The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

He saw a wisp of smoke rising from a chimney.

Chapter 73 Turning Appetite into Malice

The smoke carried a faint fragrance, like the aroma of steamed rice or the scent of roasted fruit. The fragrant smoke flowed in from the window, wrapping around the three of them like ribbons.

“How strange…” Lu Wenjun raised his hand, “Everyone, don’t move. Hisamitsu, try taking a deep breath.”

Hisamitsu did as instructed with suspicion, inhaling a wisp of smoke. Lü Wenjun observed intently for a few seconds, then exclaimed in surprise!

"It's changed! It's changed!"

"What has changed?!" Hisamitsu felt a chill run down his spine.

Mingxiao exclaimed, "Don't you feel uncomfortable?! You're acting like a high school student pretending to be a middle schooler!"

Hisamitsu rushed to the mirror and gasped in shock.

She's gained weight again!

Two days ago, the cheerleading top fit perfectly, but now it's stretched taut, the fabric barely outlining her rounded figure, the chest area so tight it's almost impossible to breathe. This isn't just a high school student dressed as a middle schooler, it's a college student dressed as an elementary school student!

The most devastating blow came from beneath the clothing... because the cheerleader's outfit was a crop top! And the once smooth and firm abdomen had developed noticeable flab due to some mysterious force!

Hisamitsu screamed, "My perfect body has become like a sow's!"

"We've been so restrained in our expressions, can you please stop using such terrible words?" Lü Wenjun shouted.

"If this continues..." Hisamitsu pressed his hand to his chest, "Am I going to become like Akio?! I don't want to!"

Mingxiao rolled up his sleeves: "Fine, you lazy bum, stay right there and don't move."

"Senior, calm down! Don't summon the King of Fire at home!"

Hisamitsu burst into tears: "I don't want to have that kind of body shape!"

"Can you please stop adding fuel to the fire?!"

This is bad. The senior's anger was rising; if this continued, those two...two...two magicians would likely be fighting all night in the house, which would be terrible news for the poor third tenant.

We have no choice but to resort to our last resort...!

Lu Wenjun, having given up all pretense of dignity, spoke up crisply: "Senior, don't let those weirdos' outrageous remarks bother you. You've always had a perfect figure."

Mingxiao was stunned: "Finished, perfect?"

"Senior, you're tall, have long legs, and a voluptuous figure. Even with the most critical eye, there's nothing to criticize. Just looking at your appearance, you're the perfect older woman in my eyes. What's there to worry about?" Lu Wenjun said with all his might. "Miss, you're also baffled. So what if you've gained a little weight? You're still very cute!"

Hisamitsu froze in front of the mirror: "Really...?"

"Believe me! The number on the scale is indeed terrifying, but to us slow-witted men, a few kilograms is nothing. Your shirt is a bit tight? Doesn't that add a certain charm? Your stockings are a little too tight? That's actually a sign of attractiveness!"

Lu Wenjun waved his arms vigorously, speaking eloquently like a speaker: "Beauty and charm have their own margin for error. Whether in the past or present, both of you are equally stunning in my eyes!"

"Yes, I see..." Mingxiao felt a little embarrassed for some reason, "So this is how you see me..."

Hisamitsu looked away: "A mere nerd has such good taste..."

Lu Wenjun pressed his advantage: "What reason do we have to turn our guns on each other? What we really need to deal with now is this mysterious force... We must eliminate its source before the beautiful Yudu is breached!"

"Well said!" Hisamitsu slapped his paper fan. "Nerd, no, Lü Wenjun's words this time hit the nail on the head. This oppressive smoke is the real enemy of our Water Mirror Court. Order Lü Wenjun to conduct an on-site investigation, and to go to the teaching building to gather intelligence tomorrow night. We must eliminate him tonight!"

"Yes, sir!" "Leave it to me!"

Lu Wenjun gripped the rhinoceros horn and jumped out of the window, only breathing a sigh of relief when he reached the teaching building.

That's terrifying...

A magical war almost broke out over a joke about weight. These two are like firecrackers, one easily ignited and the other a troublemaker; they'd really wreak havoc if no one kept them in check... Compared to them, the two ladies in the same grade are so much easier to get along with. I'll check on them later...

"..."

No, that's not right.

My intuition suddenly gave me a warning.

A thought I just had could very well lead me to my doom!

Just to be on the safe side, Lü Wenjun opened the jade pendant and logged into his friends' chat group.

