Chapter 121: Settling Both Victory and Life-and-Death

Inside Jiangshui City Hospital.

A group of talented young men arrived, heading straight for the special care ward.

“Third Brother, Brother Feng.”

In the special care ward, a young man rushed in directly. Seeing the two lying on the hospital beds, his eyes nearly burst with rage.

“Second Brother, you must avenge me.”

Chu Tianyun’s pale face flushed slightly with agitation as he gritted his teeth and said, “Kill Jiang Changkong, you must kill him.”

“Third Brother, don’t worry.”

Chu Yunhe comforted Chu Tianyun a few times, then turned his gaze to Jin Feng on the other bed, asking with concern, “Brother Feng, how are you?”

“Just seriously injured. With enough money spent, I’ll recover soon.”

Jin Feng propped himself up and sat, his expression twisted with malice. “Didn’t Chu Yunlong say your Chu family rules Jianghai? Now, I want you to kill Jiang Changkong, tear him to pieces!”

“Brother Feng, Third Brother, rest assured, I will definitely kill Jiang Changkong.”

Chu Yunhe solemnly promised, though inwardly, he lacked confidence.

Watching the two gradually calm down, Chu Yunhe cautiously added, “It’s just… there are some complications.”

“Complications? Now, asking you to kill someone is a complication?”

Jin Feng exploded, his hair practically standing on end as he roared, “What use are you? What did you just say?”

“Brother Feng, please calm down, calm down. Anger harms the body,” Chu Yunhe hurriedly urged.

Jin Feng said coldly, “Calm down? Doesn’t your Chu family have Star Vault experts? If late-stage Star Vault isn’t possible, not even mid-stage?”

“Brother Feng, the situation is a bit special. Recently, Fourth Brother got into trouble, and the Chu family is under a lot of pressure now.”

Chu Yunhe quickly explained.

Chu Tianxing and Zhao Qianjun had colluded to deal in military weapons, and Jiang Haichuan had reported it to the Federation.

Their Chu family now dared only minor moves, not major actions—they didn’t even dare to stir.

If he dared to do anything outrageous, Jiang Haishan, the minor commander of Jiangshui City, would definitely surround the Chu family immediately.

Rulers of Jianghai?

That was only when the Federation ignored them. Once they drew attention, they were nothing but small insects.

“Are you saying I have to figure it out myself?”

Jin Feng stared at him icily.

Chu Yunhe’s eyes shifted, and he forced a smile. “The Chu family really doesn’t dare to act recklessly now. But there’s an opportunity to kill Jiang Changkong. He wants a spot in the Martial Arts Association and will challenge me to a duel. My strength, as you know, is far inferior to yours, Brother Feng.”

Jin Feng frowned. Chu Yunhe’s strength truly couldn’t compare to his own.

If even he wasn’t Jiang Changkong’s match, how could he expect Chu Yunhe to defeat Jiang Changkong?

“So your idea is for me to bring someone from Anding Province? And your Chu family offers nothing?”

Jin Feng tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the bed. Bringing someone from Anding Province…

If he were doing well in Anding Province, would he need to come here for a spot?

Chu Yunhe quickly said, “Of course not. All expenses for inviting someone will be covered by my Chu family.”

Jin Feng pondered. “To deal with Jiang Changkong, at least an early-stage Star Vault is needed. But I want him dead, completely powerless. I know a friend of a friend who recently reached mid-stage Star Vault.”

Chu Yunhe remained expressionless. “No problem. Besides the invitation fee, Brother Feng can also get a commission. But… can this friend of a friend really be invited?”

How far-fetched was this? A friend of a friend? Chu Yunhe inwardly sneered.

“We can try. My friend is very close to him. But how will you arrange it?” Jin Feng asked.

“Of course, by joining the Martial Arts Association and fighting in my place.”

Chu Yunhe smiled slightly.

Jin Feng nodded, his expression softening considerably. This time, he would make sure to bleed that guy dry.

He immediately picked up his phone and began calling friends.

Although he hadn’t been doing well himself, he could still manage to invite people if he was footing the bill.

Before long, Jin Feng looked up and said, “He agreed, but he wants a spot in the Martial Arts Association.”

“A spot?” Chu Yunhe frowned. “I don’t even have enough spots for myself.”

“That’s his condition. For this spot, he only wants one thing; the rest can go to you,” Jin Feng explained.

“That’s no problem. I’ll call Jiang Changkong right away.”

