Hunter 142: The Lottery

"Judging by your uniform, are you a member of Express Delivery Company? Miss, are you also here to compete for the position of Celestial Master? What's your name?"

Cang Long asked curiously.

Feng Baobao, with her hands in her pockets, boldly replied, "My name is Feng Baobao. I'm not here to compete for Celestial Master. He's here to become the Celestial Master, and I'm just here to clean up the others. So, are you all competing for second place?"

"Huh!"

The moment she said this, it drew a wave of glares from the surrounding Outcast.

"Damn, sis, could you say a little less? Who taught you to talk like this?"

Zhang Chulan quickly pulled Feng Baobao back, fearing she might say something even more shocking.

"Red said it—it's super bold."

Feng Baobao immediately threw Lin Jiu under the bus.

Zhang Chulan, speechless, turned his head to look at Lin Jiu, who happened to meet his gaze with sharp eyes. Lin Jiu wasn't just messing around; when he moved closer to Feng Baobao and had her say those lines, it allowed him to quickly identify most of the other contractors present in the crowd.

He had come in with the protagonist's group, so his identity as a contractor was already an open secret. For the other contractors, this created a dynamic where they were hidden while he was exposed.

By quietly coaching Feng Baobao to say those words, Lin Jiu swiftly pinpointed the identities and positions of the other contractors. In the eyes of the young Outcast around, both he and Feng Baobao were just nobodies. But to the contractors who knew of Feng Baobao's importance, this brief exchange grabbed their attention.

Thus, Lin Jiu had mentally marked all those Outcast who chose to watch this interaction, adding them to his list of suspects. Now, the line between hidden and exposed contractors was blurred.

"Haha! The young ones are full of spirit. Seeing you all makes me feel young again!"

The sudden appearance of the Celestial Master momentarily calmed the crowd of Outcast. It takes no small amount of courage to cause trouble in front of the Celestial Master.

Lin Jiu glanced over and saw the Celestial Master, alongside Tian Jinzong, who was seated in a wheelchair. Standing by their sides were the newly appointed Ten Elders, Feng Zhenghao and Wang Ai. In the back, Lin Jiu spotted an old acquaintance, Lu Ci.

As Lin Jiu's gaze swept across the scene, Lu Ci met his eyes, recognizing his presence.

Lu Ci thought, Why is this guy here too? Forget it—just give him the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art and be done with it!

"Thank you all for waiting... The Raten Taishō has always been an opportunity for us cultivators to exchange knowledge, aside from the necessary rituals. But you're not here to sit and chat with us old Taoists... Since you're eager to compete, I won't waste your time. Let's begin!"

The Celestial Master spoke briefly and then announced the start of the competition.

This brief statement was all the Outcast needed to hear, and excitement filled the air. Who wouldn't want to make a name for themselves in such a grand setting, under the gaze of the Ten Elders? Besides, with the rewards for the winners being so rich, some of them couldn't help but dream it might be their time.

A Taoist priest brought out a large red box and instructed each contestant to draw a lot. Each lot had one of the twelve Heavenly Stems, representing the order of entry. Beneath the stem was an animal, representing the opponents. Four contestants with the same animal would fight in the same round, and the winner would advance to the next elimination round.

"In the original story, about 128 young Outcast entered the Raten Taishō, and it narrowed down to the top 32. With the additional contractors, who knows how it'll play out this time," Lin Jiu thought, as it was his turn to draw.

"Red, what did you get?"

Zhang Chulan hurried over, hoping he wouldn't face Lin Jiu in the first round—he didn't want to be knocked out before even getting started.

"Fourth round, with the Peacock sign."

Lin Jiu replied, showing his lot. He mentally calculated that in the original version, there were 12 groups, each with four people, resulting in 48 contestants, which would then be narrowed down to the top 32. With the addition of the contractors, the exact number of contestants advancing might change, and it would be up to the higher-ups to determine how the final eight would be decided.

"I'm in the second round, with the White Tiger sign. Baobao is up first with the Deer sign!"

Zhang Chulan was relieved that he wouldn't face Lin Jiu early, but still felt some pressure. He planned to win while revealing as little of his strength as possible to divert attention from his Qi-State Origin-Flow Art.

"Red, wanna come watch Baobao's match with me?"

"Sure."

Lin Jiu weighed the current situation on Longhu Mountain—there wouldn't be any trouble for now. The real action wouldn't start until the Quanxing launched their assault on the mountain.

Feng Xingtong stuck close to Zhang Chulan, and Lin Jiu immediately recognized him as a plant by Feng Zhenghao. Feng Zhenghao wanted his son to observe Zhang Chulan closely, to study the shameless audacity needed for the next generation of leadership.

"Why is it them? Baobao is unlucky this time. I know Baobao's strong, but this could be tough!"

Feng Xingtong said, eyeing the three opponents waiting in the ring.

"Huh? Are they strong?"

Zhang Chulan asked, puzzled.

"They're not weak, but the key is that they're all from the same group! They're known as the Little Peach Garden Trio from Tianjin, childhood friends who trained under the same master and were expelled together. They're notorious troublemakers in Tianjin's Outcast circles... And all three of them are fighting in the same match!"

Feng Xingtong explained.

"Well, that's fate!"

"All right, folks, some of you may know us, some may not. Just so you know, we didn't cheat—this is pure luck! That's why we're called the Little Peach Garden! Haha, I wonder which unlucky soul will face us!"

"What do we do? Baobao's match is looking tough!"

Zhang Chulan began to worry as well.

Lin Jiu found Zhang Chulan's concern a bit naïve, his limited experience showing.

"Red, what's with that 'you idiot' look you're giving me?"

Zhang Chulan asked, noticing Lin Jiu's expression.

"Have you forgotten who runs Tianjin? Those three are in for a real surprise!"

Lin Jiu reminded him. Sure enough, after Feng Baobao entered the ring, the trio happily surrendered.

"All that worry for nothing!"

Zhang Chulan then watched several other matches. As he had expected, the contestants who attracted attention were quickly targeted by the other three fighters in their rounds.

Before long, it was Zhang Chulan's turn. His match drew plenty of attention—everyone wanted to see the famous Qi-State Origin-Flow Art in action.

At the entrance, a cloaked figure appeared amid a cloud of dust. A faint, vengeful voice echoed, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the poor young man! Grandpa, the world wronged you back then, but today your grandson is here to take revenge!"

"What's going on with Zhang Chulan?"

Feng Baobao, standing next to Lin Jiu, asked while munching on a bag of chips.

Lin Jiu smirked even before looking, and at the same time, he noticed many of the Outcast he had mentally marked earlier had gathered in the audience, waiting for this iconic scene.