Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 989 Getting More and More Troublesome

Chapter 989: Chapter 989 Getting More and More Troublesome

The fourth round of the Martial Arts Competition had concluded, leaving only the leader of Xuanjian Sect, Jin Yi, the Female Sword Immortal, and Gu Fan remaining. The one who garnered the most attention was Gu Fan, whose poor prowess in martial arts had improbably brought him into the final four. Could it truly be the heavens favoring him?

Inside what seemed to be an ordinary house, the staff of the World’s Number One Gambling House were settling the accounts. In the end, they found that the losses were not significant, as many who bet on Gu Fan also placed bets on Jiang Tie with the Northern Desert Sword. In essence, what they won from Gu Fan, they lost to Jiang Tie.

The World’s Number One Gambling House did not suffer much, and neither did the gamblers win much. The biggest winner was Gu Fan, who had successfully advanced to the top four through this ordeal.

Although the loss was within an acceptable range, the leader of Xuanjian Sect was still displeased, as this had been far from the windfall he had expected to earn securely.

The main bookie consoled him with a remark, "There’s no need to be upset, Leader. After all, it’s not much. Overall, we have still made a decent profit so far."

"This is not a matter of how much we’ve earned." The leader of Xuanjian Sect pounded his fist on the table and then asked, "What are the odds for the next match between Gu Fan and the Female Sword Immortal?"

The main bookie immediately replied, "The odds for Gu Fan are one and a half to one, while the odds for the Female Sword Immortal are one to one."

The leader of Xuanjian Sect thought it over, "So, if I place a bet on both Gu Fan and the Female Sword Immortal, and I bet two taels on each, if Gu Fan wins, I make a profit of one tael. But if the Female Sword Immortal loses, I lose two taels. In the end, I am down by one tael."

The main bookie nodded, "If Gu Fan loses, you lose two taels, and if the Female Sword Immortal wins, you gain two taels. So, it ends up being neither a gain nor a loss."

The leader of Xuanjian Sect thought the odds were quite favorable, calculating that no matter what, he would not suffer a loss nor repeat the previous mishap.

"This way, we don’t have to worry about losses, and the Martial Arts Competition involving Gu Fan won’t throw us off our stride," the main bookie believed his own strategy was sound and was convinced the Leader of the Xuanjian Sect would agree.

However, the leader of Xuanjian Sect’s expression suddenly darkened, "Bookie, don’t you find it strange? So far, our plans have been running smoothly, but as soon as we encounter Gu Fan, complications arise and we have to spend a great deal of effort to manage them. It’s getting tiresome."

Hearing this, the main bookie felt the same way, finding that except for matches involving Gu Fan, all other competitions proceeded as they expected, making Gu Fan’s bouts particularly unnerving.

After pondering for a moment, the Leader of the Xuanjian Sect made up his mind: "In the next match between Gu Fan and the Female Sword Immortal, although our set odds guarantee a profit, I don’t want to be bothered any longer. Hence, we must find a way to drive Gu Fan out."

The main bookie hesitated, disliking Gu Fan as well, seeing that any match including Gu Fan always led to unexpected outcomes. Still, the bookie thought it better to wait and see, reasoning that the Female Sword Immortal had strong abilities, and Gu Fan likely wouldn’t survive the next round. Moreover, if Gu Fan lost, the World’s Number One Gambling House wouldn’t suffer, so there was no need to target Gu Fan.

Still worried, the leader of Xuanjian Sect countered, "But what if Gu Fan defeats the Female Sword Immortal? Then he would be competing with me for the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader."

The main bookie quickly flattered, "With your martial arts, Leader, even if Gu Fan managed to defeat the Female Sword Immortal by sheer luck, how could he stand a chance against you?"

At this, the Leader of the Xuanjian Sect shook his head, "In every match so far, Gu Fan’s opponents were the weaker ones, yet he still emerged the winner each time. I even feel that the Female Sword Immortal might lose to him."

The main bookie expressed doubt, "Couldn’t be, right? As the competition progresses, Gu Fan’s opponents will only get stronger. Even the best luck has to run out someday."

"Do you really think this young lad, Gu Fan, relies solely on luck?" The leader of Xuanjian Sect’s face turned gravely serious before adding, "Haven’t you noticed anything odd about everyone suddenly betting on both Gu Fan and Jiang Tie with the Northern Desert Sword?"

At first, the main bookie was startled, but then he understood, "Leader, do you suspect that someone is manipulating the odds? Otherwise, why would there suddenly be more people betting on Jiang Tie with the Northern Desert Sword right before the competition, and more importantly, you suspect Gu Fan is behind it?"

The Leader of the Xuanjian Sect nodded, "Before the match, we were watching Gu Fan, and he had no opportunity. However, there’s someone else around Gu Fan. Before the competition, there was no telling where he went. The people we sent couldn’t keep up with him."

The main bookie also agreed with this viewpoint, "Indeed, Gu Fan alone couldn’t have managed it. There must be an accomplice. But the question is, why would they do this unless...?"

"Unless they knew that once betting in the competition shifted unfavorably for us, we would definitely intervene. Unless they knew Jiang Tie with the Northern Desert Sword was under our influence. But how could they have known so much?" The leader of Xuanjian Sect found it almost unbelievable, even going so far as to question his previous conclusions.

"Yeah, what in the world is going on?" the main bookie, who had run the gambling house for many years, had never encountered such a situation and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

The leader of Xuanjian Sect still believed their operations to be very meticulous and without any slip-ups so far, but how to explain everything that Gu Fan had done?

"Even if we inadvertently leaked some of our movements, why would only Gu Fan discover it and not someone else? And even if it were Gu Fan, how could he use our plans every time to his advantage? Isn’t that..." the main bookie’s heart grew colder as he spoke. If that were truly the case, then Gu Fan was indeed a fearsome opponent.

This was precisely why the Leader of the Xuanjian Sect had begun to feel uneasy about Gu Fan, "Despite my reluctance to admit it, for the sake of prudence, we must eliminate Gu Fan from the competition as soon as possible."

"Understood. In the next match, I’ll deploy more men, watching both Gu Fan and those around him closely, giving them no chance." The main bookie reassured and, after some thought, added, "In the next match between Gu Fan and the Female Sword Immortal, since my set odds guarantee a sure profit, let’s do nothing and make sure that Gu Fan and his colleagues can do nothing either. I refuse to believe this can let Gu Fan pass the round."

"Let’s hope so!" Honestly, if Gu Fan were to advance to the final round, beyond everyone’s expectations, the Leader of the Xuanjian Sect would find facing Gu Fan rather daunting.

The main bookie kindly reminded, "Leader, you should focus on dealing with your next opponent, Jin Yi. I’ve noticed his relationship with Lu Bei lately, and Lu Bei is good friends with Jian Shen. Jin Yi’s swordsmanship seems somewhat similar to that of our Xuanjian Sect."

"I am aware. I’ve realized that Jin Yi is very likely the disciple of Jian Shen. Perhaps Jin Yi entered the competition on Jian Shen’s orders to prevent me from becoming the Martial Arts Alliance Leader." Halfway through speaking, the leader of Xuanjian Sect snorted coldly, "Who does Jian Shen think he is? He doesn’t come himself and believes sending a disciple will suffice to compete with me?" After speaking, the Leader of the Xuanjian Sect, filled with indignation, smashed the table with a fist.