12: Chapter 12: Fight a battle, life or death is irrelevant.

"Your thumbprint is right here, and yet you still dare to deny it?"

Ye Chen looked at him. "Young Master Wang says that is my thumbprint. May I ask, Young Master Wang, what does my thumbprint look like?"

Wang Teng was taken aback. "What?"

"On my right hand, on the second knuckle of my index finger, there is a scar."

Ye Chen extended his right hand. On his index finger, there was indeed a very faint scar, left from chopping wood when he was a child.

"Does the thumbprint on Young Master Wang's IOU have this scar?"

Wang Teng's expression changed, and he looked toward his father.

Wang Mang also frowned, but he quickly regained his composure.

"It's just a scar. Who knows if you added it yourself later?"

"I've had this scar since I was a child. Many people in the West Courtyard know about it," Ye Chen said.

"If Patriarch Wang doesn't believe me, you can ask anyone from the West Courtyard."

Steward Chen stroked his beard and said nothing. Enforcement Hall Deacon Zhao crossed his arms and looked at Ye Chen, his eyes showing a bit more interest.

Wang Mang gritted his teeth and changed his argument.

"Fine, even if the IOU is fake, you still killed three of my Wang family guards, didn't you? Two lives lost—what do you have to say for yourself?"

"They brought that upon themselves," Ye Chen's voice was flat.

"They broke into my home late at night with blades, intending to kill me. Was I supposed to just stand there and wait for death?"

"You say they wanted to kill you, but do you have evidence?" Wang Mang pressed.

"I do." Ye Chen pulled out the wooden token from his robe and placed it on the table.

"This was recovered from those three men—a Wang family guard token. Patriarch Wang, your family's guards broke into my home in the middle of the night carrying blades. Surely they weren't there for tea?"

Wang Mang looked at the wooden token, his face so dark it looked like it could drip water.

Steward Chen picked up the token, examined it, put it back down, and looked at Wang Mang.

"Patriarch Wang, this token belongs to your Wang family, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Wang Mang admitted through gritted teeth.

"But he might have stolen this token or found it. A single token doesn't prove that I sent those three men."

"Patriarch Wang, those are interesting words." Ye Chen smiled.

"Your guards came to kill me carrying your family's tokens. You say I stole the tokens and didn't kill the men. Then may I ask, who killed those three? They couldn't have killed themselves and then stuffed the tokens into my arms, could they?"

Wang Mang was choked for words, his face turning bright red.

Wang Teng couldn't take it anymore and slammed the table.

"Ye Chen! Stop your sophistry! So what if I sent those three? You owed a debt and didn't pay. Sending people to collect a debt is perfectly natural! You refused to pay and even killed people—you are the one in the wrong!"

"Young Master Wang finally admits it." Ye Chen looked at him.

"You sent those three men."

Wang Teng froze, realizing he had let it slip. His face turned pale as he looked at his father.

Wang Mang glared at him fiercely before turning to Steward Chen.

"Steward Chen, Captain Zhao, you've seen it. This Ye Chen is sharp-tongued and twists the truth. Three lives of my Wang family cannot be ignored. Today, he must give the Wang family an explanation!"

Steward Chen rubbed his fingers and looked at Lin Qingxue. "Miss Lin, what do you think of this..."

Lin Qingxue had remained silent, merely holding her teacup and sipping slowly.

Hearing Steward Chen's question, she finally set down her teacup and looked at Wang Mang.

"What kind of explanation does Patriarch Wang want?"

"A life for a life!" Wang Mang gritted his teeth.

"Ye Chen killed three of my Wang family members; he must pay with his life!"

"And if I refuse?"

Lin Qingxue asked. Her voice was soft, but everyone in the main hall heard her clearly.

Wang Mang's expression changed. "Miss Lin, are you intending to shield a criminal?"

"I am not shielding him; I am being reasonable," Lin Qingxue said.

"Patriarch Wang says Ye Chen defaulted on a debt but cannot produce solid evidence. You say Ye Chen killed people, but those three broke into a private residence with blades to commit violence. Ye Chen acted in self-defense; if he killed them, they deserved it. If Patriarch Wang is unsatisfied, you can file a complaint at the City Lord's Mansion or the Provincial Office. My Lin family will see it through to the end."

She spoke slowly, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground.

Wang Mang stared at her, his chest heaving, his eyes nearly spitting fire.

Steward Chen quickly tried to smooth things over. "Miss Lin, Patriarch Wang, please calm down. In my view, both sides have their reasons. But since lives were lost, there must be some resolution. How about this: let Young Master Ye apologize to the Wang family and pay some Spirit Stones, and we'll consider this matter settled. What do you say?"

"An apology?" Wang Teng jumped up.

"Steward Chen, two of my Wang family members are dead and two are injured, and it's over with just an apology?"

"Then what does Young Master Wang want?" Steward Chen asked.

