The Plan Unfolds

From the moment the Monk appeared, Xu Bai had been staring at his head.

That gleaming bald head bore nine Precept Scars. Xu Bai had no other intentions, of course. He simply felt that it was truly a fine head.

For no other reason than the golden progress bar above it.

When the Monk had appeared, Xu Bai had been preparing to leave. Yet after giving him a casual glance for no apparent reason, he discovered that the Monk had a golden progress bar over his head.

He had searched everywhere in worn-out iron shoes and found it without any effort at all.

Xu Bai was thrilled. At last, he had encountered another new progress bar.

But then he began wondering how he could get that progress bar into his hands.

First, this Monk's identity was unknown. He had no idea who he was.

Second, this was different from Yun Xiang's situation. Yun Xiang ran an inn, so he could go there whenever he wanted, but the Liu Residence was not somewhere he could enter at will.

"Something's not right!"

After standing there and thinking for a while, Xu Bai suddenly slapped his forehead.

He realized that he was becoming more and more obsessed with grinding progress bars. Today, after stumbling upon a new one, he could not help lingering here to think about it.

I'll go back and think it over slowly. Having figured it out, Xu Bai stopped lingering and turned to leave.

While he was pondering how to get hold of that head, the Blue-Robed Monk had already entered the Liu Residence.

Led by the steward, he arrived at the reception hall, where Liu Xu sat in a chair with a veil covering her face.

"Miss, I have brought him," the steward said with a bow.

Liu Xu nodded and told the steward to leave first.

The steward did not ask why and turned to leave.

The reception hall fell silent, leaving only Liu Xu and the Blue-Robed Monk.

"Greetings, Benefactor Liu. I have long heard of your great name. To meet you today is truly the fortune of three lifetimes," the Blue-Robed Monk said, pressing his palms together in salute.

Liu Xu did not answer. She pointed to the chair on the right.

The Blue-Robed Monk did not stand on ceremony. He bent down, straightened his monk's robe, then slowly walked over and sat down.

"May I ask your name?" Liu Xu's voice was calm. Even through the white veil, one could sense the inexplicable distance about her.

"This humble monk's Dharma name is Wu Hua," the blue-robed monk promptly answered.

His attitude was impeccable, without the slightest hint of neglect.

"This humble monk has come for one matter. I heard that Benefactor Liu has remained in Sheng County these past days, so I came to ask about something," Wu Hua said with his palms pressed together, his face mild and kind.

Liu Xu's slender willow-leaf brows rose. "I only returned to Sheng County from Azure Cloud Academy after the Clerk was killed. But I did hear news concerning that Clerk. It seemed he had lined his own pockets and consorted with the Extreme Life Sect."

Speaking of this, Liu Xu recalled that night and repeated, word for word, what the Mysterious Person had told her.

In her view, if it truly had been an act of chivalry, she certainly would have lent a hand.

Wu Hua had happened to arrive, so she happened to reveal this information.

"Benefactor Liu misunderstands. We already know about Iron Calculation Immortal lining his own pockets. The person who killed him committed no evil, and we will not pursue the matter," Wu Hua said with a smile.

Liu Xu was slightly stunned. "None of your people had even arrived. How did you investigate it so clearly?"

"Ever since this incident occurred, the people in the office rushed to investigate. In the end, they found clues and pieced together the cause and effect," Wu Hua explained.

"Then what have you come to ask me about?" Liu Xu was puzzled.

Since it was not about the Clerk, it must be something else. Yet she could not understand what there was to ask her about.

Still, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

This proved that the Mysterious Person had been right. The Clerk truly had lined his own pockets.

"Benefactor Liu, could you help me find that expert?" Wu Hua asked.

Liu Xu shook her head, indicating that she did not know. Then, as though she had thought of something, she asked in return, "Didn't the office investigate? Couldn't you find him?"

"If everything could be found as one wished, there would be no evil people in this world," Wu Hua said with a bitter smile.

Liu Xu rested her elbow on the table, carefully recalling what had happened that night. Once again, she shook her head, indicating that she could not find that person.

"Alas." Wu Hua sighed.

That reaction instead caught Liu Xu's attention.

"Why are you looking for him?" Liu Xu asked.

"That is the matter I came to handle. I need help. Oh, right, Benefactor Liu, take a look at this letter. Your teacher wrote it for you." Wu Hua slapped his bald head as though remembering something, then took a letter from his pocket and handed it over.

Liu Xu accepted the letter and opened it. After reading it through, she placed it on the table.

The contents of the letter were simple: Liu Xu was to remain in Sheng County and did not need to return to Azure Cloud Academy.

As for why she was to remain here, it was so that she could assist Wu Hua in handling his affairs.

"What matter is so important that you even want to find that person?" Liu Xu asked doubtfully.

"Benefactor Liu, it is a very important matter, which is why I need assistance. I cannot speak of it for now, because I have not yet confirmed it," Wu Hua said apologetically.

Since Wu Hua would not say, Liu Xu could not be bothered to ask further.

A teacher's orders could not be defied. Staying here was fine as well.

Besides, she truly wanted to find a chance to understand the Mysterious Person's identity.

That night, Liu Xu had understood that she had suffered a tremendous loss.

She had revealed everything about herself, yet knew absolutely nothing about that Mysterious Person.

Could she endure such a loss? With Liu Xu's temperament, of course she could not. At the very least, she had to find out who the other party was.

This was the perfect opportunity, and it also gave her an excuse.

"Oh, right, Benefactor Liu, I will be staying at the Liu Residence for the time being, so as not to attract anyone's attention," Wu Hua added.

It was a small matter, and Liu Xu agreed.

The two exchanged a few more words before Liu Xu had the steward lead Wu Hua away.

No one knew what was going on over here, while on the other side, Xu Bai had finished checking the remaining places and returned to the escort agency.

He had still found nothing, leaving him thoroughly speechless.

It was like being used to feasting on fish and meat, only to suddenly be forced to eat vegetarian food. Who could stand that?

"That Bald Head... I need to find a way." Xu Bai thought as he walked.

In his eyes, that bald head was simply too eye-catching. The golden progress bar in particular made his mouth water.

"No, I can't give up. If I get the chance, I'll fleece that progress bar until it's full."

With that thought, Xu Bai had already reached the entrance of the escort agency.

The sun was nearly setting. At this hour, the escorts had all left.

After returning home, Xu Bai did not rest. Instead, once the sun had set, he pulled out the clothes he had worn that night from the cabinet and covered his face with cloth.

When deep night arrived, Xu Bai switched to an ordinary long saber and went out alone.

Lin Residence.

Lin Fu, the master of the Lin Family, had been in a terrible mood lately. Everyone knew it, and no one in the Lin Residence dared approach that courtyard. Even the maids who had usually been favored became exceedingly cautious.

The reason was simple: the Lin Family's only heir had died, and Lin Fu no longer had the ability to father children.

Thus, the Lin Family could be said to have no successor.

He possessed a vast fortune, yet no one to inherit it. Lin Fu had worried himself into growing even more white hair.

"Damn it! This is truly damnable!"

In the luxurious room, Lin Fu slammed the table with all his strength, his face full of rage.