Ouyang Bo's Battle Invitation!

"Whoosh."

A figure suddenly flew in from outside the inn.

It was clear their movement technique was excellent.

With a light touch of their toes, they landed beside Ji Qing.

They were dressed in black and masked, making it impossible to see their face.

"Great Hero Ji, I am 'Feng San' from River City's Listening Wind Tower. Listening Wind Tower has just received a challenge letter, and its matter is of great importance, so I was ordered to deliver it to you immediately."

"A challenge letter?"

Ji Qing glanced at Feng San's Listening Wind Token, confirming the person's identity was legitimate and that they were indeed from Listening Wind Tower.

Ji Qing then accepted the challenge letter.

"May 3rd, summit of Green Peak Mountain, a fight to the death, settling all grievances."

The challenge letter, with its brief sixteen characters, clearly stated the time and location.

Below it was the name of the "sender."

"Boom."

Ji Qing's mind reeled. He widened his eyes, staring intently at the sender's name.

It was only three characters: Ouyang Bo!

Wasn't this the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo he had been relentlessly pursuing for three months?

He dared to send a challenge letter?

"Who delivered the challenge letter?"

Ji Qing asked.

"Great Hero Ji, the deliverer was just an ordinary beggar. No useful information could be found."

"And how confident are you that Ouyang Bo is the one who wrote this challenge letter?"

"Ouyang Bo has sent out some letters in the martial arts world before. We compared the handwriting on those letters, and we are basically certain that the handwriting on this challenge letter belongs to Ouyang Bo!"

Ji Qing understood.

Ouyang Bo had finally shown himself.

As for why he sent a challenge letter?

There could only be two reasons.

One, Ouyang Bo was fed up. Being constantly chased by Ji Qing was definitely not a pleasant experience.

Two, Ouyang Bo was confident or had some leverage. He likely believed he had a high chance of winning this decisive battle, which was why he sent the challenge letter, hoping to resolve the issue with Ji Qing once and for all.

There might be other reasons, but these two were likely the primary ones.

Feng San did not urge him, but waited patiently.

Ji Qing did not rush to reply.

He considered all the possibilities in his mind.

If he accepted, it would actually be a significant disadvantage.

Because Ouyang Bo was skilled in poison, especially at a location designated by him, Ouyang Bo could easily set up a "poison array" in advance. If Ji Qing went as agreed, he would undoubtedly be poisoned.

Therefore, it wouldn't be a decisive battle, but a walk into certain death.

Ji Qing indeed wanted to kill Ouyang Bo, but he wasn't so arrogant as to believe he was immune to all poisons.

"Reply to Ouyang Bo publicly! The duel can happen, but I choose the location."

"May 3rd, River City Listening Wind Tower, a fight to the death, settling all grievances!"

Ji Qing gave his reply.

He would not go to a battlefield pre-arranged by Ouyang Bo.

That would be suicidal!

When facing the Poison Demon, one could never be too cautious.

If Ouyang Bo refused, Ji Qing would continue his pursuit!

The reason for choosing Listening Wind Tower was also because of its reputation in the martial arts world for always being "neutral."

Even if Listening Wind Tower leaned towards Ji Qing in this instance regarding intelligence, it was because Ji Qing had offered them a substantial "bounty."

Listening Wind Tower would act the same way for anyone who offered them a significant reward.

However, when it came to publicly issuing a challenge letter for a life-or-death duel, Listening Wind Tower maintained its neutrality.

"Great Hero Ji, I will return to report."

Feng San turned and left, disappearing from sight in an instant.

The people inside the inn had heard everything that was just said.

They hadn't expected to witness such important news firsthand.

It was enough to cause a huge stir in the martial arts world!

"Brother Du, go back and practice your martial arts well. The martial arts world isn't as beautiful as you imagine."

After Ji Qing finished speaking, he ignored everyone and returned to his room upstairs.

Ji Qing then left the inn.

He had to head to River City's Listening Wind Tower as soon as possible and wait there until the third day of the fifth month.

As for whether Ouyang Bo would come?

Ji Qing wasn't sure.

