“Whirlwind... cough, cough... Whirlwind Boss, good to see you again.”
Endless Longevity, with huge dark circles under her eyes, moved slowly over, barely alive. Even as she greeted Invincible Whirlwind, while covering her mouth to cough, she was carefully sizing up Threeking.
Her intuition and instincts told her that this was another expert. Invincible Whirlwind was truly something else—too many capable people around her. Although Threeking hadn’t appeared in the "Gods’ Gathering," being invited today meant his strength couldn’t be underestimated.
"Boss, who’s this...?"
The Third had already braced himself for ridicule from Invincible Whirlwind, but she suddenly switched up her style instead.
"He’s a partner for the International Server Treasure Map Secret Realm, number one on the 08 server, Threeking—really skilled."
The Third immediately straightened up, puffed out his chest, and felt his eyes sting a little. It hadn’t been easy. No matter how this partnership came about, they were working together now!
Whatever happened, he’d finally get a taste of that legendary home-cooked delicacy!
Endless Longevity widened her eyes in surprise, sensing an odd vibe between the two of them. She subtly glanced at Invincible Whirlwind.
Seeing her give a slight nod, she relaxed completely and greeted him warmly. "Nice to meet you. I’m Endless Longevity from the 02 server. Cough, cough... sorry, I’m not in great health..."
Threeking’s mouth twitched slightly, and he hesitated before replying, "Uh... I watched that livestream."
Endless Longevity didn’t feel awkward at all, but she didn’t respond either. Instead, she shuffled after Invincible Whirlwind, trying to hold her hand or act clingy, coughing now and then with a weak sigh.
Ameizhu hadn’t seen Qi Xu for a while and was about to rush forward, but then noticed the two lackeys behind her. Remembering how they’d pretended not to know each other before, she held back her feelings, being reserved and restrained.
To her surprise, Invincible Whirlwind charged right over and spun Ameizhu around in a hug.
"I missed you so much! Long time no see. I didn’t help you promote during the Gods’ Gathering—not because I forgot, but because I had other plans. I’m thinking of gathering all the number ones from the Chinese servers into one group. Every time we chat or discuss stuff, we’ll come here. You won’t be short on survival coins."
Qi Xu was telling the truth. Right now, the Tea House was the only place to meet across servers, so she wasn’t eager to make it public.
Ameizhu giggled. "I know, I’m not upset. Why do you need to explain?"
"Even so, don’t I still worry?"
Qi Xu noticed Ameizhu eyeing Threeking and Endless Longevity warily and specifically explained, "It’s all familiar faces today—everyone’s on our side."
Ameizhu then cheerfully smiled at the two behind Qi Xu. "Two more are already waiting upstairs. Since we’re all together, I’ll whip up something nice for you all to drink."
Qi Xu had assumed Wang Buyu and Shadowkill hadn’t arrived yet, since she’d met Threeking at the door at 8:10 a.m., and no one had come by since.
Turned out they hadn’t been late; they’d just come early.
Entering the room, Qi Xu saw Shadowkill with a grim expression, while Wang Buyu sat with his head down, as far from him as possible. The two weren’t talking at all. But the moment the door opened, they both stood up, visibly excited.
Qi Xu immediately asked Wang Buyu telepathically, "What’s he brooding about with that sour face?"
Wang Buyu replied instantly, "He’s afraid you won’t take him to the International Server Treasure Map Secret Realm."
"Greetings, Whirlwind Boss."
Shadowkill stood at attention and said hello, his attitude perfectly correct.
Qi Xu just gave a slight nod, not showing much warmth. There was no choice now—she had to bring Shadowkill along. If there’d been any other option, he wouldn’t have gotten a seat today.
"Oh, it's Brother Ying Sha! What a shame I don’t have any little stickers right now, or I’d give one to such a polite, obedient kid who says hello to the Boss so nicely."
"Endless Longevity, do you have to be so sharp-tongued every time we meet?!"
"Sorry, Brother Ying Sha, don’t get mad. I just can’t help myself." Endless Longevity’s tone was weak, but her expression was nothing short of provocative.
A few words were all it took to push Shadowkill to the breaking point, but mindful of Invincible Whirlwind’s stance, he didn’t dare utter a harsh word, stewing in frustration.
Threeking had watched the livestream from start to finish, so he fully understood the dynamic between these people and adapted quickly.
The best move was to pretend to be blind and mind his own business.
"Alright, let’s get to business."
As soon as Qi Xu spoke, everyone snapped to attention, their expressions turning serious. Endless Longevity even stopped coughing.
"I called you all here today for the cross-server Treasure Map Secret Realm. I checked before coming—the portal opens at 6 a.m. the day after tomorrow. How about it? Can everyone participate?"
"Cough, I’m in, Boss. You know me—nothing’s more important than you." Endless Longevity was a completely different person in front of Qi Xu than she was with Shadowkill.
Wang Buyu nodded while replying telepathically, "I can make it, but am I useful? I don’t have any combat skills..."
Qi Xu asked curiously, "Do you know any foreign languages?"
Wang Buyu shook his head but quickly explained, "What I perceive are people’s true thoughts and feelings—it’s not about language."
Qi Xu gave him a thumbs-up. "Awesome, sweetheart."
Wang Buyu blushed.
Threeking chimed in, "I’m in!"
Qi Xu finally looked at Shadowkill, who gave an awkward smile and said, "Whirlwind Boss, as long as you’re willing to have me, I definitely want to join. Trust me—I won’t repeat the mistakes I made before."
"Alright, since everyone’s here, that settles it. I was going to invite Noodle Head too, so I’ll message her to tell her not to come."
Shadowkill suddenly felt the pressure—so Invincible Whirlwind did have another option.
"Since we’re cooperating, I need to lay down some ground rules upfront. During this Treasure Map Secret Realm, everything follows my lead—whether it’s combat, decisions, or even the final loot distribution. Any objections?"
Everyone replied in unison, "None!"
Qi Xu started detailing the plan. "The Treasure Map Secret Realm has a total of 20 people, meaning four countries will participate. I don’t know the exact rewards yet, but every Treasure Map Secret Realm revolves around points. If it’s about points, splitting them is straightforward. If it’s a single type of resource, I’ll make up the difference for everyone with equivalent goods. No matter what happens, I hope we can stick together, gain an edge, and avoid infighting."
...
