Bubai can’t wait, but so can’t others.

  The dandy’s front foot just left and swaggering over was another born with an appearance fit for a sketchy film director.

  Seeing the incoming short fellow with hair that looked like a bird’s nest, Miss Venomous Tongue with a hot temper that has yet to subside instantly lashed out.

  "Do all of you men like playing deaf?! Flies like you should just scram and stick with garbage!"

  Her sharp insult only coaxed a carefree grin from the shorty, "Ou~ Brother Bai, your rose is quite thorny, isn’t she?"

  The hot and piercing glare of thorny rose landed on Bubai, “Someone you know?”

  Bubai coolly side-eyed her, “A friend.”

  “Tsk.” Her temper was still there, but she still took a deliberate step back, falling behind him with arms folded.

  A smart woman knows when to keep herself in check instead of wasting spit everywhere.

  That’s why she can be tolerated.

  Bubai turned back to greet the newcomer with a nod.

  “Brother Ba, don’t take it personally. She still hasn’t… undergone proper training yet. Still a bit wild.”

  Qian Bage rolled his eyes.

  “Ou! Does brother really think Bage is really that petty? A flower with such temperament is an eye-opener out here. Very refreshing compared to those over-fertilized blooms that spread their petals for anyone. Don’t you agree?”

  “Yes, very refreshing, indeed.”

  The two men shared a vulgar look, the kind only men understand.

  The subject of their discussion clicked her tongue in disgust, muttering under her breath, “Birds of the same dirty feather.”

  Oi. Both of us can hear that…

  Not wanting to beat away a smiling face, Bubai’s eyes searched around and smoothed over her rude remark with a seemingly casual question.

  "Is Brother Ba waiting for someone?"

  Qian Bage plastered on a light and easy grin. "Ou! Not at all! Just arrived, in fact. Then Lady Luck smiled at me and let Bage run into brother."

  Yeah, every time is a coincidence. Bubai almost rolled his eyes.

  The shorty gave Bubai a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Go. Let's head in together. Best to get a good look at the stage before all the fun starts."

  With the hot female attendant trailing behind them, the two men followed the crowd and strutted side by side through the coliseum’s grand arched entrance.

  What welcomed them was a vast inner hall warmly lit by lamps dotting the white jade walls.

  These curved surfaces drew a border around the mosaic floor that gleamed beneath their feet.

  From the mosaic garden, black quartz pillars grew out like shoots, soaring upwards to support the ceiling reaching so high it seemed to scrape the heavens.

  But the vastness of this hall did little to reduce the density of the headcount flowing back and forth here.

  "Whew," Qian Bage whistled, "thought it’d be less packed this year. But looks like the seats will be just as full."

  Noticing the hottie slapping away a few sneaky hands trying to cop a feel and squishing closer to his side, Bubai’s lips twitched. "It’s like this every year?"

  Qian Bage nodded knowingly.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "About right. Most come to chase profits or to get firsthand insight into which way the wind’s blowing. But then there’s always those here for other reason…"

  Bubai murmured, “Other reasons?”

  “Ou, right! It’s Brother Bai’s first time. Brother should know this place is normally the stage for life-and-death challenges, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Ou good. If Brother Bai is familiar with the rules for life-and-death challenges in this sect, you should know it’s only possible if all the feuding sides agree to it.”

  “If one of ‘em decides to shrink into their turtle shell, the other’s left out to dry. Haha…” Qian Bage chuckled darkly, “But how can there be cowards under the sun?”

  "That’s what this yearly mandatory event is for. To cull the weaklings and leave only the cream of the crop!"

  Qian Bage paused, his expression shifting almost as if he wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.

  "But... after the unwarranted bloodshed in the secret realm this time, the sect might be a little more lenient this year. I’ve even heard they’re putting out some special service this time around. See? Over there."

  Bubai followed the shorty’s finger to see a mob swarming around three tables arranged in a triangular fashion.

  Manning the tables were masked females decked out in the all-too-familiar black uniforms.

  These veiled beauties were furiously collecting spirit stones and making records on bamboo slips while another batch formed a perimeter to keep off the hungry wolves.

  As for what’s going on? Bubai was just as confused as the dog next door. "That is...?"

