Legend of the chosen ones: Beyond Destiny

Chapter 1422 719: Blood Feud Judgment

"..."

Silent for a moment, then silent again, and silent once more.

Fernan was at a loss.

In the Seven Cities over the years, there have been numerous encounters and negotiations filled with dual-faced, deceitful interactions; false concern and malicious curses and accusations are countless, but this kind of straightforward and sincere expression is a first.

It's just a simple greeting, but it seems Ji Jue truly cares whether I've eaten.

Do you want me to fix a bowl of noodles for you if you haven't eaten?

"No need, I've already—"

Fernan was about to politely decline when he heard a pop sound as Ji Jue opened a bottle of wine, and immediately handed him a glass gracefully.

"Then have a drink."

"..."

Fernan looked down at the glass, then raised his eyes to see Ji Jue's fruit plate set on the table.

Watching him attentively.

He was afraid to speak, lest Ji Jue immediately offer red wine if not white, and if not white then beer, and eventually pork head could be on the table.

"Thank you then."

He took a sip of red wine, placed the glass back on the table, and said solemnly, "I am here on behalf of the Seven Cities Council to congratulate Xiang State; traditionally, the Minkler Family Head will inherit the Chopra family's chairmanship position in the council, from now on, they will be a pivotal member of the Seven Cities."

He paused, sighing tiredly, "I hope from now on, Chopra will act prudently and prioritize the bigger picture."

Simply put, don't mess things up anymore!

If they keep causing chaos, the Seven Cities will disintegrate, and everyone will be left in the lurch!

The surface appearance and calmness cannot hide his true detachment and resistance, nor does he intend to hide it.

Since entering and seeing him, Ji Jue could sense an indistinct dislike, suspicion, even malice and murderous intent against him.

Directed at him.

If he had a choice, he'd absolutely pay any cost to expel Ji Jue from the Seven Cities, but unfortunately, any cost won't provide an opportunity, and there are no resources left to pay such a cost.

To him, Ji Jue is the unwelcome outsider, a variable making the Seven Cities increasingly turbulent and chaotic.

He's devoted a lifetime to the Seven Cities, patching things up, crafting a modern image of the Seven Cities between the Thousand Islands, a brilliant miracle city-state.

But essentially, the Seven Cities haven't really changed; at their core, they're still those seven cruel and hideous city-states. Slavery is abolished, yet slaves persist, citizenship is granted, yet citizens are treated like livestock... Ultimately, these are merely unattainable promises, creating a dream far removed from reality.

Even when the Old Alliance Leader Aquilino was around, changes were unattainable, and now even less so.

Regardless, even if success were achieved, there'd be no rest!

Look at the distant Federation, family!

Ji Jue calmly held the wine glass with no intention of tasting or commenting.

Advising is futile, and words fall on deaf ears.

Better to address the situation directly.

He accepted the dispatch paper, politely asking, "This matter could've been informed via notice, why bother the acting speaker to come personally?"

"Besides, there's another matter, which I'm sure Mr. Ji is well aware of."

Fernan's expression grew colder, as he looked at Ji Jue saying, "Regarding today's actions concerning Xiang State, Luo Island has lodged a solemn protest and accused the Chopra family.

The new Chopra Family Head, Minkler, is accused of murdering Sujano family's elder and current family head Seno's brother, Murba, and desecrating Sujano's family name."

"Is that so?"

Ji Jue smirked indifferently, unconcerned; who's Murba even? Never encountered him, so they say?

"Since you're here, the Chopra family has a solemn protest as well, needing to appeal to the council, and counteraccuse Sujano family."

Ji Jue laid down the glass and said solemnly, "We accuse Sujano's family head Seno of murdering Chopra's former family head Busstaman!

Additionally, secretly funding pirates to shell Xiang State, and colluding with Wulou Temple to interfere in Chopra's family head election, caught red-handed by us!"

Without reservation, he dumped bucketfuls of mud, backtracked several times, and stomped on the situation.

"We've prepared all relevant documents, and sealed all evidence, which the acting speaker can take when departing, entrusting the council to announce."

Completely ignoring the fact that the damn evidence was just forged, Ji Jue said earnestly, "Hope the Seven Cities Council provides an explanation!"

"..."

Fernan's expression twitched, and then again, even laughing in exasperation.

This is surely his familiar territory, putting on airs just as sitting down, it turns into a dogfight, and even intends to use the council as a weapon.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath to steady his mind, "In that case, will the Chopra family respond to Sujano's accusations?"

"Until the Sujano family responds to our accusations, we absolutely won't reply, and we don't acknowledge these presumptuous charges!"

As for a war of words, Ji Jue knows all too well—one should hurl insults their way, and not respond if you don't want to lose!

"I understand."

