Gu Qingfeng followed the maid to the back courtyard, leaving Wang Fatty, whose face was as pale as a ghost, standing in place, at a loss. At this moment, Wang Fatty glanced at Xu Daizi beside him and began, "Xu..."
"Stop right there. Drinks are always on the house, but don't even think about borrowing money."
Wang Fatty: "......"
The back courtyard of Heavenly Fragrance Tower.
Here, pavilions and water pavilions stood amidst artificial hills and lush bamboo. There were shaded paths and a clear pond with a school of red carp swimming gracefully. It was evident that the owner of this place had exquisite taste.
As soon as Gu Qingfeng entered, he felt a completely different atmosphere from the front building. The front building was bustling and noisy, while this place was serene and tranquil.
The maid led Gu Qingfeng through the shaded paths, past the clear pond, and finally stopped in front of a house.
"Young Master, please rest in Room One for a while. Once the remaining two esteemed guests find the real flower, our young lady will come to meet you."
Gu Qingfeng nodded and glanced around. He noticed two other houses standing beside his, slightly behind in position. Each of the three houses had a sign with the numbers one, two, and three.
After bidding farewell to the maid, Gu Qingfeng entered Room One alone. The interior was tastefully decorated with a fresh and elegant style. The furniture was sparse but had a unique charm.
He sat on the bed and waited quietly. Soon, he heard noises outside the room, indicating that the maid had brought others in.
"Two young masters, please rest in Room Two and Room Three respectively. I will go and fetch our young lady."
"Wait, what's the deal with these rooms? Why are they numbered?" A cold, arrogant male voice asked.
"To answer your question, young master, the rooms are arranged based on the order in which you found the real flower. When our young lady arrives, she will pose another question to select one of you as her guest of honor. The room number also signifies the order of answering. Room One answers first, Room Two second, and Room Three last.
Our young lady has set up three challenges in total. The flower hunt was the first, and there are two more to go. So, young masters, please rest for a while."
"Mm, understood."
......
Gu Qingfeng heard everything clearly from inside the room. However, he was greatly displeased: "What the hell? Three challenges? There are still two more to go? By the time I finish these two, the damn sun will be up!"
Just as Gu Qingfeng was muttering in dissatisfaction, suddenly.
Bang!
The door was kicked open.
Standing at the doorway was an Arrogant Man dressed in white, holding a long sword in his arms, his face full of pride. He coldly stared at Gu Qingfeng, who was sitting on the bed, examining him up and down with undisguised disdain in his eyes.
"A mere Qi Gathering Fourth Level martial artist managed to find the real flower first. I must say, you're quite lucky. However, if you think you can monopolize Room One, you'll have to prove you're worthy!"
Before Gu Qingfeng could respond, the Arrogant Man acted without hesitation.
With a single hand, he struck out like a butterfly dancing through flowers, his palm carrying the powerful aura of a Peak of Internal Qi Realm martial artist. The palm slammed hard into Gu Qingfeng's chest.
Bang!
A muffled sound echoed.
A semi-transparent golden shield emerged from Gu Qingfeng's body, blocking the Arrogant Man's palm.
The Arrogant Man retracted his hand, his eyes flashing with surprise, then he sneered, "Golden Bell Shield? So you've also trained in external martial arts. Not bad, you're barely qualified to sit here. However, that's all you've got. You're still far from being worthy to compete with me for the guest of honor position."
With that, the Arrogant Man turned and was about to leave.
At this moment, Gu Qingfeng's expression suddenly darkened.
He had been in a fairly good mood, but then this idiot just popped out of nowhere, kicked the door open without a word, and after delivering a palm strike, turned around and wanted to leave?
This guy was utterly arrogant and disrespectful.
"Hold it." Gu Qingfeng said coldly.
"Oh?" The Arrogant Man stopped, frowning as he looked at Gu Qingfeng coldly, "Something the matter?"
"You just hit me out of nowhere and think you can leave?"
The Arrogant Man sneered, "I was just testing whether you, a mere Qi Gathering Fourth Level martial artist, were worthy of sitting in Room One."
Gu Qingfeng's expression grew even darker: "Testing? If I were just an ordinary Qi Gathering Fourth Level martial artist without external martial arts, do you know what your palm strike would have done?"
"Killed him."
"So you're saying you'd kill a complete stranger just for a test?"
The Arrogant Man's smile turned mocking: "The weak should stay hidden in their corners and train, not come to places like this to show off. If they lack the self-awareness of being weak, then dying is just the natural order."
At this, Gu Qingfeng was utterly enraged. This was the first time he had such intense killing intent towards someone. He didn't object to revenge or settling scores, but this kind of unwarranted disregard for life was deeply repulsive.
"A fine line: 'If they lack the self-awareness of being weak, then dying is just the natural order.' Since that's the case, as a weakling yourself, please go die."
Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng slowly rose from the bed, his expression calm as he walked step by step toward the Arrogant Man.
The Arrogant Man leaned against the doorframe, his interest piqued as he watched Gu Qingfeng: "You?"
"Yes, me." Gu Qingfeng said calmly, as if stating a simple fact.
He walked steadily toward the Arrogant Man. When he was close enough, the Arrogant Man moved. He swiftly drew his long sword, the blade flashing like a streak of light, aiming directly at Gu Qingfeng's neck.
"Then die!"
Clang!
The sword struck Gu Qingfeng's pale neck, producing a metallic clang.
He remained unharmed.
The sword, however, snapped in half.
The Arrogant Man's expression changed for the first time, turning into one of shock, disbelief, and horror.
"How is this possible!"
The Arrogant Man immediately discarded his broken sword and launched a palm strike filled with internal energy! However, before it could reach Gu Qingfeng.
Slap!
Gu Qingfeng grabbed his wrist with one hand, applying slight pressure, and the sound of a bone cracking echoed. The Arrogant Man's internal energy instantly dissipated.
"Ah! My hand!"
The Arrogant Man's face contorted in pain, growing increasingly fierce. He struggled frantically, lifting his leg to kick.
Gu Qingfeng, as if he had already anticipated it, kicked out lightning-fast, his foot arriving before the Arrogant Man's, slamming into his raised leg.
Another crack echoed, accompanied by more agonized screams.
The Arrogant Man lost his balance and fell to his knees, yet his hand was still gripped by Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng twisted gently, and the man's arm twisted like a wrung towel, skin tearing as bone fragments pierced through, exposing jagged white bones drenched in blood.
"Ah!!!!" A heart-wrenching scream erupted from the Arrogant Man's mouth.
"How annoying." Gu Qingfeng's gaze turned cold, and he directly grabbed the man's neck, lifting him off the ground.
The Arrogant Man's eyes bulged, filled with terror as he struggled in vain, oxygen slowly being cut off from his body.
At this moment, he was utterly terrified, especially when he saw Gu Qingfeng's calm eyes, a sense of unprecedented dread engulfing him.
"No... don't kill me..."
The Arrogant Man struggled from his throat, pleading for mercy.
Gu Qingfeng gently moved his hand down, aligning the man's eyes with his own, forcing them to meet. The Arrogant Man saw a hint of confusion in Gu Qingfeng's eyes.
"You don't respect life, do you? Then why not disregard your own?"
Gu Qingfeng's expression was calm, with a touch of confusion, as he spoke slowly.