Gun Zi asked, "The gold is yours?"

  Guo Dalu replied, "Yes."

  Stick asked, "Where did you get it?"

  Guo Dalu said, "If having gold is a crime, then there are far too many criminals in this world—including the two of you, I′d wager."

  Gun Zi′s face remained expressionless, but his pupils began to contract.

  Suddenly, his hand shot out.

  Not only was he taller than most, but his arms were longer too. His ten thin, bony fingers were like iron cws attached to a staff.

  But Guo Dalu insisted on cshing head-on with those iron cws.

  He neither dodged nor blocked. With a loud whoosh, both his fists struck out together, aiming straight for those iron cws in a direct, force-against-force counterattack.

  The moment his fists nded, not only was Gun Zi startled, but even Jin Shi′s face changed.

  Gun Zi′s iron cws were clearly trained in the Eagle Cw Technique—even a blind man could tell. If Guo Dalu didn′t possess astonishing internal power, how could he dare to use such a reckless, brute-force move?

  In reality, Guo Dalu′s internal strength wasn′t as terrifying as they imagined. It was just that he was a man of the open road—he spent money freely, did things without hesitation, and fought the same way.

  Would his punch shatter the opponent′s Eagle Cw? Or would the Eagle Cw pierce through his fists? He never even considered it.

  He simply didn′t care.

  As long as he felt like it, he would use any move he pleased.

  But not everyone could be as direct as Guo Dalu. Besides, martial arts were all about variations in technique and strategy—who would willingly csh head-on unless absolutely necessary?

  Guo Dalu threw a punch. Gun Zi′s move shifted instantly—his elbow sank, his cw flipped upward, and his ten fingers curled like hooks, locking onto Guo Dalu′s wrist.

  Yet Guo Dalu didn′t even seem to notice. His stance remained unchanged.

  "Not changing is a change in itself—using the unchanging to counter all changes."

  This was one of the highest principles in martial arts.

  Gun Zi flipped midair and nearly crashed into the wall.

  Guo Dalu had practically defeated one of the top experts of the Six Major Sects without even fully executing a move.

  He was quite pleased with himself but didn′t pursue the attack.

  He certainly understood the concept of pressing the advantage, but since his opponent had already backed down and admitted defeat, what was the point in chasing him further?

  Guo Dalu had never been one to go for the kill.

  Jin Shi cleared his throat twice and stepped forward with a smile. "Young brother, let′s talk things through. There′s no need for such a temper."

  Guo Dalu replied, "He′s the one with a temper. He tried to hit me—where′s my anger in all this?"

  Jin Shi ughed. "A misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding."

  Guo Dalu said, "He questioned me for so long; now I have a question for him."

  Jin Shi said, "Go ahead."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Is it illegal for someone to use gold to buy wine and meat?"

  Jin Shi chuckled. "Of course not. I often pay with gold myself."

  Guo Dalu said, "Since it′s not illegal, then please let Mai Laoguang go. And let me go too."

  Jin Shi quickly nodded. "Of course, of course."

  He gnced at Wang Dong, Yan Qi, and Lin Taiping, who were standing outside the door, and said, "This afternoon, we already enjoyed your hospitality. Tonight, allow me to be the host—let′s have a few drinks together, how about it?"

  Guo Dalu hesitated, already somewhat tempted.

  It wasn′t that he particurly liked freeloading, but he simply found it hard to refuse an invitation.

  Wang Dong, however, said, "Right now, I don′t want anything except to get to bed early."

  Jin Shi ughed and said, "That works too! We′ve been meaning to visit your residence for some time now. Why not take advantage of tonight and have a long night of drinking at your pce? What do you all think?"

  With that, Wang Dong had no way to refuse—after all, when members of the Six Major Sects want to "visit" your home, do you really have a choice?

  Besides, if they went to Fugui Mountain Vil, at least they wouldn′t be able to kill anyone here.

  And so they made their way to Fugui Mountain Vil.