Well…
To be precise, he had to kill Chen Xiaodao during a public fight while disguised as the Wei Family dojo's Eldest Senior Brother—Duan Feihong!
Nothing would serve better as a warning to the other coveters than Chen Xiaodao's death.
Wei Jiajia's intentions were well-understood by most of the people who caught wind of the news.
Therefore, on the afternoon of the following day, a throng had gathered at the small square before the Wei Family Dojo even before the fight's appointed starting time.
On the spectator stands put up by Wei Jiajia, the supervisors sent by the Martial Suppression Office had been on standby for a long time.
Other than these people, some representatives from the Black Tiger Gang—the parent organization of Dagger Gang—had also come to spectate.
"If it isn't Commissioner Qi. I have to say, I'm surprised you are here for this petty fight," said Huang Boyi—a branch master from the Black Tiger Gang. He was ensconced in a chair, addressing a muscular yellow-faced man with a smile.
"My duty calls me here," answered Qi Zhaochen, a seventh-grade martial artist who was the Commissioner of Command of the Martial Suppression Office's Western District branch.
"Haha! Most certainly so," said Huang Boyi, laughing ingratiatingly. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid this fight is going to be a waste of your precious time."
"Heh. You think Chen Xiaodao's got it in the bag, Branch Master Huang?" asked Qi Zhaochen, smiling.
"I can see why Branch Master Huang has so much confidence in Chen Xiaodao. However, I'm more interested in Duan Feihong." An old man with a long beard interjected. "It's been eight years since Duan Feihong left the city for the world outside. With his talents, it's possible that he reached seventh, or even the sixth-grade."
"Haha! If he's at sixth-grade, then Chen Xiaodao is in for it," commented Wu Shouhan with a hearty laugh.
That's right—Old Wu was also present.
Chen Xiaodao had been a loose cannon for years, and Old Wu had always been disapproving of his actions.
Just yesterday, he had ordered his men to break Old Liu's hand and leg. Among the spectators, Wu Shouhan was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the person who wanted Chen Xiaodao dead the most!
"Sixth-grade?" Huang Boyi chuckled. "If Duan Feihong is really sixth-grade, he would have mounted an attack on the Dagger Gang on his first day back."
"Oh. So you are suggesting that Duan Feihong is only at seventh-grade, Branch Master Huang?" asked the long-bearded elder, raising an eyebrow.
"We'll know whether he's seventh-grade or sixth-grade later," said Qi Zhaochen coolly.
"That's right. We will know the answer soon enough," said Wu Shouhan, clenching his fist.
…
"Sis, is he here yet?"
Inside the Wei Family's dojo, Wei Jiaping was pacing up and down. Every once in a while, he consulted the electronic display mounted on the wall.
"He said he'll be here soon," said Wei Jiajia. She was also a little on edge. At this stage, nothing was in her control anymore. All she could do was pray for Su Jingxing's victory.
Otherwise…
The Wei family would really be done for!
"You keep saying that, but it's almost time already! Why isn't he here yet?" complained Wei Jiaping anxiously. "What's wrong with this guy? If he agreed to the deal, why not just stay at the dojo?"
Wei Jiajia was at a loss for words again.
She would have loved to accommodate Su Jingxing at the dojo, but she didn't even know his name or appearance.
Hold on!
A sudden thought made Wei Jiajia's heart skip a beat.
She had issued a challenge at Chen Xiaodao under her Eldest Senior Brother's name, but what if Su Jingxing appeared in a mask later?
During their three encounters, Su Jingxing had always worn a mask. Clearly, he was very secretive about his true identity.
It hadn't been much of an issue previously, but things might get tricky if he comes to the public match masked, no?
Wei Jiajia herself didn't care about the mask, but that didn't mean others would be as forgiving.
W-what if they refuse to acknowledge that he's Eldest Senior Brother?
What if they asked him to remove the mask?
Wouldn't that expose everything?
After all, there were many people who were acquainted with Eldest Senior Brother.
