Chapter 242: Chapter 115: Fist Duel, Part 2
After all, those who stepped onto the platform were either rich or noble, and at the very least, Martial Artists at the Dark Energy level or above. The loss of any such individual would be a devastating blow to their respective faction.
Ordinary grudges were typically settled through mediation or compensation. Only a deep-seated, irreconcilable hatred would drive people to settle matters on the Luoying Platform. The victor would see the grudge erased, while the loser would face death and oblivion. No one would pursue the matter further.
Li Haitao glared at Sun Yong.
He truly hadn’t expected Sun Yong to go this far for Lin Yue, even to the point of a life-or-death battle.
’Does Lin Yue mean that much to him, or has the old fool really been blinded by rage? Or perhaps... is the old fox just posturing, waiting for the right price to back down?’
"There is no need for this." The Li Family’s Grand Elder spoke slowly, his voice calm and steady.
He looked at Sun Yong, his tone softening slightly. "For Huajin Powerhouses to fight on the Luoying Platform would cause too great a commotion. I fear even the Lord County Magistrate himself would not approve. In my opinion, why not let the disciples of our family and your Sun’s Martial Arts Hall settle this with a sparring match to decide the winner? The Li Family will put up some stakes, and we can consider this matter settled once and for all. What do you say?"
Sun Yong frowned, his gaze fixed on the Li Family’s Grand Elder. He did not respond immediately.
Seeing that Sun Yong didn’t immediately refuse, the Li Family’s Grand Elder knew the old man wasn’t truly intent on taking this to the Luoying Platform. He was angling for compensation. Taking a shallow breath, he continued, "The Li Family is willing to put up the stakes: five Purple Jade Pills, five Hundred Herbs Spirit Pills, and five hundred pounds of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat. Winner take all. How does that sound?"
*HISS—*
The entire hall erupted in gasps of shock.
The three other Li Family Elders were stunned. They clearly hadn’t expected the Grand Elder to put up such a massive stake.
Both Purple Jade Pills and Hundred Herbs Spirit Pills were top-tier medicinal treasures that Martial Artists dreamed of. A single pill was already worth a fortune; five was an astronomical price.
To say nothing of the five hundred pounds of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat—that alone was worth nearly thirty thousand taels of silver!
Previously, when the Li Family had a sparring match against the Xiao Family, the stakes had been at most two elixirs and two hundred pounds of high-grade Exotic Beast Meat. An offer of this magnitude was simply unprecedented for the Li Family.
A flicker of surprise crossed Sun Yong’s eyes; he too was clearly taken aback by the sheer value of the stakes.
He remained silent, his gaze shifting between Li Haitao and the Grand Elder, obviously weighing the pros and cons.
Sun Yong was silent for a moment, his mind already calculating.
’Of course, I’m not actually going to fight Li Haitao on the Luoying Platform.’
’Even if these old bones of mine could kill Li Haitao, I’d still be severely wounded by his Vajra Hand Seal.’
’Besides, this idea of settling grudges on the Luoying Platform is just talk. Even with witnesses from all sides, if I really killed Patriarch Li, would the Li Family truly let it go? Of course not.’
He had indeed arrived full of righteous fury.
But he also understood that the Li Family had already given Lin Yue a chance. It was Lin Yue who had failed to gauge the situation, getting mixed up in the affairs of the six great families again. Though he had been crippled, at least his life was spared.
His earlier punch, which bordered on a sneak attack, had injured Li Haitao and vented much of his pent-up anger. Now, the main consideration was how to extract the maximum benefit from the Li Family.
Whether it was an apology for himself or compensation to cover Lin Yue’s future, he was determined to wring a hefty price out of the Li Family this time.
Besides, the Li Family’s generous offer was clearly a way to use the sparring match to peacefully resolve the conflict. It gave both sides a way to back down without losing face and avoided the disastrous cost of a life-or-death battle between Huajin Powerhouses.
He mused to himself, ’The Li Family’s Li Mengchao might be hailed as the leader of the younger generation, but that’s ancient history now.’
’Who in all of Yuhe County doesn’t know that my disciple, Yang Jing, is the one who’s truly unbeatable at the Dark Energy realm?’
’Having sparred with Yang Jing recently, I’m perfectly clear on his strength. His Cultivation is approaching the Peak of Dark Energy, and his Inner Strength is far more profound than that of his peers. Even Li Mengchao, the supposed champion of the training grounds, would be hard-pressed to match him.’
’Looked at this way, this sparring match is a surefire win.’
’The Li Family must realize this too. They’re deliberately using this match as a pretext to offer me an apology.’
There was just one thing Sun Yong couldn’t figure out: When had the Li Family become so generous?
In Sun Yong’s estimation, even if the Li Family was willing to "bleed" a little, the most they would offer was ten thousand taels’ worth of assets as compensation.
He never expected them to be so extravagant right off the bat. The value of these elixirs and the Exotic Beast Meat was somewhere around sixty to seventy thousand taels of silver.
’As expected of a top family that has been entrenched in Yuhe County for centuries!’
With this in mind, Sun Yong looked up at the Li Family’s Grand Elder and said coolly, "The stakes are generous, but they’re still lacking. Add another ten thousand taels of silver, and I will agree."
Upon hearing this, Li Haitao exchanged a glance with the Grand Elder. Both saw a look of understanding in the other’s eyes.
Ten thousand taels of silver was nothing to the Li Family. Since they had already decided to settle the matter, they didn’t mind the small addition.
The Grand Elder gave a slight nod, and Li Haitao said, "Agreed."
Then, he turned to Sun Yong and asked, "Since you’ve agreed to the match, Hall Master Sun, what stakes are you prepared to put up?"
Sun Yong stroked his beard and smiled. "Seeing as the Li Family has been so generous, I naturally cannot be stingy. I will put up a medium-grade Meat Lingzhi and two Three-Colored Treasure Fish, just as a small contribution."
"Meat Lingzhi?"
The other Li Family Elders frowned slightly.
Meat Lingzhi possessed incredible regenerative power. The life force contained within its flesh was comparable to that of Exotic Beast Meat, and a medium-grade piece was indeed worth more than ten thousand taels of silver on the market.
As for the Three-Colored Treasure Fish, while they were a rare type of exotic beast, their value was far below that of the Meat Lingzhi. Both fish combined were worth two or three thousand taels of silver at most.
All told, while the stakes Sun Yong offered weren’t shabby, their value was a far cry from the nearly eighty thousand taels of silver the Li Family had put up.
Li Haitao, however, didn’t seem to mind. With a faint smile, he nodded at once. "Very well."
