"If you are really afraid of being rude, you should just behave yourself!" Gu Pinglin pinched his sword gestures and the Gu Ying sword flew out again.
"How could I be dishonest in front of you?" Duan Qingming turned around to avoid the sword, which brushed past his shoulder.
"You know it yourself!" Gu Pinglin changed his gesture, and the Gu Ying Sword circled back lightly, drawing one purple sword flower after another in the air at an astonishing speed. Hundreds of thousands of sword flowers connected into a piece, which was very magnificent.
"Flowers and Butterflies in Disarray" is an advanced sword move of the Lingxin School. It is a fast sword move that Gu Pinglin is not good at and rarely uses, but he skillfully combines this move with the formation. With the blessing of the formation, it helps to boost the sword energy in a short period of time, and the speed of generating sword flowers is not inferior to Duan Qingming at all.
Duan Qingming was also surprised: "Interesting!"
This move was Gu Pinglin's unique skill of trapping and locking people in his previous life. The scene inside the formation was completely different from that outside. All one could see was a pitch-black sword realm and a sea of flowers composed of countless sword flowers. Sword intent was spreading, murderous intent was lurking everywhere, and there was no way out.
Duan Qingming avoided the sudden attack of the consciousness sword and continuously formed several barriers to resist. When all the barriers were destroyed, he suddenly stopped moving and no longer dodged.
The sword realm disappeared, and Gu Ying's true form appeared, floating in front of him.
Gu Pinglin walked over and asked: "Are you admitting defeat?"
Duan Qingming did not move, letting the tip of the sword point at his throat: "Using the formation into the sword is a good move, but after seeing through it, it is nothing surprising."
"It can't be broken, it can't be broken," Gu Pinglin said with his hands behind his back, "Why bother to boast?"
"This move..." Duan Qingming stopped and laughed.
Gu Pinglin got to the point: "You did it on purpose."
Duan Qingming said "hmm": "Which one are you talking about?"
Gu Pinglin's face darkened.
Duan Qingming suddenly realized what was happening and said, "It means that we brothers are too friendly..."
"Duan Qingming!" Gu Pinglin was about to use the sword technique again.
"It's just a small matter, why get angry?" Duan Qingming said gently, "That Yao family brother is very interesting, I just teased him by the way, you are too petty."
Ever since he met the Hanying Twin Swords, he has been constantly creating excitement. Who would believe him if he said he didn't do it on purpose? Gu Pinglin sneered: "Tease him, why don't you find someone else?"
Duan Qingming said slowly: "You are the only one who is worthy of me."
If he had known that this person had crazy and unusual ideas, he would have taken this matter for granted. Gu Pinglin didn't know whether he should be honored or angry. He wanted to draw his sword and chop him again: "Don't provoke me. I'm not Qi Wan'er. I won't give up monitoring you."
"Of course, I'm just curious about how angry you will get," Duan Qingming tapped Gu Ying's sword with his fingers and said with a smile, "You just want to take this opportunity to test my swordsmanship. Why are you so aggressive? How is it, did you find out?"
This person saw through his past and present life. Gu Pinglin pursed his lips and sheathed his sword.
"No -" Duan Qingming bowed his head towards him, "Instead, you revealed a trump card to me, why?"
Gu Pinglin walked away calmly: "The strong never hesitate to show their trump cards."
Duan Qingming smiled and said, "G, the strong have nothing to fear, why are you hiding, what are you afraid of?"
"I'm not interested in this kind of game," Gu Pinglin glanced at him, "That's not what I'm talking about."
"Oh? You're not angry about this, then why?"
"You want Nanzhu to face Guo Feng."
"It will come to that day sooner or later. I just added fuel to the fire in advance," Duan Qingming said without surprise. "Isn't this what you want? Nanzhu completely controls Penglai Island. With your relationship, Lingxin Sect will gain a lot of benefits in the East China Sea."
When he helped Nanzhu, Gu Pinglin did have this idea, but after hearing what he said, Gu Pinglin still frowned: "But his foundation is not stable yet, it's not appropriate for him to confront Guo Feng so soon."
"The civil unrest in Penglai is also an opportunity for the outside world. It is not a bad thing for the Lingxin Sect."
Gu Pinglin sneered: "Even your Duan family can't eat up such a huge Penglai Island, let alone the Lingxin Sect?"
Duan Qingming paced a few steps nonchalantly, and said, "Whether we eat or not, it won't be a loss to us."
Gu Pinglin's heart sank.
