Chapter 58 She is pretty!

Under the scorching sun, Wind and Cloud City was bustling with noise and excitement.

Signboards of shops hung high along the street, and peddlers shouted at the top of their lungs to hawk their wares. Wave after wave of thugs and desperados fought for turf at both ends of the street, accompanied by waves of onlookers cheering them on, eager for more chaos.

As noon approached, the sun grew increasingly fierce, and heat waves rippled through the air, easily stirring up restlessness in people's hearts. This lawless City of the Lost was a paradise for bullies and cutthroats.

Du Buqin, dragging four children along, swaggered down the bluestone-paved street. With his drooping triangular eyes and iconic bird-nest hair, anyone with a shred of sense dared not approach him and hurriedly stepped aside to clear the way.

As soon as they entered the city, Su An and the other three little ones had their feet back on the ground. While curious about this city that adults spoke of with terror, they were also terrified. Walking the entire way, they clutched tightly to the old man's robe hem and trouser legs, wishing they could paste themselves onto him.

Su An's tongue was tied as he stammered, "P-Poison Grandfather, someone is fighting over there again..."

The old poisoner replied, "Totally normal."

Su Wen's teeth chattered. "There are so many adults and children tied to the steps of that shop over there! What are they-they-they trying to do..."

The old poisoner said, "They're selling people."

Su Wu was shaking all over. "Poison Grandfather, wh-wh-what is th-th-that hanging over th-th-there..."

The old poisoner answered, "Human skin."

The three little ones rolled their eyes back, on the verge of fainting. They wanted to go home!

Tianbao was the youngest, and her short little legs were not up to the task, so she was riding high on the old man's shoulders to view the mortal world. Her pitch-black eyes were wide open, and her gaze swept over the "human skin" hanging at the entrance of a certain meat shop without the slightest ripple of emotion. There were dog hairs that hadn't been cleaned off properly on that skin—it was clearly just a dog hide.

Fights, finger-guessing games, dice games, and gorgeously dressed women soliciting customers at street corners and alleyways—to Tianbao, this chaotic main street was filled with novelty everywhere.

At that moment, a roaring wave of sound erupted from somewhere along the main street.

"The Polar Arena is holding matches! Oh my goodness, what a lucky day to run into this!" Du Buqin let out a couple of weird, cackling laughs and darted toward that direction with the little ones in tow.

"Poison Grandfather, what is a ring match?" The three little ones hung onto his legs, still trembling with fear.

"The Polar Arena keeps quite a few fighting experts. Every month, they set up a ring in the plaza in front of their doors. Anyone can go up to challenge them, and if you win, you get silver."

"What if you lose? Do you have to pay them back silver?"

"Little ones, do you know what 'Polar' means? Win and you ascend to ultimate bliss; lose and you descend straight to the netherworld!"

Therefore, it was called the Polar Arena.

The three little ones shivered in unison, their small faces turning even paler. Young as they were, they knew what the netherworld meant—it was the place people went after they died.

"Hehehehe!" Du Buqin laughed loudly, immensely pleased with himself for frightening the little ones, only to receive a smack right on top of his head that made him bare his teeth in pain. "Stop it, Tianbao! I'm up in the air here; if you hit me again, we'll both fall down together!"

Goodness gracious! This little ancestor! Youngest yet most ferocious, untamed like a wild beast cub!

With three bounds and leaps, the old man brought the Polar Arena into view before them.

Deep within Wind and Cloud City stood a three-story, luxuriously built structure facing the street, with a wood-carved signboard hanging at the entrance, bearing the characters "Polar Arena" inscribed in black lacquer.

In front of the Polar Arena was a wide small plaza where the fighting ring had been set up. The area around the ring was already packed with a surging crowd, roaring cheers, and a heated atmosphere.

As noon approached and the heat became oppressive, the onlookers stood beneath the blazing sun without the slightest care for the heat, their passion running high.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Is anyone else placing bets? Betting closes soon! Last opportunity, instant wealth is decided in a single thought! Do you even need to think twice about a sure-fire way to win money sitting down?"

"To hell with betting! I don't think much of either of those two up there; their arms are too skinny for me to snap with one hand!"

