417 Showdown

“How am I supposed to report this?” Wu Mo sighed softly. Do I tell them that Chu Qingyan made a bet with me and I suspected that he was colluding with the foreign races to secretly harm the top young blacksmiths of the Nine Provinces?

“After all, Chu Qingyan is a top talent in the Red Heart province, and one could consider him as a host. People also know that there’s bad blood between me and him. Will they think that I’m trying to frame him, or will they use this to retaliate? If this news of Chu Qingyan colluding with the foreign races spreads and alerts the enemy, wouldn’t I end up becoming the villain? In the end, you might even be punished by the association…”

At this point, Wu Mo shook his head speechlessly. “Although I have my suspicions, I don’t have any evidence. I can only try my best to be fully prepared. However, you can choose not to go. Besides, if there really are foreign races appearing, the situation will be extremely dangerous.”

Xu Wanqing and the others now understood Wu Mo’s approach. In fact, their relationship had not reached the point where they would die for each other. They were still far from it!

However, they were on the same side when it came to facing the foreign races. They shared a common hatred and did not mind facing their enemies together.

Even so, no one knew whether such a fearless risk and sacrifice was worth it.

“What do you plan on doing then? Just wait for the other party to make a move and then passively respond to the crisis? No matter how prepared you are, I don’t think you can deal with real danger. Those foreign races know that once they show themselves, they’ll become the target of public criticism. Therefore, those who have the guts to come here are prepared to die.

“Fighters with that mindset will do anything. I’m afraid that your so-called preparation won’t be sufficient!”

“You may say so, but I’m still preparing, just in case. At the end of the day, I’m just speculating about Chu Qingyan’s collusion with the foreign races. There’s no evidence. Under such circumstances, the slightest move could bring about unpredictable consequences. Therefore, we can only take it one step at a time.”

At this moment, someone knocked on the door.

Knock knock knock…

“Excuse me, is this Mr. Wu Mo’s room? Mr. Chu would like to see you downstairs. He says that he has an appointment with you.”

Wu Mo smiled. “Look at how anxious Chu Qingyan is. I can’t help but think about it. He even chased me all the way here. Let’s go! There are still three days before the duel!”

Xu Wanqing and the others exchanged glances in silence. Even without a reminder from Wu Mo, they already had a sense of confidentiality.

In fact, Wu Mo did not know that Xu Wanqing and Gan Yun had elite backgrounds, which gave them access to more information that others did not have.

Although the Nine Provinces seemed very peaceful, people actually died at the hands of traitorous cults and foreign races every day. A special department would prevent these incidents from reaching the public, hence people were clueless.

In this seemingly peaceful world, the actions of the foreign races and traitors had always been big. They were quite active too. Otherwise, this conference would not have required such a large protection array, so many experts, and even sealed off the streets.

He never thought that the foreign races would try to infiltrate the country by using the blacksmiths who were participating in the conference.

Chen Qingbai took a deep breath as he walked at the back. “This guy is really sharp. Although I had a strange feeling about him at first, I didn’t know what was wrong. Who would’ve thought that he would suddenly make this connection? He’s a pretty complex guy!”

Liu Ze glanced at Wu Mo, who was walking ahead of them. “Have you forgotten that Wu Mo has already spoken to test Chu Qingyan? I reckon that he also asked for the best to test Chu Qingyan on purpose. I can’t even get the three seven-star Crystal Cores at home. I’ve only seen them once when I was young. Yet, Chu Qingyan is producing such a precious thing without even blinking. What do you think he’s hiding?”

Gan Yun had been listening to their conversation. After he heard them, he could not help but gasp. “He’s a good fellow! That Chu fellow is sinister! But I have to say, Wu Mo is a sly fox too! If he never said anything, I would have been oblivious!”

Not long after, Wu Mo brought the few people downstairs, and he saw Chu Qingyan waiting in the hall.

Seeing that Wu Mo had finally come down, Chu Qingyan put down his sword.

He had been worried earlier because his plan would go down the drain if Wu Mo gave up on the bet.

Not to mention, he had reported his plan to those people last night and even obtained a few Crystal Cores. The other benefits that he had received were enough to keep him going. He could no longer turn back.

If anything happened to Wu Mo, those people would probably tear him apart.

Fortunately, Wu Mo appeared, and the worry in his heart dissipated.

“I thought you were going back on your word! You’re late. As a blacksmith, you shouldn’t be making such a mistake!”

Wu Mo chuckled. “Perhaps I had a reason? Maybe I purposely made you wait a little longer to kill your spirit?”

Chu Qingyan’s expression froze, and he snorted coldly. “How boring! Are we leaving, or what? If you’re not coming, this duel will be over!”

He felt that he had been too arrogant, and that would easily arouse suspicion. Therefore, he deliberately retreated to test Wu Mo’s attitude. He also had the intention of provoking him.

Wu Mo looked at him indifferently and said, “Have you prepared the Crystal Cores that I asked for? They’re rare items. Did you manage to get them in one night?”

“What you find rare is nothing in my eyes,” Chu Qingyan sneered. “They’re obviously very precious on the market. There’s a price for them but no supply, but that’s because you haven’t been looking in the right places. Do you want to know where I obtained my Crystal Cores?”

Wu Mo knew that if Chu Qingyan was truly dealing with the foreign races, he would reveal a reasonable and legal source of goods that had been arranged long ago. It would be useless to ask.

“I’m not interested! As long as I can confirm that they’re real, I don’t care about anything else!”

Chu Qingyan’s eyes flickered as he smiled. “That’s good! I probably wouldn’t have told you even if you asked!”

In reality, what happened earlier was just another test. If Wu Mo had really asked, he would have definitely given a reasonable answer. However, their bet would have likely ended.

This was the result of his discussion with those people. He felt that if Wu Mo began to ask questions, he would definitely have some doubts. And with doubts came the risk of being exposed. For his own safety, he would never carry out the plan even if it meant a missed opportunity.

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