This person was born with the talent to cause trouble in the world of cultivation. He treated games as a pastime, and other people were never important to him. Because of that "I can't bear to part with you", I thought that after many years of friendship in this life, he really had some reservations, and maybe he would show some mercy and let this bet on victory or defeat end as I wished. After the obsession was broken, maybe he and I would become real brothers, but I didn't expect that his so-called brotherhood might not be as much as what I cared about.
Since he already knew that I was approaching him intentionally, there was really no question of us being friends. I almost took it seriously.
Duan Qingming is still the same Duan Qingming. There is nothing he can't bear to let go of. How can I be soft-hearted
"Nanzhu is grateful to me, and I don't want to harm him," Gu Pinglin was alert, and his tone became light, "Besides, if Guo Feng wins, it will only be bad for the Lingxin Sect. I would rather wait for a few years and focus on the affairs of the sea first."
Duan Qingming nodded slowly upon hearing this, and said with a smile: "Yes, we still need to concentrate on our gambling."
Gu Pinglin immediately said, "I'm going to bet with you this time, regardless of life or death, don't implicate others."
"No matter life or death," Duan Qingming looked back at him for a long moment and asked, "What do you want to bet on?"
"A letter." Gu Pinglin raised his hand, with a letter between his fingers. It was the letter he had taken from Xin Ji, from Wei Fengshi, the leader of the Demon Realm.
Duan Qingming's eyes flickered: "Are you sure about this bet?"
"Of course," Gu Pinglin said, "Master Wei Feng has put a seal on the letter. None of us knows what's inside. Whoever can decipher the secret in the letter will win."
"Then you're going to lose."
"how you said that?"
"Of course I saw some problems."
"I can see that too. You are just being mysterious." Gu Pinglin was not confused and put the letter away again. "Just saying that you can see some problems proves that you don't know much."
Duan Qingming retracted his gaze and said with a smile, "It is, but it is also simple. The place where they agreed to exchange letters is on Penglai Island."
The time has passed and Xin Ji has not arrived yet. The other party will surely be alert and place spies on guard.
Gu Pinglin said: "It's okay to take the risk."
When it was dark, Jun Muzhi came in person to invite everyone to the banquet. He expected that Lord Ping Cang would definitely be there at such an occasion, and Qi Wan'er was even more reluctant to show up, so she said she was in meditation and practiced, and asked seven Qi family monks to guard outside the door. Jun Muzhi guessed the reason and did not force him.
Xin Ji didn't want to go either. He obviously anticipated the consequences of delaying the delivery of the letter. The other party agreed to meet on Penglai Island, which meant that the person who colluded with Master Wei Feng was most likely someone on the island. Even if he changed his appearance, he still felt uneasy.
Gu Pinglin saw what he was thinking and said, "If we don't go, won't it attract more attention?"
Jun Muzhi is not a simple person. Xin Ji was awakened and had to swallow his words.
Jun Muzhi walked over with a smile and bowed to Gu Pinglin: "Brother Gu, please."
Gu Pinglin turned sideways and said, "Brother Duan."
Jun Muzhi's eyes moved slightly and he turned to look at Duan Qingming.
Duan Qingming stepped forward with a smile and sighed to Jun Muzhi, "My junior brother is always clingy, sorry to make fun of him."
Jun Muzhi smiled and said, "It's natural for fellow disciples to have a good relationship."
Soon, the two men started talking. One was a scion of a prominent family in Penglai, and the other was a young master of a noble family in the Southern Realm. Their manners and etiquette were impeccable. They talked as they walked, and seemed to be having a very good chat, laughing from time to time.
Pushing Duan Qingming out to attract attention, Gu Pinglin followed slowly and leisurely behind.
Jun Muzhi led everyone to the outside of a large hall and stopped there. Faint sounds of music could be heard from inside. Several guards dressed in Penglai costumes stood on both sides, holding whisks in their hands. Everyone looked up and saw the words "Guanwei Hall" written on a plaque.
"Young master, the distinguished guest is here." Jun Muzhi raised his voice with a smile and stepped aside to make way.
Duan Qingming paused slightly, Gu Pinglin walked forward, and the two of them walked into the hall side by side.
The hall was very spacious, with huge pillars and painted beams, and a white marble floor. It was very grand. In the middle of the dance floor, several beauties were playing music. On both sides were several long low tables with fruit plates and wine vessels on them. There were two exquisite mats next to them. There were already several people sitting in the seats, and several beautiful girls were kneeling to serve. When they saw everyone coming in, they all bowed respectfully.
Three steps ahead, Nanzhu was standing up from his seat and said with a smile, "Finally you're here." He walked down the steps himself, grabbed Gu Pinglin's arm and introduced him to everyone, "This is the brother Gu Pinglin I often mention."
