The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

“Yes,” Mingxiao said.

"Please, I'm begging you to say it so easily!!"

"That's right, Nerd-kun is living a sweet and loving cohabitation life with me and that idiot rabbit over there. Isn't that just like a light novel protagonist?" Hisamitsu added with a mischievous grin.

"Jōzuki Hisamitsu——!"

Pershka clicked her tongue in amazement: "Senior, your taste is quite unique..."

"No, I just took pity on the little animal that had nowhere to go. Otherwise, Fang Mo would have locked it in the basement."

Ling Gong pushed up her glasses: "Let's tell Faris and the others tomorrow."

Lu Wenjun cried out in terror, "No! Do you want me to die?!"

Pershka happily twirled a strand of hair: "What should I do~ I feel like the senior students in the news club will really like this news~"

"Stop! Don't force me to kneel down and beg you!!"

Lu Wenjun felt that the two female classmates were magnified infinitely in his eyes, like two enormous female demons. At this moment, his only support was whispering with a third female demon.

"That's true, let's post about it on the forum too." "Sigh~" "Let's embellish it a bit, using a victim's voice." "Oh, okay~"

Lu Wenjun clasped his hands together helplessly, exerting the instincts that belong only to survivors to the highest theoretical limit.

"I'll pay hush money, so please spare me..."

"Then I want fried chicken too." "Same here."

"Let's all have dinner together at Shuijingting tonight, Wenjun's treating!"

Lu Wenjun's soul, along with the demon coins, flew to a distant place.

He thought to himself, staring at the shadowy image of his wallet.

The criminal gangs in real life are far more terrifying than those in games.

·

To be continued.

"Although yesterday ended so inexplicably, there's one thing I still don't understand."

The fox's ears twitched: "What's wrong?"

"Although you can play board games in the Contract Hall, it's quite difficult to get this information before going there, isn't it?"

Nodding.

"So, at least the very first time wasn't for board games."

smile.

"...Ling Gong, how many spells have you learned so far?"

The fox spirit girl put her index finger to her lips, revealing a sly yet adorable smile.

"Confidential☆"

Chapter 54 The Endless Summer (Double Update Today)

"All divine descents, manifestations, and large-scale magical rituals are preceded by corresponding omens." — H.M. Trista, *The Profound Words of Magic: An Introduction*

The great wizard used this statement to point out the essence of the magical world: whether intentional or accidental, a major event with far-reaching implications is always composed of many trivial matters. These inconspicuous trivial matters mesh together like gears, forming the vast machine of the event, and the noise it makes as it turns is the precursor.

Looking back, there were quite a few warning signs surrounding this incident.

For example, Lacey, the guardian deity of the Four Seasons Forest, was easily defeated by two new students of the Otherworld level on his home turf.

For example, the Wendigo, which recently appeared at Frostmoor Lake, was originally an evil spirit active in the forest area.

The newcomers were unlikely to notice these anomalies, as they were already busy enough with their studies. The veterans, however, were used to it; after all, many strange things happened in the Greater Rifts every month.

Thus, the signs accumulated in the corners that no one paid attention to, and finally formed an anomaly that could not be ignored.

"It's so hot."

During one of his adventures, Lü Wenjun squinted, feeling sweat trickling down his neck.

Sunlight filtered through the dappled shade of the trees, and cicadas chirped their long, drawn-out calls from the old branches. They were walking along a path on the outskirts of the forest, the sounds of insects and the intense heat dulling their sense of time, as if they were wandering through an endless summer labyrinth.

Linggong skipped into the woods and waved to him in front of a large rock.

"Come and rest here!"

Today, she was wearing a camouflage outdoor shirt and a wide-brimmed hat, and with those glasses, she looked like a female scientist heading out for a forest expedition. As she hopped around, the breast pocket of her shirt swayed dramatically, causing her companion, Mr. Lü, to look away.

"Okay, just a moment..."

How terrifying. What an incredibly powerful racial talent!

Leaving aside the pathetic witch who didn't even sway, the amplitude of her movement easily surpassed Hisamitsu's, and even Akiyo-senpai was slightly inferior. If I didn't quickly shift my attention, my gaze would probably be fixed on that spot. That would be far too rude, and I would definitely be laughed at for a whole semester.

Lu Wenjun looked at the scenery in the woods for a while before sitting down on a rock. He took out two bottles of homemade plum juice and gave one to her.

"It was originally ice, but now it's warm."

"This heatwave is really awful..." Reiko twisted open the bottle cap. "I've been searching for ages but haven't found the hidden entrance to the library. What a shame..."

She licked the bottle opening with the tip of her tongue, sipping it little by little like a little fox drinking water. The gesture was so adorable that Lü Wenjun secretly watched her for a few seconds before continuing the conversation.

