Chapter 33: Romance and Moonlight (Happy New Year)

Chapter 33: Wind, Snow, and Moon (Happy New Year)

Actually, the "Top 100 Power Rankings" list is hung prominently on the tower structure near the entrance of the Reincarnation Tower. However, Zhang Fang had been too busy selecting items suited for himself in the commercial district, and the surrounding atmosphere of people gossiping about him made him feel somewhat uneasy, so much so that he hadn't even looked back to take a glance at it.

Checking it online is the same, though. There are always busybodies who update the changes to the leaderboard in real-time, and they provide rough annotations for every expert on the list. It ends up being far more intuitive than the firsthand information at the Reincarnation Tower.

1st Place: Conqueror, 45th Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
A Reincarnator from the United States, the number one expert recognized by the Reincarnation Tower!

2nd Place: Dragon Soul, 42nd Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
A Reincarnator from China, his strength is second only to the Conqueror. He once teamed up with Wind, Snow, and Moon to battle the Conqueror in the Pacific, with the outcome remaining unknown, but both sides have maintained restraint in every encounter since.

3rd Place: War Hammer, 44th Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
A Reincarnator from the Bear Country, the strongest among the battle-hardened folk, blah, blah, blah...

4th Place: The Sixth Heavenly Demon King, 43rd Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
An expert from the Neon Country who lives a pretty good life; he has publicly admitted that his idol is Oda Nobunaga.

5th Place: Wind, Snow, and Moon, 39th Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
A Reincarnator from China, currently the only genius among all Reincarnators to reach A-rank strength before entering the 40th floor of the Reincarnation Tower. She is the goddess in the hearts of countless male Reincarnators!

6th Place: Ruby, 42nd Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
A contestant from Gaul, relatively mysterious; the outside world knows very little about him.

7th Place: William, 40th Floor of the Reincarnation Tower, Strength Level: A.
A bearded man from the Rotten Country who is extremely active in all sorts of matters, acting like a troublemaker...

***

Among the top 100, there are seven A-rank experts. Five of the major mobile weapons suppliers account for six of these spots, with the contestant from the Neon Country intruding among them. Within these seven A-rank experts, China occupies two spots, yet can only stand on equal footing with that top expert from the United States, which goes to show just how powerful that "Conqueror" truly is.

After roughly analyzing the situation, Zhang Fang continued to look down the list. From the 8th place onwards, they were all B-rank Reincarnators, who make up the majority of the top 100, with only those at the very bottom appearing as C-rank fillers.

"As of now, there isn't even a single S-rank Reincarnator in the Reincarnation Tower. Are they leaving a spot open for me?"

Shaking his head, Zhang Fang silently memorized these names, reminded himself to be extra careful if he ever encountered anyone on the list, and then closed his computer to wash up and go to sleep.

After waking up the next morning, Zhang Fang quickly connected to the Reincarnation Space, and after a 30-second countdown, he was teleported inside once again.

"Ding! You have a new message. Please check it."

As soon as Zhang Fang entered the Reincarnation Space, he heard a gentle notification sound. Opening it, he saw the message was from a Reincarnator named "Nangong Qianxiu":

【The price is negotiable, and bartering is fine too, as long as you can produce something of value. Although I don't really believe a Reincarnator who has just cleared the first floor has the capability to purchase this shield, it wouldn't hurt to meet. By the way, when are you free in the next two days?】—Nangong Qianxiu

【I am free anytime.】—Qianshu

【Then come to the commercial district now, Wufu Teahouse, "Green Pine Welcomes Guests" private room. We'll treat you to tea! Isn't that generous of us?】—Nangong Qianxiu

Reading between the lines of that last message, a lively and cheerful vibe rushed toward him. But Zhang Fang's focus wasn't on the other party's tone, but on one specific word—"we"!

In other words, this Nangong Qianxiu wasn't going to meet him alone; she brought help?

Zhang Fang rubbed his temples with a hint of helplessness. The situation seemed quite dire, much worse than he had imagined.

Actually, upon seeing the name "Nangong Qianxiu," Zhang Fang had a vague sense of foreboding. Judging by the name, the other party was likely a woman! And the tone of the subsequent conversation further confirmed his suspicion. Then, with this final "we"... well, it seems he wasn't just facing one woman, but multiple?

To be fair, Zhang Fang didn't mind interacting with women, but he certainly didn't want to haggle with them!

Asking a man who rarely even visits shopping malls to negotiate and haggle with women is inherently an excessive request, let alone when they show up as a group!

***

However, annoyance aside, business still had to be discussed.

Helpless, Zhang Fang could only bite the bullet and head to the Wufu Teahouse in the commercial district. Inside the designated private room, his eyes were met by two beauties who, in terms of figure, appearance, and temperament, would be one-in-a-million even within the Reincarnation Tower.

One of them had a doll-like face, with a pair of eyes that seemed slightly larger than those of an ordinary girl, and her eyes and brows carried a natural smile, as if she had never experienced negative emotions like sadness or distress.

At first glance, Zhang Fang's own mood was inevitably influenced by her seemingly innate cheerful temperament, and his previous annoyance vanished.

The other one, with a pointed chin, looked slightly more mature. Her posture as she sat in the chair was exceptionally upright, yet this slightly stiff posture didn't seem out of place on her; instead, it appeared natural. Combined with her unique, vibrant heroic spirit, it even gave one the illusion of not daring to look her straight in the eye.

As Zhang Fang studied the two women, they were also studying him. However, this mutual observation lasted only a second before the doll-faced girl broke the silence, waving at him: "You must be Qianshu, the one who got a double S rating in the hell-difficulty dungeon during the rookie trial, right? Come, sit down. What would you like to drink?"

Zhang Fang didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down opposite the two women. His gaze swept over the table; tea, snacks, and fruit platters were all there. In the center of the table sat a white porcelain teapot. Judging by the remaining tea in the cups before the two women, it was clear they were drinking black tea.

Taking everything in, Zhang Fang said casually, "It doesn't matter what I drink. If you two don't mind, I'll have the same tea as you." He paused slightly, then said seriously, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Qianshu, a novice Reincarnator who has only been through one dungeon world. May I ask how to address you two?"

The doll-faced girl smiled slightly and replied very casually, "You should have already seen my name when we were in contact earlier. I'm Nangong Qianxiu. Isn't it a pretty name?"

Zhang Fang nodded politely with a smile.

However, the words of the other beauty gave him a real shock.

He watched as she calmly picked up the teapot, unhurriedly pouring the tea into the cup in front of Zhang Fang until it was seven-tenths full. At the same time, she parted her lips and spoke four words that would cause 99% of Reincarnators' jaws to drop: "Wind, Snow, and Moon."

Wind, Snow, and Moon!

Ranked fifth in strength among global Reincarnators, the only super-expert to reach A-rank before entering the 40th floor of the Reincarnation Tower.

Is currently... pouring me tea!?