met free 68. The Letter of Life and Death
68. The Letter of Life and Death
Within just a few days, order was initially established at Jiangzhou Wharf. The new Grand Canal Administration was operational, Chen Mo acted swiftly and decisively, and Zhao Mang and others worked exceptionally hard to atone for their crimes. After the standards for berth fees and management fees were posted, some merchants were initially skeptical, but after experiencing several smooth, safe, and extortionate docking and loading/unloading operations, word gradually spread. The dockworkers' wages were guaranteed, their enthusiasm soared, and their efficiency was even higher than when gangs had exploited them. Merchant ships that had previously avoided the area due to the war began to gather again, and the area was even more prosperous than before.
Lin Mo spent most of his time in the quiet room on the top deck of the Golden Scale ship, consolidating his slightly increased primal power gained from controlling the dock, while continuing his study of the rhombus-shaped magical artifact that sealed the soul of his lover from his past life. The crystalline artifact slowly rotated in his palm, emitting a faint glow, the blurry figure within remaining silent. He could sense that the magical barrier imprisoning the soul was extremely tough and strange, not something that could be broken by brute force or ordinary unsealing techniques. This made him even more eager for the higher-level texts in the Seven Absolutes Sect's library. Perhaps, there he could find clues.
That afternoon, Lin Mo was meditating in his quiet room when Chen Mo's respectful voice came from outside the door: "My lord, a guest has arrived."
"Who is it?" Lin Mo asked calmly without opening his eyes. The dock affairs were already on track, and a regular visit to Chen Mo would suffice. For him to personally deliver a message, it must be something important.
"They are from the four great families." Chen Mo's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "Three men who look like stewards have arrived, and their attitude... is quite arrogant."
Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. The four great families had finally arrived. He had seized the docks, cutting off their financial resources and influence in the area; they would never let this go unpunished. He simply hadn't expected their reaction to take this form.
"Take them to the council chamber."
"Yes."
When Lin Mo entered the council hall, the three aristocratic stewards, dressed in brocade robes and exuding arrogance, were already waiting there. They did not sit down, but stood in the hall, scrutinizing the place that originally belonged to Shen Jiao but had now been completely renovated, their eyes filled with undisguised contempt.
Upon seeing Lin Mo enter, the steward from the Cui family of Qinghe, sitting in the center, slightly raised his chin as a greeting, his tone carrying a condescending, condescending air: "So you are Lin Mo, the current manager of this dock?"
Lin Mo ignored the rudeness in his words, walked straight to the head seat and sat down, calmly scanning the three of them: "What advice do the four family heads have for me?"
Seeing Lin Mo's composure, the butler surnamed Cui frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with his attitude. However, he still took out an exquisitely crafted, gold-embossed invitation from his pocket, or rather, a challenge. With a flick of his wrist, the invitation, carrying a supple yet powerful force, flew steadily towards the table in front of Lin Mo.
"This is a challenge to the death!" The steward surnamed Cui raised his voice, carrying an undeniable authority. "My patriarch, along with the patriarchs of the Lu family of Fanyang, the Zheng family of Xingyang, and the Wang family of Taiyuan, have jointly issued this challenge to you, according to ancient Jianghu customs! The stake is the ownership of this Jiangzhou canal wharf!"
A life-or-death duel?
Lin Mo's eyes flickered slightly. He was familiar with this term; it had been mentioned in fragments of his past life's memories and his observations of the martial world in this life. It was an extreme method for resolving major conflicts in the martial world: on the arena, life and death were irrelevant, and the loser had to unconditionally accept the winner's demands. It had a long history and, at times, even held authority surpassing that of official judgments. However, in recent decades, with the expansion of the four great families' power, this life-or-death arena had almost become monopolized by them, turning into a tool for protecting their own interests and suppressing dissent. Smaller sects and independent martial artists rarely had the qualifications to participate, let alone challenge the great families. He never expected that they would now actively use this method against him.
He picked up the heavy invitation, made of some kind of exotic animal hide, with gold foil embossed along the edges. On the front, three large, flamboyant characters were written in vermilion: "A Challenge of Life and Death." Turning to the inside, the content followed a standard challenge format, stating that due to a dispute over the canal wharf, the four great families had jointly launched a life-or-death contest against "Lin Mo, the current head of the wharf." If Lin Mo won, the four great families would acknowledge his legitimate control over the wharf and would never infringe upon it; if the four great families won, Lin Mo would have to unconditionally relinquish all power over the wharf, cripple himself, and leave Jiangzhou. At the end of the invitation were four bright red family seals, representing the supreme authority of the four great families.
