Chapter 4: Requesting a Death Match

As soon as Jiang Wang finished speaking, he drew his sword and struck.

"W-what!?"

Fang Pengju flipped backward, scrambling to avoid the blow. He was shocked and furious, looking utterly disheveled.

The onlookers were stunned! Almost everyone had expected the next scene to be one of brotherly reconciliation and a touching display of loyalty. But the blade, cold as frost, shattered that fantasy.

No one had expected that, with everyone watching and the weight of their brotherhood hanging in the air, Jiang Wang would actually strike!

"Pengju," Jiang Wang looked at him with a smile on his lips, though his eyes were chillingly cold. "You said you were ready to lay your neck on the block. Why did you dodge?"

Fang Pengju’s handsome face turned pale, then green. He stood up from the ground, gritting his teeth as he met Jiang Wang’s gaze. "Third Brother, do you truly have no regard for our brotherhood at all?"

"Fang Pengju, you animal!" The hot-tempered Du Yehu was already beyond furious. "I must have been blind to ever call you a brother!"

He stepped forward, ready to charge, but Jiang Wang reached out and stopped him.

"Second Brother, let me handle this myself."

Fang Pengju glared at him. "Du Yehu! What does this have to do with you!?"

"Fang Pengju, you have disappointed me too much!" Ling He, usually the most magnanimous of them, could no longer suppress his rage. He stepped forward, drew the sword at his waist, sliced off a corner of his robe, and threw it heavily to the ground. "From this day on, we sever our ties!"

"Big Brother!" Fang Pengju let out a bitter laugh. "It’s one thing for Second Brother to be impulsive, but can you not understand me either? I was willing to die to prove my innocence, but my parents have only me as their son. I am their only legacy, the hope they cannot let go of even in death! My life is not my own; how could I die here? Jiang Wang blindly trusts a villain, refuses to listen to reason, and is bent on my destruction! Does he have any brotherly love in his heart?"

"Fourth Brother, this is the last time I will call you that," Zhao Rucheng, the youngest of the Five Heroes of Fenglin, finally spoke. His face still held a hint of youth, yet he was already strikingly handsome. His voice, as he spoke, rang out like gold and jade hitting the floor. "Fang Decai’s surname is Fang! His family has served yours for generations! What could a group of defeated bandits possibly offer to bribe him? Are you insulting your own family’s wealth, or are you insulting our intelligence? How did a pack of stray dogs from the West Mountain manage to sneak into Fenglin City and set a trap at the Wangyue Tower so brazenly? And finally, since you lack the resolve to die to prove your innocence, who exactly were you performing this charade for? I, Zhao Rucheng, am ashamed to be associated with you!"

Among the five, Ling He and Jiang Wang came from poor families, Du Yehu’s family was neither rich nor poor, while Fang Pengju and Zhao Rucheng were both sons of wealth. The Fang family went without saying, and although the Zhao family had only moved to Fenglin City in the last decade, their foundation was unfathomably deep.

"Little Five, you’ve always been close to Third Brother, and it’s fine if you favor him, but am I not your Fourth Brother? You have no evidence, yet you speak such heart-piercing words based on mere conjecture. Can your conscience truly be at ease?"

Fang Pengju looked heartbroken, appearing to be in extreme agony and distress.

"Pengju, your eloquence remains as sharp as ever." Jiang Wang stopped Zhao Rucheng and the others. "But have you ever thought about why, even when I was heavily wounded and on the run, I didn't secretly contact Big Brother, Second Brother, or Little Five, but waited until today to find you?"

He lowered his eyelids. "Because I never wanted to force them to make a choice. I didn't want them to doubt, and I didn't want to put them in a difficult position! The matter between you and me should be resolved by you and me. If I die, then I die. Since I am still alive, then what is owed must be returned to me."

Fang Pengju looked at him with cold eyes. "Do you have a persecution complex? I owe you nothing, so what are you asking me to return? Such madness, such obsession!"

But Jiang Wang no longer engaged him. He turned and bowed toward the tall statue of the Daoist Master in the academy. "Disciple Jiang Wang has been harmed by the villain Fang Pengju and nearly lost his life. This grudge cannot be resolved, this hatred cannot be extinguished. I request a duel to the death!"

