respects me much more than you can see. After I left, he persisted with the Pure Cleansing team for three years.”
“You can’t imagine the hellish environment he was in for the past three years, trying his hardest but only having a less than 10% chance of winning.”
“He is the Pure Cleansing’s captain, and all the pressure and responsibility lie with him. As his master, what have I been doing these past three years? I was busy with my business. As his senior brother, what were you doing? You were busy taking care of your family—— neither of us helped him in his most difficult time. Now, which of us has the right to blame him?”
Luo Yuan: “…”
Turning around, Chu Yan stared at Luo Yuan, his gaze sharp as he enunciated every word. “Luo Yuan, if you really want to settle this account, I can tell you right now that Zhu Qingyue has not let me down, let alone let you down—— instead, it’s the both of us who should be apologising to him.”
Luo Yuan’s eyes turned red. His master’s words were like a slap to the face, waking him up from a dream.
Luo Yuan had felt uncomfortable about losing to Chen Jiang and He Yue on the first day of the group stage. However, how many matches had Zhu Qingyue lost in these years? He alone led the poorly-performing Pure Cleansing team for three years. In the past three years, through countless days and nights, he repeatedly faced failure, then rose once again in search of a chance to win. The reason Pure Cleansing was able to secure a place in the first division without being downgraded was because of Zhu Qingyue’s powerful tactical accomplishments and tough psychological quality.
If it were someone else, how many people could have accomplished as much as he did?
Was Pure Cleansing’s disbandment his fault?
He had already tried his best!
As Chu Yan had said, he was very tired. So tired that he couldn’t hold on any longer, couldn’t continue to play in Miracle, so he chose to give up.
As a senior brother, Luo Yuan left the club at a critical moment, forcing Zhu Qingyue, who had been less than 16 years old at that time, to replace him on stage. Luo Yuan had not contributed to Pure Cleansing. What qualifications did he have to blame Zhu Qingyue? What position did he sit in, to question Zhu Qingyue’s choice?
The more Luo Yuan thought, the more ashamed he was. Compared with Zhu Qingyue’s demeanor when facing him, he looked like a clown, blindly running to provoke his junior brother.
Looking at the guilty look on his apprentice’s face, Chu Yan sighed, patting Luo Yuan on the shoulder. “I know you are obsessed with this master’s inheritance. However, there are not many apprentices who can fully inherit this master’s playstyle in the esports circle. Qingyue has done his best for me. Master doesn’t mind, so as a senior brother, you don’t need to mind this either, understand?”
Awkwardly, Luo Yuan lowered his head. “I understand…”
Chu Yan was stern. “If you still wish to acknowledge me as your master, then set aside your hatred for him. He owes you nothing.”
Luo Yuan’s eyes were red. “I understand, I won’t bring up this matter any more. I’ve disappointed master…”
He had let down his master, but had let down his junior brother even more.
If not for his mother falling ill, he would have remained in Pure Cleansing as his master’s partner, and upon Chu Yan’s retirement, fought side-by-side with his junior brother. However, he had no choice but to become a deserter, leaving Zhu Qingyue to shoulder all the burden and the responsibility, but when the team was forced to disband, he came back to complain about how his junior brother didn’t do a good job…
On what basis? Just because he was his ‘senior brother’?
What a joke.
Thinking of the way he went to provoke Zhu Qingyue before the game, Luo Yuan wanted to turn back time and slap his past self several times.
***
By the time he exited the meeting room, Luo Yuan’s face was blotchy. Coincidentally, Zhu Qingyue was passing by. Seeing Luo Yuan’s downcast expression, he questioned, “What’s wrong, senior brother?”
“Nothing much,” Luo Yuan replied awkwardly. “Master is inside.”
Zhu Qingyue smiled. “Why, did he scold you?”
Luo Yuan: “…”
“Don’t take it to heart,” Zhu Qingyue comforted. “Although master is strict, he still cares about you. Otherwise, he would not have helped you to form a team.”
