Chapter 381 - 381: Back to Being a Spectator (2)

Truth be told, Bubai wasn't all that shocked.

Sure, his identity got covered up pretty well thanks to the granny, but paper cannot contain fire forever.

It makes sense that others will be suspicious, especially considering the talent he'd shown.

A powerful, almost heaven-defying physique appeared out of nowhere!

Logically, what should match that should be a heavenly celestial phenomenon!

Piecing things together is simply too easy for those who try!

Still, speculation wasn't proof.

Except for the eye-witnesses to his promotion ceremony at the Book Pavilion, nobody else had any actual way to confirm the truth.

Even if somebody besides the old granny stumbled upon the truth, will they announce the secret to others?

Clearly not. There's plenty of rumors abound, but not one got close to naming him.

This left most in the dark and they could only probe like what this Qian Bage was doing now.

But even if this wasn't a mere probe, it didn't matter.

Unless one possessed absolute power, no one wanted to paint a target on themselves by naming a tiger in the room!

So what if others did know. Just pretend he didn't!

"Hey, I've never really seen how it is at the summit. So I wouldn't know what those so-called evildoers are really like, but..."

Bubai sported an easy smile. "At least this Ge Tianqi should not be much of a threat to me in the short term."

"Great!" Qian Zhongta's honest face lit up and he slammed his fists together. "That's the spirit! Brother really got the heart of a true hero!"

"Ou! Ou! Even if Brother Bai is not as good as those evildoers, with that attitude, brother shouldn't be far behind!"

"Right, right! I bet, even if that evildoer shows up, brother may not lose out!"

Three brothers slapped him with sky-high praises, but whether they truly meant it or not was up for debate.

But at least the oldest of them didn't wear the same lovely mask. Instead, he steered matters in another direction.

"I wasn't there that day and haven't seen what happened personally. So I have no right to judge how you, Xiao Bai, compares with others. But if Xiao Ba really didn't exaggerate what he saw, then…"

"For that sort of talent, the top brass must've kept it under wraps to prevent our enemies from nipping the talent in the bud. If that's the case..."

Qian Fusha shot his younger brothers a warning look.

"This sort of thing should not be said casually, lest the walls have ears. You rascals should learn some restraint. Don't inadvertently drag others into a pit over a loose tongue."

The three brothers straightened like schoolboys caught napping and exchanged sheepish glances.

Qian Fusha sighed then gave Bubai an apologetic look. "Xiao Bai, please do not take their drunken words to heart. They meant no harm."

Bubai quietly nodded and saw this man in a new light.

Brotherhood can be faked, but this man really wasn't treating him like an outsider. Truly big brother quality!

Feeling the awkward atmosphere, Qian Bage tried to smooth things over.

"Ohem. Speaking of talents… I heard all sorts of monsters showed up in the secret realm this time. Lao Wu, got a list on who we should keep an eye out for?"

Qian Feifu caught the cue and smoothly took over.

"Aye! You've asked the right person! Let me tell you—this time, the secret realm was dangerous like never before!"

"Even the senior generation like us almost all went under in that pot of porridge! Not only that, a bunch of crouching tigers and hidden dragons all reared their heads!"

"Many got buried in that tomb forever, but those few who survived are now all rising stars. This includes the Sun Blossom Sect's Peach Blossom Saintess, a walking calamity…"

A long list of filler titles got ticked off one by one...

What Deathshade Sect's Twin Ghost Lunatic, what Heartless Sword Sect Ice Vein Fairy… so and so prodigy from this or that sect...

Bubai noted them all down for future reference, but only lent half an ear to them… until he started hearing names he recognized.

"...All these are once-in-a-century geniuses you should remember well! They are those you don't have to befriend but shouldn't make an enemy of!"

"But that's not the end. There's still two that you really have to watch out for! The real dangerous evildoers that even the golden core elders had a hard time dealing with! Listen well!"

"First—the Saint Son of the Cloud Sword Sect, Devil Swordsman Tang Xiu!"

"A single sword opened a path of slaughter! A devil with more blood on his hands than us demonic sect disciples!"

"To him, once-in-a-century geniuses are like weed! And even a golden core fell under his blade!"

"And the second is the dark horse who turned the secret realm upside down this time, Flame Devourer, Fang Bubai!"