The crowd erupted.

A Dao-witnessed death duel!!!

Killing a fellow disciple was a crime, but if there was a life-or-death grievance that could not be resolved, the Daoist sect did not forbid such duels.

And among the many types of duels, one witnessed by the Daoist Master was the most irrevocable.

The Daoist sect generally believed that the Daoist Master resided in the Nine Heavens, observing the universe. To chant his name was to be known; to bow before his form was to be felt. Once a vow involved the Daoist Master, it could never be undone.

A Dao-witnessed death duel meant one would not stop until the other was dead.

As soon as Jiang Wang finished speaking, a middle-aged Daoist in black robes appeared before the statue.

He had a stern face and a short beard. On the right chest of his black robe was embroidered a small green dragon, looking so lifelike it seemed ready to move. This was a "Soaring Dragon" robe, which only those in the middle three ranks could wear.

Secular cultivators were generally divided into nine ranks. Different schools had different names and manifestations of their supernatural powers, but they could generally be mapped to this nine-rank system. Ranks nine through seven were the initial stage, six through four were the middle stage, and three through one were the high stage. Interestingly, this also corresponded to the official ranks of various nations.

Of course, in a small country like Zhuang, even a Prime Minister of the first rank might not truly possess the strength of the first rank.

As soon as this black-robed, short-bearded Daoist appeared, all the disciples present bowed in salute—"Dean!"

There were few in all of Fenglin City who could wear the Soaring Dragon black robe, and among them was Dong A, the Dean of the Fenglin Daoist Academy. It was rumored that he had studied in the capital city of Xinan and had been exiled to Fenglin City in Qinghe County because his upright and impartial nature had offended the powerful.

Ling He looked sorrowful but remained silent. He knew Jiang Wang’s swordsmanship well; it could be said that before officially beginning to practice Daoist arts, no one in the outer academy was his match, and Fang Pengju was no exception.

But since Jiang Wang had proposed a Dao-witnessed duel, it meant the grievance was irreconcilable. With the Dean present, Fang Pengju either had to fight for his life or be forced to wait for the academy to investigate the poisoning and the ambush.

But how could Fang Pengju withstand an investigation by the academy?

Therefore, in reality, he had no choice.

Amidst countless gazes of suspicion, mockery, and anger, Fang Pengju showed no panic, his eyes only growing colder. "Third Brother, must we really draw our swords against each other?"

Jiang Wang said calmly, "It was you who brought us to this point, not me."

"What will it take for you to believe me?"

"I have already paid with my life once for that trust. Now, more words are useless. The Fang Pengju in my memory is not a coward who dares not accept a challenge."

Fang Pengju remained unmoved. "Are you so confident that you can kill me?"

Jiang Wang looked at him calmly. "Why not try?"

Fang Pengju stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed. "It’s a pity you can’t kill me, and our duel cannot be established. Because just the day before yesterday, my Dao pulse manifested. I am already an inner academy disciple! We are on different levels; how can we duel?"

As he spoke, he stood tall and fully activated his Dao pulse. Everyone present could sense an aura rising from his spine, making his spirit surge like smoke from a beacon. This meant his Dao pulse had manifested, allowing his physical body to generate Dao essence, officially granting him supernatural power.

The academy had long-standing regulations regarding duels, and a key point was that anyone could unconditionally refuse a duel invitation from someone of a lower rank; this was to protect lower-ranked cultivators.

But at this moment, it became Fang Pengju’s excuse to avoid the duel.

Although his Dao pulse had manifested, it had not been long, and he had not yet begun to practice Daoist arts, so his power had not fundamentally increased. Thus, he still had no confidence in fighting Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang fell silent.

He looked at Fang Pengju in silence, his emotions complex.

Then, he said slowly, "For this Opening Pulse Pill, I broke into the West Mountain alone, fought through blood, and destroyed the thieves' nest. In that battle, I suffered thirteen wounds, two of which were fatal."