"A life-or-death duel, best of nine rounds," another steward from the Lu family of Fanyang added, his tone icy. "The arena will be set at Broken Soul Cliff, ten miles east of the city, in half a month. At that time, all martial arts practitioners will be welcome to observe as witnesses."
Finally, the steward from the Wang family of Taiyuan stepped forward, his sharp eyes fixed on Lin Mo, his tone threatening: "Lin Mo, according to the rules, those who receive a death warrant cannot refuse. Otherwise, it will be considered a disregard for the four great families and the ancient customs of the martial world, and will be condemned by the entire world! Do you dare to accept the warrant?"
The atmosphere in the council hall instantly tensed. Chen Mo, Zhao Mang, and the others standing behind Lin Mo felt immense pressure. The names of the four great families were too weighty, and their joint life-or-death challenge carried an invisible, overwhelming force, as if it would crush anyone who dared to challenge their authority.
Lin Mo's fingers gently traced the cold cover of the Life and Death Contract, feeling the subtle fluctuations of power contained within the four seals. This was not merely a challenge, but also a test, a means of overwhelming force. They wanted to use this method to reclaim the docks without bloodshed, and in front of the world, completely crush this newly rising, uncontrollable force, thus re-establishing the unshakeable position of the four great families.
Refuse? Just as the other party said, the consequences would be unimaginable. Not only would he lose the dock, but he and his newly established power would immediately become public enemies of the underworld, unable to move an inch.
To accept would mean facing nine carefully selected masters from the four great families in a life-or-death battle on a stage under the spotlight. This was undoubtedly an enormous risk.
However, risks and opportunities often go hand in hand.
Lin Mo raised his eyes, his gaze calm and unwavering, as if he held not a life-or-death invitation to decide his fate, but merely an ordinary invitation. He looked at the three aristocratic stewards, who were waiting for an answer and whose faces already showed a hint of smugness, and a faint, chilling smile curved his lips.
"I accept the offer."
Three words, clear and calm, yet carrying a resolute determination.
The smugness on the three stewards' faces instantly froze. They seemed surprised that Lin Mo would agree so readily, without even a trace of hesitation or fear. The steward surnamed Cui's eyes darkened: "Fine! You've got guts! I hope you'll still be so calm on Broken Soul Cliff in half a month!"
After saying that, the three of them snorted coldly, said no more, and turned to leave.
The council hall fell silent. Chen Mo stepped forward, his voice filled with worry, "My lord, the four great families have profound foundations and countless experts. This life-or-death arena is probably..."
Zhao Mang also looked worried: "Yes, my lord, since they dared to issue the invitation, they must be confident of victory. Best of nine, they can send out nine top experts, while we..." He looked around, his meaning clear: although Lin Mo had many experts under his command, there were probably very few who could compete with the top experts cultivated by the aristocratic families, except for Lin Mo himself.
Lin Mo placed the death warrant on the table, stood up, walked to the window, and looked once again at the bustling dock and the vast river.
"They thought this was the end," Lin Mo's voice carried a hint of coldness, "but for me, this is just the beginning."
He needed this arena, not only to protect the docks, but also to break the monopoly of the four great families on the rules of the martial world. Since the life-or-death arena was an ancient tradition of the martial world, its rules might not be immutable. Moreover, under the watchful eyes of the world, this was also an excellent opportunity for his name, and the new order he represented, to officially step onto the martial world stage.
"Go and collect all the historical information about the Life and Death Challenge, especially all the cases and rule details from the last thirty years," Lin Mo instructed. "Also, spread the news that we accepted the challenge as widely as possible."
Chen Mo and Zhao Mang exchanged a glance. Although they were still uneasy, seeing Lin Mo's composure calmed them down somewhat, and they replied in unison, "Yes!"
As the order was given, an undercurrent began to spread from Jiangzhou Wharf to the entire martial arts world. News of the four great families jointly issuing a death warrant to the mysterious master Lin Mo spread like wildfire, quickly reaching every corner of the land and causing a huge uproar. Countless eyes in the martial arts world turned to Jiangzhou, and to the Broken Soul Cliff that would appear half a month later.
A storm is coming.