10x Rewards: Novel's Extra's Cultivation Stealing System-Chapter 38: Joining the Hunt (Part - 2)

Three Days Later. It was finally the day when Gu Clan and Bai Clan were going to go face to face in the proposed Hunting Game.

In the Gu Clan Main Courtyard, the morning air was thick with tension.

Nearly two hundred of the Gu Clan’s younger generation stood in perfect, disciplined rows in the massive central courtyard.

All of them were fully armed with swords, spears, shields, bows or any other weapons strapped to their backs.

Everyone of them was under forty years old, and most of them were in the Body Tempering Realm, while a few of them along with the two geniuses Gu Ling and Gu Chen who had broken through to the early stages of the Spirit Realm.

At the front of the formation stood Patriarch Gu Yangtian, looking grim and authoritative in his dark robes. Beside him stood the Clan Elders, and Madam Li, who held a heavy parchment scroll containing the official roster.

Gu Fan stood at the very back of the formation, wearing a simple, unmarked leather armour set he had taken from the clan armoury.

He kept his head low, trying to stay out of sight.

"Quiet down!" Finally when everyone had settled, Madam Li stepped forward to address the crowd.

Her voice was cold, and solemn as she spoke.

And without delay, she started reading the names of the younger generation who were to participate in the hunt.

"Gu Bao!"

"Gu Ling!"

"Gu Chen!"

"Gu Bing!"

"Gu Shu!"

Madam Li went through the names one by one without any hurry before she finally paused for a fraction of a second when she reached the end of the list. Her eyes briefly flicking toward the back of the courtyard before returning to the scroll.

"And... Gu Fan."

Just as Madam Li dropped the last name, the courtyard fell Dead silent.

Two hundred or so heads whipped around, staring at the back row, and suddenly whispers erupted instantly.

"Gu Fan?"

"Did she just call out the Seventh Young Master’s name?"

"Isn’t he a cripple? Why did they put his name there?"

"Is this a joke? I thought his Meridians were blocked!"

Even Patriarch Gu Yangtian frowned deeply. He shot a questioning glare at his wife.

He wanted to ask why put the crippled bastard on a lethal hunting roster? But then, a dark thought crossed the Patriarch’s mind.

’Ah!’ The Patriarch shook his head, as his gaze turned towards the very back of the courtyard, ’She is finally getting rid of him. A hunting ’accident’ in that Forest is the perfect way to clean up the clan’s shame without shedding blood in the estate.’

Assuming he understood his wife’s ruthless political play, the Patriarch said nothing. Gu Fan was his son, but he didn’t care if the boy lived or died anyway.

Gu Chen, standing at the very front in his pristine, gleaming white robes frowned as well when he heard the name. For a split second, he had the exact same thought as the Patriarch. The Matriarch was sending the trash out to be recycled by the forest.

But then why would she strike him the other day when he tried to teach him a lesson. Why was she protecting him? Or was she?

What if, that day, she wasn’t protecting Gu Fan at all. What if the person she was in fact protecting was him?

Thinking of that slap from this point of view, Gu Chen could not help but look Madam Li from top to bottom, his gaze finally resting on her breasts as he licked his lips.

’I did not know she was interested in me that way.’ Gu Chen could not help but grin.

So high on his newly found realisation, playing the role of the righteous, benevolent older brother perfectly, Gu Chen stepped out of the formation and turned to walk towards Gu Fan.

The crowd parted for the Clan genius, as Gu Chen stopped a few feet away, looking down at Gu Fan with a mix of pity and worry.

"Seventh Young Master," Gu Chen said loudly, ensuring everyone in the courtyard could hear his noble voice. "It is brave of you to volunteer for the clan. But this competition... It is no place for someone with your... condition."

Gu Fan kept his head down, looking at the dirt, "I want to help the clan, Big Brother. I want to be useful."

Gu Chen sighed dramatically, shaking his head, "Your spirit is commendable. But listen to me carefully. You can’t do this. You are not capable."

Gu Fan finally looked up, his gaze meeting Gu Chen’s, "I will do it. Nobody can stop me."

"You..." Gu Chen frowned as he faltered slightly under his gaze.

’How can a cripple be so intense?’ Gu Chen thought to himself, but in no time, the intensity in Gu Fan’s gaze vanished and was replaced by emotional helplessness.

"Let me come with you Brother Chen. For once I want to be useful to the Clan."

Gu Chen stared at Gu fan for a second longer, wanting to find that look from earlier again, but he could not.

’Am I thinking too much?’ Gu Chen sighed, as he pushed away his thoughts.

"Stay at the very back of the formation. Do not engage with any beasts. Do not wander off. If you get in the way, you will slow us down and get people killed. I will do my best to protect you, but you must know your place."

"Thank you, Big Brother," Gu Fan mumbled submissively, "I will stay out of your way."

"See that you do," Gu Chen scoffed, turning on his heel and marching back to the front, his white cape billowing heroically behind him.

’Protect me? Such a good son you are. Huh!’ The soft, submissive look on his face was replaced by a calculated smirk, ’I might hold off on killing you. Hehehe!’

"Everyone ready?"

"Now we march!"

Breaking Gu Fan’s thoughts, Patriarch Gu Yangtian finally roared.

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