Chapter 43: Please Host, Stop Having Unrealistic Fantasies
“Go, Brother!”
Little Qi waved her tiny fists excitedly, though her face stayed Oscar-worthy blank.
“Oh, it’s Little Qi!” Bai Feng grinned and reached out to tousle her hair. “You finally showed up! I was wondering where you were—thought you forgot about your dear brother.”
“Because I heard you’re preparing for battle and didn’t want to distract you,” she replied sincerely, keeping her tone innocent.
“Come in already,” Bai Feng sidestepped to make way and led her inside.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu Mo, busy cooking in the kitchen, caught sight of this new ‘guest’. Although Bai Feng had explained, easing her misunderstandings about Little Qi, she still kept a subtle hostility in her eyes.
Like someone had stolen her exclusive VIP seat—that is, her sense of identity.
“Miss, hello,” Little Qi greeted nervously, holding out her hand.
Bai Yu Mo’s grip on the spatula tightened. That was one of her pet peeves—why did Little Qi call Bai Feng “Brother” but call her “Miss”? They hadn’t known each other long, but that little distinction still rubbed her the wrong way.
“Little Qi, don’t be so formal. Just call me ‘Big Sister’,” Bai Yu Mo offered with a gentle smile, her tone friendly but firm.
Little Qi shrank back slightly, a strange twinge of danger flickering in her heart. She nodded hurriedly. “Yes, Big Sister.”
Bai Yu Mo nodded in satisfaction and turned back to her cooking.
“Oh, Brother, here’s the stuff the academy asked me to bring you,” Little Qi added, relieved. She pulled out a roughly wrapped parcel—probably a few books judging by its weight and shape.
“Thanks, Little Qi,” Bai Feng said casually, stuffing the parcel into his storage bag. That package was definitely the collection of books he promised Master Sister Yu Yao — he couldn’t let Little Qi peek.
Although curious, Little Qi didn’t ask. Instead, she sat next to Bai Feng, sipping tea and pretending to be tranquil. “Recently, the rumors about you have been spreading, and I even helped catch some troublemakers!”
She had overheard plenty of gossip about Bai Feng before. Back then, she was powerless—no matter what she did. Later, Bai Feng entered Heavenly Sword Sect, but the rumors only grew wilder, even turning against her, her tiny helper.
Now she saw her chance. Time to strike back with a vengeance!
Bai Feng: “… Well, thanks then!”
He lightly tousled her hair with a helpless smile. After all, she was showing concern for him, which he appreciated. No point arguing.
He was truly tired of those rumor-spreaders, though. His master hadn’t said a word, yet these disciples banded together to gossip like a bunch of gossiping gossips.
But, honestly, the rumors wouldn’t have spread so aggressively if he’d just kept silent in the first place. Rumors thrived on the silence, on the shadows. Many were brainless in their spreading—coming from someone who used to surf the internet a lot, Bai Feng knew this deep down.
Responding might’ve only fallen into the trap laid by the Child of Destiny, so better to let them complain. It wouldn’t affect him — he’d still eat his sister’s cooking and sleep on Green Bamboo Peak’s bed.
“Oh—by the way!”
Bai Feng suddenly remembered and pulled out a talisman from his storage bag. It was beautifully crafted, with several small, smooth jade stones attached.
He handed it to Little Qi. “Here’s the promised gift. It’s a protective amulet I made. It can withstand a full-force strike from the late Golden Core stage.”
This talisman was also one of his recent research projects—an miniaturized array, a tiny version of his larger formation.
He’d been worried about the Child of Destiny’s gaze falling on him, so he thought, why not make a formation ‘carve’ itself onto his body? So he worked on miniaturizing the arrays.
During his research, he realized why formations only got bigger and never smaller: shrinking formations was insanely difficult.
But, while this talisman could barely withstand an attack from the late Golden Core realm, it was all he had the energy to craft.
He even entertained the idea of learning forging to create a miniature engraving machine—so he could carve tiny arrays directly.
“Thanks, Brother,” Little Qi said, taking the amulet and holding it close to her heart. Her face, usually so expressionless, betrayed her contentment.
Suddenly, Bai Feng sensed a gaze. He turned instinctively toward the kitchen, but Bai Yu Mo was still with her back turned, stir-frying vigorously. Yet he was certain he hadn’t been mistaken.
Having been ‘set up’ by his little sister multiple times, he wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.
Before the system could give him a warning, he pulled out a second talisman from his bag. “Oh, Yu Mo, I also made one for you—no protective function this time, though.”
Bai Yu Mo’s ears twitched. Her subtle little plan was seen through, and she felt a little shy and embarrassed.
She knew she shouldn’t expect too much, but seeing the protective amulet just now, her heart still unconsciously yearned for one.
Her expression nearly slipped, so she rushed over without even taking off her apron, cheeks flushed with a shy smile. “Thank you, Brother.”
Once the crisis was averted, Bai Feng sighed in relief. But he also couldn’t help but wonder—why was Bai Yu Mo, so grown up now, still acting like a child?
And he was a little confused about her feelings—though they seemed to have mended their relationship, the lingering shadows of the past still made things awkward. Was she acting out of guilt or concern? He couldn’t quite tell.
He wished the system had a ‘favorability’ feature—then he’d know exactly how Bai Yu Mo saw him, making interactions easier.
【Ding, this system is a villain system, not a romantic one. Please stop having unrealistic fantasies, host.】
“…”
That sudden comment of the system really threw him for a loop!
Usually it didn’t even talk unless summoned. Now it’s suddenly chiming in—so weird.
But after getting a scolding from the system, Bai Feng stopped overthinking and explained to Bai Yu Mo:
“Although there’s no protective function, I added some small features—like showing the current time and date, and even an alarm. When time’s up, it’ll remind you.”
The biggest benefit of miniaturized formations? Bai Feng managed to extract a bunch of little gadgets out of them. Like the time and alarm functions on Yu Mo’s amulet.
In Heavenly Sword Sect, you can find similar ‘prototypes’—like the Trial Blade Tower, which only opens when the timer runs out, or the Dan Peak’s public refining room, which notifies when the time is up—and you have to pay more to keep using them.
“Yeah, I’ll treasure it,” Bai Yu Mo said softly, not storing the amulet in her storage bag but keeping it close on her body.
“Alright, alright, dinner’s ready. Little Qi, join us too,” Bai Feng announced, and the family sat down to eat.
