Fenglin City, located in Qinghe Prefecture, ranks last among the thirteen cities of the prefecture, just ahead of Maocity. The dean of the Dao Academy in such a city is typically matched with a mid-rank, sixth-grade Daoist. Dong A, with his fifth-grade cultivation, presides over the Fenglin Dao Academy, inevitably leading to rumors that he has offended someone in Zhuangdu.
But for the disciples of the Fenglin Dao Academy, this is undoubtedly a good thing.
"So, apart from the testimony of Fang Decai, you cannot produce any concrete evidence that can be made public to prove that Fang Pengju personally arranged the attack to kill you and steal the pill before this duel?" Dong A, dressed in a black Daoist robe, sat cross-legged on a mat in a quiet room.
Behind him, on the wall, hung a scroll depicting a Daoist in a noble purple robe. The brushwork was delicate, and the image was lifelike, but the Daoist's face was shrouded in mist, making it unclear.
Jiang Wang stood respectfully with his head bowed in front of the dean. Upon hearing the question, he stated in as calm a tone as possible, "I know it was him, and that is enough. As for irrefutable evidence, he naturally provided it before his death, and he did not disappoint."
Dong A knew he was referring to the Pulse-Opening Pill that Fang Pengju had taken.
"Isn't that too hasty and reckless?"
"It should have been done more cautiously, gathering evidence to await the academy's decision. But the selection of inner court students is in two days, and since Fang Pengju has already manifested his Dao pulse, he is certain to become the dean's disciple. Time is short, so I had to take a risk. Jiang Wang dares to kill an outer court disciple, but not the dean's disciple."
The outer court is merely preparatory; inner court disciples are the true disciples of the academy!
While speaking, Jiang Wang kept his head bowed, showing the humility and propriety expected of a disciple.
But what crossed his mind at that moment was the sword howl from the west outside Huanzhen Temple!
That man named Li Yi, with a single sword strike, beheaded a formidable figure like Zu Guanglie. Why bother with twists and turns?
Compared to the battle outside Huanzhen Temple, how weak he was! How feeble his once-prided swordsmanship was!
Where was there time to dawdle, seeking a foolproof method to slowly maneuver against Fang Pengju within the academy?
Moreover, if not for today's straightforward sword charge and the daring initiation of a duel witnessed by the Daoist Sage, how could he have any advantage over Fang Pengju, who had the backing of the powerful Fang family of Fenglin?
"If the Pulse-Opening Pill used by Fang Pengju was stolen from you, then where did your pill come from?"
Here it comes.
Jiang Wang's heart tightened slightly, but he did not show it on his face. The battle outside Huanzhen Temple, even though no one dared to approach due to the might of the involved cultivators, would inevitably be investigated afterward. Moreover, Gong Yang Bai and others set up their formation within the borders of Zhuangguo; they could not possibly fail to inform the powerful cultivators of Zhuangguo in advance. No matter how small Zhuangguo was, it still had the dignity of a nation!
As the strongest cultivator in the Fenglin City domain, Dong A could not have been unaware of that battle.
Fortunately, Jiang Wang had no secrets in the entire affair. In this world of extraordinary powers, the traces he left could not be concealed.
So, he described everything he had heard at that time as objectively as possible, without any subjective bias. This included his physical condition, his thoughts and decisions, and how he retrieved the Pulse-Opening Pill from the mangled flesh, including finally burying those corpses.
He only omitted the matter of the Xu Key.
During his narration, apart from a fleeting, barely contained burst of anger in his eyes, Dong A remained silent.
Jiang Wang, of course, knew where this anger stemmed from.
In the wilderness outside Fenglin City, outside Huanzhen Temple, this was the territory of Zhuangguo! And powerful cultivators from Qin and Chu had brazenly fought here, without any regard. No one in the entire Fenglin City or Qinghe Prefecture dared to interfere in this battle. For the cultivators of Zhuangguo, this was an immense humiliation.
The reason Dong A suppressed this anger was simply to avoid exposing the weakness of Zhuangguo and to prevent it from affecting the disciples' confidence in their cultivation.