"I want to fight him!" Wang Teng pointed at Ye Chen, his eyes bloodshot.

"Life or death, it doesn't matter! If he wins, the slate is wiped clean! If he loses, he leaves his life behind!"

The main hall fell silent.

Everyone looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen stood there, his back perfectly straight.

He looked at Wang Teng for a long moment, then nodded.

"Fine."

"Ye Chen!" Lin Qingxue frowned.

"Miss Lin, it's fine," Ye Chen said, his voice steady.

"If Young Master Wang wants to fight, I will oblige."

A cruel smile appeared on Wang Teng's face. "Good! You have guts! Then right now, we fight right here!"

"Very well," Ye Chen nodded.

"But since it's a duel where life or death doesn't matter, we must put it in writing. Lest someone loses and refuses to accept it, then goes crying to the City Lord's Mansion again."

"You!" Wang Teng trembled with rage. "Fine! We'll write it!"

Steward Chen looked at Zhao Gang, who nodded. Only then did Steward Chen speak.

"Since both parties agree, we shall put it in writing. Life and death are up to fate; victory and defeat are determined by heaven. Regardless of the outcome, neither side shall pursue the matter further."

Soon, the agreement was written.

Ye Chen and Wang Teng both pressed their thumbprints onto it. Steward Chen and Zhao Gang, acting as witnesses, also added their prints.

The agreement was made in triplicate: one for Ye Chen, one for Wang Teng, and one to be kept by the City Lord's Mansion.

After pressing his thumbprint, Wang Teng ripped off his outer robe, revealing the martial attire beneath. He walked to the open space in the center of the hall and struck a pose.

"Ye Chen, prepare to die!"

Ye Chen didn't Move immediately; he just looked at Lin Qingxue.

Lin Qingxue looked at him with a complex expression, but eventually, she nodded.

Only then did Ye Chen turn, walk to face Wang Teng, and stand still.

The two faced each other from thirty feet apart.

Everyone in the main hall held their breath.

Outside the window, a breeze blew past, rustling the bamboo leaves in the courtyard.

Wang Teng's punch came incredibly fast, carrying a searing wind as it lunged straight for Ye Chen's face.

A faint red glow shimmered on the surface of his fist, a sign that he had cultivated the Wang family's Blazing Sun Art to a certain level.

The people in the hall had varying expressions.

A cold sneer hung on the corner of Wang Mang's mouth, as if he could already see Ye Chen's bones shattered and tendons snapped.

Steward Chen and Zhao Gang frowned slightly, feeling that Wang Teng's strike was excessively ruthless.

Lin Qingxue sat in the main seat, her face calm, but her slender fingers resting on the armrest tightened imperceptibly.

Ye Chen did not meet the blow head-on.

He shifted his feet, his body moving like willow catkins in the wind as he slid half a step to the side, perfectly evading the fist's edge.

The scorching air current brushed past his cheek, fluttering a few strands of his hair.

"Hiding? Let's see how long you can hide!"

Wang Teng's strike missed. He let out a furious roar and changed his fist into a palm, slicing horizontally toward Ye Chen's neck. The Move was vicious, not like a spar at all, but a life-and-death struggle.

Ye Chen retreated again, his gaze calm. He wasn't afraid; he was observing.

He was observing the trajectory of Wang Teng's True Qi and the characteristics of the Blazing Sun Art.

At the same time, he was feeling the new True Qi within his Dantian, which carried a piercing chill.

After several evasions, Wang Teng's offensive grew even more urgent. His strikes brought a wind that forced the tables and chairs in the hall to slide back, causing several Wang family guards to retreat out of the way.

Seeing that he couldn't land a hit, Wang Teng felt he was losing face, especially in front of Lin Qingxue and the people from the City Lord's Mansion. He gave a thunderous shout, and a red light flashed around his body.

His speed suddenly increased by thirty percent, and his right leg whipped out like a lash, sweeping toward Ye Chen's waist!

This time, Ye Chen did not retreat further.

He took a deep breath, suddenly channeling that chill from within his Dantian, and raised his arm to block.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound echoed as the impact energy dissipated.

Ye Chen's body swayed slightly, but he stabilized after taking half a step back.

Wang Teng, however, felt as if his lower leg had struck a block of ten-thousand-year-old ice. A bone-chilling cold surged up from the point of contact.

It instantly numbed his entire leg and caused his blood and Qi to stagnate, bringing his offensive to a dead stop.

"Cold Qi?!" Wang Teng cried out in shock, his face filled with disbelief.

"You aren't practicing the Ye family's Green Wood Art?!"

Not just him, but Wang Mang, Steward Chen, Zhao Gang, and the others also changed their expressions.

The attribute of Ye Chen's True Qi was clearly of the frigid path, vastly different from the Ye family's Cultivation Technique!

A very faint light flashed deep within Lin Qingxue's eyes before she returned to her calm state.