A Death Duel

The moment Jiang Wang finished speaking, he drew his sword without hesitation and struck.

"W-what!?"

A flash of cold light appeared. Fang Pengju scrambled away from the strike, rolling and crawling, shocked and furious—and utterly disheveled.

Everyone else present failed to react. Almost all of them had thought the next scene would be one of brothers reconciling, their deep bond even becoming a celebrated tale.

Who could have imagined that, with all eyes upon them and brotherly affection between them, Jiang Wang would actually draw his sword?

"Pengju." Jiang Wang watched him with a smile at the corner of his mouth, but it was chillingly cold. "You said you'd bare your neck and await death. Why did you dodge?"

Fang Pengju's handsome face turned pale, then red. He simply got to his feet and gritted his teeth at Jiang Wang. "Third Brother, are you truly disregarding every bit of brotherly affection?"

"You shameless bastard!" By now, Du Yehu was beside himself with rage. "I must've been blind to call you brother!"

As he spoke, he started forward, but Jiang Wang held him back.

"Second Brother, let me handle this myself."

Fang Pengju glared at him. "Du Yehu! What business is this of yours?!"

"Fang Pengju, you've disappointed me greatly!" Even the usually generous Ling He could no longer contain his anger. He stepped forward, drew the sword at his waist, cut off a corner of his robe, and flung it heavily to the ground. "From this day forth, we sever our bond and friendship!"

"Big Brother!" Fang Pengju gave a bitter laugh. "It's one thing for Second Brother to be impulsive, but can't even you understand me? I'm willing to die to prove my innocence, but my parents have only me. I'm their sole heir, the hope they could never let go of, even in death! My life isn't mine to give. How could I die here? Jiang Wang blindly trusts villains, refuses to hear my explanation, and is bent on killing me! Is there no brotherly affection in his heart?"

"Fourth Brother, this is the last time I'll call you that." Zhao Rucheng, the youngest of the Five Heroes of Maple Forest, finally spoke. Though a trace of youthful softness remained in his face, he was already strikingly handsome. His words rang out like jade striking stone. "Fang Decai bears the Fang name! His family has served yours for generations! What could a band of defeated bandits possibly offer to buy him off? Are you insulting the wealth and influence of the Fang Family, or everyone's intelligence? How did a pack of defeated dogs from West Mountain sneak into Maple Forest City and set a trap so brazenly in the Moon-Gazing Pavilion? And since you never had the resolve to prove your innocence with your life, who was that sham performance of yours for? I, Zhao Rucheng, am ashamed to stand among your company!"

Of the five, Ling He and Jiang Wang came from poor families, while Du Yehu's family was neither well-off nor destitute. Fang Pengju and Zhao Rucheng were both rich young masters. The Fang Family needed no explanation, while the Zhao Family, though it had moved to Maple Forest City only in the past decade, had unfathomable resources.

"Xiao Wu, you've always been close to Third Brother, so I could forgive you for taking his side before. But am I not your Fourth Brother, too? You have no proof; you're making these damning accusations based on nothing but conjecture. Can you truly live with yourself?"

Fang Pengju looked heartbroken, as if he were suffering deeply.

"Pengju, you're still as eloquent as ever." Jiang Wang stopped Zhao Rucheng and the others. "But have you ever wondered why, even after I fled with serious injuries, I didn't secretly contact Big Brother, Second Brother, or Xiao Wu? Why did I wait until today to come find you?"

His eyelids drooped slightly. "Because I never wanted to force them to choose sides. I didn't want them to grow suspicious or put them in a difficult position! What happened between you and me is for you and me to resolve. If I died, then I died. But I'm still alive, so you'll repay what you owe me."

Fang Pengju watched him coldly. "Are you imagining that everyone's out to get you? I don't owe you anything. How could I repay you? Why won't you let this go?"

But Jiang Wang no longer spoke to him. Instead, he turned and bowed from afar to the towering statue of the Dao Venerable in the Dao Academy. "Your disciple Jiang Wang was harmed by the villain Fang Pengju and nearly killed. This enmity cannot be reconciled; this hatred cannot be erased. I request a death duel with him!"

The crowd erupted.

