Chapter Five: The Duel in the Marketplace

"Young master, slow down when you eat," came a voice from the kitchen of the secluded courtyard belonging to Jiang Xian’s branch of the family. Jiang Feng was crouched on a wooden block, both hands stuffed with food, shoveling mouthful after mouthful without pause.

"I’ve already been starving for five days!" he mumbled through a mouthful, his eyes full of astonishment.

"Yes, you’ve been gone for five days. If Old Master Jiang Xian hadn’t told us not to worry, we’d have gone mad searching for you," said Lanxin, who stood nearby, staring in shock at the ravenous Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng paused, then continued eating with a careless air. "Not you all, only you would have gone mad. Since my mother passed away, in this big house only you and Father count as family to me. The rest avoid me as if I were the plague and mock me behind my back. Who would care what happens to me? Oh, and there’s also Jiang Yue, that kid."

"Young master..." Lanxin bit her lip. She understood better than anyone the suffering of this boy before her—born into a great family, yet living worse than a servant, and still having to endure the torment of nightmares. The memory of his anguished screams would haunt her forever.

"Where’s Father?"

"Oh, he went to the market." Lanxin tilted her head, thinking for a moment.

"The market? Father hasn’t concerned himself with business for five years—he spends all day in the alchemy room. Why would he go there today?" Jiang Feng asked, puzzled.

"It seems to be about the last fight," Lanxin suddenly pouted angrily. "Those three bullies beat up the young masters, but then lied, saying the young masters stole their treasure. Now they’ve dragged their fathers to the Jiang family’s pharmacy to cause trouble."

"Pfft—" Hearing such words from a girl his age, Jiang Feng couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"I’m full. But I’ll grab a chicken leg, just in case," he said, leaping down and laughing, "Thanks for cleaning up. I’m heading to the market."

"Young master, what are you saying? That’s my duty—wait, you can’t go! It’s dangerous out there."

"I know," Jiang Feng turned, fixing her with a steady gaze. "I’ll be fine."

As she watched him walk away, Lanxin felt a change in her young master—he seemed more optimistic, more spirited than ever before. Never had she seen him smile with such confidence. Though she didn’t know what had changed, she couldn’t suppress a smile herself.

...

Jiuyan Town, the easternmost and most remote settlement in the Langya Kingdom.

Though isolated, the town sprawled wide and boasted a large population, making it a significant locale in its own right.

Whenever the surrounding towns mentioned Jiuyan, the first thing that came to mind was the town’s greatest powers—the Four Great Families: the Jiangs, Fangs, Wangs, and Lius.

Yet these families were far from united; their days were filled with friction, open rivalry, and secret plotting.

Jiuyan’s market consisted of three east-west streets and two north-south ones. Each family controlled a street, but the Jiang and Fang families presided over the busiest intersecting avenues, leading to constant clashes between the two.

Jiang Feng wandered through the bustling streets, turning left and right for some time before recalling where the Jiang family pharmacy was located.

"It’s been five years since I last came out," he mused, taking in the lively scene.

"Look at that guy—his eyes are so strange. How funny!" a child exclaimed.

"I’ve never seen him before," another chimed in.

His uninhibited gaze drew a cluster of curious children, who chattered away about his unusual eyes.

"If I’d known, I would’ve worn a hat. These eyes attract too much attention," Jiang Feng muttered, quickening his pace.

...

"Jiang Lei, if you don’t want to make a scene, have your son hand over the Three Segment Pearl. Otherwise, even if this goes to Old Master Jiang, I’ll demand an explanation," thundered a voice outside the Jiang family pharmacy, around which a crowd had gathered.

Two groups stood in the midst of the throng. On one side were Jiang Lei, Jiang Xian, and Jiang Shan; on the other, two middle-aged men and two youths.

The speaker was one of the men from the opposing side.

"You’re lying! I never took it!" Jiang Shan retorted, pouting.

"When elders speak, children shouldn’t interrupt!" the man snorted, releasing a wave of pressure that pressed toward Jiang Shan.

"Hmph! Fang Tu, bullying youngsters—have you spent all these years growing old for nothing?" Jiang Lei snapped, flicking his left hand and sending out his own force to shield Jiang Shan.

Fang Tu’s face flickered, but he soon sneered, "If that’s the case, then let the youngsters settle it. Do you dare?"

"Why wouldn’t I!" Jiang Lei bellowed. "Just say how!"

"Since these boys each tell a different story, we’ll never get to the bottom of it. So let’s settle things the simplest way—whoever’s fist is stronger is in the right!"

"Hmph, a fight then." Jiang Lei laughed scornfully. "You think my boy’s afraid of yours?"

"Damn it," Jiang Xian muttered, stamping his foot. He hadn’t had time to intervene before Jiang Lei agreed. Clearly, their opponents had come prepared, targeting Jiang Lei’s notorious temper.

"Those two brats have obviously reached the fifth stage of Dark Martial cultivation. I don’t know how they managed it in five days, but with such strength, Jiang Shan doesn’t stand a chance. And if it’s just a duel, there’s not much point—unless they raise the stakes," Jiang Xian thought grimly.

"How about we add a wager?" another man suddenly proposed.

"No need. A simple match between the youngsters—why make it so serious?" Jiang Xian quickly cut in before Jiang Lei could answer.

"Oh? Is the Second Master afraid? If so, I suppose the Third Master has no stomach for risk either. Forget it then," the man mocked.

"Who says I’m afraid! Jiang Xian, stay out of this—it’s my son fighting, not yours! If you’re so brave, let that good-for-nothing Jiang Feng come out!"

