Are You... Gambling on My Humanity?

As conflicts broke out in ever-greater numbers, Tianji Pavilion descended into disarray without the coordination of the four tower masters, leaving the newly appointed tower masters thoroughly overwhelmed. Left with no alternative, Gu Yong had to oversee Tianji Pavilion in person and take control of the overall situation. The moment Gu Yong stepped in, he immediately instructed the cultivators at every shop to appease the crowd's tempers, refraining from bringing out evidence to deny any accusations. Instead, he proactively began negotiating compensation. As for Shen Feng and the others who had defected, he had neither the time nor the mood to bother with them right now. Besides, based on his understanding of Li Guanqi, abducting Song Yunshu was certainly not something Li Guanqi would have instructed them to do. It could only be that they feared he would kill them and had made an impromptu decision to seize Song Yunshu to save their own skins. For the time being, Song Yunshu's life was not in danger, which put his mind somewhat at ease. Meanwhile, in nearly every city across the Six Domains where Tianji Pavilion had established shops, countless cultivators had gathered, packing the premises so tightly that not even water could trickle through. Li Guanqi said softly, "Dump the goods!" As his words fell, the storm of public opinion gradually subsided, and Tianji Pavilion began negotiating compensation with the cultivators who had been injured by ingesting the pills. Yet these people opened their mouths wide like ravenous lions, each demanding sums numbering in the millions! Word of this soon reached Gu Yong's ears. Gu Yong's face darkened, and he let out a cold snort, speaking in a chilling voice. "Trying to use this chance to extort me? Hmph! "Since they don't want the compensation we offered, let everyone see Li Guanqi's sinister face! "Pass down the order: make all the evidence public! I want Li Guanqi thoroughly discredited and ruined!" Following the old man's command, Tianji Pavilion dumped out all the prepared 'evidence' in one fell swoop! All at once, public condemnation turned upon Guanyun Pavilion and Li Guanqi, assailing them in both word and deed. When Li Guanqi, Xi Yunhuai, Yu Hua, and the others heard the news, they exchanged glances. Yu Hua looked at Li Guanqi with eyes full of admiration. Everything was unfolding within this man's plans, completely as anticipated. Every single move the enemy made was within Li Guanqi's calculations. Yu Hua even had the illusion that Li Guanqi himself had directed Tianji Pavilion to act this way. The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly as he murmured softly, "Add three chairs." Xi Yunhuai paused, while Yu Hua, her brow slightly furrowed, waved her hand, causing three chairs to appear in the room. *Buzz!* Space distorted slightly. Shen Feng, who had finally breathed a sigh of relief, cast his gaze over Yu Hua and Xi Yunhuai. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. Turning to Li Guanqi, he bowed and said, "Pavilion Master Li, this is the Master of the Red Tower, Jia Kun, and the Master of the Blue Tower, Wei Song." Li Guanqi turned back to look at the three of them. His gaze swept casually over Wei Song and Jia Kun. That mere, utterly calm look made the two feel as though they were facing a formidable enemy. This was especially true for Jia Kun and Wei Song, who had never met Li Guanqi before. They had always thought Li Guanqi was nothing more than an inexperienced young lad. Now that they had met him in person, profound shock filled their hearts, for the strength and aura he displayed was enough to completely overpower them! Even the stunningly beautiful woman behind him possessed strength that could definitely not be underestimated! As for Li Guanqi himself, his aura was unfathomably deep, swallowing up the divine senses they used to probe him like a bottomless abyss. Li Guanqi smiled faintly and said softly, "Mm. Take a seat for a while." Somewhat ill at ease, the three sat down behind him. Li Guanqi asked, "Where is Tu Kui?" Shen Feng raised his hand, tearing open a rift in the void. A layer of swirling mist enveloped Tu Kui, whose aura was extremely faint. Shen Feng said with a solemn expression, "The poison within his body has already been extracted by me. But... for some reason, his will to die is already set, and he has sunk into self-imposed isolation." Li Guanqi nodded. With a casual motion, his hand passed straight through the seal Shen Feng had placed, and he lightly tapped his finger against the old man's brow. In an instant, powerful lightning energy numbed the old man's entire body, sending his divine soul into unconsciousness. Li Guanqi said softly, "Rest well for a while..." With that, he rose, turned his head toward Shen Feng, and fixed his pure white eyes upon him, speaking softly. "Ever since you arrived, you've looked like you wanted to speak but hesitated. Is there something you want to tell me?" Shen Feng's face changed slightly, and he said somewhat unnaturally, "Well... I..." Standing tall with one hand behind his back, Li Guanqi said softly, "Speak." Shen Feng gritted his teeth and said, "I took Song Yunshu captive!" Beside him, Jia Kun and Wei Song also looked somewhat uneasy. Along the way, the two had heard many things about Li Guanqi and had gained a general understanding of his character and temper. They believed Shen Feng's unauthorized abduction of Song Yunshu would incur Li Guanqi's wrath. Sure enough, Li Guanqi's brow furrowed, and he asked in a cold voice, "You captured Song Yunshu? Why?" Shen Feng gritted his teeth and replied, "I didn't expect Song Yunshu to arrive right at that moment either! We were in the middle of deciding whether to defect from Tianji Pavilion. Tian Hai of the Yellow Tower was terrified of dying, so we had no choice but to strike!" Li Guanqi knit his brows tightly, taking a deep breath as his expression grew grave. Opening his eyes a slit, Li Guanqi spoke in a calm voice. "Open your domain. Let me inside." Shen Feng's heart sank as he suddenly realized something was amiss. "Could... could there be a problem?" Li Guanqi strode toward the spatial rift before him. As he passed by the man, his figure paused briefly, his eyes icy as he said in a chilling voice: "You were all inside the domain. Could Gu Yong really not sense your presence? Why would he go through the trouble of sending his precious granddaughter to look for you?" Just those two sentences made Shen Feng's heart plummet to rock bottom, a chill rushing straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head! Jia Kun and Wei Song's expressions changed drastically as well. Given that old fox's shrewdness and cunning, sending her might truly have been completely redundant. Without exception, they all followed Li Guanqi into the domain. With a single glance, Li Guanqi spotted Song Yunshu bound in place at the center. Li Guanqi lowered his head and let out a sigh. He did not undo the restraints on Song Yunshu. Blindfolded, Song Yunshu let out muffled whimpers. She had sensed Li Guanqi's aura. She knew that Li Guanqi was standing right in front of her! She had far too many questions in her heart. She did not understand what had happened between Li Guanqi and her grandfather, or why things had turned out like this! With his eyes closed, Li Guanqi quickly examined her body. Very quickly, he discovered a trace of Gu Yong's power lingering inside Song Yunshu's dantian! Li Guanqi's expression shifted slightly as he murmured under his breath, "Are you... gambling on my humanity...?" Yu Hua frowned and said, "Pavilion Master, how about... I do it?" Shen Feng and the others turned pale with horror. By now, they too had realized: Gu Yong had deliberately let Song Yunshu be captured!