Chapter 102

102 WATCH THE SHOW FROM AFAR

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.”

That was a famous quote from Confucius, and Bai Chen had heard of it when he was in his previous life.

Bai Chen didn’t really know the true meaning of the quote, but he heard that it was often used to indicate the authenticity of a quality or title one held. In this case, ‘Bai Chen’ was indeed his legal name, so it was acceptable for people to call him by his name.

However, he also had a legitimate title in this world, and he assumed that people not close to him should address him formally. That was why he was surprised by how Wu Jinhai addressed him by name even if it was their first meeting.

Without knowing the reason, Bai Chen felt a strange feeling in his chest when he heard Wu Jinhai say his name so softly. The man had a deep voice, and it became deeper because it was muffled by the golden mask covering his face, but he somehow felt that the voice sounded very soft to his ears.

Today was indeed their first time meeting, but Bai Chen somehow didn’t feel offended by the man’s impudent attitude. Instead, he felt intimacy and familiarity when he heard the man call him that.

Bai Chen didn’t know why, but he felt that he had known Wu Jinhai for a long time. It was quite ridiculous, and Bai Chen even mocked himself when the thought came to him.

He knew that it would be impossible if he had known Wu Jinhai for a long time because they were just strangers who had just met by accident in the Forbidden Forest.

Yes, Bai Chen had to remind himself that he was currently in a dangerous forest. Even if he had not sensed any danger from the moment he entered the forest, he knew that he should not let his guard down.

.....

Bai Chen planned to find a hiding place until the event ended, but Wu Jinhai had a different idea when the man asked him to start walking around the forest. Bai Chen wanted to say no, but after considering it, he thought that it would be better for him to stay with a strong person than to stay alone in a hideout.

As they walked together side by side, Bai Chen caught a glimpse of the taller man, and he could see that the man looked relaxed. Even if he couldn’t see the man’s face, Bai Chen could tell that the man wasn’t nervous from his comfortable posture.

Unlike him whose shoulders had been tense since entering the Forbidden Forest, the man’s broad shoulders looked relaxed as if the owner wasn’t in a dangerous place. The fact brought a question mark to Bai Chen’s head.

“This isn’t your first time participating in this event, is it?” The man in white decided to voice his curiosity.

Bai Chen chose to ask even though there was another possibility behind Wu Jinhai’s calm demeanor, and the other possibility was because the man was confident in his strength.

Bai Chen remembered how Wu Jinhai said that he could still kill the beasts even without a sword, and he thought that the man must be strong.

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“You can tell?” Wu Jinhai’s reply arrived, and Bai Chen knew that his previous question was right on target.

Wu Jinhai did have two advantages in this situation. He was strong, and he also had the experience to fight the beasts in the Forbidden Forest. If he could stick to the man, perhaps Bai Chen could live longer in the forest.

“Or... did you also hear about it from some rumors?” Wu Jinhai asked again when he did not immediately receive an answer from the brown-haired Prince.

Bai Chen did pretend to hear some rumors about Wu Jinhai before, and it seemed the taller man wanted to tease him using that material.

“I didn’t hear any rumors about your participation in the Beast Hunting Event,” the white-robed man honestly answered the question. “I just realized that you are too relaxed for someone who just participated in this event for the first time.”

“Is that so?” Wu Jinhai replied, but unfortunately, Bai Chen couldn’t even see the expression of the man behind the golden mask.

Nonetheless, even if the taller man continued to hide his expression behind the mask, Bai Chen knew that the man was taking his answer too lightly, and that was why he decided to speak again, “Just by looking at your light steps as we started walking in the forest, and also listen to your steady and even sounding breath, I know that you are quite familiar with this forest, and you are not even afraid of the beasts in this forest.”

Bai Chen did make some analysis in his heart, but when he decided to question the other person, more than ninety percent of him only guessed it instead of analyzing it carefully. He was just trying to look smart in front of the masked man, and he knew that Wu Jinhai didn’t need to know the facts.

Bai Chen glanced at the man in red, but he couldn’t see the man’s reaction because the man’s face was still hiding behind the mask. Bai Chen hated it. He hated it when he talked to someone without being able to see that person’s face.

His hands were itching to snatch the mask from the man, but when he recalled how strong the man was, he could guess that he would only break his hands if he forced the man to remove the golden mask.

And that man was not only physically stronger than him, but Wu Jinhai was also more important than him in both Dong Lang and Wu Li. Perhaps Wu Jinhai was not the Crown Prince of Wu Li, but Bai Chen still remembered how the Emperor of Wu Li spoke proudly of his eldest son, and he believed Wu Jinhai was very precious to the Emperor.

‘Wu Jinhai definitely has flaws with him, but unlike the real Bai Chen of this world, he is still loved by his father. Maybe the real Bai Chen in this world is indeed the most unlucky person,’ Bai Chen thought.

“Until when are you going to stare at me? You know that this forest is dangerous, but you still dare to stare at me instead of looking ahead?”

Bai Chen heard Wu Jinhai speak, and he just realized that he was not only glancing at the man, but he was also looking at the man instead of looking ahead and staying alert in case danger suddenly came from in front of him.

He suddenly looked forward because he knew that he had to pay attention to the front, but he was too late because he had already tripped over a large tree root, and he would have kissed the ground so hard if Wu Jinhai had not grabbed his hand immediately.

Wu Jinhai only used one hand to grab him, but the man managed to save him. Bai Chen’s heart pounded a little harder because he was surprised, but when he looked at the masked man, he strangely felt a different feeling in his heart.

His hand was still gripped by the man’s warm hand, and he felt the familiarity from the connection.

‘Have I met Wu Jinhai before? But, how can that be? I’m new to this world, and today is my first time meeting him,’ Bai Chen wondered in his heart as he continued to frown at the taller man.

Bai Chen wanted to question the man about it, but then the two of them were startled by a scream.

“HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE SAVE ME!”

It was the voice of a girl breaking the silence in the forest, and Bai Chen suddenly turned his head to where the voice came from. His heart beat faster after hearing the scream.

He knew that the Forbidden Forest was not a safe place to chat quietly, and he assumed that danger would eventually present itself.

“Someone needs our help. Let’s go,” Wu Jinhai spoke as he started walking away from Bai Chen towards the direction of the voice.

Bai Chen blinked his eyes in confusion. “S-someone needs our help? Are you kidding me? I won’t even be able to save myself if danger comes to me!” He muttered, and he was reluctant to follow Wu Jinhai to get close to danger.

But he also couldn’t imagine himself alone in the dangerous place, so he decided to chase after Wu Jinhai and walk behind the masked man. It wasn’t difficult for him to catch up to the man because the man was still walking leisurely.

That fact made Bai Chen frown. ‘He knew that someone needed his help, but instead of running to help that person, he still walked calmly. What’s on his mind? Does he really want to help that person, or does he just want to watch the show from afar?’