Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 982: Calming the Situation

Chapter 982: Chapter 982: Calming the Situation

When the martial artists arrived at the World’s Number One Gambling House, brimming with excitement to exchange the money they had won, they were informed that since Gu Fan’s victory was not gained in a Martial Arts Competition, but rather the disqualification was due to Guo Hu’s own moral conduct with his Lightning-curved Blade, this match would not be counted.

Upon hearing such an explanation, the martial artists were infuriated and completely unable to accept it. They cursed loudly and, taking advantage of their superior numbers, were even ready to resort to violence.

That’s what the staff of the First Gambling House said: The rules for compensation dictate that a match counts only when both parties engage in an honorable duel and a winner is decided fairly, as this is most fair to everyone. Just think about it—if many people placed bets on Gu Fan’s victory, it’s possible that someone might attack Guo Hu in secret, severely injuring him. In that case, Gu Fan could win without fighting, which wouldn’t be fair to those running the betting.

Although this reasoning seemed to make sense, there were those who questioned it. Let’s put it another way: If many people bet on Gu Fan winning, and if Gu Fan had a great chance of winning, then the gambling house staff might also intervene to severely injure Guo Hu with the Lightning-curved Blade. This way, Gu Fan wouldn’t win the current match without a fight but wouldn’t be victorious in a competition. Wouldn’t that also be unfair to these people?

With both sides sticking to their arguments, no one could persuade the other. So, rather than wasting words, the martial artists were prepared to take action.

Just when the situation was about to spiral out of control, the leader of Xuanjian Sect arrived. With his influence, he quickly calmed everyone down, and the crisis was temporarily averted.

"Leader of Xuanjian Sect, we implore you to uphold justice! The World’s Number One Gambling House is trying to weasel out of paying," they said.

Seeing the unwilling faces of the martial arts heroes, the leader of Xuanjian Sect knew that if this matter wasn’t handled well, his reputation and interests would be damaged, so he had to proceed with caution.

After listening to the reasons the World’s Number One Gambling House gave for not paying, as well as the martial artists’ reasons for demanding compensation, the leader of Xuanjian Sect truly felt both sides had made valid points. "The initial rules were not well established. Let’s first set rules that everyone can agree on, and then we can discuss how to deal with this particular match," he said.

There must be two things clarified first. One, only a match decided in fair competition counts. Second, before any competition, all participants must be protected to ensure their well-being.

As for who would provide the protection, the leader of Xuanjian Sect suggested that the staff of the World’s Number One Gambling House should handle this task. If due to their negligence, any competitor was attacked before stepping into the arena, then the World’s Number One Gambling House would bear all responsibility.

The third point was that once a match began, nothing and no one should interfere with the competition. For example, in Gu Fan’s match against Guo Hu with the Lightning-curved Blade, even if Guo Hu’s martial morality was in question, it couldn’t be pointed out on the spot. It must wait until after the match.

If, after the match is over, Gu Fan loses and Guo Hu wins, then the outcome of the match should determine the compensation. And if Guo Hu’s moral integrity in martial arts is poor and he is disqualified from further competition for the position of Martial Arts leader, then Gu Fan would advance to the next round.

No one disputed these three points made by the leader of Xuanjian Sect, and everyone accepted them. According to what the leader of Xuanjian Sect said, if Guo Hu was driven off the stage by the crowd, resulting in the match being undecided, all those present in the martial arts community would bear responsibility.

With the mediation of the leader of Xuanjian Sect, the bet that was originally supposed to pay out at three to one for Gu Fan was now settled at one to one. This was within an acceptable range for some martial artists.

Next, should the martial artists cause a commotion during the match and drive a competitor from the arena, leaving the match undecided, that match would not count.

Alright, the crisis was averted. Although the World’s Number One Gambling House paid out a good deal of money, the fortunate aspect was that through this incident, the leader of Xuanjian Sect’s prestige significantly increased.

Gu Fan, upon learning of this, couldn’t help but exclaim, "My goodness, I thought I was going to enjoy a good show. I had no idea the leader of Xuanjian Sect really had such a plan."

Lord Xiong nodded, "Exactly, or else how could he be so far-sighted? To seek the position of leader in the Martial Arts community and wealth at the same time, he uses the money of martial artists to buy their allegiance."

Mo Yun also chimed in, "Gu Fan, you should worry about your next match. Your opponents are getting stronger, and now with the proceedings halfway through, nothing and no one can disrupt the competition. It would be best not to use the same tactic you used against Guo Hu with the Lightning-curved Blade a second time."

"No worries, I wasn’t planning on using it a second time anyway," Gu Fan replied nonchalantly. But inside, he was very solemn. Now that the leader of Xuanjian Sect had laid down three rules, which seemed fair on the surface, there was still much room for maneuver.

Lord Xiong smiled slightly, "Leave it to you, Gu Fan, to think up such a sly trick. You’ve seized not just the point of having superior martial arts to be the leader but also exploited Guo Hu’s moral failings. More importantly, you’ve captured everyone’s hearts."

To this, Gu Fan nodded, "That’s right, everyone’s bets were on me, everyone was hoping I would win. So when there was a chance to make Guo Hu lose, everyone spared no effort to join in."

"The proverb goes, ’right time, right place, right people.’ You, Gu Fan, really know how to utilize ’right people,’" Mo Yun remarked with newfound respect for Gu Fan after observing him over the past few days.

Lord Xiong was intrigued, "What will you do for the next match? You know it must be a fair competition without interference where you need to decide on a winner. But with your level of martial arts, you are all but assured of losing."

"Sure, I’m bound to lose in a fight, but the leader of Xuanjian Sect also said, some things can wait until after the match, right? Who knows what might happen after the match," Gu Fan said with a smirk that hinted at cunning.

Mo Yun and Lord Xiong realized what he implied, but Lord Xiong was still worried, "Since you aren’t planning to use the same tactic you used on Guo Hu with the Lightning-curved Blade, those with questionable character will be suspected of your interference."

Mo Yun also warned, "Gu Fan, be careful from now on. Previously, everyone supported you because the rules were not well-established, and they all wanted you to win, so they followed your plan to drive Guo Hu off the stage. Now that the rules are established, whatever tricks you pull can only take place after the competition, meaning whatever you do won’t affect everyone’s interests as before, so you won’t have as much support."

"It’s a bit tricky, but..." Gu Fan scratched his head, deep in thought, trying to come up with a strategy.