Dong—
The bell rang, resounding throughout the entire mansion.
Everyone in the City Lord Mansion was shocked, their eyes turning towards the ancient bell that tolled in the central pavilion.
This was no ordinary bell, but the Judgent Bell that only rang when a severe cri occurred within the family, necessitating a trial.
And the Judgent Bell had not sounded for decades.
The last ti it had rung for a trial, the accused, it was rumored, had died as a result of the punishnt.
Today, the Judgent Bell had rung again, and it was unknown who was so unlucky as to be facing the family’s judgent.
In the luxurious courtyard with its red bricks and green tiles, Ye Ao, who was ditating cross-legged, lifted his eyes and gazed towards the Judgent Bell, suddenly feeling a foreboding sense.
Beside him, Xia Wei wore a worried expression, "Husband, why do I have a bad feeling about this? Could it be because of Chen’er?"
Ye Ao grasped his wife’s delicate hand, saying, "Don’t worry, Chen’er will definitely be alright."
...
In the spacious hall, due to the Judgent Bell, it was already crowded with clan mbers who had heard the news; people gathered, turning the hall, usually able to accommodate hundreds, unusually silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
At the highest point of the hall, in the center, there was a throne for the Family Head. Slightly below it were three thrones for the elders, and below those, seats for key family officials.
On either side of the hall, there was a row of seats assigned to important mbers of the collateral branches.
Everyone else could only stand, not sit.
At the main seat, Ye Ao, the head of the family and the city, sat upright with a majestic stature, his brows revealing the authority of a ruler, commanding respect without anger, but at the sa mont, his brows deeply furrowed as he looked at Ye Chen standing in the center of the hall.
Slightly below him, Xia Wei’s pretty face was full of concern; her jade hand tightly held the hand of Huan’er beside her, both unable to comprehend what cri Ye Chen had committed to warrant such a severe familial trial.
Familial trials were always serious, and if Ye Chen was truly being judged, his fate could be very grim; even Ye Ao, the Family Head, could not influence the decision and might at least be imprisoned.
Although Ye Chen had said not to worry, Ye Zii’s small face was still filled with concern, her small hand sweaty as she lightly bit her red lips.
If it were not for the rule against overstepping during a family trial, she would have stepped forward to plead with her grandfather to defend Ye Chen.
Only Ye Zhengyang watched all this with a cold sneer, especially the actions of Ye Zii towards Ye Chen, which filled him with jealousy and made him wish to kill Ye Chen.
Because Ye Zii was the woman he had chosen for himself within the family, and no one was allowed to defile her.
In the solemn hall, a heavy silence prevailed; no one spoke, the atmosphere was oppressive, and gazes of disdain, surprise, contempt, or concern fell on the young man at the center of the hall.
Though Ye Chen was the center of everyone’s attention, his expression remained calm and untroubled, handling everything with a tranquil deanor.
Such a steady temperant, whether forced or innate, was enough to earn nods of approval.
For a cultivator, talent is important, but temperant is equally crucial, sotis even more so than talent.
Temperant often determines a person’s achievents.
Even the three rival elders, seeing Ye Chen’s composed deanor, had to nod in acknowledgent; however, the more he remained composed, the deeper their wariness.
"Elders, may I know what wrong my son, Ye Chen, has committed to warrant such a family trial?"
In the hall, silence prevailed as Ye Ao broke the silence, the first to speak.
He, as the Family Head, understood better than anyone what a family trial represented; once truly judged, it was akin to being abandoned by the entire Ye Family, and confined.
Although he had always been at odds with the three elders, taking things to this extent touched his bottom line, and he could not tolerate it whatever the reason.
"Family Head, do not worry. The mistake Ye Chen has committed will be revealed. If he has indeed made a grave error, he should be judged and punished accordingly to serve as a warning to others," sneered the three elders inwardly, especially pleased to see Ye Ao’s distressed expression.
