Cooperation

Yan San Niang arranged a carriage for Gu Mo and Gu Chundong, the brother and sister, and they soon arrived at Hundred Flowers Restaurant.

Hundred Flowers Restaurant was one of Linjiang City's finest establishments. It was usually bustling with activity, yet today there was not a single customer, and it was exceptionally quiet.

To play peacemaker, Yan San Niang had truly spared no expense and directly booked out the entire Hundred Flowers Restaurant.

The three of them then sat in the main hall and waited.

They did not have to wait long before someone came to report that the Great Saber Gang had arrived.

Yan San Niang personally went out to receive them.

Before long, a group of people entered from outside. Leading them was a thin old man whose bearing possessed the steady majesty of a mountain and the profound stillness of a deep pool. His silver hair hung loose and wild, while his deep, sharp eyes resembled those of a night hawk.

This man was Lu Yingchuan, the Great Saber Gang's chief and an underworld big shot in Linjiang City, known by the nickname Old Saber Handle. Three middle-aged men followed behind him: the Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard of Wolf, Bear, Tiger, Leopard—Wild Wolf Qin Che, Mountain Tiger Du Yang, and Descending Leopard Lin Heng. All three were notorious figures in Linjiang City.

The three men followed behind Lu Yingchuan, each consciously keeping half a step behind him.

Yan San Niang led them inside and immediately began making introductions.

Gu Mo cupped his hands toward Lu Yingchuan. "Chief Lu, I have long admired your name."

Lu Yingchuan merely nodded slightly without speaking, then sat down directly. Qin Che, Du Yang, and Lin Heng followed suit.

Gu Mo's expression remained calm as he slowly took his seat. Gu Chundong sat close beside him, appearing as tranquil as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze on the surface, though inwardly she was somewhat flustered.

She did not feel much about the Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard, but Old Saber Handle Lu Yingchuan was a household name in Linjiang City.

Back when she had followed Gu Mo on Escort Missions for the Long Wind Escort Agency, she had often heard of Old Saber Handle's exploits. To her, he was a great figure who existed only in legends, even more imposing than the Chief Escort of the Long Wind Escort Agency. She had never imagined that one day she would sit at the same table as such a person—and in a situation where their blades were pointed at each other.

The atmosphere in the main hall was exceedingly oppressive.

Yan San Niang instructed her subordinates to pour tea, then said, "Chief Lu, I invited you here today because I wished to act as a peacemaker. Gu Mo is a man of my Unique Villa, as you should know. This junior has now changed trades and runs Wind Chasing Tower, while Young Hero Gu is currently Unique Villa's chief Blade Catcher. This junior still has to rely on him to earn a living.

"I will not repeat what happened during the day. Everyone knows in their hearts who was right and who was wrong. Those of us in the martial world all value harmony bringing wealth, so I hope we can sit down, share a meal, and make friends. In the future, we will have one more path and one more person to watch our backs. What do you say?"

Lu Yingchuan took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Boss Yan, I must give you this face. I do not wish to argue about right and wrong either, but no matter what, it is a fact that this Young Hero Gu killed my brother. There must be an explanation."

"And what explanation does Chief Lu want?" Yan San Niang asked with a smile.

Lu Yingchuan slowly set down his teacup, looked toward Gu Mo, and said, "Young Hero Gu, surely you must draw a line?"

Gu Mo rose to his feet and lifted his teacup. "Then I shall use tea in place of wine to offer you a cup. From now on—"

Bang!

At that moment, Mountain Tiger Du Yang, seated beside Lu Yingchuan, slammed the table and sprang to his feet. Pointing at Gu Mo, he cursed, "You blind bastard, what the hell are you? My Eldest Prince gave Boss Yan face and gave you a chance to draw a line, yet you dare use tea in place of wine? Are you worthy? Right now, immediately, kneel down, kowtow, apologize, and break one of your own arms. Otherwise—"

Before Du Yang could finish,

Gu Mo's hand holding the teacup gave a slight tremble, and the cup instantly shot out, flying straight toward Du Yang.

Du Yang immediately struck out with his palm.

Yet the teacup flew like an arrow loosed from the bow, so fast that the naked eye could barely follow it. Du Yang's palm missed, and the cup smashed directly into his chest.

Crack!

The sound of bones cracking rang from Du Yang's chest. The next moment, he flew backward and crashed viciously onto the ground, shattering the floor tile beneath him. He spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled, yet could not rise again.

However,

What shocked everyone present even more was this:

The teacup had not shattered. Instead, it bounced back—and more absurdly still, not a single drop of tea had spilled from within it. It then returned safely and soundly to Gu Mo's hand.

The smile remained on Gu Mo's face as he raised the teacup and said, "Chief Lu, I toast you."

Lu Yingchuan's pupils contracted slightly, his eyes filled with shock as he stared fixedly at Gu Mo. The aura around him gradually turned sharp and fierce. Then, after a while, his aura abruptly dissipated. He lifted his teacup and rose. "I will make a friend of Brother Gu. Please!"

With that, Lu Yingchuan drained the tea in his cup in one gulp.

Gu Mo also drained his tea in one gulp.

Lu Yingchuan cupped his hands and said, "Let bygones be bygones. From now on, we are friends. If Brother Gu ever needs anything, feel free to come to me. Farewell!"

With that, Lu Yingchuan cupped his hands toward Yan San Niang again. "Boss Yan, farewell!"

"Take care, Chief Lu."

Yan San Niang saw Lu Yingchuan off to the entrance and watched his group board their carriage. Then she turned back with a smile and said sweetly, "This Old Saber Handle truly has grown old. I thought he was about to trade a few moves with you, Young Hero Gu!"

Gu Mo chuckled. "An Old Saber Handle who does not strike, even if he has yielded, still carries a certain deterrence. After all, no one knows just how strong he would be if he struck. But if Old Saber Handle strikes and still loses, his deterrence will not amount to much. Many people will think, 'I could do that too.'"

"That is indeed the reasoning."

Yan San Niang walked smilingly over to Gu Mo and sat directly beside him, her face full of grievance. "What a pity. I had originally wanted to sell Old Saber Handle a favor and settle this matter for you, Young Hero Gu, so that you would owe me a favor. Who would have thought that Young Hero Gu would frighten Old Saber Handle into fleeing in defeat? That favor could not be sold after all. What a pity!"

Gu Mo said, "I accept Boss Yan's favor."

Yan San Niang stood, drew a contract from her bosom, and spread it open. "Wonderful, Young Hero Gu. Sign and seal it, and from now on, you will be affiliated with my Unique Villa. You must not run off to someone else and break my heart!"

Gu Mo: "..."

Gu Chundong took the contract from Yan San Niang's hand. "Let me read it first."

Yan San Niang slapped her forehead. "I forgot that Young Hero Gu cannot see. Um... Young Hero Gu, can you truly not see?"

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

Yan San Niang said in surprise, "If I did not know that you could not see, Young Hero Gu, then with you sitting here, no one would ever suspect that you were blind."

Gu Mo smiled but said nothing more.

Before long, Gu Chundong finished reading the contract and said, "Brother, there are no problems."

Gu Mo nodded. "Boss Yan, then may our cooperation be pleasant!"

Yan San Niang said with a beaming smile, "Pleasant, pleasant. Young Hero Gu is no ordinary man. You will certainly make this little woman very, very, very happy!"