Chapter 349 - Falling into the Trap

Chapter 349: Chapter 104: Falling into the TrapBecause of the recent kidnapping incident, Lu Hong refrained from letting Anna go shopping alone, even though Qing Ling had assured that she would arrange protection. Nonetheless, Lu Hong insisted on accompanying her, not because he distrusted Qing Ling but because he feared the cunning of their opponent.

This time, failing to succeed, Lu Hong had every reason to believe that Gamma would set up a second trap, waiting for Lu Hong to take the bait.

The bustling and prosperous area of the Seventh Layer remained unchanged, unaffected by the major upheaval at Holy Court or the emergency military measures adopted by the four Dukes.

Anna held Lu Hong’s arm while walking on the street, her face radiating happiness. Having a boyfriend who is willing to go shopping must be something to smile about in one’s dreams, right?

At that moment, in a corner of the plaza on the second level, a crowd had gathered. Anna nudged Lu Hong, "Shall we take a look?"

Lu Hong smiled, "If you want to go, let’s go."

Lu Hong was not very fond of crowds, but since Anna wanted to look, he accompanied her.

They squeezed in and found a man dressed in a robe adorned with stars who appeared very serious, presently predicting the romantic future for a woman.

"Tomorrow you will encounter a fortunate romantic encounter, meeting the love of your life," the young sorcerer said solemnly, "but you must be cautious, if this man proposes to you tomorrow, do not immediately accept."

"Ah?" The woman asked in confusion, "If he is the love of my life, why can’t I accept?"

The man pondered, "Your love life will have its twists, and the man will not have settled down at the time of your first meeting, still being somewhat frivolous. If you agree right away, there is a high chance he will treat you as a fling and not treasure you."

"Understood." The woman nodded and then took out a Gold coin, "Thank you for your guidance." Whether true or not, she wasn’t short of money.

The young fortune-teller laughed as he took the Gold coin, "If what I predicted comes true, I hope you will return to fulfill your promise, and then I will analyze your marital prospects for free."

Ah, Lu Hong thought it was a bit strange. These words were clearly to attract repeat customers, but if the fortune-telling was nonsense, there wouldn’t be a need for such talk. Presumably, the man had some real skills.

Anna, obviously moved by listening, turned to Lu Hong, "Shall we give it a try?"

"Okay."

Anna pulled Lu Hong to the fortune-teller’s stall, took out a Gold coin, and handed it over, "Can you predict my love life as well?"

The fortune-teller raised his head, did not take the Gold coin, and instead said with a mournful face, "Lady, you already have a lover, what else do you need me to predict?"

Anna thought for a moment, then said, "Predict the future, whether I can grow old with my gentleman."

Hearing Anna’s words, Lu Hong frowned slightly. He was worried, fearing the sorcerer might truly predict something, as he might very likely face execution after the Eagle Campaign; he and Anna might not have a future.

"Well,..." the fortune-teller looked at Lu Hong and shuddered under his intense gaze.

Anna also noticed something, she turned and glared at Lu Hong, then said, "Never mind him, just predict for me."

"Okay... okay..." the fortune-teller wiped the sweat from his brow, trembling as he took the Gold coin, then hesitantly said, "For this fortune-telling, I need a strand of hair from each of you, I hope you understand."

"That’s easy." Anna immediately plucked a strand of hair from each of their heads and handed them to the fortune-teller.

"Ah~ blah, blah, blah, blablabla, la la la... la la la!" The fortune-teller trembled bizarrely while muttering incomprehensible words, finally returning to normal after a while.

"How is it?" Anna quickly stepped forward and asked.

The fortune-teller smiled slightly, "Both of you will be very loving in the future, however..."

As his words shifted, a substantial murderous intent erupted in Lu Hong’s eyes, warning the fortune-teller not to meddle.

"But what?" Anna urged, "Speak up!"

The fortune-teller took a deep breath, pointing at Lu Hong, "Although I respect status, I do not wish to see this beautiful lady kept in the dark."

Anna also restrained Lu Hong from further intimidating the fortune-teller.

"Sister!" the fortune-teller took a deep breath and then exclaimed loudly, "He’s a scumbag!"

... Lu Hong was speechless. Was he really a scumbag? Never mind, as long as it wasn’t about dying, it was fine.

