Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 961 An Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 961: Chapter 961 An Unexpected Encounter

Seeing Lu Bei and Jin Yi arguing endlessly, Gu Fan kindly interjected, "Alright, there’s no need to keep fighting. If you continue, feelings will get hurt. Since we’ve met here, it must be fate."

Hearing this, Lu Bei and Jin Yi stopped their argument. They also felt that meeting a few friends here wouldn’t be a bad thing, so Lu Bei greeted him, "I am Lu Bei. May I ask how to address you?"

Gu Fan immediately clenched his fist in salute, assuming a very serious demeanor, "I am Gu Fan, an unknown nobody."

"It’s okay, I’m also a nobody." Lu Bei and Jin Yi chuckled, and the people around them understood; most of those present were nobodies, just there for the excitement.

Gu Fan saw that Jin Yi was young, but his eyes were filled with fighting spirit, suggesting he wasn’t simply there for the hustle; thus, he asked, "May I know, young brother, your aura suggests you’re an expert. You couldn’t possibly be here to participate in the Martial Arts Competition to fight for the position of leader, could you?"

Jin Yi nodded, "I’m here in my master’s name. My master sent me to witness the experts from various factions, to recognize the gaps."

"What a coincidence, so am I." Gu Fan had just finished when the people around them nodded in agreement.

The group sheltering from the rain under the big tree quickly found common topics to discuss. They chatted without end, as if they had found friends with shared interests. Perhaps their status as the lower echelons in the Martial Arts world made it easier for them to come together.

The rain stopped in the evening, and everyone took off their conical hats, chatting idly while lighting a fire to dry their clothes.

Suddenly, someone blurted out, "Did you hear? It was the leader of Xuanjian Sect who suggested using the Martial Arts Competition to select the new leader."

Another person was surprised, "What do you mean? Most martial arts experts have been wiped out fighting the Devil Cult, and Xuanjian Sect has conserved its strength. Now they’re seizing the opportunity to take the throne? That’s utterly shameless."

"Therefore, to avoid idle chatter, this Martial Arts Competition isn’t being held at Xuanjian Sect. Otherwise, with their size, they could have easily arranged shelter from the rain for everyone."

Gu Fan had already heard about the affiliation between Xuanjian Sect and Jian Shen. He wondered if Jian Shen was absent from the Martial Arts Competition because of this connection.

Someone else remarked, "Who in today’s Martial Arts could be a match for the leader of Xuanjian Sect?"

"I’d say it’s doubtful. The position of leader seems to be a sure bet for Xuanjian Sect. The fate of the entire Martial Arts community looks grim."

"Don’t speak so negatively; at least Xuanjian Sect isn’t the Devil Cult. As long as someone can uphold Martial Arts justice, that’s enough."

Rightly so, Gu Fan nodded, "Although some individuals are of questionable character, their capabilities are still there."

Lu Bei shook his head, "Let’s hope. This person became the leader of Xuanjian Sect amidst tense relations within the sect; I wonder what it will be like once he becomes the leader of the Martial Arts community."

Hearing this, someone questioned, "Brother, you seem to know quite a bit about Xuanjian Sect. Tell us more."

Lu Bei then realized he misspoke and quickly explained, "I just heard it from others. Initially, after Xuanjian Sect’s involvement in the Cheng Wang incident, they were completely eradicated. Later, Ye Qingcheng rebuilt a whole new Xuanjian Sect. At that time, Ye Qingcheng had five disciples, the fairest of whom was the third disciple, who was also prepared to inherit Xuanjian Sect. But after some incidents, the role went to today’s problematic eldest disciple."

Reacting to this, someone slapped their thigh, unable to hide their regret, "How could the legendary Jian Shen, Ye Qingcheng, not take on more disciples? Just like that, a single absence leads to a dearth of talent, and there’s no one better to take over the sect."

To this, Gu Fan explained, "One excellent disciple is enough. Too many can easily lead to strife and conflict. If everyone is exceptional, why should anyone yield?"

Everyone thought there was reason in these words. Then the conversation returned to Ye Qingcheng, "Speaking of the past with Ye Qingcheng’s era, there were countless masters, far surpassing our current times. Some say only Ye Qingcheng deserves to be called the true Jian Shen."

"Yes, today’s Jian Shen is just Ye Qingcheng’s grandstudent, said to possess only seventy percent of Ye Qingcheng’s strength, hardly worthy of the name Jian Shen."

"Let’s be honest, with the talent pool in Martial Arts drying up, it’s already fortunate to have a Jian Shen at all."

At this, someone voiced their discontent, "Why is our Martial Arts talent waning? It’s all Ye Qingcheng’s fault. Back then, he joined the Devil Cult, helping to kill a great number of martial artists, leaving everyone in a state of panic."

Immediately, someone gestured for silence, "Are you crazy? Don’t bring up the past. That era involving Ye Qingcheng contains many secrets that many shouldn’t speak of."

"I know, it just slipped out. Just pretend you didn’t hear it," the person said, filled with regret and quickly shut up.

Gu Fan, after listening to all this, didn’t understand what these people were talking about, but he roughly grasped that long ago, the Martial Arts world housed many masters, true masters, and even several peerless experts had emerged.

Gu Fan was very interested in this because anything related to Jian Shen was something he wanted to know. It was very possible that this Jian Shen was his love rival from ancient times.

Thinking about a love rival, Gu Fan inwardly groaned. In the future, he had worked hard to defeat many rivals to win Lin Xi, only to find that even in the past, he had a rival.

Rubbing his chin in thought, Gu Fan wondered if to defeat Jian Shen, would he also have to train his Martial Arts to be even more formidable than Jian Shen?

Just then, Mo Yun appeared, disguised as a dashing young man in men’s clothing, biting a fan. Her arrival, with that handsome face, drew everyone’s attention. She was really too beautiful, and nobody could resist taking several glances.

With the drying going on, Gu Fan, with his upper body bare, revealed a sturdy physique that caught Mo Yun’s eye, causing her to brighten up. Immediately, Mo Yun feigned a calm demeanor, "I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I knew you wouldn’t have caught up. I’ve been searching for you, and I finally found you."

If possible, Gu Fan really wanted to roll his eyes, but that wasn’t an option, so he simply said, "Thank you for your concern. Next time you use Qinggong to travel, please remember to bring me along. That way, you won’t lose me, and it won’t be such a hassle for you to come looking."

"Don’t forget I am your master. It’s only right that I train you. What do you have to complain about?" Mo Yun said this with an air of superiority that left Gu Fan unable to retort. So Gu Fan just bore it, "Right, Master, you’re absolutely correct. You’re looking out for me, and I should thank you for your hard work."

"That’s better. That’s how a disciple should behave," Mo Yun said, gratified, and even casually stroked Gu Fan’s head.