Chapter 270: The Contest

The Elders of the Pure Guard Society were divided into two categories: Scholarly Elders and Martial Elders. Tang Peigong was a Scholarly Elder, and Wu Decheng was a Martial Elder. The main difference between the two was that Martial Elder Wu Decheng possessed cultivation.

Wu Decheng was a sixth-level Thought Cultivator, considered a top-tier master in the city of Blackrock Slope.

Li Banfeng had instructed Ma Wu to conduct a detailed investigation into the Pure Guard Society. He knew about Wu Decheng's presence within the Blackrock Slope branch and had taken ample precautions against him, but he was surprised when Wu Decheng did not appear in front of the cinema.

There were some hidden circumstances that Li Banfeng was unaware of.

Earlier in the year, Tang Peigong and Wu Decheng had a disagreement. Tang Peigong publicly reprimanded Wu Decheng, who, feeling humiliated, recuperated for a period at his estate outside the city.

Despite being an Elder of the Pure Guard Society and possessing cultivation, why could Tang Peigong reprimand Wu Decheng? This was due to a unique tradition of the Pure Guard Society. The status among Elders varied, and it was determined not by cultivation but by virtue and talent.

Although Tang Peigong had no cultivation or other special skills, he was a man of both virtue and talent, placing him above Wu Decheng in status. Therefore, it was appropriate for him to reprimand Wu Decheng.

Having unexpectedly been splashed with faeces while smashing the cinema, Tang Peigong, exasperated, had no choice but to ask Wu Decheng to step in and deal with the *Evening Fragrance* newspaper office.

With so many newspapers and magazines publishing the same news, why did Tang Peigong determine that *Evening Fragrance* was the mastermind? It was because only this newspaper had published the news about the film screening.

Following this lead, Tang Peigong traced the source to a mysterious figure known as Boss Ye.

"It was this 'Ye' fellow who bought the Sanfu Cinema, screened that indecent film, and then slandered me with false rumors in the newspaper," Tang Peigong declared. "The ambush we suffered in front of the cinema was clearly orchestrated by him as well."

Wu Decheng, without pretense, ascertained the full story and went to the *Evening Fragrance* newspaper office alone.

Upon arriving at the newspaper office, Wu Decheng first sent a worker inside to announce, "Wu Decheng of the Pure Guard Society has come to see Boss Ye."

Ma Wu alerted Li Banfeng, "The Martial Elder has arrived.""How many people did he bring?" Li Banfeng asked."Just one," the worker replied.Li Banfeng nodded. "In the Jianghu, fairness is paramount. Since he came alone, I'll meet him alone. All of you, hide in ambush. When I make my move, then you all join in. We can't let him say we're ganging up on him."

Zuo Wugang didn't understand. "We all go in together, and he still won't say we're ganging up on him?"Li Banfeng clarified, "I meant we won't let him *speak*, not that we won't *bully* him!"

Ma Wu had a workshop specifically cleaned out, and Li Banfeng and Wu Decheng sat inside for their discussion.

"Boss Ye, I hear you've just arrived in Blackrock Slope?" Wu Decheng began.Li Banfeng nodded. "My business has just started, and I haven't had a chance to pay my respects to Elder Wu yet."Wu Decheng chuckled. "You don't look like someone who belongs in this line of business."Li Banfeng paused, surprised. "What makes you say that?"

Wu Decheng felt parched. He picked up his teacup, sniffed it, then placed it back on the table, looking at Li Banfeng. "This tea is poisoned."

Li Banfeng explained, "The medicine was just added; it hasn't been stirred properly."

Wu Decheng sighed. "I came here with sincerity.""My apologies, my apologies. This junior has made a mistake. I'll get Elder Wu another cup of tea right away."

A moment later, a staff member brought another cup of tea.

Wu Decheng said to Li Banfeng, "Boss Ye, I'm here today to discuss two matters with you, and only with you."

