The public duel between the Night-Blooming Jasmine and the Pure Conduct Society caused a huge stir in Blackstone Slope.

Before the match, Tang Peigong had arrived in grand fashion, carrying the society's banner, bringing reporters, and leading more than a hundred of the Pure Conduct Society's disciples to answer the challenge.

When they left the match, the disciples had to fetch stretchers and doctors, wailing all the way back to Tang Peigong's residence.

Tang Peigong was badly injured. The Pure Conduct Society was badly injured.

The disciples went around wailing their grievances, claiming that the Night-Blooming Jasmine's side had broken the rules by using martial arts in what was supposed to be a civil contest.

The Pure Conduct Society had close ties with the major gangs, and those gangs controlled large newspaper offices, giving the Pure Conduct Society a greater reach and advantage in influencing public opinion.

Despite that, the Pure Conduct Society's reputation still suffered a huge hit. No matter how they explained it, they had lost, and they had lost badly.

Moreover, Martial Elder Wu Decheng did not make a clear statement on where he stood in this debacle. He never clarified whether the match had been a civil contest or a martial one. All he said was there might have been a misunderstanding.

The distinguished figures who had served as witnesses stayed silent too, as they themselves had not figured out the rules of the duel.

Three days later, all of Blackstone Slope remembered only one thing. Night-Blooming Jasmine had defeated the Pure Conduct Society on the stage, and one of the Society's elders had been beaten to the ground, nearly to death.

Movie theaters across the region began screening The Legendary Bloodspear Detective, and people treated the Pure Conduct Society's earlier warnings as a mere fart.

The sales for Night-Blooming Jasmine kept growing, and the printing workload kept increasing. To keep up with demand, Ma Wu worked until three in the morning. He had only just fallen asleep for two hours when a blaring toot suddenly rang out.

Ma Wu jolted awake in fright and scrambled out of bed. "What happened?!"

When he rushed outside, he saw that everyone except Li Banfeng had been startled awake. The sound had come from the rooftop.

There was a steam whistle on the rooftop, used by the factory to signal work hours, meals, and rest. However, the boiler was broken. There was no steam, so how was it whistling?

Ma Wu was still thinking about what could have caused it when Little Chuan ran over, his face covered in coal dust. "Master Wu, the boiler's fixed!"

"Which boiler?"

"The one in the courtyard!"

Ma Wu snapped, "Why did you fix that thing?!"

Little Chuan lowered his head without a word. He had worked for three days straight without sleep just to finally finish repairing the boiler.

Ma Wu took a moment to calm down before saying, "Since the boiler's fixed, go buy a proper printing press so we don't have to work this hard."

Little Chuan immediately brightened up and happily went off to buy a printing press.

Meanwhile, Li Banfeng slept peacefully until noon. He stepped out of the Pocket Dwelling feeling refreshed and took a couple of laps around the factory. Just as he was about to head into the city, someone came to report that Elder Wu Decheng from the Pure Conduct Society had come to see him again.

Li Banfeng had a room cleaned up for the meeting, and the two men sat down across from each other at a table.

"Elder Wu, the tea's brewing. It'll be ready in a moment. The poison I used this time is special, no bitterness, no harshness, not even a hint of an aftertaste. You should try it."

Wu Decheng smiled and shook his head. "Boss Ye, you were too heavy-handed. Elder Tang probably won't be getting out of bed for at least a year or two."

Li Banfeng sounded rather helpless. "Elder Wu, why did you have him come fight in the match? Wasn't he just walking into his own death? He's lucky that my people even left him alive."

Wu Decheng nodded. "That's true. The next match is scheduled for tomorrow night. Don't forget our prior agreement."

Li Banfeng smiled. "Don't worry. It's just sending a few people to lose the match, isn't it? I won't forget."

Wu Decheng stood up to take his leave, and Li Banfeng escorted him to the door.

Watching Wu Decheng walk into the distance, Li Banfeng tapped the Blood-Drinking Pendulum at his waist. "I'll have to rely on you again this time."

"Just say the word, Master."

***

After leaving Night-Blooming Jasmine's office, Wu Decheng returned to his residence.

There were four disciples seated in the study: Wu Rongjin, a level-five Martial Cultivator; Rao Shaofeng, a level-five Literary Cultivator; Cheng Ziyan, a level-four Physique Cultivator; and Yue Qingsong, a level-four Poison Cultivator.

They were Wu Decheng's strongest fighters.

Wu Decheng poured each of them a cup of wine. "All of you have followed me for years and suffered many grievances, especially because of Tang Peigong. You've endured quite a bit of bullying at his place."

