Chapter Forty-Three: A Duel of Life and Death

"It's you! You wretched illegitimate son of the Guo family!" Hearing the voice, Guo Liu looked over in shock, instantly recognizing the person he despised most in his life.

Guo Zi'ang replied coldly, "Guo Liu, if you dare repeat what you just said, I'll rip your tongue out! Try me!"

Guo Liu hesitated, somewhat uncertain. He wasn’t afraid of Guo Zi'ang, but rather wary of Bai Ge and Dugu Yixiao. These two hailed from the imperial capital; though Tianyang City was practically the Guo family’s domain, the Bai and Dugu families wielded considerable influence here as well. More importantly, their families could easily appeal to the Emperor.

If the Guo family were to be accused in court, the consequences would be serious indeed.

"Dear viewers, it seems the streamer has overheard quite the juicy gossip. Judging from what Guo Zi'ang just said to that fellow, I can deduce a plot that's nearly the truth," the streamer announced.

"Here's my take: Lord Guo, the city lord, took a wife and had a son, this Guo Liu. Later, Lord Guo got drunk and had a fling with a maid in the manor—she must be Guo Zi'ang's mother, the source of his demonic strength."

"Most crucially, Lord Guo was... formidable in battle, and hit the mark in one shot. So Guo Zi'ang's mother became pregnant. At that point, there was no turning back."

"But Lord Guo is a man obsessed with his reputation. Don't ask me how I know—everyone in Tianyang Province knows, and so do I."

"As a city lord who values his face, he would never let such a disgraceful affair become public. Still, for some reason, the city lord's wife learned of it and, enraged, tried to kill Guo Zi'ang's mother."

"The one-night stand stirred Lord Guo's conscience, so he stopped his wife. Unable to kill the maid outright, she resorted to poison, aiming to destroy Guo Zi'ang while he was still in the womb."

"Unfortunately for her, Guo Zi'ang was born under a lucky star. The poison didn't kill him, and he was delivered safely. However, the poison took its toll—his mother died in childbirth, and Guo Zi'ang was left impotent from birth."

"Nevertheless, fate favored Guo Zi'ang; his talent for cultivation even surpassed that of pure-blooded Guo Liu. Though the position of city lord was always meant for Guo Liu, the city lord's wife feared Guo Zi'ang might seize power with his strength."

"Thus, she grew to hate Guo Zi'ang, and Guo Liu joined her. And so began an epic family feud of the grandest proportions."

"Hahaha, I really am a genius! I can't believe I figured all that out! Wahahahaha!"

The streamer kept up his lively commentary as Guo Liu and Guo Zi'ang glared daggers at each other, his gossiping soul burning even brighter.

"Streamer, do you always roast your best pals like this? That's terrifying!"

"Hey, streamer, I've got a bottle of medicated oil here. Ready to ascend to heaven?"

"Dirty-minded, the one above! Medicated oil won't cut it—you need chili water!"

"Medicated oil? Chili water? What does that even mean?"

"Haha, I bet chili water on the upper body and medicated oil on the lower—that would really send you to the heavens."

"You're definitely speaking from experience!"

"Cat Egg has rewarded the streamer with 666 gold coins. You're all so lewd, but I like it!"

Chen Bo, seeing the flood of comments, couldn't help but laugh and cry at once. These folks had truly lost their innocence. The otherworld seemed safer, at least in some ways—their hearts still so pure.

Guo Liu cast a dark look at Chen Bo, then at Guo Zi'ang, and finally at Bai Ge and Dugu Yixiao. With a cold sneer, he said, "I'm not here today to deal with some illegitimate son like you. That Chen Bo fellow owes me an explanation!"

"And if he doesn't, what can you do about it?" Guo Zi'ang shot back.

Chen Bo had just opened his mouth to speak, but was instantly cut off. Brother Guo, why steal my lines?

"What can I do? Yu Xin’er is the one I have my eye on. I won't allow anyone to defile her! Especially you, a useless cripple—you're not worthy of her!" Guo Liu declared.

"Damn, this guy is so arrogant. Isn’t he afraid of getting struck by lightning?"

"Streamer, I can't stand that guy! Take him down!"

"Such a cliché—it's all just setup!"

"Xi'er has rewarded the streamer with 58 gold coins—go get them, streamer! I've never seen you fight openly before!"

"Streamer, isn't your Ninefold Fist good for something? With doubled strength, you should be able to take down someone at the Flesh Tempering stage!"

"I think Guo Liu might be beyond the Flesh Tempering stage..."

"You all want me to march to my death, don't you?" Chen Bo's lips twitched as if he'd had a stroke. Guo Liu wasn't just at the Flesh Tempering stage, but had reached the Bone Marrow stage! To fight him would be suicide.

Chen Bo didn't know what to say. At a time like this, silence was probably best—or perhaps he should just mute the chat. That's right, if you’re so bold, come to this world and fight me yourselves!

Still, since Guo Liu was starting to insult him, Chen Bo wasn't about to just take it lying down. He might not be that close to Yu Xin'er, but now he'd claim otherwise—what could Guo Liu do? If you don’t like it, let's hurt each other!

"How is it any of your business whether I'm worthy of Xin'er? That’s between us—why are you, an outsider, sticking your nose in? I think a spoiled brat like you is the one who's not worthy! Damn it, stop spouting nonsense here!" Chen Bo cursed loudly.

"You! You!" Guo Liu was furious, his face red with rage, but with Guo Zi'ang and the others present, he dared not make a move. Though he had more men, Chen Bo’s side was of higher quality, and if it came to a fight, he might not win.

Suddenly, Guo Liu’s gaze landed on Chen Long nearby, and a sinister idea flashed through his mind. "Chen Bo, if you have the guts, fight my new subordinate in a life-or-death duel! If you win, I'll leave you alone. If you lose, you leave Xin'er and get out of Tianyang Academy! Do you dare?"

Chen Long was momentarily stunned, then looked at Chen Bo with icy killing intent in his eyes. He'd long wanted to kill Chen Bo, and now such a perfect opportunity had come. How could a useless wretch possibly turn the tables?

"Are you an idiot? You think I'll fall for a childish provocation like that? Fine, I accept!" Chen Bo had barely finished his retort when his expression suddenly changed, and he agreed.

The reason was simple: the damned system had just issued a side quest, instructing him to fight Chen Long to the death and finish him off. The reward was an ultimate lottery draw—such a generous prize was bound to hide a catch.

Failure, on the other hand, meant a hundred years of total paralysis.

"Brother Chen, why did you agree?" Bai Ge exclaimed in alarm.

Chen Bo managed a smile more bitter than a cry. "Relax. I know what I'm doing."