Memories of the past is just a blink of an eye for the strong.

  The golden core geezer wasn’t stuck in his reminisce for long.

  “Hoh. Enough about old me. These are things a junior needn’t trouble yourself with.”

  “What a young brat like you should really be worrying about is the swarm of young geniuses from those powerful clans. Once they catch wind of your unique qualities, they’ll stick to you like flies!”

  Upon hearing the warning, Bubai let some timely realization dawn on his face.

  "Ah! No wonder those influential senior brothers came to befriend me! Junior didn’t understand why before, but now…"

  "Hoh? They’ve caught on so quickly?" Ma Pei stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Which clans are these clever juniors from?"

  "Uh…" Bubai hesitated for a moment before listing them. "There was a man from the Jia lineage, another from the Wu Clan, someone from the Qian Clan, the He Clan, and… oh, also the new disciple under the wings of the Mo Clan."

  The old geezer’s hand trembled slightly and nearly tore a few tufts from his beard in shock.

  "You brat! This old man doesn’t care about the brats from our faction, but you’ve gone and provoked so many others? Now things are difficult. Even if this old man wants to cover for you, it’s really hard to say... hard to say..."

  Yes, even a fraction of the total trouble Bubai stirred was so complicated. He didn’t even mention those sniffing after the trails of his scorpions nor explicitly reported his crimes yet!

  That’s why Bubai didn’t dare to put all his chips on the old granny alone. Since the burden was too heavy, find another to share it.

  This old geezer really didn’t seem to reliable, but this unfettered elder was a good wedge in the first portion of his scheme… assuming he can get the old man onto his chariot.

  So, the act must continue.

  Bubai’s shoulders slumped, and he looked at the elder with wide, pleading eyes. "Elder Ma, is there really no way to hide it?"

  Ma Pei scoffed, his expression turning amused.

  "Hide it? This old man can smell the vitality of your leaked essence all the way from here. You really think paper can wrap fire? Sometimes, it’s better to just let the fire spread and burn."

  Bubai bit his lip. "But…"

  "No buts! It’s not that this old man doesn’t want to help you, but your little gift isn’t worth all that trouble. Hoh… Let this old man give you a hint of what scale it is. Remember that evil spawn this old man mentioned before?"

  Huh? This time, the perplexity on Bubai’s face wasn’t purely an act. "That Fang Bubai holding the highest bounty?"

  Ma Pei’s eyes sparked with a knowing light.

  “Hoh... so you’ve seen it. Excellent. Let’s not mind the minor details for now. Just understand this…”

  “One of the reasons the we placed such a hefty price on his head was due to the suspected potential of his special physique.”

  “Special physique?” Bubai got himself ready for another info dump.

  The elderly man nodded and went back to stroking his beard like a sage.

  “By now, you should have grasped the basics about physiques. From mortal rank to the famous king constitution that smooths out the journey of breakthrough to Nascent Soul. But what you may not know is that beyond the king rank lies the legendary…”

  The words trailed off, leaving Bubai hanging once more...

  “…” Bubai resisted the urge to groan out loud. Merlin’s beard, this bad old geezer doing this on purpose, isn’t he?!

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Ma Pei eyed his performance with a knowing smile, the glint in his eyes suggesting that he was indeed enjoying this.

  "There’s no need for a junior like you to know so much. Just understand physiques are the foundations to greatness, but also to ruin!"

  "For evildoers with these physiques, if it’s impossible to attain them, even the Nascent Soul ancestor will make a move to…"

  The old man’s crooked finger drew a line across his own throat and grinned.

  Bubai got the hint. Nipping geniuses in the bud. Classic. But that’s the protagonist they were talking about. So...

  "Sadly... the ancestor was blocked that time. That evil spawn seems to have some evil ties with the daughter of that big hypocrite. Hah, evil fate! Really evil fate!"

  Yup, long live the protagonist.

  After cursing unhappily, Ma Pei jumped right back to the point.

  "But enough about that evil spawn. What’s important to know is that your physique might not lose out to that evil spawn that could devour all things. Brat, do you understand how big your problem is now?"

  Bubai let his face go pale. Merlin’s beard. This is how far the old man’s brain fart has taken this…

  To even put him on the same stage as the protagonist. Well, ain’t that just great.

  Observing the frightened man’s dramatic reaction, Ma Pei chortled, clearly please.

