Chapter 978 Luzhou Inn (VI)

If Yan Bugui died tragically in the Luzhou Inn because of Gu Ri's stubbornness, it would be a complete benefit to Xie Xuan.

It can cut off one of Ling Xiaoxiao's arms without causing her suspicion. Even if Ling Xiaoxiao is dissatisfied, she can only complain about Gu Ri's coldness and ruthlessness, and will never vent her anger on Xie Xuan.

It's a pity that although Xie Xuan intended to kill someone with a borrowed knife, Gu Ri was not stupid and didn't want to be led by him.

"Who said that I would not help someone in need?"

When Gu Ri said this, Xie Xuan was stunned. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. He hesitated and said, "Senior, what you mean is..."

"Master Yan Si is not only Madam Luo's confidant, but also the mainstay of Prince Xian's Mansion and the right-hand man of you, Mansion Master Xie. If she died here inexplicably, wouldn't Mansion Master Xie be sad?" There was something hidden in Gu Ri's words, which made Xie Xuan uneasy.

"Senior, the ones who held Yan Bugui hostage are definitely not reckless mediocre people, but the famous Su He and Tang Afu. With their skills, it would be easy for them to take Yan Bugui's life in a flash." Xie Xuan said worriedly, "Even if you are a martial arts master, I'm afraid that if you want to save Yan Bugui from them..."

"Don't worry about this matter, Lord Xie."

Gu Ri interrupted Xie Xuan's endless chatter impatiently, and took two steps towards Su He and Tang Afu. He held his head high, narrowed his eyes slightly, and silently examined them. After a long pause, he said lightly: "Young people don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, be careful not to get burned."

"Senior, we and Brother Liu..."

"No need to say more!" Before Su He finished speaking, Gu Ri had already shaken his head slowly with a lack of interest, "I don't want to have a meaningless argument with you, and I don't want to bully the weak. I will just regard what happened tonight as a misunderstanding. If you don't want to hurt others and yourself, why don't you go back where you came from?"

"Since you are a martial arts master, why are you so naive?" Tang Afu said sarcastically, "Do you think we are three-year-old children who will be scared to death by your words? Tonight, no one needs to show off their seniority or take advantage of their age. We don't blame you for bullying the weak, and you don't have to blame us for being 'disrespectful'. If you want to fight, I don't mind fighting with you for a few moves."

"How dare you!" Gu Ri, who was intimidating without even getting angry, reprimanded in a deep voice, "No one in the Central Plains martial arts world dares to be disrespectful in front of me, and younger generations dare not speak arrogantly in front of me. Tang Afu, don't think that you can be arrogant and do whatever you want just because you have earned the name of 'ruthless swordsman' in the martial arts world. Little do you know that there is always someone stronger than you, and there are always higher mountains. Even your master, Xiao Zhirou, is just a junior in front of me. As for you... you are even worse!"

"When it comes to talking skills, I'm indeed far behind." Tang Afu was not surprised by praise or criticism. Although his tone remained calm, he did not suffer any loss in his words.

It was his disdainful and arrogant attitude that made Gu Ri even more annoyed.

"Tang Afu, do you think you can run rampant in the martial arts world with Xiao Zhirou's support?" Zhang Songyi shouted angrily, "Last year, you hunted down He Qing, the young escort leader of Longwei Escort Agency, for Wanliu Villa. You chased him all the way to Fenghuang City under Wudang Mountain. He Hu asked Wudang for help, but you showed no mercy and took away He Qing's arm in public. Although this matter is small, it can tell us how barbaric and overbearing you are in your daily life. Now, you are meddling in other people's affairs more and more. It's fine if you are against Longwei Escort Agency, but now you dare to challenge Wudang and Xianwang Mansion openly. I think you are tired of living!"

Tang Afu raised his eyelids and asked provocatively, "What? You don't want your arm anymore?"

"you……"

"Don't forget how Jueqing Valley changed from a heresy to an orthodox martial arts community." Gu Ri waved his hand to interrupt Zhang Songyi's argument and said quietly, "It was Alliance Leader Luo who put aside past grudges and helped you get rid of the stigma of heresy. Now, you openly team up with the traitor who murdered Alliance Leader Luo. Is this considered repaying kindness with enmity? Does Valley Leader Xiao know about this?"

When Xiao Zhirou was mentioned, Tang Afu's eyes changed quietly, and the coldness and arrogance lingering on his face gradually disappeared.

In fact, Gu Ri deliberately used Xiao Zhirou to test Tang Afu to see how much he knew about Xiao Zhirou and Liu Xunyi.

However, when Gu Ri saw Tang Afu's hesitant expression, he knew what was going on, so he changed the subject and said, "Enough of the idle talk. What do you want us to do to let Fourth Master Yan go?"

"One for another!"

"You mean... exchange hostages?" Gu Ri pretended to be confused even though he knew the truth.

"Yes."

"I can exchange hostages with you..."

"what?"

Before Gu Ri finished speaking, Xie Xuan, Gan Yonglin, Yan Bugui and others were all shocked and cried out in surprise. "Be patient! The hostage I exchanged is not Liu Xunyi, but..." Gu Ri's expression changed, and his cold eyes slowly swept over Pan Yuyin, Abaolu, Xiao Yang, Su Hu, Xun Budao... and finally fell on Su He and Tang Afu, and said word by word, "It's you."

"We?" Su He frowned, as if he didn't understand Gu Ri's implication. "What do you mean by that, Senior?"

"As long as Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen stay, the others can leave unharmed."

