Chapter 908: Chapter 908: Despicable Gu Huaqiu
The sword duel with Sword Venerable Ling Xiao brought immense joy to Liu Zixuan!
In his excitement, he hosted a grand feast, where everyone gathered inside the hall and drank merrily.
Thanks to the courage he displayed during the duel with Sword Venerable Ling Xiao and the strength he showed, many disciples actively sought out Liu Zixuan to drink with him during the feast.
To be honest, their previous dissatisfaction with Liu Zixuan was mainly because of Xiaoxiao.
But, everyone has self-awareness.
Even though Liu Zixuan is about the same age as them, the courage and strength he possesses are beyond their reach.
People admire the strong, and among martial artists, strength is especially revered.
After the series of events earlier, now the disciples had no complaints about Liu Zixuan. Though a little begrudging, they felt that their goddess marrying such an outstanding peer was truly a match made in heaven!
Without any deep-seated grudges and with a few drinks down, naturally the conversation flowed.
Everyone was asking Liu Zixuan how he comprehended the Sword Dao, and some even whispered about how to pursue girls, creating a harmonious scene.
Sword Venerable Ling Xiao and others watched the harmonious interaction among the disciples and felt overjoyed.
For martial artists, alcohol can make them drunk or not drunk at all.
If there were tasks to do after drinking, they could use their inner strength to dissipate the alcohol immediately. But today was a joyful day, and no one did that, getting thoroughly drunk instead!
"This wine is strong, not as tasty as Grandpa Qing’s Peach Blossom Brew," Xiaoxiao muttered with her face flushed, wobbling as she got up to leave, mumbling about going back to her room to rest.
"Brother Xuan, the goddess is gone, now can you share your tips on chasing girls with us?" a disciple beside pestered Liu Zixuan.
Liu Zixuan relaxed and laughed in his drunkenness, "Actually, there’s no real secret. If you want to pursue a girl, you just have to have thick skin."
"Hahaha, that’s the truth!"
"But having thick skin isn’t enough, is it?"
The disciple next to him shouted.
Liu Zixuan grinned and started boasting, but about ten minutes later, Gu Huaqiu quietly came over, slipped a note into Liu Zixuan’s hand, and left the hall unnoticed.
Even though Liu Zixuan was drunk, he remained wary of Gu Huaqiu. Elder Qing had warned him earlier; this guy had no good intentions. Thus, he never let his guard down.
He leaned back slightly and glanced at the note.
"Meet me at the cliff between the two mountains in five minutes, or you’ll regret it for life!"
Cliff? Regret it for life?
Liu Zixuan immediately frowned, sensing a bad omen.
"Brother Xuan, keep talking."
"You stopped halfway; are you afraid we’ll learn your skills and compete with you for the goddess Xiaoxiao?"
The disciple next to him shouted drunkenly.
Liu Zixuan stood up with a smile, "I’ll be back to talk later. I need to use the restroom first!"
"Tsk tsk, what a lightweight, needing to puke after so little drinking, really can’t hold your liquor!" The disciple, although shouting, soon slumped over the table himself.
At this moment, everyone in the hall was drunk, even Sword Venerable Ling Xiao and the elders were in a drunken state.
Liu Zixuan pocketed the note and, using the restroom as an excuse, walked straight out of the hall. Pausing at the entrance for a few seconds, he dispersed all traces of drunkenness and headed directly outside Profound Mountain.
...
At the cliff between Profound Mountain and Sword Mountain.
As the sun set, they unknowingly had been drinking all afternoon.
In the lingering glow of the setting sun, Gu Huaqiu stood there with a smile, gazing at the mist below the cliff.
"What tricks are you up to now?" Liu Zixuan looked around and asked.
"Liu Zixuan, we’ve known each other for about two months now, haven’t we?" Gu Huaqiu stood with his hands behind his back, smiling faintly.
"Yes!" Liu Zixuan casually pulled out a cigarette. Despite it being spring, there was still a chill standing at the cliff’s edge.
"Indeed, two months ago, many prestigious families and great powers thought I was a once-in-a-million genius, admired since childhood, chosen by the Profound Sword Sect for my astonishing talent."
"I wanted the halo of genius to remain forever over me, so when I came to the Profound Sword Sect, I did not slack off, actively learning swordsmanship, and emerged among the disciples within a few years."
"But!" At this moment, Gu Huaqiu suddenly looked at Liu Zixuan, "Since your arrival, you’ve shattered all my years of glory, first by defeating me in front of everyone in the Star Sea Martial Realm at the martial tournament, then demonstrating exceptional talent at the Profound Sword Sect, even defeating the Second Elder today and dueling with the Sect Leader."
"So what of it?" Liu Zixuan sneered.
"You can surpass me in battle, and you might be more talented, but you never should have made advances toward Xiaoxiao!"
Gu Huaqiu’s expression twisted with rage, his voice deep and growling, "Xiaoxiao should be mine, she should belong to me alone. She is the daughter of the Great Elder, and I am the Great Elder’s most outstanding disciple. She can only belong to me. Yet you’ve come and taken the halo of genius from me, and now you dare take her away too!"
"Therefore, I cannot let you live. Only one of us can survive in this world!"
"Are you suggesting we settle this here?" Liu Zixuan raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Exactly! But since it’s a settlement, we should have a witness!" Gu Huaqiu replied with a meaningful smile.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zixuan immediately frowned, "What do you mean?"
"Take two steps forward and look down!" Gu Huaqiu said with a smile.
Liu Zixuan cautiously took two steps forward and looked down, only to see Xiaoxiao tied with a rope hanging over the cliff. The other end of the rope was at Gu Huaqiu’s feet.
Earlier, due to the angle, he hadn’t seen it, but now he saw everything clearly.
Liu Zixuan’s expression instantly turned furious, "Gu Huaqiu, you really dare to stop at nothing to achieve your goals. You dare suspend Xiaoxiao off the cliff, don’t you know that every fifteen minutes, a sword wind stirs within the cliff?"
"I am well aware of that. Including your travel time here, we both only have ten minutes to resolve this." Gu Huaqiu said arrogantly.
"How do you want to resolve it?" Liu Zixuan asked in a low voice.
"It’s simple, either you come over and kill me, in which case Xiaoxiao and I will fall off the cliff together, or you jump off the cliff and commit suicide."
Listening to Gu Huaqiu’s words, Liu Zixuan’s lips twitched a few times angrily before asking, "Do you really think this will make Xiaoxiao yours? Even if I die, Sword Venerable Ling Xiao won’t let you go!"
"That’s not for you to worry about!" Gu Huaqiu checked the time and smiled, "Eight minutes left! Liu Zixuan, make your choice, either you die, or Xiaoxiao and I die together!"