He must have been a good dean.
Jiang Wang silently observed this mid-rank cultivator who would dominate his path of cultivation for a long time to come—something he had never had the chance to do before.
While observing and summarizing, he finished recounting the experience he had already prepared in his mind.
"Your Pulse-Opening Pill has a clear origin. I have reviewed your task records from the outer court. You have a sense of proportion and decisiveness, which is rare."
Dong A glanced at Jiang Wang indifferently and said, "In front of me, you may refer to yourself as a disciple."
Jiang Wang's heart relaxed, knowing that he had passed this hurdle. Moreover, he had gained the recognition of the dean of the Fenglin Dao Academy and was directly selected into the inner court.
He crossed his thumbs, with his left hand outside and his right hand inside, holding a yin-yang fist to his chest, and bowed slightly, saying, "Thank you, master."
In Confucianism, the emphasis is on heaven, earth, ruler, kin, and teacher. For Daoism, the teacher is even more important than ruler and kin, because the teacher imparts the Dao, elucidating the Great Dao.
For all the inner court disciples of the Fenglin Dao Academy, Dong A was their master.
Dong A closed his eyes slightly and said no more, "Go."
...
After coming out of the dean's meditation room, Jiang Wang walked side by side with Ling He and Zhao Rucheng, who had been waiting outside.
For a while, none of the three spoke, and the atmosphere was somber.
Jiang Wang had returned, but Fang Pengju was dead. The so-called "Five Heroes of Fenglin" still existed in name only.
Since Du Yehu was not here, he must be hiding somewhere, drinking. Among them, he seemed the most carefree, but when faced with such a situation, he was probably the least able to cope. No matter how harshly he cursed or how much he hated it, he could not erase the fact that he had once regarded Fang Pengju as a brother.
As the eldest brother, Ling He was the first to break the silence: "You two go back to the dormitory first. I still need to take Pengju's body back to the Fang residence."
Outer court disciples of the Fenglin Dao Academy lived six to a dormitory. The Five Heroes of Fenglin, because of their mutual admiration, simply moved into the same dormitory. No one else could join their circle, so they had always lived as a group of five.
Jiang Wang did not speak.
Ling He was just that kind of person. No matter how many faults Fang Pengju had, he could not ignore his body.
"Still hating the fourth brother?" Ling He asked.
"Stop calling him the fourth brother," Zhao Rucheng's handsome face showed a hint of disgust, "I am ashamed to talk about such a person who harms his brothers and is despicable and malicious."
Compared to his age, Ling He's face was too mature, which was probably also the reason why he was more easily trusted. Among the five, he had always played the role of the eldest brother, taking care of the younger ones.
Also because of his steady and mature side, people often overlooked that he was only nineteen years old, just two years older than Jiang Wang and three years older than Zhao Rucheng.
But children from poor families have to grow up early.
Looking at Ling He, Jiang Wang shook his head and said, "Hating him is not worth it. I only hate my own foolishness, my own misplaced trust."
Despite his calm demeanor, Ling He still sensed that unresolvable resentment. He could fully understand.
"Trust is one of the brightest things in the world. Trust is not a mistake, Jiang Wang," Ling He said, "The mistake lies with the person who betrays your trust."
He did not continue speaking, but his earnest gaze told Jiang Wang this:
The bond of brotherhood between us is not wrong, nor is it fake. The wrong and the fake are only with the person who abandoned all this. Only Fang Pengju.
That was why he was going to take Fang Pengju's body back, so that he would not be left without a proper burial after death. This was not out of recognition or sympathy for Fang Pengju, but simply a respect and maintenance of the brotherhood that they once had and should never change.
This was Ling He.
No matter how hot-tempered like Du Yehu or how arrogant like Fang Pengju, they were all willing to call him the eldest brother. It was not just because of his age.
"I'll go. Once a person dies, it's like a lamp going out, and all grievances disappear," Jiang Wang stopped walking, "But I can't accompany you there."
"Neither can I," Zhao Rucheng also said abruptly.
Ling He patted Zhao Rucheng's shoulder, took another deep look at Jiang Wang, and then turned and left.