Please Decide Death

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

"What—what!?"

The cold light flashed. Fang Pengju scrambled and rolled to dodge the blow, both furious and utterly disgraced.

Beyond that, not a single person present had time to react. Almost everyone had expected the next scene to be a brotherly reconciliation, deep in affection, even a tale to be passed down as a momentary legend.

No one had imagined that, under the gaze of the crowd and bound by brotherly sentiment, Jiang Wang would actually still swing his sword!

"Pengju." Jiang Wang looked at him with a smile at the corner of his mouth, but that smile was exceptionally cold. "You said you'd stretch out your neck and wait for the blade. Why did you dodge?"

Fang Pengju's handsome face cycled through shades of pale and green. He simply stood up from the ground, gritted his teeth, and met Jiang Wang's gaze: "Third Brother, do you truly care nothing for brotherly affection?"

"You shameless bastard!" By this point, Du Yehu was beyond furious. "I was blind to have called you brother!"

As he spoke, he took a step forward to charge over, but Jiang Wang reached out and stopped him.

"Second Brother, let me handle this myself."

Fang Pengju glared: "Du Yehu! What business is this of yours!?"

"Fang Pengju, you have disappointed me greatly!" Even the usually magnanimous Ling He could not suppress his anger. He stepped forward, drew the sword at his waist, cut off a corner of his robe, and threw it heavily to the ground. "From this day forward, we sever ties!"

"Big Brother!" Fang Pengju let out a bitter laugh. "Second Brother is impulsive by nature, that's one thing. But can't even you understand me? To prove my innocence, I was willing to die. But my parents have only me as their son—I am their only heir, the hope they cannot let go of even in death! My life is not my own. How could I die here? Jiang Wang blindly believes in villains, refuses to listen to explanations, and is set on putting me to death! Does he have any brotherly feeling in his heart?"

"Fourth Brother, this is the last time I call you Fourth Brother," Zhao Rucheng, the youngest of the Maple Forest Five Heroes, finally spoke. His face still held a trace of youth but was already exceedingly handsome. His words now rang out like metal and jade, each syllable striking the ground: "Fang Decai's surname is Fang! His family has served yours for generations! What conditions could a band of defeated outlaws offer to buy him off? Are you insulting the wealth and power of the Fang family, or are you insulting the intelligence of all of us? How did a pack of beaten dogs from West Mountain manage to sneak into Maple Forest City and set a trap so openly at the Moon-Gazing Pavilion? And finally, since you never had the resolve to die and prove your innocence, that little act you just put on—who was it for? I, Zhao Rucheng, am ashamed to be associated with you!"

Among the five, Ling He and Jiang Wang were poor, Du Yehu's family was neither well-off nor destitute, while Fang Pengju and Zhao Rucheng were both wealthy young masters. The Fang family went without saying, and though the Zhao family had only moved to Maple Forest City in the last decade, their foundation was unfathomably deep.

"Little Five, you've always been close to Third Brother. It's one thing to favor him on ordinary days, but am I not your Fourth Brother? You have no evidence, only inferences, yet you speak these piercing words. Can your conscience rest easy?"

Fang Pengju looked pained and anguished, as if tormented and wounded to the extreme.

"Pengju, you still have a silver tongue." Jiang Wang stopped Zhao Rucheng and the others. "But have you ever wondered why, even when I was gravely wounded and fleeing, I never secretly contacted Big Brother, Second Brother, or Little Five? Why I chose to come find you only today?"

His eyelids drooped slightly: "Because I never wanted them to have to make a choice. I didn't want them to suspect, didn't want them to be put in a difficult position! The matter between you and me—let you and me settle it ourselves. If I died, then I died. Since I'm still alive, then what is owed, you must return to me."

Fang Pengju looked at him coldly: "Do you have some persecution complex? I don't owe you anything. How am I supposed to return it? Why are you so stubbornly deluded?"