A Dao-Witnessed Death Duel!!!

Killing a fellow disciple was a crime, but if they truly bore a mortal grudge, an unquenchable blood feud, the Daoist Sect did not forbid duels.

And among all kinds of duels, one witnessed by the Dao Venerable was the most impossible to take back.

The Daoist Sect generally believed that the Dao Venerable dwelled high in the heavens, seeing all things in the universe. To recite his name was to be known by him; to bow before his likeness was to be felt by him. Once a vow involved the Dao Venerable, it could never be taken back.

A Dao-Witnessed Death Duel ended only with death.

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

His face was stern, and he wore a short beard. A tiny Azure Dragon, so lifelike it seemed ready to leap from the cloth, was embroidered on the right breast of his black Daoist robe. This was a Soaring Dragon Dao Robe, worn only by experts of the middle three ranks.

Among practitioners in the mortal world, cultivation was generally divided into nine ranks. The different schools might use different names or display different supernatural signs, but their ranks could more or less be matched to the nine-rank system. Ranks nine through seven were the initial stage, six through four the middle stage, and three through one the advanced stage. Interestingly, this also corresponded to the official ranks of the various kingdoms.

Of course, in a small country like the Zhuang Kingdom, even a first-rank chancellor might not truly possess first-rank strength.

The moment the black-robed, short-bearded Daoist appeared, every disciple present bowed in greeting. "Dean!"

There were only a handful of Daoists in all of Maple Forest City who could wear a black Soaring Dragon Robe. Among them was Dong A, the dean of Maple Forest Dao Academy. It was said that he had once cultivated in Xin'an City, the capital of the Zhuang Kingdom, but had offended the powerful with his upright and impartial nature, and so had been transferred to Maple Forest City in Qinghe Prefecture.

Ling He wore a sorrowful expression but said nothing. He knew Jiang Wang's swordsmanship well. Before the formal study of Daoist Arts began, no one in the Outer Academy could match him—not even Fang Pengju.

But since Jiang Wang had requested a Dao Verification Duel, he was declaring that the grievance could not be resolved. Now that the dean had arrived in person, Fang Pengju could either fight for his life or submit and let Maple Forest Dao Academy investigate the attack on Jiang Wang.

But how could Fang Pengju withstand an investigation by the Dao Academy?

In truth, he had no choice.

Under countless suspicious, mocking, and angry gazes, Fang Pengju still showed no sign of panic. "Third Brother, are we really going to draw our swords against each other?"

Jiang Wang replied coolly, "You're the one who brought us to this point, not me."

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

"I've already paid for that trust with my life once. Now, there's no point in saying more. The Fang Pengju I remember wasn't a coward who dared not fight."

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

Jiang Wang regarded him calmly. "There's only one way to find out."

Fang Pengju watched him for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Unfortunately, you can't kill me, so our duel can't take place. Just two days ago, my Dao Vein first appeared. You could say I'm already a disciple of the Inner Palace! We're at different levels. How can we duel?"

As he spoke, he straightened and fully activated his Dao Vein. Everyone present could sense a force rising from the great dragon of his spine, filling him with vigor. This proved that his Dao Vein had manifested, allowing his body to generate Dao Essence in response to its birth. He now possessed supernatural power.

The Dao Academy had rules governing duels, including one crucial point: anyone could refuse a duel invitation from someone of a different rank without conditions. This was meant to protect lower-ranked practitioners from being bullied by those of higher rank. Now, however, it had become Fang Pengju's excuse to evade the duel.

Though his Dao Vein had manifested, it had only been a short while, and he had yet to begin practicing Daoist Arts. His strength had not fundamentally increased, so he still had no confidence in fighting Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang fell silent.

He looked at Fang Pengju in silence, his feelings complicated.

Then he spoke slowly. "For this Vein-Opening Pill, I went alone into West Mountain with only my sword and fought through a river of blood before I finally broke the bandits' stronghold. I suffered thirteen wounds in that battle, two of them fatal."

"To get the best possible results when I opened my Dao Vein, I planned to wait until I'd fully recovered before taking the pill. I understand the saying 'treasure brings trouble,' so I never breathed a word of it to anyone. Everyone thought I'd swallow the pill that very day. Everyone except you, and the four of us brothers who've faced life and death together. Because there was nothing I needed to hide from you."

