Chen Lusi fell silent.
But Lu Hao still looked at him, lost in thought.
After a while.
He finally shifted his gaze and looked at Xia Panqiu again, saying, "Panqiu, join us."
"Stop talking."
Xia Panqiu also withdrew her gaze from Chen Lusi, totally calming down: "You should be prepared to kill me, right? Then go ahead, but just know, you'd better be prepared to be hunted down by Ah Yue."
"I don't want to do that."
Lu Hao shook his head and glanced at the subdued Chen Lusi and Li Tian: "You wouldn't want the newcomers you brought along to die, would you?"
Xia Panqiu glanced at Chen Lusi and Li Tian, her body slightly stiffened, clenched her fists tightly, biting her red lips: "If we all die, I will apologize to them for my impotence in the Yellow Springs."
"Really?"
Lu Hao looked at Chen Lusi and Li Tian with a half-smirk: "But would they think so? Panqiu... I know you're still upset that I hurt your parents back then, but in some extreme situations, anyone would lose their sanity, including these two."
"Lu Hao, stop playing around."
Wu You, who had been giggling, gradually turned serious, holding his abdomen and stepping forward.
But as soon as he moved.
Chen Lusi saw several translucent blades aimed at his head.
Wu You immediately stopped, his face turning very unsightly.
Lu Hao went straight to Li Tian, looking at the man holding Li Tian's neck, dressed in a white vest with a dull expression, he said: "Wake him up."
The man with the dull expression raised his palm, as large as a fan, and slapped Li Tian's head.
Li Tian slowly woke up, finding himself held up, immediately panicked and shouted.
Lu Hao waved his hand.
Fingers flew off.
The shout turned into a wail.
Li Tian clutched his right hand, looking at the bloody severed finger, the pain made him struggle more violently.
But the man holding him didn't move an inch.
"Lu Hao!!!"
Xia Panqiu also stepped forward but was equally held back by the translucent blades.
Wu You hurriedly pulled her back.
"Look at me."
Lu Hao didn't look at Xia Panqiu but instead watched the wailing Li Tian and directly said: "Let me explain your situation, you've been captured, now you can only listen to me, later if you want money, Techniques, I'll give them to you.
On the contrary, if you don't listen, you'll die, understand?"
Li Tian just wailed and did not respond.
Lu Hao waved his hand again.
Another severed finger flew out.
"Do you understand?"
"Understood! Understood!!"
The intense pain, the horror of losing fingers for lack of response, made Li Tian nod furiously.
"Now go kill your old companions, and you'll be my companion."
Lu Hao nodded satisfyingly, then looked at Chen Lusi.
"Lu Hao!!!"
Wu You and Xia Panqiu finally couldn't bear it anymore, both ignored the blatant threats and killing intent, and charged at Lu Hao.
But the difference in strength was greater than expected.
As Xia Panqiu took a step, the invisible blades appeared in front of her, pierced her palm, and carried her backward until she was pinned to the stone railing of the bridge.
Wu You avoided the initial attack but couldn't get close to Lu Hao either, facing more invisible blades, he couldn't dodge anymore, and was similarly pierced through the palm and pinned to the stone railing.
It's simply overwhelming...
Chen Lusi watched the two seniors pinned to the bridge and sighed.
The probability of a disastrous outcome was high.
"What do you want?"
At this moment.
Lu Hao came to him, smirked, and asked.
Chen Lusi looked at Lu Hao, directly replied: "Annuity, money for a house, and an identity to openly live in the new home."
Lu Hao paused, seemingly not expecting such an answer.
But he quickly reacted, laughed: "Money won't be lacking, houses won't be lacking, women even less so, I quite like you, Xia Panqiu recruited you into Celestial Strategy, proving you have similarities with me, how about it? Want to switch to us?"
"I'd rather not."
Chen Lusi shook his head: "Just now, Xia Panqiu said when Ah Yue is going to hunt you, your face changed... doesn't seem promising, and being a traitor, even if alive, probably would only live like a rat in a gutter, I don't like such a life."
"What if you add Xia Panqiu to it?"
Lu Hao didn't get angry, instead he lowered his head, leaned to his ear, and whispered like a demon: "We don't have Celestial Strategy's rules, if you want money, there's money, if you want houses, there are houses, if you want women, there are women, you can do whatever you want, if you want to become stronger, I can teach you powerful Techniques anytime.
