Chapter 236: A Paper Tiger Can Still Intimidate

"There is an explanation, though I fear you are unwilling to admit it. If not for the opportunity I granted you back then, do you truly believe Shark Tooth could have wounded me?" the Ju-zi said calmly.

Xiao Xie heard their exchange and shook his head helplessly. These two were each more pretentious than the other. He, a true master, hadn't said a word, yet the two of them were posturing as if they were the greatest beings under heaven.

"But considering you are a man who is about to die, I shall not blame you," Xiao Xie thought to himself, glancing at the still-posturing Ju-zi. He had already sensed a trace of Yin-Yang energy on the Ju-zi. It seemed he had already clashed with Da Si Ming and been struck by the Six Souls Fear Curse.

"Why are you doing this?" Wei Zhuang asked with a solemn expression.

"Since you have already deduced that I am alive, how can you not guess the answer?" the Ju-zi countered.

Wei Zhuang fell silent for a moment, then pointed his Shark Tooth blade at the Ju-zi and said, "Since you refuse to tell me, I shall find the answer myself! Didn't you say that if you hadn't given me the chance back then, Shark Tooth would never have been able to hurt you? This time, I am using that very same strike. Let us see if you can withstand it."

"If I do not strike, you will not be satisfied," the Ju-zi said with a hint of resignation. He knew that even if he chose not to act, Wei Zhuang would force his hand. Today's battle was unavoidable.

"I loathe dragging things out. But for your sake, I can make an exception and kill you once more," Wei Zhuang declared imperiously.

"I said back then: if you could not kill me with that one strike, there would not be a second chance," the Ju-zi retorted, meeting his challenge.

"We shall see soon enough," Wei Zhuang replied coolly.

Xiao Xie, watching from the sidelines, felt his head spinning with exasperation. Usually, it was he who acted cool in front of others; today, these two bozos, Wei Zhuang and the Ju-zi, were putting on such a grand performance of arrogance that Xiao Xie felt the urge to take off his slipper and smack them both into oblivion.

"Clang! Clash! Boom!"

Wei Zhuang held Shark Tooth, the Ju-zi held Mo Mei, and the two masters clashed. Black and white sword light erupted, and the very sky seemed to churn. When masters of this caliber fight, they focus on deciding the outcome in a single move, much like the legendary duel between the Sword Saint Ye Gucheng and the Sword God Ximen Chuixue—a single move, the "Flying Immortal" against a "Sword God's Smile," is all it takes to determine victory. As Shark Tooth and Mo Mei collided, they both retreated after the exchange.

"Pfft!" Wei Zhuang spat out a mouthful of blood and had to use his sword to steady himself. In the end, he was the one who was slightly inferior; he had lost!

When Wei Zhuang fought Ge Nie earlier, he had already been wounded by Yuan Hong. Against a fighter of Gao Jianli’s level, such a minor injury would be nothing, but against a master like the Ju-zi, whose strength was on par with his own, that shoulder wound became a fatal flaw. Thus, Wei Zhuang lost.

"Ah!" Chi Lian cried out in concern upon seeing Wei Zhuang injured and moved to support him, only to be stopped by a single glance from him. Although he had lost, he had not yet lost his ability to fight.

"You have lost," the Ju-zi said calmly.

"Hmph! You are truly foolish!" Wei Zhuang sneered with disdain.

"How dare you boast!" Da Tiechui, hearing this, shouted in anger.

"You do not understand. In a battle between swords, there is no win or loss, only life and death," Wei Zhuang said, wiping the blood from his lips while staring coldly at the Ju-zi.

"If you continue this fight, you will die," the Ju-zi said, frowning slightly as he looked at Wei Zhuang.

"Are you afraid?" Wei Zhuang sneered.

"When you fought Ge Nie, you were severely wounded by Yuan Hong and exhausted a great deal of your internal energy. Just now, you were struck in a vital spot by Mo Mei," the Ju-zi noted.

"And what of it?" Wei Zhuang dismissed it coldly.

"Do you still not understand? There is no possibility of you leaving the Mechanical City alive. Your subordinates are all heavily wounded as well. If you insist on continuing this, your entire Quicksand organization will be wiped out today," the Ju-zi added.

"Then... what are you waiting for?" Wei Zhuang was growing impatient. He could not understand the Ju-zi’s intent. If he knew this was the perfect opportunity to destroy Quicksand, why waste time with words? If they were to fight, then fight; why all the prattle?