"You can't judge a book by its cover. Can anyone raised by the Polar Arena be useless? I'm betting on White Impermanence!"

"I'm betting on Black Impermanence! He's already won two matches in a row; if he wins one more, the bounty goes up to a hundred taels! How could he not risk his life for a hundred taels of silver? The fierce fear those who hold their lives cheap!"

When Du Buqin landed, his unique and striking appearance instantly drew all eyes, and a vacuum-like zone immediately cleared around him.

The gamblers and bookmakers hastily grabbed their belongings and scrambled aside, their faces turning the color of greens. "Damn it, why is this old poison guy here?!"

"Get farther away, get farther away! Last time, I accidentally brushed against the hem of his robe, and that patch of skin rotted for a full month!"

"Consider yourself lucky. At least it wasn't a patch of skin lower down, hahaha!"

"Screw your ancestors! Even if the skin lower down really rotted off, I'd still strip off your pants and play with you!"

The two men who had started the verbal spat immediately rolled into a ball, wrestling in the crowd.

The commotion grew even more lively.

Tianbao kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, her small hand clutching the old man's hair, her bright black pupils sparkling as she looked toward the stage. Above, two slender men of similar age—one in black martial attire and the other in white martial robes—were already engaged in combat, trading blows back and forth in an intense struggle.

Tianbao curved her brows and eyes, cheering them on, "Da-da! Ha-tai!"

The little milk-fed baby's voice was soft and sweet, carrying an inexplicable sense of comedic cuteness amidst the roaring waves of sound.

On the third-floor grand viewing terrace of the Polar Arena:

Private booths were set up behind solid wood railings.

Bai Kui sat in a wild and imposing posture, clad in embroidered everyday robes, holding a exquisitely featured little toddler in his arms, which exuded a similarly amusing charm.

"Yu'er, are you happy? Daddy specially set up this arena for you. Isn't it fun?"

The little boy turned his head slightly, his gaze drawn by a certain sight, and looked back at the doting father who was fishing for praise. "She looks good!"

Bai Kui followed his son's finger and looked down. A doll-like pink jade of a child sat on the shoulders of an adult. Beneath the blazing sun and gentle breeze, her soft, fluffy hair swayed in the wind, and her eyes—as pretty as black glass—were curved into half-moons, her smiling face glowing white.

She certainly looked good, even a bit more handsome than his own son.

Whether it was his imagination or not, the little girl seemed to have sensed the gaze from upstairs and looked up in this direction.

With a faint glance, she immediately turned her head away again.

Given the distance between upstairs and downstairs, things weren't entirely clear, but Bai Kui didn't mind. Instead, his attention was caught by the old man carrying the little girl.

The iconic knotted, messy hair, and the arrogant, swaggering posture—who else could it be but Du Buqin?

A look of surprise crossed Bai Kui's eyes. His gaze flashed, and he turned his head to instruct a subordinate behind him, "Go invite Elder Du upstairs to sit and watch the matches. The view is best from here."

The subordinate accepted the command.

Bai Kui looked back at his son, smiling with doting indulgence, "Do you like pretty babies? Daddy will invite her up so you can look at her up close!"

The little boy raised his chin. Though only three or four years old, his arrogant and overbearing aura was already hard to mask.

"Go upstairs?" Downstairs, Du Buqin opened his mouth to refuse, but the words took a turn on his tongue. "Are there drinks and food prepared?"

The Bai family servant respectfully replied, "Our master gave orders early this morning. Fine wine, delicacies, fruits, and pastries are all prepared. We wouldn't dare neglect Elder Du."

Du Buqin let out a cackling laugh and stepped forward to head upstairs. "Little ones, let's go! Poison Grandfather is going to take you to eat, drink, and be merry!"

On the third floor of the Polar Arena, right beside Bai Kui, a new dining table had been set up, complete with wine, dishes, and pastries.

Du Buqin went straight upstairs and sat down in a chair, peeling off the three clinging attachments from his legs and placing them to the side. "Master Bai, you are too polite. Since hospitality is hard to refuse, I won't bother with polite pleasantries!"

Bai Kui smiled faintly. "Elder Du is a man of true temperament. It's just a table of wine and food, please make yourself at home, Elder."