"Fine, Fang Jin, name your wager! I’ll see it through," Jiang Lei declared.

"Since you’re so eager, why not make it grand?" Fang Jin said with a sinister smile, raising one finger.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Lei asked.

"A year. The profits from both our families’ streets for an entire year—winner takes all. How about it?"

Jiang Feng, listening from afar, felt his heart jolt. So it had come to this after all.

At those words, the crowd broke into a commotion.

The Fang and Jiang families were evenly matched, each controlling half the business in Jiuyan and several neighboring towns. The annual profits from their streets—what a staggering sum!

"This is bad," Jiang Xian thought, his furrowed brow deep with worry. It was obviously a trap set for Jiang Lei.

A year’s earnings for the Jiang family meant hundreds of thousands of gold coins—a loss even they could hardly bear.

Jiang Lei, too, was startled by the audacity of the proposal, but with no way to back down, he gritted his teeth and agreed. "Fine, I accept!"

"Fang Ming, Fang Lin, which of you will give Young Master Jiang Shan a taste? Don’t use your full strength—half will do," Fang Tu mocked.

"You—" Jiang Lei fumed.

"I’ll go," said a sturdily built youth, stepping out with a look of disdain for Jiang Shan. "Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you."

"Hmph, we’ll see who wins!" Jiang Shan, inheriting his father’s fiery temper, charged forward in a blaze of anger.

"So you came prepared," Jiang Xian said coldly, scanning the two. "Are you really trying to provoke a feud between our families? Or is this the Fang Patriarch’s idea?"

"Second Master, you’re overthinking things—this is just a little contest," Fang Tu replied, his gaze evasive.

"But I’ve heard the Second Master’s son is quite an oddity—fifteen years old and still can’t cultivate. Every time he closes his eyes, he’s plagued by nightmares. I wonder if that’s true?" Fang Jin said with a glint of mockery in his eyes.

"Hmph, my son’s circumstances are none of your business."

"Second Master, they’ve started," Fang Tu interrupted, a smug smile curling his lips.

Jiang Xian threw him a glance and turned his attention to the two combatants.

The fourth and fifth stages of Dark Martial—though only a level apart, the difference in strength was vast. In a direct confrontation, unless Jiang Shan had a significant advantage in martial skills, victory was unlikely. But the Jiang family’s techniques were no better than the Fangs’.

Jiang Xian sighed, already foreseeing the outcome.

Jiang Shan, holding his head high, burned with anger at the memory of the recent beating. "Last time it was three against one, so I wasn’t your match. But this time, I’ll show you I’m not to be trifled with!"

"Is that so? Bring it on, then," Fang Ming sneered, beckoning him forward, completely unfazed by Jiang Shan’s fury.

With a shout, Jiang Shan’s burly form surged forward, kicking up dust as he closed in on Fang Ming.

"Surging Wave Palm!"

As soon as Fang Ming was in range, Jiang Shan roared, channeling all his power into a single blow—he meant to defeat his opponent in one strike, and do it with enough force to vent all his pent-up rage.

The Surging Wave Palm was a mid-level Jiang family technique, one that only those at least at the third stage could learn.

Leaping high, twisting in midair, Jiang Shan’s right palm sliced through the air like a wave, chopping toward Fang Ming.

The force of the strike fluttered Fang Ming’s clothes and tossed his hair, revealing a pair of icy eyes.

Fang Ming sneered, watching Jiang Shan’s attack with mocking disdain. At the last instant, as the palm was about to strike his neck, he twisted and dodged with ease.

Jiang Shan stared in disbelief—his full-force attack had been evaded so effortlessly.

Without pause, Fang Ming lunged forward, closing in on the still airborne Jiang Shan. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Crack!

The sound of a rib snapping echoed as Fang Ming’s right elbow smashed into Jiang Shan’s back.

"Ugh—" Blood sprayed from Jiang Shan’s mouth; his face turned ashen as he let out a wail.

"We’re not done yet!" Fang Ming bent over him with a cold laugh, then drove his knee upward with a whistling sound, striking Jiang Shan in the abdomen.

Thud—

Jiang Shan’s body flew through the air like a sandbag, crashing heavily to the ground, motionless.

"Shan’er!" Jiang Lei’s eyes were bloodshot as he rushed to lift his son.

"You little wretch! Such viciousness—I’ll have your life!" Jiang Lei checked Jiang Shan’s body with his martial power, his face growing darker by the moment. Suddenly, the force of a second-level Dark Warrior roared out from him.

"Jiang Lei, it’s a bout between youngsters—are you going to interfere?" Fang Tu saw trouble brewing and lunged forward to clash with Jiang Lei.

Boom—

The shockwave from their colliding energies sent bystanders flying, filling their hearts with awe at the legendary power of a Dark Warrior.

"Even with a one-level difference, he shouldn’t have lost so badly. Something’s wrong—the energy in his body is strange. Did they use some kind of enhancing elixir?" Jiang Xian hurried to restrain Jiang Lei, but inwardly he was deeply shaken.

"Tsk tsk, who would have thought the gap was so wide," Fang Tu said, returning to his place. He shook his head, then turned to Jiang Xian with a sneer. "You were right, Second Master; your son’s affairs are none of my business. How could someone like me ever be involved with someone who’ll never cultivate? Even if he tried for a hundred years, he’d never reach my level. Hahaha—"

"Is that so? A hundred years? I wonder if you’ll live that long."

Just as Fang Tu was laughing arrogantly, an ill-timed voice rang out.