"Asshole..."

"Wait a minute!" Su He waved his hand to interrupt the furious Abaolu and asked suspiciously, "Excuse me, senior, in your eyes... are we all hostages?"

"Of course!" Gu Ri said with a confident smile, "Your Excellency might as well look around and see who is the butcher and who is the fish? Can't you tell the difference?"

"That's right!" Gan Yonglin, who had suddenly come to his senses, hurriedly agreed, "No matter how powerful you are, you are only two people. One of you is holding Fourth Master Yan hostage, and only one person can take action. On the other hand, we have Taoist Master Gu Ri and Lord Xie, two top-notch masters, guarding us from above, and dozens of disciples from Wudang, Xianwang Mansion, and Gan Family cheering us on from below. Once the fight starts, those sleepy people behind you will be like lambs to be slaughtered. How many people can you two take care of when you are so weak? Therefore, although you are not 'under the knife', you are 'in the cage'. If you are not hostages, what are you?"

"What a joke!" Tang Afu laughed in anger. "It is still unknown who will win. Even if we are hostages, we will use us as scapegoats before we die. If you don't believe me, you can try it."

As soon as these words came out, the troops on both sides were all excited and indignant. They drew their swords and shouted at each other. In an instant, the solemn and depressing lobby of the inn became restless and noisy.

"Wudang has no grudges against Jueqing Valley and Chifengling in the past, and no enmity in the present. Tonight, I don't want to make enemies with you two." Gu Ri suddenly raised his voice to suppress the noise around him, "I know that you two are brave men who are willing to die and are not afraid of our large numbers. But I and Lord Xie are not in vain. Once we fight, although we will have some casualties, you... will not have an easy time either. Especially those who can't even stand steadily, they will definitely die. God is kind and merciful, and I am also kind and tolerant. Do you really want to make the Luzhou Inn a river of blood?"

"This……"

"More importantly, this matter will directly affect the relationship between Jueqing Valley, Chifeng Ridge and the Central Plains martial arts world. A single move will affect the entire body, and a bloody storm will surely be set off in the martial arts world. By then, I don't know how many innocent people will die in this avoidable and meaningless fight." Gu Ri spoke righteously, using both kindness and force. "Jueqing Valley has always been low-key and introverted. Why should the 'ruthless swordsman' cause trouble for Valley Master Xiao? Why should she be branded as ungrateful? As for the 'fastest sword in Mobei', I have heard that Your Excellency is a hero who dares to act and stands tall. How can you bear to let her be killed because of your own selfishness? Innocent? Tonight, I, for the sake of chivalry and benevolence, am willing to repay evil with kindness and exchange my life... for the lives of all of you. You two are rising stars in the martial arts world, with unlimited prospects. You must not ruin your bright future because of a momentary impulse. Liu Xunyi is the public enemy of the martial arts world. Everyone knows that he will die sooner or later. Why do you have to go against the will of heaven? Of course, if you refuse to listen to my advice and insist on risking your lives, I am willing to sacrifice my old face and bear the notoriety of bullying the weak, and personally go down to learn from your high skills, and accompany you to the end, until death. "

"Don't listen to the old man's sweet words..." Abaolu struggled to get up, panting, "I would rather die here than abandon Xunzhen..."

"We are the same. We would rather die than retreat..." Xiao Yang, Su Hu, and Xun Budao echoed in succession. Although their voices were weak, their attitudes were firm and unwavering.

"Senior, did you hear that?" Su He cast an admiring look at Abaolu and the others, his expression gradually becoming solemn, "Even if we agree, they won't agree."

"I know that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, and I also know that young people are full of vigor and are not afraid of life and death. But you should understand that other things can be found if they are lost, but you only have one life." Gu Ri said contemptuously, "Your loyalty will not only fail to save Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen's lives, but will also cost you your own life in vain. It is better to die one than ten..."

"Nonsense!" Abaolu could no longer bear it and cursed, "Old man, stop your nonsense... Do you think we can't see what you are thinking? If you are afraid of fighting, then you are afraid of fighting. If you are afraid of death, then you are afraid of death. Why do you have to find some high-sounding excuses? We are not as hypocritical as you Han people? You talk about benevolence and righteousness, but you are full of evil intentions..."

"you……"

Gu Ri's face turned blue with anger at Abaolu's rude remarks, but as a senior in the martial arts world, he could not curse at others in public like a shrew, especially since the other party's identity, fame, and seniority were very different from his own. Attacking him would not only fail to save his face, but would lower his own value and cause people to laugh at him.

As if he could see Gu Ri's frustration, Gan Fu rolled his eyes and took the initiative to flatter him, scolding Gu Ri and A Baolu on his behalf: "Who do you think you are? How dare you speak nonsense in front of Taoist Gu Ri..."

"Who do you think you are?" Xiao Yang retorted, not wanting to be outdone, "Your Gan family is nothing but a dog raised by Wudang and the Xianwang Mansion!"

"you……"

"enough!"

Seeing that the verbal battle between the two sides was getting more and more intense, and the "jianghu fight" was about to turn into "ruffians cursing on the street", the upset Gu Ri suddenly felt that he had lost all his face, so he looked fierce, waved his hand, and said decisively: "Since you don't know the depth of the martial arts world and insist on being buried with Liu Xunyi and Xunzhen, I will simply fulfill your wish. By the way, let's learn from you whether the leading figures among the current martial arts are as powerful as the legend says? Compared with us old guys who are half buried in the ground... how do they fare?"

……

(End of this chapter)