Fenglin City belonged to Qinghe Commandery. By scale, it ranked near the bottom among the thirteen cities of the commandery, only above Maocheng.
For such a city, the dean of its Dao Academy was generally a sixth-grade Daoist of the middle tier. That Dong A, a fifth-grade cultivator, presided over the Fenglin Dao Academy inevitably gave rise to rumors that he had offended someone in the capital of Zhuang.
But for the disciples of Fenglin Dao Academy, this was undoubtedly a good thing.
"So, apart from Fang Decai's testimony, before this duel you could not produce solid evidence that could be made public to prove that Fang Pengju had personally arranged the ambush to kill you and seize the pill?" Dong A, in his black Daoist robe, sat on a meditation cushion in a quiet room.
On the wall behind him hung a portrait of a Daoist in a noble purple robe. The brushwork was delicate, the image lifelike, yet the face seemed hidden in mist and impossible to see clearly.
Jiang Wang stood respectfully before the dean. Hearing the question, he answered in as calm a tone as possible: "I knew clearly that it was him. That was enough. As for solid evidence, he would give it to everyone before he died. And indeed, he did not disappoint me."
Dong A knew he was referring to the Meridian-Opening Pill Fang Pengju had swallowed.
"Was it not too hasty and reckless?"
"I should have proceeded gradually, gathered evidence, and waited for the academy's judgment. But the Inner Court selection was in two days. Since Fang Pengju's Dao meridian had already manifested, he would certainly become the dean's disciple. Time was short, so I had to take a risk. I dared to kill an Outer Court disciple, but I did not dare to kill the dean's disciple."
The Outer Court was only preparation. Inner Court disciples were the true disciples of the Dao Academy!
As he spoke, Jiang Wang kept his head lowered, showing the humility and propriety a disciple should have.
But what flashed through his mind was the sound of a sword whistling from the west outside Huánzhēn Temple!
That man named Li Yi had beheaded a prodigy as powerful as Zuo Guanglie with a single sword. Why would he need a hundred twists and turns?
Compared to that battle outside Huánzhēn Temple, how weak was he! How feeble was the swordsmanship he took pride in!
Where was the time to dawdle and seek a perfectly safe way to maneuver slowly against Fang Pengju in the academy?
Moreover, if not for charging in alone with a single sword and boldly initiating a Dao-Tested Death Duel, how could he have any advantage over Fang Pengju, who had the Fang family behind him?
"If the Meridian-Opening Pill Fang Pengju used was taken from you, then where did yours come from?"
Here it came.
Jiang Wang's heart tightened slightly, but his face betrayed nothing. The battle outside Huánzhēn Temple, even if no one dared approach at the time due to the might of the combatants, would certainly be investigated afterward. Moreover, Gongyang Bai and the others had set up their formation within Zhuang's borders; they could not have failed to inform Zhuang's experts in advance. However small Zhuang was, it had the dignity of a nation!
As the strongest expert openly in Fenglin City, Dong A could not have been unaware of that battle.
Fortunately, Jiang Wang had no real secrets in this matter. In a world with extraordinary powers, the traces he left behind could not be hidden.
He then described everything he had heard at the time from as objective an angle as possible, without adding any subjective attitude. He spoke of his physical condition, his decisions, how he had pulled the Meridian-Opening Pill from mangled flesh, and how he had buried the bodies.
He only omitted the matter of the Void Key.
During the telling, except for a flash of rage that surged and vanished in his eyes, Dong A remained silent.
Jiang Wang naturally knew the source of that anger.
The wilderness outside Fenglin City, outside Huánzhēn Temple—this was the land of Zhuang! And powerful cultivators from Qin and Chu had fought here brazenly, without the slightest regard. No one in all of Fenglin City or even Qinghe Commandery had dared to interfere. For the cultivators of Zhuang, this was a great humiliation.
The reason Dong A suppressed this anger was undoubtedly to avoid exposing the weakness of Zhuang and affecting the disciples' confidence in cultivation.