"The students who got lost in the forest were actually disturbed by the protective barrier of the inner library—what's so regrettable about such a nonsensical rumor? They were just lost on their own, or they ran into Lacey."

"That makes a lot of sense..."

Lu Wenjun glanced at him sideways: "You don't actually believe in this at all, you just suddenly felt like coming to the forest to play, right?"

"Hey." Ling Gong tapped her head.

"Hey, it won't work! That 'pretending to be stupid' look is so outdated! Even if you try to mimic it by twitching your ears, it won't work. I won't fall for it!"

Ling bowed her head and said, "Even though we didn't achieve anything, isn't it nice to go on a spring outing with a beautiful girl like me?"

"Even self-proclaimed pretty girls are here; it feels like your good student facade is about to crumble..."

Linggong blinked: "Is it because you've become quite close with Wenjun?"

When they first met on the train, Lingyuu seemed like the typical well-behaved, class monitor type. But the more they got to know each other, the more they realized she was adept at tricking people with a smile, yet always managed to come to their rescue at crucial moments. So, it wasn't that she was unreliable; rather, the more time they spent together, the more they found themselves unconsciously indebted to her…

How terrifying. What a shrewd social maneuver.

Pershika and Mingxiao are both simple-minded people who can be seen through at a glance. But Linggong, who is always smiling, is hard to fathom. Even someone as observant as Lü Wenjun, after observing for nearly two months, only has a vague premonition that "this guy is going to trick someone" or "this guy is in a good mood today." Perhaps it is too much of a stretch for humans to compete with fox spirits in terms of cunning.

Linggong said with a smile, "Wenjun is probably thinking, 'When will I ever figure out what this woman is thinking?'"

"Please stop reading minds, okay? It's terrifying," Lu Wenjun said. "Besides, I really don't understand why you only ask me to go on adventures every time? Let's not even talk about Versa and Faris, you're pretty familiar with Pershika too, right?"

“Hmm…” Ling Gong thought for a while, “Because Wen Jun has a strong sense of security.”

Lu Wenjun sneered: "Hmph, so it's all about so-called 'security' again... Don't be fooled by my appearance. I'm a normal adult male, but I'm quite dangerous!"

Linggong raised her index finger: "So, here's a question. One day, a girl with disheveled clothes suddenly appears and asks for protection. What would Wenjun do?"

“It’s very suspicious,” Lu Wenjun shook his head. “The probability of it being a honey trap is too high. If it were outside, call the police immediately; if it’s inside the secret realm, contact the local authorities.”

Ling Gong raised her second finger: "Second question. One day, a girl you know suddenly appears at your doorstep, claiming there's an emergency at home and asking to stay overnight. She doesn't want to discuss the specifics of the incident and strongly requests that you not call the police. What would your first reaction be?"

Lu Wenjun thought about it carefully: "It's very dangerous. Let's find a hotel nearby first."

"Wow..."

"Try to find a high-end hotel in the city center, as the environment there is safer. She came alone seeking help, which is probably the result of desperation due to lack of assets. Therefore, I can pay for the accommodation first and pay her back slowly later," Lu Wenjun said with satisfaction. "If the other party is from a poor family, I can find a solution that balances cost and safety based on their specific needs. I am sure I can find a satisfactory result."

"...People come to you like this because they trust you, right?"

"To live up to this trust, I will call the police after confirming her check-in," Lu Wenjun said matter-of-factly. "No family conflicts or unspeakable secrets are more important than safety. Even if it's a small matter and I get disliked, it's better than keeping it a secret and causing a big problem. I will help look after her before the police arrive. This little thing is no problem."

Linggong pointed at him and shouted, "A beautiful girl who is completely naked is falling from the sky! If we don't catch her, she might fall to her death!"

Lu Wenjun frowned: "Then we'll have to prepare an amnesia technique on the spot."

"Wow……"

“If you have a magic spell, use your familiar to catch her. If not, you can do it yourself, but you must erase the memories of those around you and the person involved in the incident in time to avoid unnecessary disputes.” Lu Wenjun became more and more frightened as he spoke. “After that, carefully investigate where she came from. The occurrence of such strange events must mean that someone is plotting against me in the dark. If I don’t take action in time, there may be more victims!”

Linggong clapped with admiration.

"That's amazing. 1000 points. As expected of you, you're practically the safest person in the world."

“Any rational magician would do the same.”

“I think most people still leave room for imagination?” Ling Gong smiled subtly. “Although Wen Jun is very knowledgeable about miscellaneous subjects and fantasy works, he is extremely practical in his way of thinking.”

"Let me tell you something," Lü Wenjun sneered. "The more works you read, the more you realize how unrealistic their logic is. In reality, there are no kind, beautiful girls who will strike up a conversation with you! There are only pretty people passing by who have absolutely no connection to you!"