Li Banfeng replied with an open tone, "I am the only one here."

Wu Decheng sighed softly. "I am a Thought Cultivator."Scholarly Cultivation, Virtue Cultivation, and Thought Cultivation were three very similar Daoist paths, but while Scholarly and Virtue Cultivators did not have strong perception, Thought Cultivators had excellent sensory abilities.Wu Decheng could clearly perceive the thoughts of those around him. "Boss Ye, I truly came with sincerity and will absolutely not harm you."

Li Banfeng shouted to his surroundings, "Did you hear that? Elder Wu came with sincerity! Everyone, move farther away, to where you can't hear us speaking!"

A slight commotion was heard from around the workshop. Zuo Wugang, who was outside the wall, left. A-Qin, who was on the roof beam, left. The scolding woman pretending to clean also left.

Once he perceived that the others were sufficiently far away, Wu Decheng lowered his voice and said to Li Banfeng, "First, can you stop screening the film *Blood-Gun Detective*? And can you stop publishing the *Evening Fragrance* newspaper?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "The film will be screened, and the newspaper will be published. There's no room for negotiation on that."This was within Wu Decheng's expectations.

"Then let's discuss the second matter," Wu Decheng continued. "We'll have three matches.""Three matches? What do you mean?" Li Banfeng asked, surprised."It means a challenge match, best two out of three. We'll engage three times. In the first match, you let me win the opening round. In the second, I'll let you win. In the third, we'll draw. I'll gain enough face with the Pure Guard Society, and you'll earn sufficient prestige in Blackrock Slope. Do you think this is negotiable?"

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "It's negotiable, but I have to win the first match."

Wu Decheng frowned. "This is a gentleman's agreement between us. Why quibble over such details?"Li Banfeng replied, "Since you don't quibble, then concede the first match to me."

Wu Decheng said, "I volunteered to fight on behalf of the Pure Guard Society. If I don't achieve an initial victory, it will be hard to explain to people."Li Banfeng countered, "My momentum is strong right now. A sudden disastrous defeat would severely damage morale!"

Wu Decheng's expression darkened, and after a long silence, he said, "Fine, as you wish. You win the first match."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Shall we sign a contract?"Wu Decheng waved his hand repeatedly. "No need for a contract."

Li Banfeng knew he couldn't sign a contract; an unspoken agreement for a fixed fight like this could not be known by others.

"Then let's use tea instead of wine to seal this agreement," Li Banfeng said, raising his teacup.Wu Decheng also raised his teacup. "A gentleman's agreement, a gentleman's tea. Let's drink it all."

Li Banfeng drank the entire cup of tea in one gulp.Wu Decheng drank the tea, then spat it out."This tea... is still poisoned?" he asked."It shouldn't be!" Li Banfeng exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

Wu Decheng sneered. "I've been in the Jianghu for decades and seen all sorts of situations. I tasted it, and you're still denying it?"Li Banfeng remained shocked. "When I bought the poison, they said it was tasteless and colorless. You shouldn't have been able to detect it!"

"I..." Wu Decheng was so angry he was speechless for a moment.Li Banfeng tried to console him. "Don't be angry. I'll have someone bring you another cup. Taste this one and see if it's poisoned."

Wu Decheng laughed, exasperated. "Young man, I really like your temperament. What we've agreed upon, we can't go back on.""Don't worry, I won't go back on it," Li Banfeng said, standing to see him off.

After leaving the *Evening Fragrance* newspaper office, Wu Decheng went to Tang Peigong's residence.

"Peigong," Wu Decheng began, "I met with the manager of the *Evening Fragrance* newspaper office. I exchanged a few blows with him and gave him a good beating. I wanted to just kill him, but I was worried people would say I was bullying a junior and ruin my reputation. I had a moment of weakness and spared his life, but he still wouldn't concede. He accused me of abusing my strength and insisted on setting up a challenge match with us, a 'scholarly' one at that."

