Gu Qingfeng drank and chatted with Horse King, but the more he looked at Horse King's long, horse-like face, the more he wanted to laugh.
"How did you end up with such a long horse face, kid? The more I look, the funnier it gets."
Horse King touched his own long, horse-like face, feeling somewhat embarrassed and awkward. He took out a bronze mirror and looked at himself, but couldn't see what was so funny about it.
"What's there to look at with a face like yours?"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng laughing almost maniacally, Horse King said with displeasure, "Great Old Master, we're two of a kind, so don't laugh at me. Honestly, I reckon you're not even as good-looking as I am."
"With that horse face of yours? And you're comparing looks with me?"
"Great Old Master, this face of mine has character, you get it? At least when people see it, they remember me. As for your face, Great Old Master, no offense, but it's just an ordinary face. Girls take one look and don't even get an impression. Toss you into a crowd and you'd probably get lost."
"Is it that bad?"
"If you don't believe me, take a look in the mirror yourself."
Gu Qingfeng took the mirror Horse King handed over and examined himself carefully.
To tell the truth, since waking up, Gu Qingfeng hadn't really looked in a mirror. He'd often seen his reflection in wine cups, but looking in a mirror today, he realized Horse King was right—his appearance really had no distinguishing features. Touching his own face, he said with some bewilderment, "How did my face get so... ordinary? I remember I used to be quite handsome, a real heartthrob known throughout the villages."
"Great Old Master, after achieving immortality, while you stay forever young and your appearance doesn't age, if you eat well, drink well, and live elegantly, you'll naturally become more handsome. That's why so many people want to be 'Elegant Immortals' these days—they all want to look good. Look at those noble young masters from immortal families, each one dashing and graceful. They have no worries about food or clothing, and in their spare time, they nourish their appearance, so of course they look handsome and have an air about them."
"Then how did you end up with a horse face?"
Horse King said, "I'm a rough fellow, always lived a rough life. Didn't eat well, didn't drink well, often exposed to wind and sun outside. Grew up and just ended up like this."
After drinking a cup of his own wine, Horse King asked, "But, Great Old Master, you said you used to be handsome. So why did you end up like this? You don't seem like a rough person. You seem to know how to live well, a man of refinement."
Gu Qingfeng looked into the bronze mirror and said, "That's what I'm saying."
"But, Great Old Master, I've heard some old-timers say that the face reflects the heart. As one's state of mind changes, so does one's appearance. Look at those with sinister hearts—they have the face of a villain. And those with malicious intent, you can tell at a glance—they have a shady look. If you often do good deeds, you look kind and benevolent."
"The face reflecting the heart, that's certainly true."
Gu Qingfeng murmured, "Although I cultivate a path of Great Freedom, live a bit casually, and don't pay much attention to appearances, damn it, my face shouldn't grow this casually too, right? It's getting less and less refined. If it keeps going like this, what will become of me?"
"Great Old Master, I don't think you should be worrying about your looks right now."
"Then what should I be worrying about?"
"Aren't you worried at all?"
"Worried about what?"
"The Jinwu Li Clan!"
Horse King sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning forward, speaking very seriously. "You've thoroughly offended the Jinwu Li Clan today, Great Old Master."
Remembering what had happened earlier, Horse King still felt a lingering fear.
At the time, he was driving the Nine-Headed Flame Cloud Crimson Blaze Tiger Grand Carriage. When he saw Jin Lie and the dozen or so people from the Jinwu Li Clan, his first thought was to detour around them. Having been part of the Jinwu Secret Realm before, he clearly knew the Jinwu Li Clan was not to be trifled with. But he never expected Gu Qingfeng to say, 'Detour? Just drive straight at them.'
At that moment, Horse King didn't know what came over him. His brain heated up, and he really did drive straight at them.
If that was all, it might have been okay. What he never expected even more was that Gu Qingfeng would actually use a Heavenly Thunder Talisman to strike Li Jingya, and then publicly confront Jin Lie. That was just asking for death.
"Offended them, so be it. What's there to fear?"
"Great Old Master! This isn't about fear or not. It's a matter of survival! I used to mix around in the Jinwu Secret Realm, I know how formidable the Jinwu Li Clan is. Especially that little vixen Li Jingya—she's vicious. And Jin Lie, that old turtle is an even more ruthless and cruel character. From what I know of the Jinwu Li Clan, they will definitely come after you, Great Old Master, to make you hand over the 1.8 billion you won."
"Hand over my ass. I'll give them a lump of shit. Want it?"
"Great Old Master, I'm not trying to scare you. The Jinwu Li Clan is really not to be messed with. They will definitely try to kill us both."
"If they kill anyone, it'll be me. What are you scared of, kid?"
"Have you forgotten? I was the one driving the carriage that rammed into that old turtle Jin Lie."
"Weren't you wearing a mask? He wouldn't recognize you."
Horse King felt like crying but had no tears. "At first, I thought he wouldn't recognize me either. But later, I thought about it, and it's not that simple."
"How so?"
"Now the entire Fengyue Small World thinks I'm with you. And we swaggered around Greatsun Exchanges City buying so many things. Even an idiot could guess that the driver back then was me!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Then why don't you run, kid?"
"At first, I wanted to run too. But then I thought about it—it's too late to run now. Given the nature of the Jinwu Li Clan, they've probably already stationed people at the entrance of the Fengyue Small World waiting for us. Staying in the Fengyue Small World might still leave us a sliver of a chance to live. But if we leave the Fengyue Small World, we'll be caught on the spot, and then it's a dead end."
"That serious?"
"So we need to think of a plan! What if people from the Jinwu Li Clan come looking for us? What do we do?"
"We'll do whatever needs to be done."
Gu Qingfeng stood up, stretching lazily. "No money to give, only this life to take. Let them do as they please."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng say this, Horse King felt like dying right then and there.
He was regretting it more and more—regretting meeting this Great Old Master, and even more regretting giving him that thousand chips.
If they hadn't met, and he hadn't given the thousand chips, the Great Old Master wouldn't have won 1.8 billion.
If he hadn't won 1.8 billion, there wouldn't be all this trouble, and they wouldn't have offended the Jinwu Li Clan.
However.
There was no medicine for regret in all the world.
What to do?
Horse King didn't know what to do either. Running was impossible. Fight the Jinwu Li Clan when they come?
That would only lead to a more gruesome death.
Horse King was baffled. How could the Great Old Master not be the slightest bit afraid?
What was he relying on?
Those Heavenly Thunder Talismans in his hand?
Those things might scare off a dozen people, but the Jinwu Li Clan's power wasn't just a dozen people—it was thousands upon thousands.
Was he relying on those people from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm?
Horse King shook his head. He'd heard of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm—it was just a very, very small Secret Realm, no match for the Jinwu Li Clan at all.
As for that Young Master Xuán Yún, perhaps he could suppress the Jinwu Li Clan. But the key question was, would Young Master Xuán Yún step in?