"From the moment I first encountered the world of cultivation at five years old, I'd been pursuing this Vein-Opening Pill. I wasn't born with a manifested Dao Vein, so the only way I could transcend the ordinary was through medicine. It was my path of cultivation, my hope, my only light. You know my family's circumstances. You know how hard I've worked. Every day, I got up before dawn to practice my sword and didn't rest until the moon was high overhead. I never went to brothels or courtesans' houses, and I never indulged myself in any way. I dare say there wasn't a single outer disciple in all of Maple Forest Dao Academy who worked harder than I did. I worked for eleven whole years for this Vein-Opening Pill!"

As Jiang Wang spoke, he fixed Fang Pengju with a hard stare. "Mixed with my sweat, my blood, and my tears—how did this Vein-Opening Pill of mine taste?"

The courtyard fell silent.

Ling He pressed his lips together, and Zhao Rucheng gritted his teeth without speaking. Even Du Yehu, a man like him, had reddened eyes.

Of course they knew how obsessed Jiang Wang was, how hard he worked, how much he suffered.

And Fang Pengju had actually been cruel enough to do this!

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about!" A hint of discomfort flickered across Fang Pengju's face, but he quickly forced it down. "My uncle took a merchant caravan through the Cloud Kingdom earlier this month. By chance, he bought a Vein-Opening Pill from a practitioner who was short on money, so I was able to manifest my Dao Vein. What does that have to do with you? Don't assume everyone's as poor as you, willing to do anything to get ahead! The Fang Family is fabulously wealthy. Do you think we can't afford a single Vein-Opening Pill?"

Zhao Rucheng was so furious that he no longer held back his sharp tongue. "Yes, the Fang Family is fabulously wealthy. Too bad your parents died young, and you're not the only direct heir. The family resources allocated to you are limited. Otherwise, why had you gone all this time without a Vein-Opening Pill, only to get one so conveniently after my Third Brother was attacked?"

"Well, it really is a coincidence. All I can say is that it's far too convenient!" Cold light flashed in Fang Pengju's eyes. "Don't make accusations without proof. For the sake of our brotherhood, I won't hold this against you. Try it again, and I, now a disciple of the Inner Palace, will teach you what it means to know your place!"

"You!" Zhao Rucheng was furious.

Du Yehu gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. If the dean hadn't been there, he would have loved to smash Fang Pengju's handsome face with a punch.

Only Jiang Wang seemed calm. "Fang Pengju, I've told you before. You're too arrogant, too sure of yourself, and that often makes you overlook the truth. I taught you this. Why can't you ever learn?"

"Why don't you think about this? If a Dao-Witnessed Duel couldn't take place, why would Dean Dong have appeared here?"

He stepped forward and likewise activated his Dao Vein. The earthworm in the great dragon of his spine began to writhe violently. His whole body was as sharp and straight as a sword!

"That's because my Dao Vein has manifested, too. I now possess the potential to transcend the ordinary!"

"We're at the same level, and you don't dare let the dean investigate. So the duel stands!"

As Fang Pengju paled with shock, Dean Dong A swept his wide sleeve.

Right at the entrance to the Dao Academy, beneath Jiang Wang and Fang Pengju's feet, a sapling suddenly burst through the earth. In a few short breaths, it grew wildly into a massive wooden pillar, lifting the two of them high while keeping all the other outer disciples outside.

The top of the pillar was as level as if sliced by a sharp blade, a ten-pace-wide circle. From a distance, it looked like a raised wooden platform. Yet branches swayed all around it.

Fang Pengju had no doubt that if he turned to flee, those seemingly harmless branches would become man-eating beasts.

Jiang Wang's hand was already on his sword hilt, poised to strike.

With a casual gesture, Dong A sent a branch twisting around the sword Fang Pengju had thrown to the ground earlier, then flung it up onto the platform.

Fang Pengju reached out and caught it.

Before the statue of the Dao Venerable, whose face could never be made out, Dong A, a fifth-rank Inner Palace expert, announced in a cold voice, "The Dao-Witnessed Death Duel begins!"