In an instant, everyone understood.
The Adjudication Hall had allowed only the time it took for one stick of incense to burn. If no one accepted the challenge by then, the Black Dragon Hall would be ruled to have evaded the fight.
Once the verdict was issued, even if the Guang'an Prefecture Governor himself came in person, nothing could be undone. After all, tens of thousands of people had witnessed it.
Elder Shui flew into a rage and roared, "You ignorant brat, you dare deceive me? You're asking for death!"
This time, Xu Yi reacted. He raised his left hand high, curled four fingers into a fist, and thrust his middle finger straight toward the sky.
Xu Yi naturally knew who Elder Shui was. They had once crossed paths at an auction at Linglong Pavilion, so he knew the old man's fearsome reputation.
But with what was at stake now, forget Elder Shui—even if Elder Shui's ancestors crawled out of their graves, Xu Yi would never back down.
If you cannot protect what deserves protecting, then offer up what deserves to be mourned!
If the gods stand in my way, I'll slay the gods! If the Buddha stands in my way, I'll butcher the Buddha!
To be fair, language might be separated by regional barriers. The meaning could be the same, but the sounds differed a thousand ways.
Gestures, however, were universal by nature. An embrace meant welcome; a finger held to the lips meant silence. Every people understood that.
Xu Yi's gesture was unusual, but anyone with half a brain could tell it was insulting.
The Shui family had held sway over Guang'an for countless years, so long that their genealogy had to be stored in massive chests. Their might was such that even the Guang'an Prefecture Governor had