"Nobody knows which crack this devil came out from, but countless geniuses perished under his evil hands and even ashes aren't left behind!"

"Not only that… word is, it's because of him that our sects almost all got buried in that place!"

"We're not sure about the truth, but just know he's absolutely a dangerous fella who will never show mercy to anyone in our sect!"

"So make sure to remember his face—no, both of their faces! If you ever run into those two… well, we brothers will erect a tomb for you. Go with peace. Oh right, don't say you're related to our Qian Clan."

Bubai and Qian Bage's lips twitched in sync.

Dear Merlin, that sounded waaaay too pessimistic. Still, it's understandable.

A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.

Those two evildoers must've left shadows in the hearts of these Qian brothers during their expedition.

But Tang Xiu and Fang Bubai, huh? Certainly. Must be real dangerous fellas.

Even without the warning from these brothers, Bubai already knew the dangers of a protagonist.

And that genius surnamed Tang (not San), who will likely become the protagonist's stepping stone, must not be any worse!

Only a bright gem will make the protagonist shine even more! Only the strong is worthy to be stepping stones in a protagonist's journey, just like—ahem.

Nope. Not like that had anything to do with him! Really!

He's just a little fish stuck in this sect and those titans squabbling outside won't affect him… right?

Bubai suddenly shuddered.

Choi! Choi! Choi! Why in dear Merlin's name is he setting a flag that might explode in his face?!

No way! No way! Author-san, cross that out!

Alright, just calm down...

This ain't minesweeper. Not like placing a flag will make the endgame really happen…

Just then, as if the heavens were listening, a blast of fiery flames bloomed in the arena below!

An explosive tag went kaboom! To be more precise, right in the face of the talisman owner!

Then the man's upper body was like a watermelon… face and all—it really exploded!

Holy Merlin, that face-slap came so quickly!

Bubai almost couldn't believe it and was left gawking.

Beside him, the Qian brothers were like veteran gambles watching a rookie cheat.

"Ah, a rigged talisman. That's certainly a way to end it."

"Yeah, those talisman masters are really unscrupulous."

Bubai felt some horror in his heart. "Wait—are you saying this was... intentional?"

"Otherwise? You think an explosion of that magnitude is possible in a normal defective talisman? This level should've been at least an adept—no, perhaps even a master behind it."

"Lao Wu is right." Qian Bage clapped Bubai's shoulder. "Ou, don't be too surprised, Brother Bai. Every year there's at least a case or two like this."

Bubai grimaced. "But… How can they do this? Don't they care about their reputation?"

Once a professional ruined their own reputation like this, it was nigh-impossible to get it back!

But his question only earned an eye-roll from Qian Feifu.

"What reputation? Brother, this is a demonic sect! As long as they can get away with it, anything goes!"

Bubai frowned. "They won't get punished for this sort of thing?"

Qian Feifu snorted.

"Punished? Nope. Listen, some of those masters voluntarily stick around due to their infatuation with a Feng Clan phoenix..."

"But most of the sect's professionals actually got tied back and it's already hard enough to keep them here!"

"So, as long as these tools do their work properly, how can the sect bear to offend them over a little grudge? At most, they'll pass it off as a defect and close the case."

Dear Merlin… a murder in broad daylight still counted as just a little grudge?

Watching the eunuch wrapping up the charred corpse and scrubbing the field decorated by meat confetti, Bubai felt something cold pool in his guts.

This is reality. Even a foundation builder's life is so worthless in the eyes of the sect.

All the more reason to train himself on the path of a professional! Go pro! That's his ticket to safety!

Even if it's not for gaining the sect's protection, for safety reasons, it's best to rely on what he crafts himself in the future!

Though the risks of "defects" were low, who knows when fate will play tricks?!

A bad talisman can spell the end for everything and nobody would care…

Bubai thought of all the unappraised talismans he possessed. Good thing he didn't spam them yet! Good thing he mostly relied on his own power and other weapons!

Otherwise, who knows if he'll go kaboom as the scapegoat for somebody else!

Seriously, can't be too careful!

Well... that's probably why appraisal is so important.

Sigh. Gotta hoard gold for the fairy again. Some things were really inevitable. Just like the emergence of certain folks...

"Next match, we have Jia Clan's Jia Shizi challenging He Clan's He Guofu!"