  "Hoho… Now you know, but it’s too late. Still, there’s no need to panic. Since you’re still growing, they’ll hold off on any drastic move until they confirm its awakening."

  "They’ll even shower you with treasures, beauties, and all sorts of resources to win you over. Ho, but once the day of awakening comes… this old man is sure you brat is smart enough to know what’s good for you. Hoho..."

  “Think of it as your initiation into the wonderful world of cultivation politics. Just remember, with great power comes... well, lots of people trying to use you. But at least you lived a happy one! Silly brat, you really have good luck, ah.”

  Good luck he rather not have. It’s basically fattening him up before slaughtering him.

  Bubai forced a weak smile. “What if junior never awakens?”

  Ma Pei gave Bubai a rather meaningful gaze.

  “Even if you can vomit out everything they sent you, you can try not awakening and see what happens. Hoho…”

  The old geezer was still chuckling as if this were all some grand joke, but when he saw that the young bird has fallen into desperation, Ma Pei changed his tune, “Brat, don’t lose all hopes just yet.”

  “Remember, in this world, survival isn’t about strength alone. It’s about knowing when to stand firm and when to bend.”

  “Play your cards wisely, boy. And who knows? You might just come out on top. Young man, still the same words. This old man is optimistic about you!”

  This old man’s painting a cake with empty words again.

  If Bubai didn’t have a trick or two up his sleeves, he would really be grasping straws in the sea.

  But the desperate man act must be played out and even a heartbeat can’t be wasted.

  Bubai meekly laughed back, despite the absurdity of it all. “Haha… suppose it could be worse.”

  Ma Pei nodded sagely. “Hoh. That’s the spirit!”

  Donning the mask of a man ready to face death head-on, Bubai stared right into the elder’s eyes. “How long does junior have left?”

  “Hard to say, hard to say…” The old geezer grinned and downed the rest of the tea in his cup.

  Setting down his cup, he went back to stroking his beard thoughtfully.

  “Physiques could be awakened under all sorts of stimulus, and it’s hard for mortals to peer into the secrets of heaven. But one thing is clear…”

  "The emergence of heaven-defying physiques is accompanied by sky-changing phenomena. The stronger the physique, the wider the range of the manifestation!"

  "Even a kingly phenomenon should be clearly visible within the entire sect. Any grander, and it can span multiple kingdoms, maybe even out to the seas!”

  “At that time, even if the entire sect wants to hide you, you’ll be stared at by every other sect in the region…"

  Ma Pei paused as if he just thought of something. His sharpened gaze then squinted at Bubai as if trying to see through him. "Hoh? Now that this old man thinks about it…"

  "This old man heard there was a sect-wide celestial manifestation during everyone’s trip to the secret realm. Is there anything you would like to tell this old man about it?"

  As expected, it is too hard to fool the old ginger’s deep mind into thinking he hasn’t awakened yet.

  A little schemer like himself is just a clown in these elder’s eyes, especially since his confession was peppered with flaws.

  But even if the old ginger’s onto something, Bubai had long prepared to act the fool.

  Bubai let out a helpless sigh. "Junior wishes that was me, but even if junior wanted to hide, without esteemed elder’s guidance…"

  He left the implications hanging. Will the other play along?

  Ma Pei’s suspicious gaze lingered for a moment longer before he finally nodded, his expression softening.

  "Right. Right. A green sprout like you would’ve long been listed in the records if that were the case. Where will there be so much mystery…"

  Yep. Yep. There’s no mystery whatsoever. There’s no need to go deeper.

  Too bad the spicy old ginger wasn’t done playing tricks.

  Ma Pei’s eyes drifted down to the redhead still working her mouth furiously while clinging to Bubai’s waist.

  "But it’s still a mystery how a green sprout like you has such a resolute will and vigor. Really impressive, just like when this old man was young."

  The elder’s praise carried a note of admiration, mixed with a hint of something else.

  Bubai froze, his mind caught between confusion and dawning discomfort.

  Not giving Bubai much time to think, the old geezer hopped up from his seat and floated over like a leaf on the breeze with a mischievous grin spreading across his old face.

  A simple pinch of his fingers lifted up the booty hugged by the black qipao. A performance on two legs now switched to all fours.

  “Hohoho…” Sweeping aside the flaps of his own robe, Ma Pei threw Bubai a meaningful look that all cultured men understood.

  "Young man, you don’t mind this old man lending you a helping hand, do you?"