But he would wait patiently!

As Ji Qing left, the people in the inn finally breathed a sigh of relief, followed by immense excitement.

"That person just now must have been 'Startling Swan Blade' Ji Qing, right? The rumors say 'When the Startling Swan Blade appears, heads will roll,' and it's true. With one strike, the Four Fiends of Greed Wolf were dead."

"That was truly the fastest saber strike I've ever seen in my life..."

"I couldn't even see when he drew his saber..."

"But, did you all hear the news from Listening Wind Tower just now? That was a challenge letter from Poison Demon Ouyang Bo! A decisive battle on the third day of the fifth month at River City's Listening Wind Tower. Just thinking about it is exciting."

"Are we going to River City?"

"We definitely have to go and see. This is a major event in the martial arts world. Poison Demon Ouyang Bo versus Startling Swan Blade Ji Qing. Both are top-tier experts in the second tier of the martial arts world, and both are ranked high on the Villain Ranking. A confrontation like this might not happen even once in decades."

"Then let's all go together..."

Some martial artists in the inn couldn't wait any longer. They quickly packed their belongings and prepared to head directly to River City.

Du Jing lowered his head and went to his father to admit his mistake.

"Dad, I was wrong. I shouldn't have sneaked down the mountain, which led to a disaster..."

Du Jing experienced the dangers of the martial arts world for the first time.

His mood was very complicated now.

Du Xiong originally wanted to reprimand him severely, but seeing Du Jing's appearance, he had already suffered a great blow and looked utterly dejected. He couldn't bear to scold him further, so he sighed and said, "Jing'er, you were indeed wrong this time and almost caused a catastrophe! But fortunately, Mr. Ji came to your rescue. How did you get to know Mr. Ji?"

Du Xiong's stance was somewhat special.

The Golden Saber Sect considered itself a righteous sect, while Ji Qing was renowned throughout the land and was the fifth-ranked great demon lord on the Villain Ranking.

He naturally wouldn't call Ji Qing a "hero." After careful consideration, he could only call him "Mister."

After all, Ji Qing was once a scholar.

This title of "Mister" wasn't incorrect.

"Dad, I was in the teahouse..."

As Du Jing described everything in detail, Du Xiong gradually understood the whole story.

But he was somewhat surprised.

Ji Qing's demeanor showed no signs of being a "great demon lord" at all.

Du Jing and Ji Qing had only met once.

They hadn't even "hit it off."

If they had to say there was a connection, it was that Du Jing "admired" Ji Qing quite a bit and had even spoken a few good words for Ji Qing.

But it was precisely these good words that had saved Du Jing's life just now.

"Dad, I want to go to River City! Brother Ji is going to have a decisive battle with Poison Demon Ouyang Bo. Ouyang Bo is cunning and skilled in poisoning. Brother Ji might fall into a trap if he's not careful..."

Du Jing said in a deep voice.

Du Xiong, for the first time, did not scold his son.

What was the distinction between righteous and demonic? He was an old hand in the martial arts world and knew that there was no true distinction between righteous and demonic in the martial arts world.

Du Jing also knew how to repay kindness, which made Du Xiong very pleased.

"That's right, Jing'er, you know how to repay kindness! Mr. Ji not only saved you, but he also saved the reputation of my Golden Saber Sect in the martial arts world for decades. My Golden Saber Sect naturally won't stand by and do nothing!"

"We will set off for River City immediately! Mr. Ji and Ouyang Bo are having a public decisive battle. If Mr. Ji wins, we will go to witness it. If Mr. Ji loses, then my Golden Saber Sect will not bother with martial ethics when dealing with the Poison Demon and will definitely save Mr. Ji."

Du Jing's eyes widened.

He had never thought his father could say such words?

Hadn't his father always talked about martial ethics, righteous sects, and honor?

He had thought his father would severely reprimand him for his relationship with Ji Qing.

After all, Ji Qing was a "great demon lord."

"Jing'er, this is the martial arts world! There's still a lot you need to learn... Let's go."

Thus, the members of the Golden Saber Sect also quickly left the inn and headed to River City.