"To ensure the best effect for opening my pulse, I went into seclusion, waiting for my peak state to take the pill. I understood the danger of harboring such a treasure, so I never revealed it to anyone. Everyone thought I had taken the pill the day I got it, except for you brothers who had been through life and death with me—because there was nothing I needed to hide from you."

"From the moment I touched the supernatural world at age five, I had been chasing this Opening Pulse Pill. I didn't have a naturally manifested Dao pulse; to reach the supernatural, I had to rely on pills. It was my path of cultivation, my hope, the light I was determined to chase. You know how I’ve lived these years, you know how hard I’ve worked. I practiced sword every day before dawn and didn't rest until the moon was high. I never went to brothels, nor did I indulge myself in any way. In the entire Fenglin Academy, I dare say no outer disciple worked harder than me. For this Opening Pulse Pill, I worked for eleven whole years!"

Jiang Wang stared fixedly at Fang Pengju. "Mixed with my sweat, my blood, and my tears—how does this Opening Pulse Pill of mine taste?"

The arena fell silent.

Ling He pressed his lips together, Zhao Rucheng gritted his teeth in silence, and even a man like Du Yehu closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

Yes, who among them didn't know of Jiang Wang’s obsession, his exhaustion, his suffering?

And Fang Pengju had been cruel enough to do this!

"I don't know what you're babbling about!" A flicker of unnaturalness crossed Fang Pengju’s face, but he quickly suppressed it. "My uncle led a caravan through the Xingyun Kingdom last month and happened to buy an Opening Pulse Pill from a cultivator who was short on cash. That is how my Dao pulse manifested. What does that have to do with you? Don't think everyone is like you, born poor and using any means necessary to get ahead! My Fang family is wealthy; can we not afford an Opening Pulse Pill?"

Zhao Rucheng was filled with hatred, his words no longer restrained. "Yes, the Fang family is indeed wealthy. It’s a pity your parents died early, and you are not the sole heir of the main branch; the family resources allocated to you are limited. Otherwise, why is it that after all this time you couldn't afford an Opening Pulse Pill, yet it just so happens that you have one right after my Third Brother was ambushed?"

"Then that is truly a coincidence. I can only say, it is too coincidental!" Fang Pengju’s eyes flashed with cold light. "Do not speak of things without evidence. For the sake of the time we were brothers, I will not hold this against you. If there is a next time, as an inner academy disciple, I will let you know what it means to respect the order of rank!"

"You!" Zhao Rucheng was furious and stepped forward.

Du Yehu ground his teeth and charged, ready to smash Fang Pengju’s hateful face in, even with the Dean present!

Only Jiang Wang spread his hands and stopped them again. At this moment, he was calm. "Fang Pengju, I told you before. A person can be arrogant, but they must not let arrogance blind them. I taught you that; why couldn't you learn it?"

"Why didn't you think about why Dean Dong would be here if the Dao-witnessed duel couldn't be established?"

He stepped forward, also activating his Dao pulse. The "earthworm" in his spine writhed violently, and his whole body became as sharp and straight as a sword!

"That is because I, too, have manifested my Dao pulse and officially possess the potential for the supernatural!"

"We are on the same level, and you dare not let the Dean investigate. Therefore, the duel is established, and we shall decide life and death with our swords!"

As Fang Pengju turned pale with shock, Dean Dong A waved his large sleeves.

Right at the entrance of the academy, beneath the feet of Jiang Wang and Fang Pengju, a sapling broke through the soil, growing wildly. In a few breaths, it grew into a massive wooden platform, lifting them both up and separating them from the other outer disciples.

The top of the platform was as flat as if cut by a sharp blade, ten paces square. From a distance, it looked like a circular wooden stage. Only, around the "stage," branches swayed.

Fang Pengju did not doubt that if he turned to run, these seemingly harmless branches would turn into man-eating beasts.

Jiang Wang’s hand was already on his hilt, ready to strike.

Dong A flicked his hand, and a branch twisted to pick up the sword Fang Pengju had dropped on the ground, tossing it onto the platform.

Fang Pengju reached out and caught it.

Before the statue of the Daoist Master, whose face could never be clearly seen, the fifth-rank Inner Mansion expert Dong A announced coldly: "Dao-witnessed death duel, begin!"