His four disciples raised their cups and said in unison, "We do so willingly, Master!"

"This battle tomorrow will either give us the glory or shame of our lifetime. If we win, Blackstone Slope will be ours. If we lose, we won't be able to remain there at all.

"Before stepping onto the stage tomorrow, pay close attention. If that man surnamed Ye steps onto the stage, I will go up as well. If he doesn't, I'll remain below and watch. We have an agreement. He intends to concede this match. He will definitely send a few nobodies up just to go through the motions of losing the match.

"Do not hold back. No matter who he sends, kill them straight away. If he steps onto the stage, kill him as well. If he doesn't, kill everyone on the stage, then rush down and kill him anyway. Don't worry about the support hooks around him. I will act together with you when the time comes!"

With the matter settled, the eldest disciple, Wu Rongjin, hesitated. "Master, if we kill that Mr. Ye outright, won't it draw criticism?"

"Criticism for what?" Wu Decheng laughed. "For being too ruthless? Who told them to step onto the stage? Once you're on the stage, who has time to worry about that?

Tang Peigong was beaten into such a miserable state. Did anyone pity him? Even if a few people talk about it, just give it three to five days, and they'll forget about it.

People only remember the victors. No matter how pitiful you make the loser seem, people will just turn them into a laughingstock.

Remember this well. Bring back Ye's head, and Blackstone Slope will be ours!"

***

At 5:30 PM the next day, both parties arrived at the stage on time.

The workers had just finished their shifts and didn't even bother eating. They all rushed over to watch the match.

"Who do you think will win this time?"

"I heard this time it's a real martial match. Elder Wu is taking action personally. Boss Ye's chances don't look good."

"That's what you said last time too, and Boss Ye still won."

"That time was different..."

"Stop talking nonsense. One hundred Huan notes, I'm betting on Boss Ye. You dare to take the bet?"

The crowd had already started placing bets.

Li Banfeng arrived at the edge of the stage looking really tired. He greeted Wu Decheng and said, "Elder Wu, should I go up and concede right away, or fight a bit first?"

Wu Decheng frowned. "Boss Ye, don't joke like that. Once we're on the stage, we'll each rely on our own ability."

"Fine. We'll rely on ability. Taking this act so seriously..." Li Banfeng muttered. He yawned and called three people to go onto the stage.

It was just as Wu Decheng had expected. He came here to lose, so he isn't taking it seriously at all.

None of the capable fighters from before showed up. The three who stepped onto the stage were almost painful to look at.

One was a burly man; he was tall but morbidly obese. He did not look like a martial artist at all.

The other two were short and skinny, as if they hadn't eaten enough. Even their steps were unsteady.

Their clothes were rough and plain, stained with grease, and their faces were covered in soot.

This is far too half-hearted. It looks like he simply hired a few factory workers who just got off work, planning to just go through the motions of the act and call it a day.

Wu Decheng said quietly to Li Banfeng, "Boss Ye, these are your people?"

Li Banfeng snorted. "What? You don't like them? The ones you brought aren't much better."

Wu Decheng glanced around Li Banfeng and saw that he had not even brought any support hooks.

Fine, youngster. You sure are bold. Let's see if you're still smiling later!

A whistle blared, and both parties prepared for battle. Wu Decheng's four disciples stepped onto the stage.

Li Banfeng frowned. "What's this supposed to mean? I've got three people, and you bring four? Bullying us with numbers?"

He said it loudly enough that the surrounding crowd immediately began to murmur about it.

Wu Decheng remained silent. Rao Shaofeng, a level-five Literary Cultivator, stepped forward and said, "Boss Ye, you're here too. Why not come up too? We can learn from one another."

Li Banfeng frowned. "What would I go up for? I'm going to lose anyway. Why embarrass myself?"

If this goes on, he might expose something, Wu Decheng thought. He quickly cut the conversation off. "Three against three will do. Qingsong, step down."

Yue Qingsong, a level-four Poison Cultivator, stepped off the stage and stood beside Wu Decheng.

The second whistle sounded. The lineup was confirmed, and there could be no changes. The third whistle blew, and the fight began.

Wu Rongjin, a level-five Martial Cultivator, charged first, heading straight for the burly man. Out of the three fighters on the Night-Blooming Jasmine's side, only the burly man looked like he could hold his own for a while.

However, the burly man did not dare fight. He quickly retreated.

One of the skinny men crept up beside Wu Rongjin. He hunched low and stuck out his leg to trip Wu Rongjin, causing him to stumble.

Wu Rongjin pivoted and threw a punch at the skinny man.

The skinny man easily dodged and said with a grin, "Can't hit me, can you? Why are you so stupid?"