When they saw Gu Pinglin's appearance clearly, everyone was a little surprised and stood up to greet him.
Gu Pinglin understood at a glance and returned the gift.
I think these people all support Nanzhu. Compared with the entire Penglai Island force, they are too weak.
"I've always heard the young master mention the little boy. Now that I've met him today, I can see that he is indeed Master Yue's disciple." The one who spoke was the first old man on the right. He was wearing a white robe embroidered with copper coins. His hair and beard were silver-gray, and he had a long face. His skin was a little too white, and his eyes were full of restrained light.
Gu Pinglin had already noticed him, and without waiting for Nanzhu to introduce him, he asked, "Is this Lord Pingcang?"
The old man was stunned.
"Little boy, you have good eyesight!" The old man in green on the left laughed.
"Shun Shi Gong, you are too kind," Gu Pinglin turned to look at him, "Who doesn't know the Three Dukes of Penglai? No one dares to admit that you two are so impressive."
Shun Shi Gong had kind eyes and a green jade ruyi in his hand. He was obviously surprised that Gu Pinglin recognized him. He smiled and shook his head: "I am old, but I am still wandering around. Now the world belongs to you, the younger generation."
"You are so young and yet you are able to make friends with the young master. You must have extraordinary vision," Lord Pingcang said calmly. He glanced around and everyone immediately fell silent. Lord Pingcang then retracted his gaze, straightened his robe and stepped forward. He bowed solemnly to Gu Pinglin, "The old island master entrusted the young master to us before he died. Gu Xiu saved the young master, which means he saved Penglai Island and me. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me and I will definitely help you with all my strength."
In one sentence, he took the favor to Nanzhu on himself. Gu Pinglin laughed: "Mr. Pingcang is right. Brother Nan is a lucky man. He is just trapped in shallow water. Even without me, he will have a chance to rise sooner or later."
Shun Shigong said with a smile: "Why are you being so polite? Sit down and talk, brother Jun. The young master specially prepared a banquet to entertain the distinguished guests. How can we let the distinguished guests stand?"
Lord Pingcang frowned secretly, then laughed, "It was my negligence. Please come in."
Seeing that the two of them had no intention of looking down on Gu Pinglin, the others followed suit. Nanzhu was overjoyed and pulled Gu Pinglin up the stairs: "Come, come and sit here with me."
Gu Pinglin looked at Lord Pingcang with a half-smile and declined politely: "I am a guest, how can I sit in the host's seat?"
Nanzhu waved her hand: "Why should we separate ourselves? I said you can sit down, so you can sit down!"
Duke Pingcang glanced at Jun Mu, and the grandfather and grandson exchanged glances.
Now is not the time to make the Penglai officials suspicious, so Gu Pinglin finally rejected Nanzhu and walked to sit next to Duan Qingming.
Shun Shigong smiled and turned to Duan Qingming, saying amiably, "This is the sixth son of the Duan family, right? He has great talent. When you were one month old, I sent a gift on behalf of the old island master. You probably don't know about this."
They had already investigated the details of several people. Gu Pinglin calmly picked up the wine glass and took a sip, listening to Duan Qingming deal with him.
There was nothing special about the banquet. Jiang Ruoxu, Leng Xu, Bu Shuihan and Gan Li were all very familiar with such occasions. Xin Ji was an old hand and although he was nervous, he looked calm. Yao Feng was a little uncomfortable because of the Yao family's fame. In the past, more people urged him to drink. He did not like to talk and just drank silently. When he had almost finished drinking, he would say "I don't want to drink anymore" and never drink again.
Gu Pinglin occasionally raised his glass to Nanzhu and said a few words to her from a distance, but most of the time he was drinking alone. He secretly kept an eye on Duan Qingming beside him, and saw that he was still the same as usual, speaking calmly, being gentle and polite, and dealing with everyone with ease. Not only did Lord Pingcang seem to be thinking about something and secretly signaling to Nanzhu that they could make friends, but even an old man like Lord Shunshi showed satisfaction with him.
About half an hour later, Duan Qingming suddenly held his forehead, stood up and said apologetically: "I am a little drunk and have disturbed everyone's interest. I am ashamed. Please allow me to leave first."
Nanzhu had been sullen, thinking that he had stolen Gu Pinglin's limelight. But she was relieved after hearing this and ordered the maid, "Send Master Duan back to his room..."
Before he finished speaking, Gu Pinglin stood up and said, "It's getting late. I'll take Senior Brother Duan back."