10x Rewards: Novel's Extra's Cultivation Stealing System-Chapter 36: The Hunt
One week later in the Gu Clan Plaza.
It had been a week since Gu Fan quietly buried his mother in a serene piece of land outside the Gu Clan, on the outskirts of the Venom Forest. He did not want his this world mother to stay even after death in this clan which never accepted her, and he husband who did not even know of her death.
But now that he had fulfilled his duty as her son, it was time to focus on other things.
Gu Fan wanted to go search for the Blue Ghost Fire that very same day, but for the last seven days, the Gu Clan estate had been locked down, suffocating under a heavy blanket of paranoia.
The guards patrolled the clan all day and night without a break, as the lockdown had tightened to an extreme degree.
As the patrols had doubled, maids, servants, and even the younger generation were strictly barred from leaving the gates.
Gu Fan couldn’t get out of the Clan perimeters for the expedition to find the Blue Ghost Fire, not with the Elders personally sweeping the perimeter for Chen Long’s "assassin" by the Bai Clan.
So, he could only wait for the right opportunity to decipher it and claim the flame.
And today after seven days that opportunity finally presented itself.
A loud, resonating horn blasted, echoing off the surrounding mountains. It was a summons for all the Young disciples in front of the Gu Clan Council Hall.
Gu Fan, meanwhile stayed afar in the shadows of a tree from where he had a clear view of the main plaza.
Soon, several hundred of Gu Clan disciples gathered in neat rows. The atmosphere was incredibly tense, as all of them murmured among themselves not sure wat was happening.
Two days ago, the Chen Clan envoys had finally arrived to answer the emergency summons regarding Chen Long’s death.
Gu Fan was there when six of them arrived, with their faces hidden beneath deep cowls, draped in menacing black and crimson-red robes that seemed to swallow the light around them.
The sheer, oppressive bloodlust rolling off their bodies was thick enough to choke on, terrifying the clan guards so badly that two of them had actually fainted at the gates.
And as soon as they arrived, the doors of the Council Hall were closed shut.
Gu Fan had desperately wanted to be in that high-stakes meeting, even if it meant slipping in as a lowly serving boy to pour tea.
But the Council Hall had been locked down tighter than a fortress. Layers of silencing arrays were activated.
Except for Gu Chen, who strutted in claiming to be the sole hero who fought the ’assassin’, the core Clan Elders, Madam Li, and Patriarch Gu Yangtian no one else was permitted on the other side of the heavy bronze doors.
But Gu Fan didn’t need to be in the room to know the political reality.
His author’s knowledge painted a clear picture. The Gu Clan was backed by the Chen Clan, but the Bai Clan wasn’t standing alone either.
They had the formidable Ye Clan behind them.
An all-out, overt war over a dead young master was impossible without sparking a catastrophic regional conflict.
Gu Fan did not know what was discussed in that meeting, but he had a hunch he was about to find it out.
On the raised platform at the front of the plaza stood Patriarch Gu Yangtian. He looked weary as if he had aged a couple of decades in a week.
Flanking him were the Elders and Madam Li, while Gu Chen stood slightly to the side, dressed in his trademark white robes.
But there was no one from Chen Clan that was present here.
Patriarch Gu Yangtian raised his hand, and the murmuring crowd fell silent instantly.
"Brothers! Sisters! Disciples of the Gu Clan!" The Patriarch’s voice was amplified by Qi, booming across the plaza, "For a week, darkness has befallen our clan! The cowardly assassination of our esteemed guest has pushed our honour to the brink!" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
He paced the stage, his gaze sweeping over the disciples.
"But an overt war will only bring ruin to us and the Poison Valley Town!"
"The Chen Clan envoys and the Ye Clan representatives have intervened and mediated a resolution. We will settle this blood debt not with a blind siege, but in the Ten Thousand Poison Forest!"
Gu Fan, perched high in the tree, frowned, ’Wait... what?’
