Maple Forest City is under the jurisdiction of Qinghe Prefecture. In terms of scale, it ranks at the bottom among the thirteen cities of the prefecture, only surpassing Mao City.

For a city of this size, the head of its Taoist Academy is typically a mid-tier sixth-rank Taoist. With Dong A, a fifth-rank cultivator, presiding over Maple Forest Academy, it’s no surprise that rumors suggest he offended someone in Zhuangdu.

But for the disciples of Maple Forest Academy, this is undoubtedly a good thing.

“So, apart from Fang Decai’s testimony, you have no concrete evidence that can be publicly presented to prove that before this duel, Fang Pengju personally arranged an ambush to kill you and seize your pill?” Dong A, dressed in a black Taoist robe, sat upright on a meditation cushion in the quiet room and asked.

Hanging on the wall behind him was a portrait of a figure in a noble purple Taoist robe. The brushstrokes were delicate, the image vivid and lifelike, yet the Taoist’s face seemed shrouded in mist, obscured from clear view.

Jiang Wang stood respectfully before the headmaster with his head bowed. Only when questioned did he respond in as calm a tone as possible: “I know clearly that it was him, and that’s enough for me. As for irrefutable proof, he’ll naturally provide an explanation to everyone before his death. And indeed, he didn’t disappoint me.”

Dong A understood that he was referring to the Meridian-Opening Pill Fang Pengju had consumed.

“Was it too hasty and reckless?”

“It should have been a gradual process—gathering evidence and awaiting the academy’s judgment. But two days from now is the selection for the inner academy, and since Fang Pengju had already awakened his Taoist meridians, he would surely become the headmaster’s disciple. Time was pressing, so I had to take a risk. I dared to kill an outer disciple, but I wouldn’t dare kill one of the headmaster’s disciples.”

The outer sect was merely preparatory; only inner academy disciples were true disciples of the Taoist Academy!

While speaking, Jiang Wang kept his head lowered, displaying the humility and propriety expected of a disciple.

But at that moment, what flashed through his mind was the sword cry from the west outside Zhenhai Temple!

That man named Li Yi had beheaded a prodigy like Zuo Guanglie with a single stroke. What need was there for endless scheming?

Compared to the battle outside Zhenhai Temple, how weak he was! The swordsmanship he took pride in—how feeble it seemed!

Where was the time to dawdle, to seek a flawless plan, and to slowly maneuver against Fang Pengju within the academy?

Moreover, if he hadn’t thrust straight in with his sword today and boldly initiated the Taoist proof duel, how could he, with no backing, have gained the upper hand over Fang Pengju, who had the Maple Forest Fang family behind him?

“If the Meridian-Opening Pill Fang Pengju used was taken from you, then where did your pill come from?”

Here it comes.

Jiang Wang’s heart tightened slightly, though his expression betrayed nothing. The battle outside Zhenhai Temple, even if momentarily avoided due to the overwhelming presence of the involved powerhouses, would inevitably be investigated afterward. Besides, Gongyang Bai and others had set up an array within Zhuang territory; they couldn’t have done so without prior communication with Zhuang’s powerhouses. No matter how small Zhuang was, it still had a nation’s dignity!

As the strongest figure in the entire Maple Forest region, Dong A couldn’t possibly be ignorant of that battle.

Fortunately, Jiang Wang had no secrets to hide in this matter. In a world with supernatural powers, the traces he left couldn’t be concealed anyway.

Thus, he recounted everything he had heard at the time from the most objective perspective possible, devoid of any personal bias—his physical condition, his decisions, how he retrieved the Meridian-Opening Pill from the mangled flesh, and how he buried the bodies afterward.

He only omitted the matter of the Void Key.

Throughout the recounting, aside from a fleeting spark of suppressed fury in his eyes, Dong A remained silent.

Jiang Wang, of course, knew where that anger stemmed from.

The outskirts of Maple Forest City, outside Zhenhai Temple—this was Zhuang territory! Yet powerful cultivators from Qin and Chu had clashed here brazenly, without restraint. Neither Maple Forest City nor Qinghe Prefecture had anyone capable of intervening in that battle. For Zhuang cultivators, this was a profound humiliation.