These thoughts made Wei Jiajia panic.
Oh no, what do we do if that…
"Eldest Senior Brother?" Wei Jiaping burst out in surprise. "Sis, Eldest Senior Brother is here! He really did come back! He just came in through the backdoor!"
Huh?
Snapping out of her disorientation, Wei Jiajia froze momentarily before looking over her shoulders at the backdoor. And sure as day, there was a man dressed in loose martial arts attire who looked exactly like Eldest Senior Brother…
Wait, is that really Eldest Senior Brother?
Did he really come back?!
Wei Jiajia was struck dumb.
"What? Am I late?" asked Su Jingxing coolly in his deliberately deepened voice, his eyes meeting Wei Jiajia's blank gaze.
"You…"
"Eldest Senior Brother, you're finally back! That's awesome!" Wei Jiaping broke in excitedly before Wei Jiajia could finish her sentence. "Eldest Senior Brother! You came back in the nick of time! So many things have happened lately, and Sis and I are at our wits' end! Thank goodness you have returned! Now we don't need any hired guns. Let's back out on the deal with that guy and get our secret manual back!
"Now that you are back, we can take care of Chen Xiaodao and the Dagger Gang by ourselves!
"Speaking of which, what grade are you at now, Eldest Senior Brother? Sixth, perhaps? If so, killing Chen Xiaodao would be a walk in the park for you, wouldn't it?
"Hahaha! This is all just too great!"
Wei Jiaping's face was full of excitement. He could not contain his joy as he danced and laughed out loud.
At first, Su Jingxing chalked Wei Jiajia's younger brother's behavior up to a lively and bubbly personality, thinking that he had quickly warmed up to him despite it being their first encounter.
However, as he rambled on, Su Jingxing realized that he had mistaken him as the real Duan Feihong!
With the aid of the human skin mask, Su Jingxing looked 80% similar to how Duan Feihong looked when he left a few years ago.
It had been years since they last met, and it was normal for Wei Jiaping—in his state of excitement—to not be able to tell he was a fraud.
If Su Jingxing were in his shoes, he might have done just the same.
Looking at Wei Jiajia's dazed expression, it was obvious that she was fooled by his disguise as well.
"Cough…" Su Jingxing gave a light cough and spoke calmly in a studied voice. "Sorry, but I have no idea what grade your Eldest Senior Brother is at. As for the Eight Steps Rising Dragon, I will return it to you after completing your third request."
Huh?!
The words came to the excited Wei Jiaping like a bolt from the blue.
Struck dumb, he stood rooted to the ground with his mouth agape.
Wei Jiajia was less shocked; as soon as she heard the familiar voice, she realized that the "Eldest Senior Brother" before them was the expert who received her Eight Steps Rising Dragon.
Even so, she could not help but let out a deep sigh.
She too was convinced that Eldest Senior Brother was back!
She never expected the "Eldest Senior Brother" before her to be Su Jingxing in disguise.
His disguise techniques were out of this world!
To think that she was worried about Su Jingxing exposing his identity in the arena a moment ago…
But who would have thought…
Huff…
Wei Jiajia had to take three deep breaths in a row before restoring her composure.
"N-No hurry." She smiled stiffly. "There's no rush in returning the secret manual. What's important is the imminent arena fight. Are you…"
"Relax. I'm fully prepared," said Su Jingxing coolly. "Before I step into the arena, there's something I want to check. How would you like Chen Xiaodao to die?"
Mhm?
Wei Jiajia quickly snapped out of her initial daze. "I want him to die an ugly death!" The words, filled with hatred, came out through gritted teeth.
An ugly death?
Su Jingxing recalled hearing the same words from Director Wu.
"Got it," Su Jingxing nodded calmly and walked towards the main door. "It's about time for me to step into the arena."
"I'll come with you," said Wei Jiajia, falling into step beside him.
Wei Jiaping remained rooted at the spot, wearing an expression that combined shock, astonishment, and disbelief on his face.
"He… he really isn't Eldest Senior Brother?"
…