But Jiang Wang no longer spoke to him. Instead, he turned and bowed low before the towering statue of the Dao Venerable in the academy courtyard: "Your disciple Jiang Wang was harmed by the villain Fang Pengju and nearly lost his life. This enmity cannot be resolved. 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 there was truly a mortal grievance, a blood feud that could not be dissolved, the Daoist Sect did not forbid duels.

And among the various types of duels, one witnessed by the Dao Venerable was the most irredeemable.

The Daoist Sect generally believed that the Dao Venerable reigned high above the Nine Heavens, observing the universe. To recite his name was to be known. To bow before his image was to be felt. Any oath involving the Dao Venerable was irrevocable.

A Dao-Witnessed Death Duel—no end but death.

The moment Jiang Wang's words fell, a middle-aged Daoist in black robes appeared before the statue of the Dao Venerable.

His face was stern and resolute, with a short beard. On the right chest of his black Daoist robe was embroidered a small azure dragon, so lifelike it seemed to move. This was a Soaring Dragon Daoist robe, which only cultivators of the middle three grades could wear.

In the secular world, cultivators' realms were roughly divided into nine grades. Different schools might have different names and different manifestations of transcendence, but the general grades could be mapped to this nine-grade system. Grades nine through seven were the lower tier, six through four the middle tier, and three through one the upper tier. Interestingly, this also corresponded to the official ranks of the various kingdoms.

Of course, in a small kingdom like Zhuang, even a first-rank prime minister might not truly possess first-rank strength.

As soon as the black-robed, short-bearded Daoist appeared, all the disciples present bowed deeply. "Academy Head!"

There were few Daoists in all of Maple Forest City who could wear the Soaring Dragon black robe, and among them was Dong A, the head of Maple Forest Dao Academy. It was said he had once cultivated in the Zhuang Kingdom's capital, Xin'an City, but because of his upright and principled character, he had offended the powerful and was sent out to Maple Forest City in Qinghe Prefecture.

Ling He's face was mournful, but he said not a word. He knew Jiang Wang's swordsmanship well—before formally beginning to cultivate Dao techniques, no one in the outer academy was his match, Fang Pengju included.

But since Jiang Wang had proposed a Dao-Witnessed Death Duel, it meant his grievance was irreconcilable. Now that the Academy Head had arrived in person, Fang Pengju would either have to fight to the death or resign himself to waiting for the Maple Forest Dao Academy to investigate the matter of Jiang Wang's ambush.

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

In truth, he had no choice.

Under countless gazes—some suspicious, some mocking, some furious—Fang Pengju's face still showed no panic. "Third Brother, must we truly draw our swords and face each other?"

Jiang Wang said flatly, "The one who brought us to this point is you, not me."

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

"I have already paid for that trust once with my life. Now, words are useless. The Fang Pengju I remember was no coward who dared not answer a challenge."

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

Jiang Wang looked at him calmly. "Let's find out."

Fang Pengju stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Too bad you can't kill me. Our duel cannot proceed. Because just two days ago, I manifested my Dao Vein. I am already an inner academy disciple! Our levels are different—how can we duel?"

As he spoke, he straightened his posture and fully activated his Dao Vein. Everyone present could sense an aura rising from his spine, the great dragon of his back, causing his spirit to surge with vitality. This showed that he had manifested his Dao Vein, that his flesh could now reflect the Dao Vein to generate Dao essence, formally possessing transcendent power.

The Dao Academy had long established rules for duels. One very important point was that any duel invitation between different levels could be unconditionally refused. This was to protect lower-grade cultivators from being bullied by higher-grade ones. But at this moment, it became Fang Pengju's excuse to avoid the duel.

Although he had manifested his Dao Vein, it had not been long, and he had not yet begun to study Dao techniques. Thus, his power had not fundamentally increased, and he still had no confidence in facing Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang was silent.

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

Then he spoke slowly: "For that Vein-Opening Pill, I charged alone into West Mountain, fought in a bloody battle, and broke the bandit lair. In that battle, I suffered thirteen wounds, two of them fatal."