~Special Express Magic Train~

- Faris: That's weird, I've been having trouble breathing since the beginning. Has anyone else felt the same way?

-Vilsa: Haha.

- Faris: What are you laughing at?

-Vilsa: (A photograph of Faris taken from behind, his thick back resembling a city wall)

-Vilsa: Fat Lis.

- Reiko: A strong contender for the sumo wrestling title has emerged.

-Pershka: Hahahaha!

- Faris: (Vilsa's ID photo taken from the front, showing a chin with three stacked layers)

- Faris: The Michelin tire guys are talking about me! [laughing][laughing]

-Vilsa: It's probably a spell attack. @LvWenjun @Linggong @Pershka, you guys should check it too.

- Faris: Please stop!

-Pershka: No.

-Pershka: Nothing has changed.

-Pershka: This inferior technique could not possibly have any effect on me.

-Velsa: That doesn't make sense. Although you, as a true witch, possess a certain degree of divinity, even divinity cannot completely isolate you from such a wide-ranging and powerful spell attack.

-Pershka: I said no, and that's final.

-Pershka: Put away all your rude thoughts! @LvWenjun

There's a murderous aura! A strong murderous aura is emanating from the other side of the screen!!

Lu Wenjun silently moved the jade pendant further away. Almost simultaneously, the little fox avatar sent a private message.

-Linggong: Wenjun, I know you're watching.

-Reiko: Listen carefully, if you happen to run into me before the effects of this incident have completely subsided.

- Ling Gong: I will definitely make you have an unforgettable memory.

"........."

A chill ran through me from the bottom of my heart.

That's completely wrong.

The older rare animals' reactions were already quite friendly.

The most terrifying thing is the obsession with weight among girls in the same grade!!

This terrible incident must be resolved by tomorrow. If everyone's weight hasn't returned to normal by tomorrow morning... then everyone might die! Those obsessive, berserk girls will probably smash this poor school, along with him, to pieces!!

Lu Wenjun's hands began to tremble involuntarily as he typed a message in the chat room with shaky hands:

Lü Wenjun: I have suddenly developed an eye ailment and expect to be unable to see anything for half a day. Please be informed.

Then, Lü Wenjun leaped into the air like an arrow released from a bow. Using the rooftop of the teaching building as his center, he darted across the rest of the campus, using his burning rhinoceros horn to probe the direction of the cooking smoke. As he moved, he heard screams coming from all directions—undoubtedly the screams of the girls caused by their rapid weight gain! Following this, the wails of the men rose and fell, suggesting that a ruthless silencing of witnesses was likely taking place throughout the campus!

"No, this won't do! If this continues, someone might die...!"

Lu Wenjun wiped away a cold sweat and began to devote himself entirely to the investigation. With the combination of high-speed movement and detection techniques, the truth quickly became clear: smoke was spreading outwards from a certain building, and that building was... the student dormitory located in the northern part of the campus!

Lu Wenjun silently sent a message: "...Senior, it seems like it was done by the Thousand-Year Cave again."

"I knew it!" Mingxiao gritted his teeth. "That annoying tactic was obviously Kano's doing. You go to the door first, and when I get there, we'll rush in!"

"Tear them to pieces!" Hisamitsu screamed.

Lu Wenjun silently murmured "Amen" to a senior student and strolled to the entrance of the Thousand-Year Cave, only to find that someone had already come looking for trouble. A short girl with pink hair was roaring, "Kano! Get the hell out here!!"

"My ears hurt so much, this year's student council is so brutal!"

Kano appeared without warning behind the bronze gate, wearing a tearful expression: "I'm protesting the student council's violent enforcement, but Haru is so cute that I forgave her. Come on, come on, I won't resist~!"

Without a word, the pink-haired girl jumped towards the gate, but the owl-man next to her held her back tightly: "No, Asami. Kano has already activated the sacred ground. If you force your way in, you'll get fat too!"

The pink-haired woman's expression froze: "Kano, you bastard—"

Kano E spread her hands, turned around and said, "I'm right here, come on! You can arrest me for a mere 30 kilograms, don't you think it's a good deal?"

The pink-haired woman's expression shifted rapidly, a fierce struggle between her sense of responsibility and her fear of obesity. Finally, however, she stopped silently at the door… and let out a shameful scream!

It's a 30-pound victory.

"Damn it...damn it!!"

"This isn't... hiccup! It's your... hiccup!"