  "That should be the sect trying out some new protection policy for disciples. Seems they want fewer deaths this year, so they’re offering some sort of safety net."

  “Protection?”

  “Ou.” Qian Bage scratched his head. "They’ve been keeping the lid on it pretty tight. But from what I’ve heard so far…"

  "You can pay for something called the Sun’s Holy Blessing. If you get injured in any fight on stage, whether it’s a scratch, a burn, or even a lost limb, the sect will treat you for free after the match."

  Bubai arched a brow. "Huh? Really? That good?"

  Honestly, that sounds like a loss-making business.

  After all, almost every fighter comes out with some kind of injury, more or less.

  Qian Bage rolled his clever eyes. "Ouu, sure, it looks great on the surface. But trust me, those old timers aren’t stupid. They’ve got it all figured out."

  "Listen to what they’re saying. Their blessing doesn’t cover permanent loss of vitality, or any injuries originating from old wounds that happened outside the arena."

  "And since there are no rules against killing, this ‘blessing’ just encourages more reckless fighting, which in turn leads to more death, and we all know no blessing is valid for the dead."

  Qian Bage snapped his finger and grinned. "So in the end, they’re not losing as much as you’d think."

  Taking in all the twisted logic listed out by the other, Bubai squinted at the bronze, silver, and gold-clothed tables.

  Er why… why does all this seem... oddly familiar?

  Mistaking Bubai’s stare for genuine interest, Qian Bage clapped him on the shoulder.

  "Brother Bai, you’re not seriously thinking about it, are you? Buying that blessing is as good as giving away spirit stones for free. No one with half a brain would fall for it."

  Bubai gave the shorty a sideways glance, then shifted his eyes back to the swelling mob around the tables.

  Every second, more and more disciples were brainlessly flocking over as if there was a naked goddess waiting ahead...

  Just then, the voices of a pair of passing inner disciples drifted over.

  "Hey! Why are you so eager to throw away your spirit stones? That’s not like you!"

  The other was barely able to contain his excitement.

  "Didn’t you hear?! The copper and silver plans come with a randomly assigned nurse, but the gold plan lets you choose a specific virgin from the Law Enforcement Hall as your personal nurse!"

  Bubai’s lips twitched. For real?

  Anyone with common sense would think those fearsome tigresses would scare off any customers, but in reality…

  Just look at that horde swarming the booth!

  Whoever had came up with this... creative marketing strategy is definitely a genius—Er… wait a sec…

  A treatment plan for accidental injuries… bronze, silver, and gold plans…

  Holy Merlin’s beard! Isn’t this just an alternate version of health insurance?!

  When the clues clicked into place, Bubai already guessed the origin of everything.

  This wasn’t just some random idea from the sect.

  No. This was part of the knowledge he traded over to that devious fairy just weeks ago!

  This time, Bubai was really shocked!

  When spoon-fed innovative ideas, most people will do jack diddly squat with it.

  But the old Granny Shu?

  She actually put some of them into practice! What was really unexpected was how fast she did it! Almost too fast!

  The other little ideas he tossed out… they won’t start making their debut in this world, right?

  “Uh…” Bubai sucked in a sharp breath.

  Once he got back, maybe he should light some incense for his fellow brothers in the sect...

  But that’s the most he’ll do for his conscience’s sake.

  After all, that’s their problem now, not his. Ahem.

  What really concerns him now was the fairy’s cryptic hint.

  Bubai recalled how she’d been all mysterious when she mentioned the new policy and even urged him to support the granny’s booth...

  Did she perhaps mean this?

  If so, then things just got really, really interesting...

  Glancing down at the old granny’s bracelet tied around his wrist, Bubai’s fingers instinctively rolled the once-plain prayer beads that were now mysteriously tinged with a touch of gold.

  The ties between Granny Shu, the fairy, Officer Ponytail, and the Law Enforcement Hall…

  The slowly lifting fog was starting to form a pattern.

  Alas, much of the mysteries still remained buried beneath the desert sands, just like the truth of the scam taking on the name of a blessing.

  The question is: Will the insurance he’s blessed with cover him until the sky is clear or... will his life run out before he even gets a chance to cash in?