He should be a good dean.
Jiang Wang silently observed this middle-grade expert who would guide his cultivation path for a long time to come—he had never had such an opportunity before today.
While observing and summarizing, he finished narrating the experience he had long rehearsed.
"The origin of your Meridian-Opening Pill is clear. I have reviewed your mission records from the Outer Court. You have judgment and decisiveness. That is rare."
Dong A glanced at Jiang Wang indifferently before saying, "In the future, before me, you may call yourself 'this disciple.'"
Jiang Wang's heart relaxed. He knew he had passed this trial. Moreover, he had gained the recognition of the Fenglin Dao Academy's dean and was directly selected into the Inner Court.
He crossed his thumbs, left hand outside, right hand inside, forming a yin-embracing-yang fist held before his chest, and bowed slightly. "Thank you, honored teacher."
The Confucian tradition valued heaven, earth, ruler, kin, and teacher. For Daoism, the teacher stood even before ruler and kin, because the teacher transmitted the Dao and was the one who expounded the great way.
For all Inner Court disciples of Fenglin Dao Academy, Dong A was their honored teacher.
Dong A closed his eyes and said no more. "You may go."
Leaving the dean's meditation room, Jiang Wang walked alongside Ling He and Zhao Rucheng, who had been waiting outside.
For a moment none of them spoke. The atmosphere was heavy.
Jiang Wang had returned, but Fang Pengju was dead. The "Five Heroes of Fenglin" existed in name only.
Since Du Yehu was not here, he must be hiding somewhere drinking. Of them all, he seemed the most carefree, but when faced with something like this, he was probably the least able to face it. No matter how harshly he cursed or how much he hated, he could not erase the fact that he had once regarded Fang Pengju as a true brother.
As the eldest brother, Ling He broke the silence first. "You two go back to the dormitory. I still have to return Pengju's body to the Fang residence."
Outer Court disciples shared quarters of six, but the Five Heroes of Fenglin, sharing the same spirit, had simply moved into the same room. No one else could enter their circle, so they had always lived five to a room.
Jiang Wang said nothing.
That was Ling He's character. No matter how wrong Fang Pengju had been, he could not simply ignore his corpse.
"Still hating Fourth Brother?" Ling He asked.
"Don't call him Fourth Brother anymore." A look of disgust crossed Zhao Rucheng's handsome face. "I am ashamed to speak of someone who plotted against his brother with such vile means."
For his age, Ling He's face was overly mature, which was probably why he more easily won trust. Among the five, he had always played the role of big brother, taking care of the younger ones.
And because of his steady and mature side, people often forgot that he was only nineteen, just two years older than Jiang Wang and three years older than Zhao Rucheng.
But poor children mature early.
Seeing Ling He's somewhat troubled expression, Jiang Wang shook his head and said, "Actually, I don't hate him. I only hate myself for being foolish, for giving my trust too easily. I hate that I trusted the wrong person."
Though Jiang Wang appeared so calm, Ling He still caught the trace of resentment that he could not let go.
"Trust is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Trust is not a mistake, Jiang Wang." Their big brother said, "The mistake lies with the one who betrays that trust."
He did not continue, but his earnest eyes said more:
The brotherhood between us was not wrong, nor was it false. The wrong, the false, was only the one who abandoned it all. Only Fang Pengju.
That was why he had to return Fang Pengju's body, so that he would not be left without a destination after death. This was not out of recognition or sympathy for Fang Pengju, but simply out of respect for and preservation of the brotherhood they had once shared and should never change.
This was the big brother. This was Ling He.
Whether it was the hot-tempered Du Yehu or the arrogant Fang Pengju, they had all willingly called him eldest brother. Was it only because of age?
"Go ahead, Big Brother. The man is dead; grudges are settled." Jiang Wang shrugged. "But I can't accompany you."
"I certainly can't either," Zhao Rucheng added coolly.
"You brat!" Ling He patted Zhao Rucheng's shoulder, then gave Jiang Wang a deep look before turning and leaving.