What was happening? This was completely out of Gu Fan’s author knowledge. In the original plot, there was no joint event right now.
Gu Chen killed Chen Long, and when the the Chen Clan envoys arrived, he proposed to fight a royal rumble with him against all of Chen Clan’s younger generation, everyone who was under peak of the Spirit Realm.
Sure, Gu Fan had not expected the same would happen again, but a hunting competition? The butterfly effect of killing Chen Long, stealing his ring, and framing the Bai Clan had forcibly rewritten the timeline.
"The Bai Clan and the Gu Clan will hold a Joint Hunting Competition!" Gu Yangtian declared.
"Heavy wagers have been placed on this trial. Spirit mines, herb monopolies, and our very pride!"
"The clan that places the most younger generation disciples in the top ten will claim the ultimate victory and the right to exact justice!"
The crowd murmured, a mix of apprehension and boiling blood.
"This competition concerns the future of our younger generation," the Patriarch continued, as his voice hardened.
"Only those younger than forty years of age, are permitted to participate. And their cultivation should be higher than 3rd Stage of Body Tempering Stage and lower than 9th Stage of Spirit Realm."
"You have three days to prepare your weapons, harden your hearts, and submit your names to the Registry Pavilion! In three days’ time, we march into the Venom Forest!"
"Glory to the Gu Clan!" The Patriarch raised his hand, and cried out lord.
"Glory to the Gu Clan!" The elders on the pavilion, and Gu Chen followed behind.
But the crowd down below remained silent. Perfectly still.
Gu Fan dropped from the tree, as a smirk appeared on his face.
This was the perfect opportunity. He already had the map to the Ghost Fire, and now, the entire younger generation of both clans would be in the forest, distracted by a manufactured competition.
Gu Chen, who still didn’t even know the Ghost Fire existed since he never found the pendant, would likely spend the entire trial desperately searching the forest for herbs, and hunting beasts.
Meanwhile, he would use the chaos to slip away and claim the ultimate treasure right under everyone’s noses.
He needed to get into that competition. But as a crippled young master, he couldn’t just walk up and register.
But he had another way.
And soon he was standing outside Madam Li’s chambers.
Gu Fan slipped through the locked doors of Madam Li’s private quarters like a ghost, courtesy of his Phantom Veil Cloak.
But as soon as he materialized and pulled the hood down, a pair of soft, desperate arms wrapped around his neck.
Madam Li pulled him deeper into the dimly lit room, pressing her voluptuous body against his chest.
"Mmm..." A soft, needy moan escaped her lips as she immediately captured his mouth in a passionate, deep kiss. She wasn’t desperate, she was rough. But her kiss expressed her deep longing.
Gu Fan did not pull away, as his hands naturally sliding down to grip her waist. He could feel the heavy, soft weight of her breasts pressing warmly against his chest.
"Ah... Gu Fan..." she breathed heavily against his lips. Beneath her silk robes, she intentionally arched her hips, slowly and seductively rubbing her wet, aching pussy against his hard crotch.
"Seven days..." she whimpered softly between kisses, her nails digging into his back. "You didn’t visit me for seven whole days... do you have any idea how much I missed this? How much I needed you while dealing with those wretched envoys?"
"Did you forget about me?"
"I did not. I can never," Gu Fan spoke through the kiss.
They swayed together in the quiet room for a long moment, lost in the slow, sensual heat of the kiss and the wet, slick sounds of their mouths moving together.
Finally, Madam Li pulled back slowly, and a thick, glistening string of saliva connected their lips before snapping softly. Her eyes were hazy, her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink.
She rested her forehead against his chin, her chest heaving slightly as she caught her breath.
"You have been ignoring me," she whispered softly, tracing a delicate finger over his collarbone, "So why did my sweet stepson finally decide to visit me tonight?"
Gu Fan smiled, his hands sliding down to give her soft ass a firm squeeze.
"I need your help."
"I want to join the competition."