"Negative!" Reiko punched her fist. "I was the one who struck up a conversation on the train! Is Wenjun trying to exclude me from the ranks of beautiful girls?!"

"Wow, what a speechless counterattack... By the way, why is it another beautiful girl? Have you been stimulated by good looks lately?"

Two white lights flashed on Ling Gong's glasses: "I was shocked when I went shopping with Pershka... She never uses makeup..."

"Don't compare yourself to those cheat characters. That guy is the kind who'll casually pull out his superhuman achievements and then have this 'you guys can't even do this?' look on his face," Lu Wenjun said. "Don't worry, you're so pretty and have such a good personality. If you can change your weird introverted habits, you'll definitely become one of the most popular people in the first year."

"Autistic? Me?"

Ling Gong pointed at herself curiously, and Lü Wenjun gave her a half-closed look.

"Besides the classmates I met on the train, who else do you socialize with?"

Leaving aside Pershka's disastrous social skills, Lü Wenjun and Faris are all-rounders, able to chat with anyone. Besides his small group, Vilsa also has a good relationship with the Red and Blue Ghost brothers, often working out together.

Aside from the few people she initially knew, Ms. Reiko didn't become familiar with anyone else. Although she would exchange a few casual words with her classmates and occasionally chat with Hisamitsu on the forum, that was about it.

She didn't join any clubs or participate in group activities, and her social relationships remained stagnant, appearing to be active but showing no change whatsoever.

“This is how I see it,” Lu Wenjun said. “The entrance test on the train is actually a test of your interpersonal relationships. The people who get along with you in this test are the ones you can try to chat with. As for those who can’t keep up with you, or those you feel incompatible with, you should subtly distance yourself in subsequent activities to avoid unnecessary communication.”

Linggong raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Speaking so bluntly is really unlike Wenjun's style..."

"We're already this familiar with each other, there's no point in going through all that superficial stuff."

"From this perspective, I seem to be a woman with an abnormal personality..." Ling Gong's eyes darted around, "However, unfortunately, there is a point in Wen Jun's deduction that cannot be reconciled."

Lü Wenjun quickly entered a verbal battle mode: "Please!"

"If it's going to be a passive selection test where we just observe and wait, then why would I take the initiative to greet someone?" Ling Gong chuckled. "Could it be that after seeing Wen Jun for the first time, I felt, 'This person is definitely someone I'll get along with'? Or is it that Wen Jun is so handsome that I was unconsciously drawn to him?"

Lu Wenjun's tongue froze instantly.

There's no arguing with that; it simply doesn't make sense. If Linggong adhered to a passive selection principle when it came to interpersonal relationships, then she shouldn't have taken the initiative in the first place. But this theory clearly explains her current situation at school perfectly, yet it's missing this crucial detail…!

"Damn it... I couldn't make a perfect deduction...!" Lü Wenjun clutched his head.

"Hehehe, a mere immortal is far from understanding the heart of a fox demon~" Ling Gong covered her mouth and laughed.

She jumped off the rock, signaling the end of her break. Lu Wenjun had no choice but to change the subject, reaching out to collect the empty beverage bottle. Ling Gong hesitated for a moment as she handed it to her.

"?What's wrong?"

"Well... it feels a bit dangerous to hand the bottle to someone who secretly watches girls drink water..."

"Do I look like the kind of pervert who secretly licks girls' water bottles?!"

Linggong said reluctantly, "No...it doesn't look like it..."

"What does such a hesitant answer mean?!"

"It would never happen in reality, but I feel it would in my imagination."

Lu Wenjun exclaimed in a trembling voice, "I couldn't have imagined it! Besides, I didn't peek before; I only glanced at it for two seconds out of curiosity!"

In the world, this kind of thing is generally called peeping.

Lu Wenjun put away the bottle and followed behind the girl, feeling an unprecedented sense of fatigue.

"Honestly, you and Senior Mingxiao are always like this. Is it fun to tease me?"

"It's hilarious! Wenjun's reactions turn simple misunderstandings into big laughs. He's probably just born with a talent for comedy."

"I don't really want that kind of talent. Give me a detective's talent, the kind that can spot the signs of an impending incident at a glance." Lu Wenjun sighed. "Please tell me, Miss Ling Gong, who has such a talent, what exactly are you investigating?"

Linggong continued wandering aimlessly, occasionally tapping on tree bark or checking the roadside flowers and plants. This frequent little activity was unusual for her, especially since it was so hot today. Linggong was a very considerate girl; normally, she would have suggested going back to the campus to rest instead of stopping by the roadside.

“Oh dear, it’s rare to know something that Wenjun doesn’t.” Linggong touched her lips. “However, it’s too obvious, it’s something that’s right in front of everyone.”