A rose rose, and sword energy descended.
Most of those present were unaware of Madam Rose's true strength, but at this moment, no one doubted that the rose Madam Rose had unleashed could not withstand Su Yuan's sword energy.
Bang!
A dull sound echoed, and the rose blossomed with dazzling colors, colliding mid-air with Su Yuan's sword energy. In an instant, all they could see was a flash of endless red.
After the flash of red light, everyone was astonished to discover that the seemingly delicate rose had not only completely neutralized Su Yuan's sword energy, but had also completely restrained the sword in his hand like a massive cage.
"Seeking death!"
At that moment, the young man sitting next to Madam Rose shouted coldly, raising his hand and sending a small hurricane flying out.
"Brother Naluo, show mercy!"
As he spoke, a figure flashed by. It was also a rose, but not just one, but thousands, instantly swirling out to entangle the small hurricane.
The one who had attacked was Gongsun Long. At this moment, even Su Yuan was a little incredulous.
Seeing that it was Gongsun Long who had come to block him, Naluo couldn't continue. With a flick of his finger, he saw the hurricane quickly dissipate, eventually vanishing into thin air.
After blocking Naluo's hurricane, Gongsun Long quickly addressed Madam Rose and Naluo, "Mother, Brother Naluo, leave this matter to me. I'll handle it well."
"Well, since it's your own business, you should handle it. I won't interfere."
Madam Rose said calmly, then stood up, stretched, and then walked to the back of the hall, ignoring her.
Seeing Madam Rose leave, Naluo stood up as well.
"I won't interfere, but you'd better be careful about the balance."
With a hint of indifference, Na Luo also left.
Huh!
Seeing both men leave, Gongsun Long breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned to look at Su Yuan and said, "If you want to kill me, you should choose the right time. I don't know if you're really stupid or just pretending. Let's go over there and talk."
Gongsun Long didn't seem to care at all. He pointed to Ming Qi's table and walked over.
"Ah Yuan, why are you doing this?"
Na Xi whispered to Su Yuan. His face was a little gloomy, but he still followed Gongsun Long's instructions, stepped down from the platform, and sat down at Ming Qi's table.
"Su Yuan, what's going on?"
Seeing Su Yuan return, Ming Qi asked in surprise.
After all, he was Su Yuan's superior. Although Su Yuan seemed somewhat dismissive of him as his superior, the fact remained unchangeable.
"This matter has nothing to do with you."
Su Yuan, for once, no longer looked drunk, his movements somewhat mechanical, clearly unsettled.
The other guests, seeing this, were filled with questions, but they didn't dare to ask, so they simply let it go and enjoyed the drinks and conversation with the attendants.
Ming Qi, upon hearing Su Yuan's words, was speechless. Now, he had simply ignored his superior.
Su Yuan's behavior today was truly unexpected. Although Mo Changli and Wei Silong were both perplexed by many of Su Yuan's actions, they seemed much easier now than before.
The few of them stared at each other, and for a moment, no one spoke.
After a moment's silence, Gongsun Long finally broke the awkward situation.
"Xixian Swordsmanship, you're from Xixian City, which is relatively close to the Trade Wind Tribe. So, you must be a friend of Naxi, am I correct?"
Gongsun Long's statement was startling. He had determined Su Yuan's acquaintance with Naxi based solely on her swordsmanship. This alone startled the audience.
Su Yuan wouldn't attack Gongsun Long at his wedding for no reason, and Gongsun Long didn't even know her. The only possible explanation for this was Naxi.
In this case, Su Yuan's acquaintance with Naxi was practically a foregone conclusion.
Seeing Su Yuan didn't object, Gongsun Long smiled and continued, "Then, let me guess why you want to kill me so badly."
Gongsun Long fell into deep thought, then glanced around and said with a smile, "Everyone, why don't you come and guess? If you guess right, I'll give you a great gift."
…
Several people rolled their eyes, as if he wasn't taking it seriously at all.
But since Gongsun Long had said that, everyone except Su Yuan and Naxi started speculating with great interest.
"Gongsun, why would you even need to guess? I think they must be good friends, and this girl must have known that you, Gongsun, were not a good person, so she intervened to prevent the marriage, not wanting her friend to fall into your hands."
Unexpectedly, it was Lin Tiancheng who spoke first, directly proposing the most likely hypothesis.
"No, no, your thinking is too simplistic. It's illogical."
Gongsun Long shook his head repeatedly, directly refuting Lin Tiancheng's judgment.
Lin Tiancheng hadn't guessed it, and neither did Wei Silong and Mo Changli beside him. It seemed their thinking was similar to Lin Tiancheng's.