"To get the best results from opening my meridians, I planned to wait until my body was at its peak before taking this pill. I understand the principle of 'jade in one's bosom invites theft,' so I never breathed a word to anyone. Everyone thought I would swallow the pill that very day—except for you, except for the five of us who've been through life and death together. Because there's nothing I need to hide from you."

"From the time I was five years old and first entered the world of cultivation, I've been chasing this Vein-Opening Pill. I wasn't born with a Dao Vein manifesting externally; to transcend the mundane, I had to rely on a pill. It was my path to cultivation, my hope, my only light. You know my family situation. You know how hard I've worked. Every day I got up before dawn to practice my sword, and only rested when the moon was high in the sky. I never went to brothels or indulged myself in any way. In the entire Maple Forest Dao Academy, I dare say no outer disciple worked harder than me. For this Vein-Opening Pill, I gave it my all for eleven full years!"

Jiang Wang spoke, his gaze locked onto Fang Pengju. "Soaked in my sweat, my blood, my tears—this Vein-Opening Pill of mine, does it work well for you?"

Silence fell over the arena.

Ling He pressed his lips tight. Zhao Rucheng gritted his teeth and said nothing. Even a man as tough as Du Yehu had red-rimmed eyes.

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

And Fang Pengju had the nerve to do this!

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about!" A flicker of unease crossed Fang Pengju's face, but he quickly suppressed it. "My uncle led a merchant caravan through Cloud Kingdom earlier this month and happened to buy a Vein-Opening Pill from a cultivator short on funds. That's how I manifested my Dao Vein. What does that have to do with you? Don't think everyone's as lowborn as you, willing to stoop to any means to get ahead! My Fang family is wealthy beyond measure—do you think we can't afford a single Vein-Opening Pill?"

Zhao Rucheng was already furious and no longer held back his words. "Oh yes, the Fang family is indeed wealthy. Too bad your parents died early, and you're not the sole heir of the main branch. The resources allocated to you are limited. Otherwise, why didn't you have a Vein-Opening Pill all this time, yet conveniently got one right after my third brother was ambushed?"

"What a coincidence. I can only say—what a coincidence!" Fang Pengju's eyes turned cold. "Don't say things without evidence. For the sake of our brotherhood, I'll let it slide this time. Next time, as an inner courtyard disciple, I'll teach you what it means to respect rank!"

"You!" Zhao Rucheng seethed with rage.

Du Yehu ground his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. If the academy head weren't present, he'd have loved to smash that pretty face of Fang Pengju's with his fist.

Only Jiang Wang remained calm. "Fang Pengju, I told you before. You're too arrogant, too self-righteous, and you often miss the truth because of it. I taught you this—why can't you ever learn?"

"Why don't you think about it—if the Dao Verification Duel couldn't be established, why would Dean Dong be here?"

He stepped forward, also activating his Dao Vein. The earthworm-like energy in the great dragon of his spine writhed fiercely, making him as sharp as a sword, as straight as a sword!

"That's because I've also manifested my Dao Vein and officially gained the potential to transcend the mundane!"

"We're on the same level now, and you don't dare let the dean investigate. So the duel is established!"

As Fang Pengju's face twisted in shock, Dean Dong A swept his wide sleeve.

Right at the academy gate, beneath the feet of Jiang Wang and Fang Pengju, a sapling suddenly burst from the ground. In mere breaths, it grew wildly into a massive wooden pillar, lifting the two of them up while keeping all other outer disciples at bay.

The top of the pillar was as flat as if cut by a sharp blade, ten paces square. From a distance, it looked like a round wooden platform. But around the 'platform,' branches swayed gently.

Fang Pengju had no doubt that if he tried to turn and run, these seemingly harmless branches would transform into man-eating beasts.

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

Dong A casually beckoned, and a branch twisted to pick up the sword Fang Pengju had dropped earlier, flinging it onto the platform.

Fang Pengju caught it.

Before the statue of the Dao Venerable, whose face could never be clearly seen, the five-pin Inner Palace realm powerhouse Dong A announced in a cold voice: "Dao-Witnessed Death Duel, begin!"