"This...
Old Master Gu, what are you doing here?"
Huode was unsure of Gu Qingfeng's current thoughts. He stood up, picked up the wine pot, poured a cup, and tentatively inquired.
"Just watching the show, same as you."
Huode was skeptical. "Just watching the show?"
"What else?"
"Heh heh."
Huode grinned, showing his teeth. "The show isn't that interesting anyway. How about this? I still have two jars of good wine back at my place. It's been a long time since we last met. Let's go to my place for a couple of drinks?"
"Sure, later."
"Later?"
Huode raised an eyebrow and continued asking, "Then what are you going to do now?"
"Take care of some personal business."
"What personal business?"
Gu Qingfeng smiled without answering. Instead, he drained his cup of wine in one gulp and stood up.
His standing up immediately startled Huode, tightening his heartstrings. He hurriedly shouted, "Gu kid, you need to stay calm!"
Gu Qingfeng walked out of the pavilion, looked up at the blazing sun hanging in the sky, yawned, stretched lazily, and replied with utter boredom, "I've just been sitting for too long, stretching a bit. What's there to stay calm about? Do I look like I'm not calm?"
Huode pursed his lips, speechless.
Indeed.
Gu Qingfeng didn't look the least bit agitated. Not only was he calm, but his calmness was also somewhat unusual—so calm that it left Huode utterly bewildered and, at the same time, sent a chill down his spine.
"Young Master Chiyan."
At that moment, Su Hua walked over and said, "Regarding the incident at Xiao Zhe Manor earlier, I have personally reported it to the Immortal Dynasty. They likely won't pursue any major charges against you, so you can rest assured. As for these Immortal Officials today, they have just arrived in the Northwest and are unaware that I have already reported to the Immortal Dynasty. That's why they wanted to take action against you. I hope you won't mind this matter."
"Mind?
I have nothing to mind, and I can't be bothered to mind. There are plenty of people who want to kill me. How could I possibly mind them all?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at Su Hua and smiled. "Still, thank you."
At this moment, Su Hua stared at Gu Qingfeng, equally unable to see through him.
Earlier, Huode, Ku Mu, and others had said that if Gu Qingfeng learned of this, he would surely leave no one alive, unleash a great slaughter, bringing disaster and rivers of blood. This had worried her immensely. Yet, she never expected Gu Qingfeng to be so calm and rational, chatting and laughing as if he didn't care about the matter in the slightest.
She glanced at Huode, who was also frowning deeply, equally perplexed.
Noticing Gu Qingfeng walking toward the crowd, Su Hua was about to follow, worried something might happen. But before she could move, her hand was tightly grasped by Xiao Jinr.
"Sister Hua, please don't interfere in this matter anymore, okay..." Xiao Jinr seemed very worried. "Otherwise... Big Brother really will kill you..."
"Why would your Big Brother kill me? I haven't provoked him..." Su Hua couldn't understand. "Besides... your Big Brother already said he doesn't mind at all. Is he lying to me?"
"No!
He's not! Big Brother isn't lying to you. He truly doesn't mind the Immortal Dynasty taking action against him...
But... there's one thing Big Brother minds very, very much."
"What thing?"
Xiao Jinr didn't answer. Instead, Huode beside her responded, "Xiao Jinr is right. The Gu kid won't mind the Immortal Dynasty acting against him, but he will definitely mind if the Immortal Dynasty acts against the Scarlet-Letter Sect—or more precisely, against the Chixiao people."
"Why does he mind?"
Su Hua furrowed her willow-leaf brows. "And if he really minds, why hasn't he shown any reaction?"
"That's exactly it...
Why? This isn't like the Gu kid's style."
"Sister Meng said Big Brother is a lazy person, and also said... that when Big Brother isn't lazy, he's not human..."
What lazy person? What does 'not human when not lazy' mean?
Su Hua didn't understand, but Huode seemed to realize something. His face instantly changed dramatically. He slapped his forehead, widened his eyes, stared at Su Hua, and said gravely, "Fairy, you must take these Immortal Officials away immediately. Use any method, just get them to leave."
"Wh-why?"
Looking at Huode's sudden alarm, Su Hua grew increasingly confused.
"The Gu kid hasn't taken action now, but that doesn't mean he won't later! Didn't I say earlier? This kid has always had a flaw: he either doesn't act, but once he does, he acts thoroughly. To solve the problem once and for all, he'll definitely kill everyone involved, cleanly and completely, to eliminate any future troubles."
"What do you mean?"
"Fairy! The Gu kid is waiting for your Immortal Dynasty's people! He's waiting for all of your Immortal Dynasty's people to arrive so he can slaughter them all at once!"
"This..." Su Hua was shocked and horrified, somewhat at a loss.
"My lady intervening in this matter has already disregarded her reputation. If she were to drive the Immortal Dynasty's people away without explanation, not only would it be difficult to justify to the Immortal Dynasty, but people across the world would also point fingers at my lady."
Beside them, Qianshan said, "Moreover, Huode, aren't you exaggerating a bit too much? I admit Gu Qingfeng's strength is formidable, and his courage might be great, but I don't believe his courage is so great that he dares to massacre over a thousand Immortal Officials of the Immortal Dynasty and openly defy the Immortal Dynasty."
"Sister Qianshan, believe this old man. There's nothing in this world the Gu kid wouldn't dare to do. Forget the Immortal Dynasty—even the heavens above, he'd dare to defy them!"
Su Hua looked at Huode solemnly and said, "Today, as long as I am here, I will absolutely not allow the Immortal Dynasty's people to take action against him, but I will also absolutely not allow him to harm a single Immortal Official."
Xiao Jinr worriedly said, "Sister Hua, I beg you, please don't interfere in this matter anymore. Otherwise, Big Brother really will kill you..."
"Jin'er, don't worry. Your Big Brother can't kill me."
...
In the distance.
Gu Qingfeng walked toward the crowd.
Opposite him were the seven Chixiao people, including Gold Crane, and Ming Hui and other Scarlet-Letter Sect hall masters who had submitted to the Immortal Dynasty.
Stopping in front of the seven people led by Gold Crane, Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly. His dark, silent gaze swept over the seven of them as he said softly and lightly, "If I heard correctly earlier, you seven have accepted the Immortal Dynasty's enfeoffment and are now proper Immortal Officials of the Immortal Dynasty, correct?"
The seven exchanged glances. Gold Crane responded fiercely, "So what if we have!"
"So what?
Nothing much...
Just confirming, that's all."
Gu Qingfeng flipped his wrist and took out seven wine cups. "People strive for higher places, water flows to lower ground. As you said earlier, the Immortal Dynasty rules the world in this era. Those who understand the times are true heroes. That's completely understandable. At the very least, I can understand."
Gu Qingfeng could understand, but that didn't mean others could.
The seven people opposite him, led by Gold Crane, didn't understand the meaning of his words. The Three Great Banner Lords and the thousand-plus Chixiao people didn't understand either. Even Huode, who knew Gu Qingfeng best, had no idea why Gu Qingfeng would say such strange things.