No one knew who shouted it first, but the crowd instantly erupted into chaos. The surrounding people swarmed over like a pack of starving wolves spotting fresh, delicious meat, instantly surrounding the four-horse carriage until not a drop of water could leak through.
"That's right, he's Huode from the Yunxia Sect!"
"That short, fat guy is Gu Qingfeng's personal servant!"
"I saw Gu Qingfeng in the carriage when they arrived, but I don't know where he went now!"
"Huode! Where is that swindler Gu Qingfeng?"
"Hand over Gu Qingfeng, or we'll kill you!"
The crowd angrily demanded that Huode hand over Gu Qingfeng.
Fei Kui was terrified by this scene, standing frozen in place, not daring to move. Huode's expression also shifted repeatedly, unsure how to handle the situation.
In front of the Taixuan Platform, the Ten Little Hidden Dragons and the young masters of the Thirty-Six Hua Pavilions were about to rush over when Situ Zhengnan waved his hand. A faint, shimmering light flashed, and a massive palm, as huge as a mountain, materialized in the air. The hand solidified and, reaching across space, directly grabbed the four-horse carriage from the foot of the mountain dozens of li away and brought it to the Taixuan Platform.
It must be said, Situ Zhengnan's technique was truly masterful, befitting one of the Twelve Kings of the Nine-Hua Alliance.
After Huode and Fei Kui were brought to the Taixuan Platform, Ling Feng, Tu Gao, Huo Dong, Ma Zhengtian, Wang He, and the other Little Hidden Dragons also surrounded them.
Su Hua, worried that lives might be lost, instantly flashed to Huode's side.
She was here today to lecture on the Dao. She never expected that her act of massaging Gu Qingfeng would provoke such a strong reaction from everyone. She tried to persuade the crowd to temporarily drop the matter, but it was useless—there were too many people. Helpless, she could only urge everyone not to act rashly.
"Where is that swindler Gu Qingfeng?" Ling Feng demanded sternly.
"Hand over Gu Qingfeng, or we'll execute the two of you on the spot!" Tu Gao also threatened.
The Little Hidden Dragons and others all wanted to use this opportunity to show off in front of their goddess. Naturally, they wouldn't miss such a good chance, especially with a formidable competitor like Situ Zhengnan present today. They were even more determined not to back down. Even with Su Hua's continuous pleas, they insisted on dragging Gu Qingfeng out.
Huode, after all, had lived for seven or eight hundred years and was a man of experience. Of course, he could see through the intentions of these young dragons. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "Everyone, listen to this old man. That kid Gu asking the Immortal to massage him was just a joke. He didn't mean anything else by it. Let's just..." Huode tried to explain, but he was cut off as soon as he opened his mouth, with everyone demanding he hand over Gu Qingfeng.
Ignoring them, Huode instead said to Su Hua, "Immortal, regarding what happened at the Yunxia Sect a few days ago, this old man apologizes on behalf of that kid Gu. Please don't take it to heart. Could you persuade these people to let it go?"
Su Hua was not a petty person. She didn't consider massaging Gu Qingfeng to be a serious matter. As for whether Gu Qingfeng had deceived her, she wasn't sure and didn't want to dwell on it for now, planning to investigate later.
That was her thought, but the people present were not of the same mind. The scene was already chaotic, with people everywhere. The more she tried to persuade them, the more intense their reactions became. Su Hua knew that if this matter wasn't resolved today, the Dao Lecture Assembly probably couldn't proceed.
After a moment of contemplation, she frowned and asked, "Huode Zhenren, was Gu Qingfeng with you just now?"
"That's right, but that kid seemed to have urgent business. I don't know where he went."
Huode truly didn't know Gu Qingfeng's whereabouts. He only remembered Gu Qingfeng saying a quick goodbye before vanishing. As for where he went, Huode had no idea.
"Immortal, do not worry. Since someone saw that swindler Gu Qingfeng with them, he must be hiding out of fear. I will now release my divine sense to search for him."
After Situ Zhengnan released his divine sense, the Little Hidden Dragons and the Hua Pavilion young masters, not wanting to be outdone, also released their divine senses to search. Not just them, everyone present did the same, as if they all wanted to be the first to find Gu Qingfeng and claim credit in front of Immortal Su Hua.
"Huode Zhenren, why not have Gu Qingfeng come out? Let's clarify this matter. Rest assured, I guarantee nothing will happen to him."
"Immortal, it's not that this old man won't let that kid Gu come out. I really don't know where he is. Besides..." Huode said with a pained smile, "Besides, it's better that he's not here. If he were, this matter would become even more unclear."
"Unclear?"
Su Hua seemed to realize something. "Huode Zhenren, do you mean that he..."
"No! Immortal, don't misunderstand. This old man guarantees with his character that kid Gu absolutely did not deceive you. He really was the one who revised Little Blue Flower Language. Him asking you for a massage was just a joke, truly without any other meaning..."
Tu Gao snorted coldly, disdainfully saying, "What is your character worth? What qualifications do you have to guarantee anything?"
"You little brat, what my character is worth is none of your business. I know it myself. I say that kid Gu didn't deceive anyone, so he didn't deceive anyone..."
"What do you think you are! How dare you speak to this young master like that!"
Tu Gao didn't even put people like Huo Dong and Ma Zhengtian in his eyes, let alone a minor elder like Huode from the Yunxia Sect. Now that Huode was disrespecting him in front of so many people, Tu Gao naturally couldn't tolerate it and was about to make a move on the spot. But just as he stirred, Su Hua shot him a glance, somewhat displeased. "Young Master Tu Gao, are you going to resort to violence?"
Tu Gao was somewhat indignant. "Immortal, with people like him, there's no need for polite talk. The more courteous you are, the more he thinks of himself!"
Su Hua ignored him and looked at Huode, speaking softly, "If Gu Qingfeng truly didn't deceive me, wouldn't that be even better? Let him come out and explain."
"Grandpa Huode, where's Big Brother? Let Big Brother come out."
Little Jin'er also ran over, tugging at Huode's sleeve, lifting her little head, and said, "These people all say Big Brother is a swindler. Hurry and let Big Brother come out to prove it, then see if they still dare call Big Brother a swindler!"
"Little Jin'er, you don't understand your Big Brother's temper. That guy, when he does things, he can't even be bothered to explain. And you want him to prove something? That kid has had a flaw since he was little: first, he never admits mistakes; second, he never explains; third, he would never prove anything. He's stubborn as a mule."
After saying this, Huode earnestly said to Su Hua, "Immortal, this old man is serious. You'd better persuade these people. If that kid Gu shows up later, there will be trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"From my understanding of that kid, if you ask him to prove something, he definitely won't. If you call him a swindler, he can't be bothered to explain. If you cause trouble for him and try to fight him... if he's in a good mood, he might play a couple of rounds with you for fun. If he's in a bad mood, whoever fights him will either die or end up crippled."