"Who?"
Having learned from last time,
His body shot out like an arrow, only to find a figure standing in the courtyard beyond, face concealed, with nothing but a pair of eyes visible.
"Young friend, might we have a word?"
An uninvited guest in the dead of night was almost certainly not here with good intentions. Jiang Chen had no interest in beating around the bush.
"Are you going to leave on your own, or shall I summon the enforcers?" Jiang Chen asked with a frown.
"Young friend, please don't misunderstand. I bear no ill will whatsoever. I was merely entrusted by someone to act as a go-between—a peacekeeper of sorts."
"A peacekeeper?" Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh. "Who asked you to come?"
"Young friend, please be patient. With your talent, you're destined to rise like a dragon at the first gust of wind and cloud. Why waste your time here in the Mystic Spirit Zone squabbling over fleeting grievances? Whoever sent me is of no consequence. As an examiner for the Mystic Spirit Zone, I handle all disputes impartially. I've come today simply to offer you a piece of advice: take one step back, and the sea and sky stretch wide before you."
"Take one step back?" Jiang Chen scoffed. "When I take one step back, they'll push forward ten. Stop beating around the bush. Was it
"Young friend is indeed perceptive."
"Go back and tell him—there are lines that cannot be crossed. Once they are, it becomes a fight to the death. You're an examiner, and I respect you for that. However, I have a feeling this visit isn't an official act. Otherwise, why the mask?"
"Young friend is truly sharp. This old man is impressed. They do regret what happened before, which is why they've entrusted me to see whether any amends might be made. If you have any demands, please name them freely."
Jiang Chen waved his hand and barked: "Enough! My principles are not up for negotiation. Go back and tell Guo Ren—the only thing he can do is pray that he never meets me on the arena. That's all I have to say. Good day!"
Jiang Chen's anger surged. A go-between? A peacekeeper?
At the end of the day, it was just another trick from the
Moreover, knowing sect disciples the way he did, any talk of reconciliation was nothing but a facade. Once the dust settled, they would bare their fangs once more and turn on him without hesitation.
Men like Guo Ren had the hearts of vipers and scorpions. There was no way he could ever sincerely seek peace.
And what had happened that day had absolutely crossed Jiang Chen's bottom line. An innocent woman's virtue had been ruined on his account. She had never said a word about it, but Jiang Chen knew all too well what an enormous sacrifice that was for a young woman.
Was an innocent woman's virtue something that could simply be brushed aside with a hollow offer of reconciliation?
Jiang Chen would never agree to that.
Hearing Jiang Chen's words leave no room for maneuver, the masked man's brow furrowed: "Young friend, is there truly no room for compromise?"
Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh: "Only if he dies."
The masked man's tone turned icy: "Die? You think if he dies, this matter will be settled? Let me tell you—the consequences will only grow worse. Kill a Purple Sun Sect disciple, and you've stirred up a hornet's nest. Guo Ren is extremely well-connected within the sect. If you kill him, you'll face endless retaliation in the Earth Spirit Zone and the Heaven Spirit Zone. You have such remarkable talent—why destroy your own future and block your own path over some petty grudge?"
When persuasion failed, the masked man resorted to threats instead.
Jiang Chen burst out laughing: "I have my own path—who can block it? I have my own future—who can destroy it? A hornet's nest? What a joke! On the Martial Dao, forget about some petty hornet's nest—even a dragon's lair or a phoenix's den, if it stands in my way, I'll crush it flat!"
The masked examiner had seen arrogant people before, but never anyone this arrogant.
He was so furious he nearly spat blood, laughing coldly again and again: "Fine, fine, fine! It seems you won't shed a tear until you're in your coffin. I'd like to see just how miserably this so-called genius of yours will die in the end!"
"Kid, remember this. From today onward, the Purple Sun Sect will mobilize every resource, every ounce of power to suppress you and blacklist you. Just wait for the Purple Sun Sect's sword of judgment to come for your dog head!"
This masked examiner was just as quick to flip his face as turning a page, his tone cold and menacing.
Just as Jiang Chen had intimidated Guo Ren and the others earlier, this examiner intended to use intimidation to plant a seed of fear in Jiang Chen's heart and create an inner demon.
However, Jiang Chen's mental fortitude was nothing like that trash Guo Ren. Having cultivated the Heart of Rock, he was entirely unfazed by such threats.
He smiled faintly: "I'll be waiting. Now, I'll give you one word—scram!"
That single word "scram" erupted forth like a clap of spring thunder, rolling and rumbling across the hillside in waves of sound that echoed through the entire slope.
The examiner's expression changed drastically. He cursed inwardly at the kid's cunning. Not daring to linger for a second, he pushed off with both feet and fled even faster than a rabbit.
Jiang Chen's shout had been deliberately loaded with meaning. Its purpose was to alert the entire Mystic Spirit Quarter, to draw the attention of the examiner's quarters and summon the enforcement martial artists.
Put plainly, it was to frame this masked examiner who had come in the middle of the night.
An examiner visiting the contestants' lodgings at the dead of night to threaten and suppress examinees—if caught, it would absolutely be a catastrophe of the highest order, and the other three great sects would undoubtedly impeach him.
So, upon hearing Jiang Chen's thunderous shout, the examiner knew the situation had turned dire and scrambled away in a panic.
Just then, Consort Dan pushed open the door and stepped out.
"Brother Rock, your unyielding spine is truly admirable. That man was definitely an examiner from the Purple Sun Sect. He tried every tactic—soft and hard—to force you into submission. He certainly didn't genuinely want reconciliation."
Jiang Chen smiled faintly: "How could I fail to see through their little trick? And what does it prove? It proves that Guo Ren is afraid."