Dong A suppressed this anger likely to avoid exposing Zhuang’s weakness and undermining the confidence of his disciples in their cultivation.

He was probably a good headmaster.

In his mind, Jiang Wang quietly observed this mid-tier powerhouse who would guide his cultivation path for a long time to come—an opportunity he hadn’t had until today.

While observing and reflecting, he finished recounting the experience he had long prepared.

“The origin of your Meridian-Opening Pill is clear. I’ve reviewed your mission records from your time in the outer sect—you’re measured yet decisive, a rare quality.”

Dong A glanced faintly at Jiang Wang before saying, “From now on, you may address yourself as my disciple in my presence.”

Jiang Wang’s tension eased, knowing he had passed this hurdle. Moreover, he had gained the approval of Maple Forest Academy’s headmaster and could directly join the inner academy.

He crossed his thumbs, left over right, forming a fist with yin embracing yang, raised it to his chest, and slightly bowed his head in a respectful salute: “Thank you, Master.”

In Confucian teachings, the hierarchy was heaven, earth, ruler, kin, and teacher; but for Taoists, the teacher came before ruler and kin, for the teacher passed down the Dao, the one who expounded the Great Way.

To all inner academy disciples of Maple Forest Academy, Dong A was their master.

Dong A closed his eyes slightly, saying no more. “Go.”

…

Leaving the headmaster’s meditation chamber, Jiang Wang walked alongside Ling He and Zhao Rucheng, who had been waiting outside.

For a moment, none of them spoke, and the atmosphere was heavy.

Jiang Wang had returned, but Fang Pengju was dead. The so-called “Five Heroes of Maple Forest” existed in name only.

Since Du Yehu wasn’t here, he must be drowning his sorrows in some corner with a bottle. Among them, he seemed the most carefree, but in times like this, he was likely the least able to face it. No matter how fiercely he cursed or how deeply he hated, he couldn’t erase the fact that he had once seen Fang Pengju as a brother.

The outer disciples of Maple Forest Academy lived six to a dormitory. The Five Heroes, bonded by their camaraderie, had moved into the same one. Others couldn’t break into their circle, so it had always been just the five of them sharing a dorm.

As the eldest, Ling He broke the silence first: “You two head back to the dorm. I still need to deliver Pengju’s body to the Fang residence.”

Jiang Wang said nothing.

That was just Ling He’s nature. No matter how many wrongs Fang Pengju had committed, he wouldn’t leave his body unattended.

“Are you still hating Old Four?” Ling He asked.

“Stop calling him Old Four,” Zhao Rucheng said, a trace of disgust crossing his handsome face. “I’m ashamed to even mention someone so vile and treacherous as to harm his own brothers.”

Compared to his age, Ling He’s features were weathered, perhaps why he so easily earned trust. Among the five, he had always been the big brother, looking after his younger siblings.

His steady maturity often made people overlook that he was only nineteen—two years older than Jiang Wang and three years older than Zhao Rucheng.

The poor simply grow up faster.

Looking at Ling He, Jiang Wang shook his head and spoke: “Hating him isn’t worth it. I only hate my own foolishness, my misplaced trust.”

Though he spoke calmly, Ling He could still hear the lingering resentment he couldn’t let go of. He understood it completely.

“Trust is one of the brightest things in this world. Trust isn’t wrong, Jiang Wang,” Ling He said. “The fault lies with the one who betrayed it.”

He didn’t elaborate, but his earnest gaze told Jiang Wang:

The brotherhood between us isn’t wrong or fake either. The one who was wrong, the one who was false, was the one who abandoned it all—Fang Pengju alone.

That’s why he had to take Fang Pengju’s body back, to ensure he wasn’t left unclaimed after death—not out of approval or pity for him, but out of respect for the brotherhood they once had and should continue to uphold.

That was Ling He.

Whether it was the fiery Du Yehu or the arrogant Fang Pengju, they willingly called him big brother—not just because of his age.

“Go on. The dead are like extinguished lamps; all grudges fade,” Jiang Wang said, stopping in his tracks. “But I can’t bring myself to go with you.”

“I definitely can’t either,” Zhao Rucheng added coldly.

Ling He patted Zhao Rucheng’s shoulder, gave Jiang Wang a deep look, and then turned to leave.