"When will the match begin?" Tang Peigong asked, highly excited.The Pure Guard Society was a moral paragon, valuing honesty and transparency in their actions. They generally did not resort to underhanded tactics, and challenge matches were their usual means of resolving conflicts.But Tang Peigong had no cultivation, so why was he so excited? It was because Wu Decheng had said they agreed to a "scholarly" match, which was essentially a debate.

Wu Decheng said, "Peigong, you know my eloquence isn't strong. That young man, Boss Ye, is articulate and persuasive. I'm afraid I'll lose face and suffer a disadvantage in the match."Tang Peigong got out of bed. He had been bedridden for several days, unable to get up, but today he rose.

"Decheng, that's beside the point," Tang Peigong declared. "Do I really need your involvement for a challenge match? Am I, Tang, afraid of him?"As he said "afraid," Tang Peigong's spit flew with the breeze and landed on Wu Decheng's face.

Wu Decheng suppressed the urge to gag, adjusted his stance to stay upwind, and sighed. "Then this matter will have to rely on you.""What kind of relationship do we have?" Tang Peigong scoffed. "Why are you being so polite?"

Wu Decheng nodded with a smile. Tang Peigong was right; his own eloquence was indeed lacking. He was helping Tang Peigong settle a matter, yet in just a few sentences, it had turned into him asking Tang Peigong for a favor. He had endured countless similar indignities. But not anymore.

He had indeed agreed to a challenge match with Boss Ye, but it wasn't a "scholarly" one. Tang Peigong was too arrogant to lower himself and contact Boss Ye directly. The situation was about to become very interesting.

Tang Peigong found his four most articulate disciples, making a total of five, including himself, to prepare for the match. This was a good opportunity to regain prestige, so Tang Peigong specifically instructed his disciples to contact the newspapers and build up momentum.

Blackrock Slope stirred with excitement again: someone was challenging the Pure Guard Society to a match!"Do you know what this Boss Ye does?""I hear he runs a newspaper office; *Evening Fragrance* is theirs.""A newspaper man challenging the Pure Guard Society? What audacity!""We have to go watch! Those bastards from the Pure Guard Society beat an old woman in the street; I don't think they have any real skill!""No, never mind skill for a moment, is it a scholarly match or a martial match?""The newspaper didn't say, but regardless of whether it's scholarly or martial, *Evening Fragrance* is in for a tough time..."

The day before the match, Wu Decheng handed Tang Peigong a list of names. These individuals were all prominent figures in Blackrock Slope and served as witnesses for the match. For a scholarly match, witnesses were crucial because, unlike martial matches, the outcome wasn't always obvious, and witnesses often had to act as judges.

Tang Peigong reviewed the list. He knew all these people, and they would all treat him with utmost respect. As long as the match appeared somewhat legitimate, the verdict would surely go in Tang Peigong's favor."Old Wu, you've handled this well. I won't need to greet these people individually, will I?" Tang Peigong said, quite pleased with the list."No need, all greetings have been made," Wu Decheng replied."Good, I trust you to handle things," Tang Peigong affirmed.

Wu Decheng smiled bitterly to himself. *The situation had changed so rapidly. Before, he was begging me to settle a matter. Now, I was doing a favor for him. And in return, I got two praises. How shameless could this person be? Fine, tomorrow on the stage, we'll see if you can handle it!*

The next day, the challenge match began.Tang Peigong, bearing the banner of the Pure Guard Society, led his four disciples onto the stage first.

Li Banfeng found the rules somewhat confusing. Five people going up together—was this a group brawl? And the stage wasn't very large; it seemed too small to maneuver properly.

Bai Qiusheng sensed something was wrong and whispered to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, this is a scholarly match, isn't it?""What's a scholarly match?" Li Banfeng asked, completely bewildered."A scholarly match is a battle of wits, not fists!"A battle of wits? Li Banfeng hadn't prepared for that.