Even Xia Panqiu, you can enjoy her... you also like her, right? You can enjoy with the woman behind you."
The woman behind holding Chen Lusi heard this, timely blew some warm air on his neck.
"Wow..."
Chen Lusi frowned slightly and said, "You're quite nasty. I initially thought Xia Panqiu was your muse, but I didn't expect her to become a bargaining chip too."
"Anything can become a bargaining chip."
Lu Hao lifted his head, patted Chen Lusi's shoulder, and said playfully, "Kill your companions and join us... By the way, if you don't act, you'll die."
With that said.
He signaled the woman to release Chen Lusi.
The coldness on Chen Lusi's neck disappeared, and before he could react, a short knife was shoved into his hand.
Turning back.
The mature woman with the peony tattoo on her face licked her red lips and looked at him, "I'm rooting for you."
On the other side.
Li Tian was also let down, holding a short knife in his hand as well.
A little further away.
Wu You and Xia Panqiu both began to struggle fiercely.
However, there was a slight difference in their expressions: Wu You was expressionless, cold as iron, while Xia Panqiu was biting her teeth, her eyes seemingly red.
It seemed as if she noticed Chen Lusi's gaze.
Xia Panqiu glanced at him, then looked away.
And further away.
Chen Lusi saw a mass of 'fog,' a fog that twisted the space.
Inside the fog, there seemed to be a human figure, continuously tossing something.
"... In fact, I've always thought that living is meaningless, valueless."
Chen Lusi withdrew his gaze, sighed, and looked at the trembling Li Tian approaching him, "I don't mind dying, nor do I mind staying alive, but I don't want to live disgracefully, or die disgracefully.
Li Tian, don't act, it's pointless. Dying to entertain others like a cricket fight is ugly, living on is even uglier."
"Sorry... sorry..."
Li Tian, seeing Wu You and Xia Panqiu pinned on the bridge, seemed to break down, repeatedly apologizing, but his steps did not stop.
Even though his hand holding the knife was shaking violently.
Soon, he arrived in front of Chen Lusi.
Chen Lusi did not act.
Li Tian slowly raised the short knife.
Chen Lusi turned his head to look at Lu Hao.
Lu Hao and his two accomplices watched the scene with great interest.
They didn't seem to mind Chen Lusi cautioning Li Tian, nor worried about whether the two would end up fighting.
Perhaps for them, whether it was the breakdown of Li Tian striking or Chen Lusi's futile attempt at self-preservation.
It was all a form of entertainment.
Their twisted malice... was almost palpable.
"... Disgusting."
Chen Lusi showed a hint of revulsion on his face, suddenly turned around, and directly gave Lu Hao the middle finger.
Everyone was taken aback.
Including Lu Hao.
He was slightly stunned, then revealed a cruel expression, just about to call off the 'duel' between the two.
[Fun--Fun--Fun--]
A voice like a dream murmured in the air.
A disheveled, ragged vagabond appeared on the bridge without anyone noticing when.
While tossing the gravel in his hand, he repeatedly said it was fun.
... Hope it works.
Seeing the vagabond emerge from the fog, Chen Lusi immediately raised his hand and shouted, "I want to play!"
The vagabond froze at the words, raised his head abruptly, revealing a terrifying smile, then threw the stones in his hand towards Chen Lusi.
Lu Hao reacted just in time, raising his hand.
But Chen Lusi vanished instantly.
Wu You and Xia Panqiu, witnessing the scene, were stunned for a half-second before also shouting, "I want to play!"
The three disappeared like smoke.
Li Tian, having a mental breakdown, was a beat slow. By the time he wanted to shout.
The man with an expressionless face already covered his mouth.
"I want to play."
The mature woman with the peony tattoo took over from Li Tian and raised her hand.
But the vagabond ignored her, murmuring dreamily while pacing back and forth on the bridge.
The woman put down her hand, looked at Lu Hao, and said with a charming smile, "There's a limit on participants... Looks like you miscalculated, Lu Hao."
"Miscalculated? The legend in this place getting activated can hold at most for two hours."
Lu Hao glanced at the vagabond still tossing stones and showed a somewhat cruel smile, "I want to see, with Ah Yue not here, Xiaoxiao stuck in Peng City, in just two hours, who can save them."