Luo Yuan flushed in embarrassment. “En, I know. Qingyue… I’m- I’m sorry.”
Faced with his junior brother’s gentle gaze, Luo Yuan felt dejected and turned away.
Looking at the way his senior brother awkwardly left, Zhu Qingyue was amused, instantly guessing that Chu Yan must have scolded him harshly. He pushed the door open, and sure enough, he found Chu Yan standing by the window.
“Master.” Smiling, Zhu Qingyue walked over. “You scolded senior brother, right? He looks like he’s about to cry.”
“Should I not have scolded him?” Chu Yan’s stern gaze softened as soon as he saw Zhu Qingyue. Reaching out, he held Zhu Qingyue in his arms, before lowering his head to kiss Zhu Qingyue on the lips.
Zhu Qingyue immediately avoided the attempt. “Did you smoke again?”
Chu Yan smiled. “Just now, I was unable to resist the temptation to smoke two mouthfuls. In the future, I will definitely smoke less. Otherwise, my family’s baby won’t let me kiss him.”
Zhu Qingyue blushed. “Can you be more serious?”
Saying this, he began to struggle, Chu Yan didn’t let him go, but instead held Zhu Qingyue tighter. “Let me hug you.”
Relenting, Zhu Qingyue gave up the struggle.
Chu Yan hugged him tightly. After a moment, he gently rubbed his little apprentice’s hair. “Qingyue, these few years… you’ve worked hard.”
Realising what Chu Yan had meant, Zhu Qingyue’s eyes turned red. “It wasn’t hard.”
Sighing, Chu Yan ran his fingers through Zhu Qingyue’s hair. At that time, I was aware of my feelings for you and dared not contact you for three years after leaving the team, which was a terrible mistake. In the future, I will never leave you alone again. No matter what choice you make, I will fully support you as both your master and your lover. I will always be by your side, loving you, protecting you, and being your most reliable backing, okay?”
Zhu Qingyue buried his face in Chu Yan’s arms, nodding gently, before taking the initiative to hug him back.
He wasn’t thick-skinned enough, unlike Chu Yan, who was able to say all sorts of sweet things. He only knew that his dependence on this man had never weakened even with age.
As long as there was Chu Yan around, no matter what he did, he would be full of confidence.
Looking at his soft apprentice taking the initiative to hug him with flushed cheeks, Chu Yan was really happy.
He had let Qingyue down, but that was a matter of the past. In the future, he would double his efforts to spoil Qingyue, to not let anyone hurt Qingyue, because Qingyue was his heart’s most precious treasure.
Ahh… They lost again…😕😕😕 But it’s no wonder with that pairing~
Zhu Qingyue really had a hard time these three years … So it was because he was tired? So that’s why Chu Yan didn’t say anything~ Luo Yuan really has no right to say anything to Zhu Qingyue! Good, now that he has realized it~!
Aww~ Chu Yan really treasures Zhu Qingyue! 😍 He definitely has to make it up to him since he run away before~!
Thank you for the chapter! 💕💕💕
their pairing is just a support, auxiliary + defend, no output, that’s why they lost >_<
Yess, Qingyue will be tired, 3 years as a loser team, still have to face the reporters and fans 😭
Chu Yan needs to pamper Qingyue to the fullest!!🙈
You’re welcome~ ❤
Honestly, in terms of experience, the real senior should be Qingyue. Having real competition experience, 3 years as a captain, leading a team right up until it’s end. Tactical experience going up against monsters like Cat God.
Agreed, Qingyue is a captain long before Xiao Han right? He has more experience in the competition, senior of them all lol 🤣
it’s all good. atleast senior brother already realized his mistake. what I hate is when a person does something unacceptable but instead of reflecting on it, they still refuse to admit their mistakes as if they have done nothing wrong and they’re the real victim
I really wanna hug Qingyue and hide him away in my pocket (along with Chu Yan of course sjjsjsj)