Just as they were speaking, Wu Decheng had someone blow the first whistle, signaling both sides to prepare for battle.Bai Qiusheng anxiously asked, "Seventh Master, what do we do? Who should go up?"Li Banfeng replied, "Stick to our original plan. The people we chose are quite eloquent."

From the *Evening Fragrance* side, Zuo Wugang went up, along with Cao Zhida, Zhen Jincheng, and Ma Wu's two newly added assistants.

Bai Qiusheng was very nervous. "Seventh Master, these people are not suited for a verbal battle!"Li Banfeng said, "They are all suited for a verbal battle, especially Zuo Wugang. He's particularly good at 'beating mouths'."

While Bai Qiusheng was still worrying, the second whistle sounded on the stage. The second whistle meant the personnel were selected, and no one could back out. Bai Qiusheng paced anxiously, and in an instant, the third whistle sounded. According to the rules of Blackrock Slope, this signaled the official start of the battle.

Tang Peigong stepped forward first, standing in the center of the stage, glaring at Zuo Wugang. "Arrogant scoundrel, spouting nonsense, spreading rumors, utterly shameless..."His eloquence was indeed impressive, speaking in perfectly structured four-character phrases.A few witnesses below the stage covered their noses and murmured in admiration:"The Elder speaks so well!""It's just the smell is too strong."

Zuo Wugang was stunned by the tirade. He turned to Li Banfeng and asked, "Has it started yet?""It has!" Li Banfeng replied.Zuo Wugang turned back to see Tang Peigong still spewing insults: "Vicious viper, with such wicked intentions, utterly depraved, such monstrous behavior..."

Zuo Wugang delivered a punch directly to Tang Peigong's mouth, knocking out his front teeth.Tang Peigong, his teeth now gaping, stared at Zuo Wugang, then looked at Wu Decheng.Wu Decheng's expression was blank; he said nothing.

The disciples were dumbfounded, shouting, "It's a scholarly match! Why are you hitting people?"The group of witnesses stood dumbfounded for a long moment, then looked at Wu Decheng and asked, "Elder Wu, is today a scholarly match or a martial match?"

Wu Decheng's expression was complex, showing a mix of astonishment and perplexity, as if something had gone wrong. Tang Peigong no longer wanted to fight; he felt he could barely stand.

"You all..." He wanted to argue a few more points with Zuo Wugang, but Zuo Wugang delivered another punch to his face, followed by two kicks to his chest and stomach, directly knocking him off the stage. This was a brutal beating. Zuo Wugang could have knocked him down with just one punch, but Tang Peigong's previous rant had annoyed him, so he used a little extra force to make him suffer two more kicks.

"Smelling so bad, and you still wouldn't shut up!" Zuo Wugang spat at Tang Peigong.Tang Peigong lay on the ground, his jaw fractured, his sternum shattered, and his ribs broken. He couldn't speak.

The remaining four disciples were still protesting, "It's a scholarly match! You can't hit people!"However, a wave of cheers from below the stage drowned out the disciples' voices."Good, well done!""These scoundrels deserve a beating!""Elder Tang, give me some of your concubines; you won't be needing them anyway!"

Amidst the cheers, Cao Zhida, Zhen Jincheng, and others held down Tang Peigong's disciples and brutally hammered them, every punch aimed at their mouths.Li Banfeng said to Bai Qiusheng, "See? These are all people who know how to 'fight with mouths'."

Bai Qiusheng didn't know how to respond.

Li Banfeng subtly cupped his fist towards Wu Decheng. Elder Wu was a good man; he had simply let them win the first match like this. However, it was a bit too obvious. Why bring these useless people instead of finding a few who could actually fight?

Wu Decheng also cupped his fist towards Li Banfeng. *Young man, satisfied now? You win the first battle. I win the second. As for the third... There will be no third battle. Young man, you're still too naive. Don't blame me for being ruthless.*

(End of chapter)