The owl-man burped repeatedly, looking like an overstuffed Thanksgiving turkey, clearly having already received its 30-pound gift.

Lu Wenjun, now experienced, knew how to deal with these scoundrels. He walked past the two men, knocked on the door, and called out, "Senior, what's going on this time?"

"Lü Wenjun, you've come at just the right time. The rules this time are very favorable to you!"

Kano clapped his hands, and a tremor resounded around the student dormitory. The ancient mansion, whose history was unknown and numbered several hundred years, sank into the ground, and a brand-new building rose from the ground. It was a seven-story Japanese classical Buddhist pagoda built of sandalwood and gold! The plaque above its entrance bore the mysterious words "Eat More Delicious Food" written in calligraphy!

"We, the people of the Thousand-Year Cave, are currently experiencing intense unsatisfaction. And when it comes to autumn, it's all about appetite!" Kano pointed ahead. "Send your strongest chefs to fight their way through the ranks and earn the approval of us Four Heavenly Kings with their culinary delights. Otherwise..."

Kano grinned innocently: "Everyone in the academy will become a fatso tomorrow!"

"Do you guys really have to go to such lengths just to get something to eat?" Lu Wenjun said.

"As an aside, the fact that there is no upper limit to weight gain for boys will cause them to become strongmen, while the fact that there is a soft upper limit to weight gain for girls will only cause them to develop into alluring and voluptuous types."

"Senior, you...you..." Lu Wenjun gritted his teeth, "Could you teach me this technique...?"

"Don't be so embarrassing, you first-grader!" the pink-haired girl shouted.

"The secrets of the technique are the privilege of the victor." Kano covered half his face with his hand. "I'll be waiting for you at the top of the Gourmet Tower, ah, hahaha!"

Kano disappeared amidst a pretentious laugh, and the student council duo began a heated discussion.

"John, can you even cook?" "I'm confident I can cook instant noodles." "Useless guy! Just call me Chairman!" "That military ration cooking method will probably cause problems..."

The student council members don't seem to be very good at cooking. This is a bit of a problem.

When it comes to culinary skills, Lü Wenjun is quite confident. However, this tower has seven floors, and even if he provides them with delicious food and drink all the way up, it makes the lowly people feel subtly uncomfortable when trying to break the spell...

Just as Lü Wenjun was feeling troubled, he spotted a pair of familiar rabbit ears. Mingxiao arrived at the scene and was reading the wooden rules and regulations in front of the food tower.

"Climb upwards in pairs or solo teams... Winning unanimous approval from the judges allows you to advance to the next level... The winner receives a mystery gift." Mingxiao nodded. "Excellent, Wenjun. We're sure to win this time!"

A light shone in Lü Wenjun's eyes.

"Senior, you're absolutely right," Lü Wenjun smiled. "'We're definitely going to win this time!"

·

At the top of the food tower, on the seventh floor, the Four Heavenly Kings of the Thousand-Year Cave are laughing loudly behind the judges' table.

"Kano, you did a great job this time!" Fang Mo clapped his hands. "Those violent women, including President Mingxiao, are most afraid of this fat guy, so they definitely won't dare to force their way in. As for the rest of us, what other way do we have to get out of this crisis besides obediently cooking for us?"

Kano flashed a smug grin: "This time it's a school-wide prank. That way, we can perfectly meet our evil quota for this quarter."

Melt wrapped a napkin around his neck beforehand: "Just thinking about the faces of those guys sulking while cooking makes me laugh, hahaha!"

Polly huddled under the covers, cowering: "What if it's cheese again, Ruru... I don't want to see that again..."

"Don't worry, Polly-chan. To avoid any culinary disasters, I've set up special rules this time," Kano said smugly. "Anyone who tries to cause trouble with food instead of focusing on cooking will be thrown out of the tower!"

Fang Mo added, "Besides, there are seven layers of elite guards below, so bad food can't even reach us. What do you have to be afraid of?"

Polly was overjoyed upon hearing this, happily tapping her plate with her knife and fork: "If Kano and Fang Mo both say so, I'm relieved~ I can't wait to see what kind of food I'll be tasting~"

"Cheese fondue".

"Don't mention cheese!"

The scoundrels chatted about the delicious late-night snack that was coming soon, and laughter filled the top of the tower. Fang Mo glanced at the monitor screen and sighed, "Oh, that kid really climbed fast."

"It really is Lü Wenjun?"