Translator: AnubisTL
"Shh—"
"Follow me, let's find a secluded spot. I have a grand plan that requires both of your cooperation."
Seeing the confused expressions on the two women's faces, Gu Feng made a gesture for silence.
The three of them headed straight to a hidden small cave entrance blocked by a massive rock. Gu Feng punched through the boulder and rushed inside.
After pushing aside a few large rocks, he dragged out a fat monk from underneath, took out the Soul Shattering Whip, and lashed it dozens of times against the monk's forehead. Then, as if nothing had happened, he pressed the monk back under the boulder.
Chu Youhuan and Yan Yexue tilted their heads, utterly bewildered by Gu Feng's smooth and practiced actions.
After a long pause, they finally asked in a daze, "Is this the infamous bald monk?"
"Exactly!" Gu Feng smiled slightly.
Seeing Gu Feng's cheerful smile, the two women felt a mix of emotions. It turned out that the real bald monk had long been impersonated by Gu Feng.
All the horrifying deeds that had been reported over the past period were actually committed by Gu Feng.
Thinking of the ancient Buddhist characters on the candidates' foreheads, the two women exchanged glances and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What kind of devious plan do you have now?" Chu Youhuan asked with a suspicious look.
"He never has any good ideas!" Yan Yexue chimed in disdainfully.
"First, tell me, did you find me by luck, or is there a special method?" Gu Feng was particularly curious about how they had discovered his whereabouts.
"My 'Azure Coral Crimson Extinction Finch' sensed something unusual!" Chu Youhuan didn't hide the truth.
Gu Feng suddenly understood. Nurtured Spirits have their own sentience, and it made sense that certain special creatures could detect anomalies in their surroundings.
Fortunately, it was Chu Youhuan. If it had been anyone from the five major sects, Gu Feng wouldn't have been able to wreak havoc for so long.
"You two have been working hard for over twenty days. How many points have you earned?" Gu Feng asked, taking out a roasted leg and taking a few bites.
"Not much, just fifty-six points! That's all!" Chu Youhuan said, though her chest puffed out with a hint of pride.
With over fifty thousand candidates, the average points per candidate would be less than four. For the two of them to have earned fifty-six points was quite impressive.
"Hmm, not bad," Gu Feng shrugged.
Seeing Gu Feng's nonchalant attitude, Chu Youhuan wanted to say something but then remembered that Gu Feng, impersonating the bald monk, must have amassed a large number of points.
"How many do you have?" Yan Yexue asked calmly.
"Just over a hundred and thirty thousand! Still a long way from the target of two hundred thousand!" Gu Feng grinned.
Hearing this, the two women rolled their eyes. Saying "just" before a hundred and thirty thousand points was clearly showing off.
"I have a bold plan that I need your help with!"
After discovering Chu Youhuan's sensing ability, Gu Feng came up with a daring scheme.
"You've heard about the situation in the exam hall. The five major sects have joined forces to find the bald monk.
Together with some candidates who lean toward them, there are over fifteen thousand people...
That's way too many. Even if I go all out, I can't possibly seize the remaining points from fifteen thousand people.
I need you two to act as undercover agents, mislead their vision, disrupt their plans, so I can take advantage of the chaos and seize the points!"
This was the only feasible plan Gu Feng could think of. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible to seize all the points in the exam hall.
Hearing this, the two women's eyes lit up.
The three of them gathered together, discussed for a while, and finally burst into a series of "keh keh keh" laughter.
...
"Damn bald monk, where do you think you're running?!"
In a dense forest, over twenty figures swiftly darted through the trees, their eyes bloodshot, and the Spiritual Radiance in their hands was unleashed without restraint.
Large ancient trees were shattered, rocks tumbled, and a fierce battle ensued.
However, it was strange that these twenty-plus cultivators were attacking thin air, leaving the passing examinees utterly bewildered.
"Left front!"
"Right rear!"
"Damn it, that bald monk's movement is too fast!"
"Chase him!"
The female cultivator in charge of commanding was tall and strikingly beautiful, her bright red robe particularly eye-catching, except for the character 'A' on her forehead!
Chu Youhuan fully embraced her undercover identity, her acting skills in full swing, and the woman in white beside her wore the same expression.
The group charged through the examination grounds, finally catching the attention of the five major sects.
Several disciples from the Tyrant Body Sect followed closely, hearing them shout "damn bald monk," and immediately became invigorated, charging forward.
Following the direction Chu Youhuan pointed out, they attempted to attack, hearing the "thud thud thud" sounds of physical collisions.
