"I haven't really thought about it yet."
Huai Shi scratched his head and shrugged, "Depends on your sincerity."
"KILL HIM!!!"
Lin Yu struggled furiously, ignoring the wounds on her face, forcibly tearing at the corner of her mouth, and shrieked sharply, "Don't mind me, I want him dead!"
SNAP!
Huai Shi snapped his fingers, and the sound stopped abruptly; The Sorrow of Index was already stuffed into her mouth.
But Guo Nu immediately heard the footsteps of Xi Jiang approaching.
The shattered Yi Zi mask was filled with ferocity.
He turned around and glared, "What are you doing?"
"Didn't hear what the boss said?"
Xi Jiang's expression was sinister, "I'm fucking sick of it, you know? Shouldn't have trusted you, motherfucker... Negotiate? Negotiate my ass! When have I ever negotiated with a bastard holding hostages?!"
Huai Shi's expression remained unchanged, just slightly twisting the hilt of the sword. In an instant, Lin Yu's body convulsed violently, twitching in agony as the Sacrificial Knife on her neck pressed down a fraction more.
The blade greedily absorbed her vitality, leaving Lin Yu's face ever paler.
Guo Nu reached out, stopping Xi Jiang, "Stop, Old Xi, don't go forward."
"Where's what you promised me?"
Xi Jiang retorted, "So many of my fucking brothers are dead, where's the stuff you promised me? If you don't give it, I'll take it myself!"
He shoved Guo Nu aside, drew his sword, and walked towards Huai Shi.
Guo Nu turned his head, saw the slight smile at the corner of Huai Shi's mouth, calm and indifferent, as if watching some joke that was none of his business. He sighed and gave a look to his subordinates.
Then, drawing an iron fork, he thrust it out fiercely.
Xi Jiang's steps faltered.
He turned in astonishment, spewing blood.
"You again..."
"Sorry, Old Xi." Guo Nu looked into his eyes, "I had no choice."
Just like when he had backstabbed him years ago, Xi Jiang cursed, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fell backwards to the ground.
As he hit the ground, the backlash of the oath came. In the void, a phantom of the Xie Zhi emerged, opened its mouth abruptly, and sucked away one-third of Guo Nu's life and one-third of his total Source Substance, eliminating one-third of the Stigma—permanently, an injury that would not heal even after he left this game.
But as he lay dying, Xi Jiang refused to let go of this man who had betrayed him again, using all his strength to lift his military blade, sending all his vitality into it.
The light of Rage of the Eyebrow rose with the military blade, slashing towards Guo Nu.
At the same time, those subordinates who had received instructions from Guo Nu boldly attacked Xi Jiang's men, and both sides immediately erupted into chaos.
Golden Coins kept dropping to the ground.
What a show.
In the midst of the chaos, even a piece of invisible dark gold equipment was tracked down and shattered by the military blade, but in Guo Nu's counterattack, that blade also shattered into pieces.
He supported himself with the iron fork, struggling for breath.
In the end, only three people were left standing. With a signal from Guo Nu, a man named Mu En stepped forward and, with a knife in hand, finished off the remaining gasping opponents.
What a mess.
Only fourteen Golden Coins were thrown over.
"The sincerity you wanted."
Guo Nu stared hard into Huai Shi's eyes, "Now, let her go."
Huai Shi started to laugh, retorted, "You only have three men left, what will you use to negotiate with me? How about this, you kill the other two, then kill yourself, and I will let her go. My word is my bond, how about that?"
"And then chase after her and kill her? Don't play that game with me..." Guo Nu sneered, "How about I negotiate with this?"
He bent down and picked up a heavy package from the Border Relic that Xi Jiang had dropped. An embedded countdown timer and the familiar red and blue wires clearly indicated it was an Alchemy Explosive.
"This stuff Xi Jiang prepared, one pack, enough to send half this park sky-high," Guo Nu said, "Let her go, let her leave, or we die together."
"How can I trust you?" Huai Shi asked indifferently.
"Mu En! Mu En! Where the hell did you die?"
Guo Nu shouted, calling over the stooped, aging middle-aged man. The man opened his palm, revealing the last vanishing tattoo as the phantom of the Xie Zhi emerged again.
"You let her go free, and I'll throw away the explosive,"
Guo Nu panted, his eyes locked on Huai Shi, "We can settle our differences later. Otherwise, let's die together now."
"Fine."
Huai Shi nodded.
The Xie Zhi phantom surveyed the area, then turned and vanished.
The contract was established.
Then, Huai Shi snapped his fingers, and in an instant, The Sorrow of Index slackened. But before Lin Yu could make a move, his palm fiercely grabbed onto the sword hilt, tearing a huge wound.
In the midst of sudden screams, the Sacrificial Knife slid across Lin Yu's wrist, nimbly picking out two negligible tendons and severing them.
Finally, it entered her thigh.
"Run, girl."
Huai Shi let go, watching that resentful face, took a step back, and said with a smile, "Run, the further the better before I come to find you."
"One day, Huai Shi, one day..." Lin Yu looked at him deeply, her pale face twisted into a sickly, ferocious expression, "I will make you regret everything you've done today."
"Is that so? That's a shame."
Huai Shi shrugged helplessly, "I've already regretted my actions, just a while ago. But sadly, the person who made me regret isn't you."
Lin Yu said no more, bit her lip, endured the intense pain, hastily froze the wound with the Molting Snake Mark, and turned to leave.
"A little faster now!"
Huai Shi watched her receding figure, shouting, "I'll be coming to find you soon, remember to hide well!"
Lin Yu sped up, staggering as she ran.
Soon, she was gone at the end of the street.
In the deadly silence, Huai Shi's gaze left her, and he turned to look at Guo Nu.
"Now, it's your turn."
The Knife and Axe fell from his hands, colliding.
Sparks flew.
Illuminating his eyes, where ghost-fires danced.
"Be quick, gentlemen."
He said, "I'm in a hurry."