Fernan's expression turned even more serious, fetching three identical vellum documents from his chest, and placing them on the table, "The purpose of my visit this time is this."

"An hour ago, Seno, family head, submitted an application to the council—following the ancient traditions and legal rulings of Seven Cities, the Sujano family intends to invoke Blood Vengeance trial!"

"Wagering Luo Island's dignity and Sujano family's name."

He handed over the notice to the Chopra family: "In seven days, the Pu City Council will hold a special witness for this—both sides will fight to the death, no rest until then!"

"Does the Chopra family accept?"

"Of course."

Without hesitation, Ji Jue took out the Minkler family head's seal and stamped it on the parchment.

Thus, the blood feud verdict was sealed.

No room for regrets.

.

.

After Fernan left, in the reception room of the family head's mansion, everyone looked at the parchment on the table, exchanging glances.

"What the hell?"

Lou Feng couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Did it really take the bait?!"

"Don't be too quick to celebrate, you may be fishing for them, but they might also be fishing for you." Ji Jue glanced at the parchment on the table: "In fishing, taking the bait is just the start; being dragged down is being the fish."

Just like the confrontation between the hunter and the wolf.

The dead one is the prey; the winner is the hunter!

In muddy waters, who is the fish and who is the angler can only be told when the dust settles.

The blood feud verdict is the stage set for this.

Duel!

The seemingly modern Seven Cities still remain in the feudal or even slave era. Civilization and enlightenment are but ephemeral illusions.

No matter how splendid the attire draped on the body, the essence is still a brutal struggle of life and death.

The blood feud verdict is a unique form shaped by the intersection of civilization and barbarism, Superior and Great Evil, White Deer and Tian Yuan.

When the law can't resolve conflicts, and revenge fails to quell hatred, the people of the Seven Cities, tired of the red tape, finally remember the reason the Seven Cities stand firm among the Thousand Islands.

Since hatred can't be reconciled, what's the use of rambling on?

Let the fight begin!

Each side sends a person, for a vigorous life-and-death duel, the one left standing has reason, the dead one should stop whining, and admit defeat!

To this, Old Ghost Ling Bustaman commented:

"In a hurry."

When Minkler miraculously ascended to the position of family head, ruling Chopra and Xiang State thereafter, a deadly struggle between the two was inevitable. In fact, Chopra might even ally with other families to besiege the Sujano family, who is now the most hopeful contender for the Alliance Hierarch position.

The "Three Dogs Slaughter God" formation laid out, attacking in chaos, but leaving aside who wins or loses, who can bear such losses?

Even with the strongest rhetoric and firmest determination, the proposal to limit the conflict to a blood feud verdict between Chopra and Sujano shows the opponents' bluster hiding weakness.

Ignoring the massive wealth staked on the blood feud verdict's parchment, Bustaman sharply pointed out the essence: "They are buying time."

A week?

This is the delay tactic of the Sujano family, using the blood feud verdict to buy precious wartime preparation time, sharpening weapons, gathering strength, organizing capital, and revealing skills.

If they win, it's a clear path ahead, showcasing skills, gaining a favorable upper hand, and potentially stepping over the Chopra family to rise further.

If they lose, it merely costs a batch of wealth.

The time bought by a single verdict already allows the Sujano family to gather enough strength and support, so at that point, even if others want to hit them when they're down, they need to weigh their options carefully.

Even, tearing faces apart, openly waging war, launching an all-out attack on the Chopra family.

That's how the calculations go, everyone is calculating, but nothing is certain, everyone calculates till every calculation becomes unclear, playing to the chips before going all in... Before revealing cards, each person is eying their upstream, downstream, and opponents, using every trick in the book.

After revealing the cards, either a new balance is reached, or in the muddy waters, it's life or death.

"Old Lou, you guessed right."

Ji Jue said, "The Xu Family has already made a move."

Many investors in the Federation weren't wrong, Guangji Industry's investment plan is essentially a test of the waters, but not in the stock market, it's using the weight of the Lou Family to throw into the chaos of the Seven Cities, smashing towards potential supporters behind the Sujano family!

Thus, the stone hits the dog which barks.

If previously there was a seventy to eighty percent guess of the Xu Family's presence, now it's a hundred percent certainty.

Because…

The blood feud verdict allows for outside help!

If indeed Guangji Industry attempts to make the Lou Family the masters of Xiang State, then faced with Sujano's blood feud verdict and the talent depletion of the Chopra family, the initial reaction would definitely be to quickly seek help from home!

And if the Lou Family truly intends to control Xiang State in the long term, then without a doubt, they will act.

"So, who is the one to act?"

Ji Jue looked meaningfully at Lou Feng.

Lou Feng's face turned ashen, his expression twitching, as he snorted with laughter.

Who else could it be?

Who else could there possibly be?

"Aunt!"