'This is really something to look forward to. I hope enough people show up—otherwise, there won't be enough to kill.'
"Wu Tong? Wu Tong!"
The calls and a small hand waving in front of his face snapped Wu Tong out of his thoughts.
"Hmm? What is it, Sister Bao'er?"
He looked at the owner of the hand—Feng Baobao—and waited for her response.
"I've wanted to play with this thing for so long. Let me try it, okay? Pleeease? Pretty please?"
Once she had his attention, Feng Baobao immediately put on a pitiful expression, her large, watery eyes fixed on him.
She looked like... a human child begging for a toy, staring at you with those pleading eyes.
Adorable~.
Seeing Feng Baobao devolving further into a moe creature, Wu Tong found the words of refusal stuck in his throat, impossible to voice.
Sister Bao'er is acting cute.
This is Sister Bao'er acting cute.
Who could resist this?
Certainly not me.
"Alright, I'll make you one to play with for ten minutes. But remember, no hurting anyone, got it?"
A flash of blue light later, a small, low-recoil lady's pistol appeared in Wu Tong's hand.
He had constructed it on the spot, and with the energy he'd infused into it, it would last only about ten minutes before dissipating into the air.
This way, he could relax a little, not having to worry too much about Feng Baobao causing any major incidents.
"Yay! (≧▽≦) Thanks, Wu Tong!"
Hearing his agreement and seeing the pistol in his hand, Feng Baobao's mood instantly brightened. She eagerly took the gun, thanked him cheerfully, and immediately scampered off to find an empty spot to play.
Just like that? Talk about a hit-and-run.
Wu Tong watched her retreating figure, feeling a mix of helplessness and amusement. But he wasn't angry—he knew Feng Baobao's nature all too well.
She's just pure-hearted like that. What can I do?
Shaking his head, he turned to head back to the Martial Arena.
The Luotian Grand Ritual had four matches per day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Evenings were left for free time and socializing.
The schedule was reasonable, designed to speed up the elimination rounds while giving the younger generation a chance to mingle and make new friends.
Though...
Someone might not be too keen on making friends during this time.
(Wu Tong: I wonder who that could be? ( ･ω･)☞)
(Zhang Chulan "Moonlit Bird-Watcher": ...)
In short, there were two matches that morning, and Wu Tong had participated in the first. Even if he hadn't caught the other matches, he still had time to watch the remaining ones, so he wasn't in a hurry.
But...
Wu Tong pulled out his phone and checked the time.
10:30.
It's already this late? The next round should be starting soon.
I wonder if I'll see any familiar faces battling it out?
So exciting—
Just as he was about to set off again, Xu San and Xu Si came rushing over.
Wu Tong: "..."
You guys are doing this on purpose, aren't you?
The moment I'm about to leave, you show up to stop me?
Who sent you?
"Wu Tong, have you seen Bao'er?" Xu Four asked anxiously, spotting Wu Tong near the Martial Arena. "She disappeared right after your match ended, and we have no idea where she went."
Xu Three looked equally worried.
They had good reason to be. Given Feng Baobao's habit of answering any question asked of her, leaving her unsupervised meant it wouldn't take long for someone to pry out her entire life story.
And that would be a disaster.
"She vanished right after the match?"
Wu Tong blinked.
Sister Bao'er, you really couldn't wait, huh?
You followed me the second the match ended?
Damn, girl. Good thing you're a woman. If a guy had stalked me like that, I'd have beaten the shit out of him—assuming he hadn't already shit himself.
But...
Since it was Feng Baobao, he'd let it slide. After all, being tailed by a beautiful girl did give him a secret thrill.
Has my charm really gotten this strong?
Absentmindedly, he touched his fair-skinned face, inwardly preening.
Still, he didn't forget to update Xu San and Xu Si:
"I just saw Sister Bao'er. She went that way. If you hurry, you might still catch up."
He pointed in the direction she'd gone.
"Why would she go there? Whatever—let's go, Xu San. Thanks, Wu Tong. I'll treat you to a meal sometime!"
Xu Four frowned. They'd scouted the area earlier, and he remembered that direction leading to an empty field. What's Bao'er doing there?
Shaking off the thought, he dragged Xu Three after her, waving at Wu Tong as they left.
Wu Tong chuckled. "I'll hold you to that, Fourth Brother!"
With that, he turned and continued toward the Martial Arena.
Four Martial Arenas, Entrance
By the time Wu Tong returned, the crowd had thinned. The second-round participants were already stepping onto the platforms.
Listening to the announcements—"*Contestant, enter the arena!"—Wu Tong didn't rush. Instead, he extended his senses, deciding which match to watch.
No point picking randomly. If it's boring, I'd just have to run around more.
A few seconds later, he withdrew his spiritual perception.
He'd now scanned all the contestants in the second round.
There are so many participants, but the world really is small. Almost everyone I know ended up grouped together.
(End of Chapter)