Chu Yunhe’s face lit up with delight as he reached for his phone to call Jiang Changkong.

“Wait, challenge him to a duel and take back the three spots he holds,” Jin Feng said coldly.

Chu Yunhe paused briefly before replying, “No problem.”

At that moment, Jiang Changkong had just finished his meal and was heading out with his two senior sisters and Yang Chengan.

Since arriving in Jiangshui City, he hadn’t had a chance to explore properly.

When he received Chu Yunhe’s call, Jiang Changkong’s expression remained indifferent. “Chu Yunhe?”

“The duel is agreed upon. Why not make it straightforward—one fight to decide victory and life or death. Do you dare?” Chu Yunhe said coldly.

“If you’re eager to die, I’ll oblige,” Jiang Changkong replied calmly.

Chu Yunhe continued, “Don’t you think this duel is unfair? The five spots originally belonged to our Jiangshui City Martial Arts Association.”

“What do you propose?” Jiang Changkong frowned.

“My wager is the five spots. Naturally, your wager should be the spots you hold,” Chu Yunhe said flatly.

“Next, are you going to say that my three spots aren’t worth as much as five, so I need to add other stakes?” Jiang Changkong sneered.

Chu Yunhe hesitated but still said, “Exactly. You do need to add more.”

Jiang Changkong scoffed. “Are you out of your mind? Are these five spots yours? They were given by the Federation to the entire Jianghai region, not just your Jiangshui City.

In other words, you’re the one without stakes. Why should I put up the three spots that belong to me?”

Chu Yunhe: “…”

That made a lot of sense.

What Jiang Changkong said was true—the five spots were given by the Federation to the Jianghai Martial Arts Association, not to him.

The Jiangcheng Martial Arts Association was also part of Jianghai, and the two associations were competing fairly.

Even if split evenly, they could each get two and a half spots.

What right did he have to use these five spots as a wager?

“Now, it’s you who should raise the stakes. By the way, how is Chu Tianyun’s injury? I spared his life—you should thank me.”

Jiang Changkong spoke calmly.

Chu Yunhe’s expression twisted with rage, and he nearly gritted his teeth as he said, “Tell me, what do you want?”

Jiang Changkong sneered. “Unless you have five hundred Fifth Rank High-Grade Star Stones, don’t bother talking to me.”

“You have quite the nerve!”

Chu Yunhe was almost amused by the audacity. Five hundred Fifth Rank High-Grade Star Stones?

His Chu family could afford it, but doing so would nearly deplete their years of accumulated wealth.

“Jiang Changkong, let me tell you, if you don’t dare to duel, you’ll get at most two of those five spots!”

“Then two it is. Without proper stakes, you want to play a life-or-death game with me?”

“You…”

Chu Yunhe took a deep breath and glanced at the two people beside him. “Five hundred low-grade ones are enough to buy the three spots you hold.”

The Starlight Distortion Land held many treasures.

Jiang Changkong pondered: one drop of blood, calculated as twenty thousand units of Essence.

Each time, only a few drops could be brought out, totaling less than a hundred thousand.

Five hundred low-grade ones would be five hundred thousand units of Essence.

If there were no other treasures to gain, the value of five hundred fifth-tier low-grade Star Stones would definitely exceed that of the slots.

“I agree. Time and place?” Jiang Changkong said calmly.

“Seven in the morning, two days from now, at the Martial Arts School training ground.”

Chu Yunhe said coldly. Where Chu Tianyun was injured, Jiang Changkong would die there.

Jiang Changkong hung up the phone. Five hundred thousand units of Essence—with a bit more, it would be enough to fully master all five martial arts.

“Whose call was it?” Ji Ziling asked.

“Chu Yunhe’s. He challenged me to a duel at the Martial Arts School two days from now to decide the ownership of the five slots. It will determine victory or defeat, as well as life or death,” Jiang Changkong said.

“He contacted you proactively, and with Chu Tianyun severely injured, he even prepared a wager. Besides provocation, he must have made preparations,” Ji Ziling frowned.

A hint of seriousness appeared on Ying Yanxue’s cool face. “He dares to stake life and death—he must have something to rely on. The Chu family?”

Jiang Changkong frowned. “The Chu family is currently being watched by Jiang Haishan, so they shouldn’t dare to act recklessly. Could it be Jin Feng?”

He agreed because the Chu family was under surveillance and wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.

But he had overlooked something earlier—that Jin Feng from Anding Province. Could he have called for reinforcements?

“Let’s ask around first,” Ji Ziling said.