Wu Rongjin lifted his leg and kicked the skinny man, but the skinny man dodged once more. "Are you blind or what? Where are you kicking? I'm over here!"

The skinny man's words infuriated Wu Rongjin, and he kept chasing the skinny man.

The skinny man just kept dodging and mocking him. "How did your mother end up giving birth to such useless trash? You're a grown man and can't even walk properly. Look at those clumsy feet of yours. You can't even move them right. You think you're so virtuous, yet you're fighting in a public duel? You wouldn't even be fast enough to eat shit while it's still warm."

Wu Rongjin flew into a rage. He lost all restraint, his steps becoming wide and reckless. The skinny man spotted an opening and kicked him in the shin. The kick wasn't strong, but it was precise. Wu Rongjin's legs became tangled, and he fell flat on his face, like a dog eating shit.

The skinny man laughed. "Told you. You wouldn't even make it in time for the warm stuff."

The burly man behind him chimed in, "Don't say that. Here's some hot stuff, fresh out of the oven."

He pulled out a bucket from his clothes and slammed it over Wu Rongjin's head.

Wu Rongjin gagged violently. Before he could even pull the bucket off, the skinny man kicked his leg, breaking it. Then the skinny man stepped on his arm and broke that too, before finally kicking him off the stage.

Who was this man? How could he be so strong? This wasn't a man at all but the Street-Cursing Crone. The Blood-Drinking Pendulum had a knack for disguise and had dressed the Street-Cursing Crone up as a man. To be fair, the Blood-Drinking Pendulum's disguise skills had improved greatly. Even Li Banfeng hadn't recognized the Street-Cursing Crone at first. The appearance of her face could be altered with makeup, but her body could not be changed. The old woman was naturally frail, and disguised as a man, she looked even thinner.

Wu Rongjin lay on the ground, cursing loudly. "What are you waiting for? Why aren't you helping me?!"

He was shouting at his two junior brothers. It was three against three, yet they had just stood there and watched him get beaten.

His two junior brothers wanted to help, but they couldn't break free. The other skinny man was holding them back.

Despite facing two opponents alone, this skinny man was not at a disadvantage at all. He was Qin, a level-six Physique Cultivator.

Wu Rongjin had already been knocked off the stage. According to the rules, he could not return to the match, so it had now become two against three.

They could not even gain the upper hand when it was two against one, so how were they supposed to fight now that it was two against three?

Rao Shaofeng, the level-five Literary Cultivator, shouted angrily, "You can't bully us with numbers!"

This was the ability Binding Edict.

The burly man hugged his bucket and said, "Then I won't fight."

This burly man was Little Gen. He was only a level-two cultivator, so since they wanted only two people to fight, he would not fight. He could not defeat them anyway.

Four people remained in the battle, turning it into a two-on-two. After a brief standoff, Rao Shaofeng, a Literary Cultivator, shouted, "Soaring forty-five thousand kilometers into the sky!"

He leaped up, preparing to attack from above.

Forty-five thousand kilometers was impossible, but the Spoken Word Manifestation ability still sent him high into the air, at least seven or eight meters.

Qin, whose primary body was that of a katydid[1], spread his wings and leaped up. With one hand, he grabbed Rao Shaofeng's ankle, yanked him up into the air, spun once, and slammed him hard onto the stage.

Qin landed and stepped forward. She stomped on Rao Shaofeng's chest, making him cough up blood.

Only Cheng Ziyan, a level-four Physique Cultivator, remained. He had kept a trick in reserve, but when he saw Qin and the Street-Cursing Crone approaching together, he spun around and released a cloud of smoke with a flurry.

Qin immediately covered her nose.

The Street-Cursing Crone spat out a mouthful of saliva. "You're a fucking weasel? That kid throws shit, and you're letting out a stink bomb. Who the hell can stand this?!"

Qin and the Street-Cursing Crone kicked Cheng Ziyan off the stage.

Tooooot!

The whistle sounded, signaling the end of the match. Everyone covered their noses and mouths, and the venue fell into absolute silence.

The match had been quite a spectacle—a sight for the eyes but torture for the nose.

Wu Decheng roared, "You cheated!"

Li Banfeng shot back, "How did I cheat?!"

"You dared to deceive me!"

Li Banfeng yelled, "What did I deceive you about? Say it. Say it out loud!"

"I—"

How can I possibly say it?

Wu Decheng trembled with rage. Then, while his attention was fully on Li Banfeng, Little Gen swung a ladle and splashed its contents all over his face.

LI Banfeng taunted him again, "Well? Say it!"

1. Also known as a bush cricket. More info here. ☜