Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 972: Waiting for a Long Time

Chapter 972: Chapter 972: Waiting for a Long Time

At the foot of the mountain, in the quiet small woods where night had fallen, Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong had been waiting for quite some time, even growing a bit impatient. Just when he thought he had been fooled and was about to leave angrily, he heard footsteps of someone approaching.

"You finally arrived," Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong turned around and sneered coldly.

"Sorry for the delay, there was a bit of a hold-up," the Zhuang family arrived, followed by several guards, each with a menacing look that suggested they were not to be trifled with.

Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong was somewhat impatient: "Alright, enough talk, this time you want me to lose to Gu Fan, I’ve listened to you, now give me my reward."

"Here, this is your share." The Zhuang family handed a banknote to Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong, then repeatedly cautioned, "For the following period, you should find a place far away to settle down. Don’t come back for a short time."

To this, Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong showed some displeasure: "Do we really need to be so cautious? To make my loss in the Martial Arts Competition seem legitimate, I deliberately told you my weakness, which you then told to that kid, letting him seize my weakness and defeat me. On the surface, my loss won’t seem unjust."

The Zhuang family nodded: "Yes, for the sake of realism, you even sold out your own weakness, and during the fight, you controlled your attacks very well. You seriously injured Gu Fan without delivering a fatal blow, no one could tell you were acting."

"If that’s the case, why do I still need to flee far away? Isn’t that like the unhidden three hundred yuan?" Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong was puzzled and did not appear to be compliant.

The Zhuang family explained: "Although you and Gu Fan’s Martial Arts Competition deceived most people, there will always be those who are skeptical and who investigate. Our master’s intent is to reduce the risk to zero, not even a single mistake can be allowed, or you, me, our master, and the many involved in this matter could be prosecuted by the entire Martial Arts community."

"Alright, alright, since it’s the master’s will, I’ll stay away for a while," Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong was reluctant, but he complied nonetheless.

Having received his dues, Gu Tong asked, "What’s the plan for the upcoming contests? Will you arrange for Gu Fan to win again?"

The Zhuang family shook their head: "If we let him keep winning like this, even fools will see that we’ve interfered. Besides, as long as the competition involves Gu Fan, basically no one will bet anymore, I don’t need to worry about it."

"Indeed, after losing so terribly on Gu Fan, who wouldn’t learn their lesson?" After speaking, Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong cracked a slight smile and then took his leave.

Suddenly, a matter popped into Gu Tong’s mind, and he couldn’t help but turn back and ask another question: "I want to know how many others besides me the master has arranged to enter the competitions to ensure he becomes the leader of the Martial Arts community while also making a large profit."

"You don’t need to know that, but I can tell you that in the Sub-level Martial Arts Competition, the one who lost to Gu Fan was also arranged by the master. However, the master didn’t expect him to lose," said the Zhuang family, making Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong tense up: "Unexpectedly, the master had arranged for two people, and both lost to Gu Fan. Will there be a third one next?"

The Zhuang family shook their head: "Gu Fan won’t last; in the Sub-level Martial Arts Competition, he only succeeded in defeating strong opponents by using the strength of others. In the first round, we arranged for his victory, and in the third match, his opponent will be even stronger than you. Unless there’s a miracle, that kid will not win."

Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong disagreed: "If there are still many who bet on Gu Fan’s loss, what will you do then?"

"Impossible, even if everyone feels that Gu Fan can’t win, after what they’ve experienced, most won’t bet on his loss again," the Zhuang family said with an expression that showed no desire to emphasize further, which made it difficult for Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong to continue the topic.

"Well then, I’m leaving. Tell the master that I wish him smooth sailing in becoming the Martial Arts community leader." As Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong spoke, he waved goodbye with an air of nonchalance.

The Zhuang family paid no attention and turned to leave. However, the conversation between the two replayed over and over in their minds. For some reason, the Zhuang family had a vague bad feeling that what Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong mentioned might actually happen.

After some time had passed, Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong was about to exit the small woods. Thinking of the banknote in his pocket and envisioning a life free of worries for the latter half of his life, his heart couldn’t contain its joy, and he even considered finding a place to settle down and retire from the Martial Arts world.

However, the sudden appearance of three people left Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong astonished; he stood rooted to the spot, at a loss for words.

"We’ve been waiting for you for a long time. How was your chat with the Zhuang family? What benefits did you receive?" Gu Fan stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a large tree with a half-smiling expression, watching Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong with interest.

Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong quickly regained his composure and showed a look of disdain: "It’s you, Gu Fan. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, don’t block my way."

Lord Xiong stepped forward, watching Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong with a grave expression that caused even a First-rate Expert like him to shudder internally.

Gu Fan smiled lightly, "If you don’t understand what I mean, then let me make it clearer. I suspect you have some gold, jewels, or a banknote of questionable origin on you, and I want to know where it came from."

Upon hearing this, Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong’s heart skipped a beat, but he still tried to look tough: "What I have on me is none of your business."

"How could it be none of my business? After all, you fought against me, causing many to lose money, yet you ended up richer. Doesn’t that raise suspicions?" As Gu Fan spoke, he approached Gu Tong, "If those who lost money heard about it, do you think they would come to question you?"

Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong’s face turned much uglier: "You’ve already won, Gu Fan. What else do you want?"

"I don’t want to win in confusion. I refuse to be someone else’s pawn. So I need to get to the bottom of this," Gu Fan said earnestly, looking at Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong, then asked slowly, "Tell me, in this round of the Martial Arts Competition’s betting, besides the bookmaker, who else was involved?"

Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong was initially taken aback, never expecting Gu Fan to ask such a question. Then he scoffed contemptuously: "Gu Fan, you aren’t foolish enough to think I’ll tell you, are you? And even if you knew, what could you do about it? They could squash you with a finger. Ignorance is bliss; why provoke these people needlessly?"

"It seems that changing your mind is going to be a bit difficult," Gu Fan scratched his head, looking genuinely troubled.

Iron Arm Fist Gu Tong remained unruffled, confident he could leave smoothly, believing Gu Fan wouldn’t dare do anything to him.