Back in the box.

  Bubai averted his eyes from the carnage that was too graphic to even put into words.

  Ugh... that’s disgusting. Utterly revolting.

  Like for real.

  Bloody Merlin’s beard, even his little brother’s enthusiasm got dampened a lot due to that bloody scene below!

  "First time?" Qian Feifu passed over a wine cup. “Rinse your mouth. It’ll help.”

  Bubai gingerly accepted it and took a sip...

  The wine burned down his throat, yet it did little to chase away the image seared into his memory.

  The downsides of eidetic memory. He sighed. “Hah… Never knew it can get so… intense.”

  “Hmm. Intense indeed.” Qian Fusha petted the head the pair of foxy sisters and showed a look of vicissitude.

  “Here, we see less of this. But it’s not that rare out there, especially in the territory of those Death Dao cultivators. You and Xiao Ba are still young, but it’s best to get used to it sooner rather than ter.”

  The ever brash Qian Zhongta thumped his chest with a grin that barely masked his own unease.

  “Yeah, yeah! So what if it’s a little bloody? We’re cultivators! We shouldn’t get weak all over just from seeing such a scene!”

  Bubai’s lips twitched. Weak? Please.

  The gruesome scene below wasn’t something he can stomach, but... he’s seen worse.

  The memory of his doll dismembering and roasting carcasses was still rather fresh in his mind.

  And then there were those fragmented memories of that other past life.

  Those scientific memories certainly included all sorts of “biology” experiments.

  Bubai can’t cim to be completely desensitized, but his heart was pretty stable.

  Still, appearances mattered. A proper dispy of weakness was necessary to blend in.

  He was, after all, just an "innocent young boy who hasn’t seen the world", at least... by cultivator lifespan standards.

  Just like the pale-faced shorty beside him.

  The two young man exchanged a stiff “haha” then chugged their wine.

  Gulp. “Hah...”

  Seeing a flush returning to the man’s face, the green tea teased his pride. “My, my… Little Lord Bage, are you alright?”

  “Ouu, ouu, of course! Just a small scene—how can it affect us?! Right, Brother Bai?”

  “Uh huh. We’re just… just a bit surprised, that’s all.”

  “Ou! Ou!”

  “Really? Then...” Qing San gave the little bird a flick. “Why is it all wilted?”

  Cough. Cough. Cough! Qian Bage nearly choked on his wine.

  Spping down his wine cup, he angrily grabbed the green tea and stuffed her mouth full to shut her up.

  “Ou, when is it your turn to point fingers here?! Just do your job properly!”

  Gotta say: some dies... really enjoy toeing the line.

  Bubai set his sights back on the disarrayed rose scrubbing her lips and fiercely gring up at him from the ground.

  “Do you still need me to tell you what to do?”

  His demeaning attitude made her chest heave up and down furiously.

  Fire burned in her eyes, but... she still swallowed it down and came crawling over, thorns and all.

  After she shot him that rebellious look, she bit down!

  “Oi!” Bubai shot her a warning look. “Be good and do it properly.”

  She ignored him and did her own thing, as if trying to retaliate against him.

  But…

  That only made Bubai feel oh so much better! Feisty is bad? No! Feisty is good!

  A whistle came from the side. "Ouu, Brother Bai, the flower you brought from home is really something. That hot temper is rare, ou."

  “Haha…” Bubai tenderly petted the rosy redhead. “She’s just not used to the rough treatment. I usually teach her quite gently at home.”

  That btant lie earned him another dagger-like gre from the hottie and a chorus of ughter from the rest.

  "Ai, I didn’t know Brother Bai still knew how to cherish jade! Admirable, admirable!"

  "Yeah, yeah! Rough and gentle alike, brother got real skills!"

  "Huhuh. No wonder even those untouchable peonies flock to you! Ouuu, truly enviable!"

  Bubai dismissed their fttery and spped back with his own rainbow fart.

  “What untouchables? Flowers are meant to be watered, aren’t they? Sooner or ter, I’m sure an outstanding hero like Brother Ba will get to water your own white moonlight!”

  "Ouu, Brother Bai, well said! Well said! Hahaha!"

  "Oi, oi! Don’t go infting this rascal’s ego! He already causes enough trouble as is!"

  "Yeah, yeah! Ahahaha!"

  Taking in all the lighthearted bantering, the rigid as stone Qian Fusha smiled like an old father.

  “Looks like Brother Bai has a really good mentality. You know, the first time, Xiao Ba almost wet his pants.”

