The Power of a Finger Flick

"Yes, it was me!" Long Ye nodded.

"Good!"

"To a true samurai, defeat means death. I'm grateful you spared his life, but I want to see whether you really have the strength to beat him."

The man's words were polite, but his tone was anything but friendly.

Long Ye had no idea what defeat meant to the people of this clan.

The Candle clan was fiercely particular about combat. Anyone who lost, no matter how strong they had once been, faced criticism and carried an indelible stain for the rest of their life.

When Candle Tiger returned to the clan wounded after his defeat, his clansmen questioned him, as expected.

He had once been the certain choice to become the Candle clan's next chief. After that defeat, his chances were all but gone.

Though he remained deputy chief, he had lost his clansmen's respect.

As Candle Tiger's elder brother, the man naturally bore a grudge against Long Ye.

If he could defeat Long Ye and reclaim the Candle clan's undefeated glory, he could then claim that Candle Tiger had lost only through a stroke of bad luck. That might yet restore his younger brother's standing in the clan.

A fight was almost inevitable.

Long Ye knew none of this. He assumed the man wanted revenge for his younger brother and thought little of it.

"Are you ready to face my fist?"

The Candle clan believed they should not only defeat opponents in a fair fight, but also give them ample time to prepare. They called it the honor of combat.

"Heh. Just as I thought. This clan was born for battle. Meet one of them, and the first thing you'll get is a fight!"

Sasori of the Red Sands spoke at his leisure.

"These people are reckless. They haven't even