Gongsun Long pondered for a moment, then asked Ming Qi, "Brother Ming, what do you think?"
Watching the situation, once a scene of swordplay, devolve into a game of charades, Ming Qi didn't know whether to be happy or resigned. At least, Gongsun Long not pursuing the matter was a good outcome.
"I did think of a possibility, but..."
Ming Qi remained silent, only staring at Gongsun Long and smiling, looking a little strange.
Seeing Ming Qi's expression, Gongsun Long burst into laughter, clapping his hands and saying, "Brother Ming, you're quite clever. You've thought of this. Well, then, let's write off today's incident."
The two of them exchanged such a back-and-forth that it became a complete game of charades, leaving everyone around them looking at each other in bewilderment.
"No!"
Su Yuan, who had been silent, suddenly erupted again, interrupting Gongsun Long.
Gongsun Long, however, had grown serious, his face no longer playful. He faced Su Yuan and said quietly, "I believe this is the best possible outcome. You're alone and unburdened, but Naxi is different. She represents the entire Trade Wind Tribe. I'm absolutely certain that even if you stop me, the Red Devil Prince Gongsun Long, today, a Green Devil Prince or something will appear in a few days. Okay, that's all I have to say. Today, for Brother Ming's sake, I'll let this matter go. If you still insist on your own way in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Gongsun Long finally revealed his inner dominance at this moment. Every word he spoke was decisive, leaving no room for doubt or denial. Even the stubborn Su Yuan fell silent.
After saying this, Gongsun Long stood up and said to the others, "I have some minor matters to attend to, so I won't be with you any longer. Also, thank you very much, Brother Ming, for the Dingyan Pill. It's a great gift, and I'll remember it."
After saying this, Gongsun Long took Naxi's hand and walked through the hall, heading directly into the back hall.
"Uh..."
Su Yuan was clearly very disappointed, as if this matter had weighed heavily on his mind, and he felt deeply ashamed that he hadn't been able to stop Gongsun Long.
"Alright, alright, let's end this matter here. Since you're unhappy staying here, just leave."
Mo Changli, seeing Su Yuan's sullen expression, felt a surge of guilt. Suddenly, he felt that Su Yuan's previous, irritating behavior wasn't a big deal, so he spoke up to smooth things over.
"Let's go. We have important things to do."
Ming Qi was the first to stand, followed by Mo Changli, Wei Silong, and Xiao Qi. However, Su Yuan had already quickly left on his own.
The group returned to their residence and discovered Su Yuan hadn't returned. Wei Silong and Mo Changli were busy investigating the deal, and Ming Qi, bored, went out to relax.
After wandering around for the better part of an hour, just as Ming Qi was about to leave, Su Yuan appeared.
"What did you guess?"
Su Yuan asked bluntly upon seeing each other.
Ming Qi spread his hands and smiled, "It's obvious. You like women, so it must be Naxi, and you don't want her to marry anyone else."
Since no one was around, Ming Qi spoke directly. Furthermore, Su Yuan hadn't even intended to hide this hobby. Wei Silong and Mo Changli had known about it, but they seemed to have both thought about it at the wedding.
Su Yuan remained silent, clearly Ming Qi was right.
"Let's go."
The two walked slowly back side by side.
"You're undoubtedly aware of the harsh living conditions in the Western Wilds, where competition, annexation, and massacres are commonplace. The Tradewinds Tribe must rely on external forces to survive and grow. To be frank, by not stopping them, you're actually helping them."
Ming Qi knew that Su Yuan, despite her outward appearance of unruly behavior, was surprisingly stubborn. If she were to pursue Gongsun Long with such single-minded determination, she might very well meet her end at his hands.
Ming Qi still couldn't fully grasp Gongsun Long, but after these few encounters, it was clear there was more to him than meets the eye.
In Ming Qi's estimation, he'd be as gentle as a sheep, yet as fierce as a lion, though he hadn't witnessed Gongsun Long's ferocious side.
Su Yuan was, after all, a member of the Angel of Vengeance, so Ming Qi naturally wouldn't watch her die.
Ming Qi had a lot of trouble getting back to the base. Luckily, his rich experience from a previous life, combined with a high-tech perspective on life and love, finally persuaded Su Yuan to reconsider her decision. While Su Yuan didn't directly let it go, her silence throughout the journey clearly indicated she was wavering.
By the time they returned to the base, it was already dusk, and Mo Changli had already gathered his first wave of intelligence.
As Ming Qi had predicted, many mercenary groups in Killing Star City had received similar offers!