  Qian Bage’s face turned an arming shade of red and he spped the table. "Lao Er! What’s the point of bringing up old stories?! Aren’t I all good now?"

  “Xiao Ba, your cowardly temperament still needs tempering. Otherwise, how can you bear the wind and rain once you go out there?”

  The shorty rolled his eyes. "Ouu, we’ll talk about it when I actually go out! Right now, all I care about is letting it out!"

  "Ahaha, that’s the spirit!"

  "Ai. Com’on, let’s drink till we let it all out!"

  "Lao Er, wine!"

  The eldest sponsored another jar from his pockets.

  “This common brew isn’t as good as Lao Da’s Aromatic Fragrance, but there’s enough to fill our bellies until they bloat. Go—the older stays, the younger go serve the others!”

  The golden daisy fshed a sweet smile and took the jar that was bulkier than her own bosom.

  Hugging it like a pillow, the swallowtail floated down the line...

  Wine pots got refilled. Cups got blessed by the wine priestess.

  Clink! Clink! Clink! "Gan!" “Drink!”

  The men got blessed with wine. The women got blessed with rain and dew.

  "Ahhha~ Cool!"

  “Ohh, yesh! Just like that!”

  "Ou! Ou! Ouuuu!"

  “Hah…” Bubai gazed down at the obedient rose proudly showing off the full version of what she did.

  He rexed back in his chair, sharing grins with the other sages next to him.

  While the women did women stuff, the men turned their attention back to the bloodstained stage below.

  Watching the pale-faced eunuchs pack up the torn flesh and shattered bones, Qian Feifu clicked his tongue.

  "Tsk, tsk. What a mess. Another uncultured rascal who doesn’t even have the decency to clean up after himself before running off."

  Qian Zhongta shrugged. “Can’t bme him. A man’s gotta grasp the time to recover as much as possible before the next challenge comes knocking.”

  Qian Feifu rolled his eyes. "Like it’ll make a difference."

  "A lone tree can’t withstand all the wind and rain. The Four Gentlemen is now down to one."

  "Since they refused to share outside their little circle, that so-called Four Gentlemen Art of theirs will soon be nothing but dust in history. What a pity."

  “Pfft.” Qian Zhongta scoffed. “It’s just a little side road. Who cares?”

  Qian Fusha shot his brother a stern look. “A side road is still a road. All roads can lead to the Great Way. If you keep your mind broad, your future will be broader.”

  The brash man groaned.

  "Yeah, yeah, enough nagging, Lao Er. I know you mean well, but in my heart, these so-called side roads really can’t enter my eyes."

  “Ayoh?” The red fg grabbed the chance to provoke the man’s ego. “Then Young Lord Ta, please broaden our sister’s horizons. What art can enter your almighty eyes, hmm?”

  "Ah? That’s simple! Only something at the level of our family’s Gu Arts, of course! I dare say it can even come close to matching the sect’s mainstream dao arts!"

  “Ayohyoh? What a bold cim~”

  Bubai’s eyes fshed with interest. Indeed, that cim was quite bold.

  Every sect has their own set of pilrs to shape the foundation of its cultivators—the so-called mainstream arts.

  Obviously, the Sun Furnace Sect mainly revolves around dual cultivation.

  But dual cultivation is a broad concept. There are countless branches. It’s impossible for a single sect to cover them all.

  Even if that was possible, only those arts that leads down a beaten path walked by many could be considered mainstream.

  In this sect, the most commonly practiced was undoubtedly the Sun Furnace Art series that was handed down like alms to almost every cauldron.

  But the true heart of the sect was naturally the arts mastered by each of those powerful cultivators at the Golden Core realm and above.

  The Essence Wood Art practiced by the elite fighters of the Jia faction.

  The Taiyin Doll Arts forming the backbone of the sect’s army style.

  The Dream and Shadow Arts used by the Feng cn to train spies and constables.

  Finally, the Sea of Desires Art of the Mo Cn, a bloody crowd-harvester now known to be mastered solely by that old geezer Ma Pei.

  Oh, and let’s not forget the Seed of Pleasure scourges that multiply like cockroaches and won’t die out even after getting culled by “accidents” year after year.

  All these had golden cores serving as lighthouses.

  Well, except for the tter... heard that sir perished in the recent secret realm expedition.

  Bubai didn’t know if that was an “accident” or not...

  But he knew: even if the golden core at the top was missing, those true mainstream arts were still backed by the masses and countless elites.

  As for the Gu Arts of this second-rate Qian Cn that barely has a handful of foundation builders holding the fort…

  Can it really stand equal to the sect’s mainstream?

  Bragging much?