"Wei Zhuang, go," the Ju-zi suddenly said.

"What?" Upon hearing this, both the members of Quicksand and the Mohists were shocked, utterly bewildered by the Ju-zi's words.

Xiao Xie, hearing this, curled his lips into a faint smile. He was the only one present who understood that the Ju-zi likely knew he had been poisoned; once someone afflicted with the Six Souls Fear Curse used their internal energy, the curse would trigger. It wasn't that the Ju-zi didn't want to kill Wei Zhuang, but rather that he couldn't even manage a second strike.

Knowing that just moments ago, this guy had told Tian Ming that he would make Wei Zhuang and the others pay in blood, only to suddenly back down—if not for the fact that he was incapable of fighting, why would he let them go?

"This time, I spare your life," the Ju-zi continued, ignoring everyone's astonishment.

"Bastard!" Wei Zhuang cursed in anger. He did not know the Ju-zi's true condition and assumed he was being pitied. This pity was more agonizing to him than death itself. He gripped Shark Tooth tightly, prepared to fight to the death; he would rather die than suffer such humiliation.

"Why! Why let this big villain go! We need to avenge Uncle!" Tian Ming, unaware of the Ju-zi’s true motives, cried out in deep dissatisfaction.

"Do you no longer wish to make us pay in blood?" Wei Zhuang’s suspicion grew at the Ju-zi's anomalous behavior.

"Wei Zhuang, you should know better than I who your true enemy is," the Ju-zi said, his face unchanging.

"I don't understand! Why let him go! He has done so many evil things!" Tian Ming looked at the unconscious Ge Nie nearby and shouted in rage.

"Tian Ming, come here." Xiao Xie called the boy to his side. He had come to admire the Ju-zi; the man's ability to bluff had reached an extraordinary level. Had Xiao Xie not known about the Six Souls Fear Curse, looking at the Ju-zi's calm demeanor, he would never have guessed that the man was now nothing more than a paper tiger.

Though still reluctant, Tian Ming did not disobey Xiao Xie and walked over obediently.

"I truly do not understand why you would do this. Who, exactly, are you?!" Wei Zhuang asked, perplexed. He was suspicious of the sudden change in the Ju-zi, but it would never cross his mind that the man was a paper tiger—if Wei Zhuang were to attack again, the Ju-zi would surely fall.

"In truth, we have always been rivals," the Ju-zi replied calmly to Wei Zhuang’s question. Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief; the fact that Wei Zhuang asked such a question meant his bluff had succeeded.

"Who are you?" Wei Zhuang stared intently at the Ju-zi.

The Ju-zi slowly removed his bamboo hat, and the leader of the Mohists finally revealed his true face.

"Hah!" The moment he saw the face, Wei Zhuang was stunned. Even though it had been a mere suspicion, having it confirmed left him in disbelief.

"Ah?!" Chi Lian could not help but gasp. The Crown Prince Dan of Yan from all those years ago—he hadn't died!

"It has been a long time," the Ju-zi said softly.

"It really is you..." Wei Zhuang still found reality hard to accept.

"Does this explain all your doubts? The reason you hesitated to attack the Mechanical City was because you had this suspicion, wasn't it?" the Ju-zi added.

"Back then, you deliberately took my sword strike just so the whole world would believe you were dead?" Wei Zhuang asked.

"If I were alive, it would make many people lose sleep."

"Especially your father, the King," Wei Zhuang said coldly.

"Perhaps," the Ju-zi sighed. He stared at Wei Zhuang and added, "In truth, your own circumstances are not much better, are they?"

"You are letting me go today—do you want me to be grateful?" Wei Zhuang asked.

"I simply do not wish for Ying Zheng to get his way," the Ju-zi replied, a hint of resentment in his voice.

Once Wei Zhuang recognized the Ju-zi's true identity, he felt he could understand the change in his behavior. Given Prince Dan’s hatred for Ying Zheng, letting them go so they might deal with Ying Zheng in the future was not entirely impossible.

"Hmph! I hope you do not regret today’s decision! Let's go!" Wei Zhuang took one last deep look at the Ju-zi, flicked his sleeves, and led the Quicksand members away from the Mechanical City.

"Little Seventeen, until next time," Chi Lian winked at Xiao Xie before turning to follow Wei Zhuang.