No matter how one looked at it, Zhao Fu’an had no choice but to accept the challenge.0

It was true that those in officialdom needed to know when to bend, but they also had to maintain their dignity.0

As long as private duels did not result in death, being provoked by a junior in such a way was akin to a direct insult. That was already bad enough. To make matters worse, having a junior of lower cultivation level deliberately “yield” to him was no longer courtesy, but outright humiliation.0

Of course, Zhao Fu’an could choose to back down. Whether it was the young Daoist or the old one, neither could do anything to him nor could they openly come knocking on his door for revenge.0

However, backing down in front of so many witnesses would be no different from admitting defeat. What would others think of him? What would they say? More importantly, he was a Garrison Chief Military Officer. Being branded as a coward afraid of battle would be detrimental to his career, regardless of whether the claim...0