"Scumbag?" Anna frowned slightly. "Can you be more specific?"

"I see you and him living a peaceful life together, but in these visions, other women appear, and you often cry because of it. But you love the scumbag beside you too much to ever leave. So, miss, you must keep an eye on your husband and make sure he doesn’t cheat on you outside."

After hearing the fortune-teller’s words, Anna unhappily glanced at Lu Hong and blurted out two words, "Scumbag!"

"Uh..." Lu Hong was speechless again.

Anna then stuffed a few Gold Coins into the fortune-teller’s hand, scoffed coldly, and stormed off with Lu Hong having no choice but to follow her.

The departure of the two caused laughter among the onlookers, but the fortune-teller quickly packed up his stall.

Someone still interested in having their fortune told curiously asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I’ve overexerted myself today. I’ll tell fortunes another day, another day," the fortune-teller said as he hurriedly packed his things and left, clutching Lu Hong’s hair in his hand and revealing a cold smirk.

Back at the villa, it took Lu Hong immense effort to console Anna. That damn fortune-teller, if he ever caught him, he’d definitely give him a good beating!

After resting for several days without any further mishaps aimed at him, Lu Hong’s competitions resumed as usual.

Anna, holding the competition schedule, noted that Lu Hong’s first match in the top twenty-five was against an unknown opponent—Xu Fubin.

"You should be careful; none of those who make it to the top twenty-five are weak.". With no information available about this person, Anna started studying Xu Fubin’s previous matches.

Surprisingly, in every match Xu Fubin had, his opponents never showed up on time, and some had completely disappeared.

"Could it be that this man kills his opponents before the match?" Lu Hong frowned.

"All those who didn’t show up on time were nobility disciples, and those mysteriously missing were independents with no backing," Anna figured out.

Lu Hong nodded, also spotting the issue, "It seems someone’s been clearing the way for him to reach the top twenty-five."

"Then you need to be careful too, since all his matches have been like this, you’ll definitely be targeted as well."

"No worries," Lu Hong smiled. "The battle starts tomorrow morning. If he wants to take me out, tonight’s his only chance."

Anna took out some premium Crystal Stones and inserted them into the villa’s protective Array. "I’ll watch over you tonight; you rest easy."

Lu Hong smiled and didn’t refuse, "Okay."

The night passed without incident, which puzzled Anna.

"Stop worrying. If they come, we counter; if they flood, we dam. There’s no need to worry," Lu Hong comforted Anna, then stepped onto the platform amidst cheers.

Moments later, his opponent, Xu Fubin, climbed onto the match platform.

Lu Hong stared intensely at him; this man was the same fortune-teller who had read fortunes for him and Anna in the plaza!

"Are you Xu Fubin?" The referee frowned, clearly noticing a difference in the face from before.

Xu Fubin then remembered, "Hold on, I changed my appearance." Saying this, he tore off the human skin mask, revealing his true face.

Seeing it was indeed him, the referee didn’t say much else, left the platform, and announced the start of the match.

As soon as the referee spoke, Lu Hong burst forward, charging at Xu Fubin. His opponent had disguised himself and read fortunes in the square, definitely plotting something against him. But no matter what he had planned, as long as it could be defeated with strength, it wasn’t a problem.

Xu Fubin remained unruffled, his lips curling into a cold smile.

"Kneel down!" Xu Fubin said casually.

But these words were like thunder to Lu Hong, sending him crashing uncontrollably to the ground.

His legs also involuntarily knelt, and though Lu Hong resisted fiercely, trying to withstand the strange Skill with all his might, he could only manage to kneel on one knee, unable to move the slightest bit.

Anna, a school instructor, recognized his profession immediately—sorcerer! This profession reminded her of the Omur of the Snow Clan who had tried to curse Lu Hong at Hanguguan Pass, yet it originated differently.

"I..." Anna regretted profoundly. Without reaching the Third Transition, a sorcerer needed a medium to curse their opponent, something from the body like hair or skin. If she hadn’t brought Lu Hong for a fortune-telling, Xu Fubin wouldn’t have gotten the medium to curse Lu Hong before the match. Those opponents who disappeared before even climbing the platform must have been secretly cursed.