"Lady benefactor, I didn't expect you, not one of the strongest in the examination grounds, to be able to sense this monk's location!" The bald monk's signature voice echoed through the air.
The Tyrant Body Sect cultivators grew more excited the more they fought.
Unfortunately, their efforts fell short, and the old bald monk managed to escape.
"Hmph, next time we meet, I'll make sure your parents won't recognize you! Let's go!" Chu Youhuan's eyes flashed with killing intent as she waved her hand, leading the twenty-plus Sunset Glow Sect disciples away.
The Tyrant Body Sect disciples exchanged glances and quickly followed.
"Fellow cultivators from the Sunset Glow Sect, please wait!"
...
After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the Sunset Glow Sect group followed the Tyrant Body Sect disciples to the gathering place of the five major sects.
Perhaps knowing that their fellow disciples didn't welcome the Sunset Glow Sect and fearing conflict, one of the Tyrant Body Sect disciples reported first.
"Senior Brother Duan, fellow cultivators, on my way here, I saw Chu Youhuan from the Sunset Glow Sect leading..."
He spoke quickly, recounting the entire sequence of events.
Hua Wenyue and the others exchanged glances, all showing skeptical expressions.
"It's true, if you don't believe me, ask Junior Brother Wu and the others. We just encountered the bald monk with the Sunset Glow Sect group and almost brought him to justice!" Seeing their disbelief, the disciple grew anxious.
"Let them come over, we'll see for ourselves!"
Chu Youhuan and the others entered a valley, and Zong Shixuan and the others were stunned.
The faces of the Sunset Glow Sect disciples were marked with ancient Buddhist characters, and not just one, making them look rather amusing. Clearly, they were all victims of the bald monk.
Dugu Ao and the others' wariness dissipated significantly.
"Why didn't Gu Feng come?" Hua Wenyue asked coldly.
"With so many of you ready to crush him, would he dare show up?" Chu Youhuan curled her lips, then walked over to a disciple, lifted him up, and sat down openly.
The disciple was about to get angry but was stopped by Wu Sheng beside him.
They knew Chu Youhuan's identity—she was of royal lineage, the only daughter of the Grand Harmony Academy's headmaster, her status no less prestigious than anyone present.
Hua Wenyue did not press further. In her heart, the "Bald Monk" had already far surpassed Gu Feng, becoming the person she most urgently wanted to find and punish with a thousand cuts.
"Can Miss Chu sense the presence of the Bald Monk?" Zong Shixuan asked with a smile.
Among the five major sects, his Blazing Light Sect and Dugu Ao's Military Academy were the only two that had not been plundered by the Bald Monk.
This secretly delighted him and Dugu Ao, giving them a sense of superiority.
"Within one kilometer. Beyond that, I'm powerless!" Chu Youhuan frowned and said, "His movement technique is too fast; it's easy to lose track of him!"
"Indeed, his movement technique is incredibly swift, which is the root of his ability to act so brazenly!" Duan Yansheng chimed in.
"Now that we've all suffered greatly, with a large number of points in the hands of the Bald Monk and the exam time running out, why don't we work together to capture this heartless, rule-breaking Bald Monk?" Dugu Ao declared arrogantly.
"Right, with Miss Chu's help, catching the Bald Monk is just a matter of time," Zong Shixuan agreed.
Seeing no objections from the others, Zong Shixuan spoke again, "We..."
"Wait!" Chu Youhuan interrupted.
All eyes turned to her, filled with curiosity.
"I can assist you in capturing the Bald Monk, but I have two conditions. First, you must let go of any grudges against the Sunset Glow Sect Master. After the exam, you are not allowed to use past conflicts as an excuse to trouble him again.
Of course, if he provokes you again, that's a different matter.
Second, sensing the Bald Monk's presence is very taxing for me. You'll need to pay me—each discovery will cost you natural treasures worth one million mid-grade spirit stones!" Chu Youhuan stated firmly.
Her words immediately sparked anger among the group.
The first condition wasn't unreasonable, but the second was truly excessive.
Beating up the Bald Monk would also be avenging the Sunset Glow Sect's disciples, so why should the five major sects have to pay?
First, there was a fee for challenges, then a fee for exams, and now a fee for finding someone?
This was unheard of, unseen, and unique in the entire Great Chu Dynasty!
Why are the Sunset Glow Sect disciples always like this, talking about spirit stones at every turn? Who started this terrible trend!!!
(End of the Chapter)
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