Although Ye Ao was the Family Head, the most powerful person in the Ye Family, the three elders were only slightly inferior and not fearful at all.
Seeing Ye Ao defeated was precisely their desire.
"Very well."
Only a single word, but everyone could hear the anger in Ye Ao’s words, a horrible pressure slowly overflowed, filling the hall and instantly many people felt an enormous oppression, as if they were unable to breathe.
Not to ntion the younger generation like Ye Hua, even so senior officials paled imdiately.
The three elders also slightly changed their expressions, deeply looked at Ye Ao, then the Great Elder suddenly shouted out loud like a spring thunder, shocking the entire hall, "Ye Chen, do you admit your guilt?"
The Great Elder was already the second only to Ye Ao in strength within the Ye family, and seated in a high position, his power was intimidating—so much so that not just the younger generations, but also other families’ high-ranking officials suddenly felt terrified and dazed.
However, Ye Chen’s expression did not change, absolutely unafraid of the Great Elder’s imposing pressure, coldly responding, "May I ask the Great Elder, what cri have I committed?"
To be able to remain so composed when things ca to a head was truly extraordinary, and even the three hostile elders were taken aback.
Simultaneously recalling the remarkable achievents of this young man in front of them, the youngest to reach the Innate Realm at the age of thirteen.
Had it not been for that incident two years ago, his stunning talent and his unflappable nature would have undoubtedly brought him even greater achievents.
Reaching the Martial God Realm would not be difficult, and he might even attain the supre achievent of the Heavenly Divine Realm, akin to an ancient ancestor of a nation.
Unfortunately, the world has no if’s...
If this young man were not from the lineage of the opposing Family Head, even if he were a disabled person incapable of cultivation, they would have appreciated him.
But since he was indeed from that lineage, for the sake of their descendants, they had no choice but to intervene.
"Humph, you still do not admit your guilt, do you?" After another deep look at Ye Chen, the Great Elder coldly snorted, "Fine, today I shall list your cris—"
"There are three."
"You entered the Martial Arts Arena without permission and deliberately disrupted the order, interfering with the cultivators’ training and affecting their progress. This is the first."
"During this ti, you provoked and unjustifiably battered Ye Hua, injuring him severely and even insulting him publicly, breaking the 13th clan rule against brethren harming each other. This is the second."
"Ye Zhengyang stepped forward in good will to stop you, but you persisted in your wrongdoing, creating dissent and even planned to attack Ye Zhengyang. That is the third."
"All these accusations are clearly listed, witnessed by all clan mbers present, with both human and physical evidence. Do you still not admit your guilt?"
The three cris imposed on Ye Chen made the Great Elder’s voice stern and commanding, his presence uncontestably commanding and allowing no rebuttal.
His words, logical and well-reasoned, made it hard for anyone to disagree montarily.
On the other side of the hall, a bandaged Ye Hua was crying out, "I implore the three elders to give closure. Ye Chen has humiliated again and again and even beat in public. I can swear to heaven that all this is true..."
Ye Ao wasn’t present at the ti and wasn’t clear about the true events, but the narrative reported by his confidants was more or less the sa, yet it was distorted and misconstrued, making his expression change again and again, sinking deeply.
His gaze swept coldly towards the three elders, anger spilling over; these three old n, in order to deal with him, did not hesitate to distort the truth and fra his son Ye Chen, truly despicable.
He was inclined to speak up for Ye Chen, but at that mont, he saw Ye Chen nodding slightly towards him, giving him a reassuring look, knowing that Ye Chen had a plan to handle it, thus he remained silent, observing silently.
If Ye Chen truly got into trouble, he would simply take action. As the strongest expert in the entire Ye Family and Luofeng City, if he decided to intervene, among those present only the three old n could restrain him slightly, but if he decided to leave, no one could stop him.
On another side, Xia Wei and Huan’er were full of worry, anxiously watching everything, concerned for Ye Chen.
At this mont, the Second Elder also spoke up, saying, "Ye Chen, I advise you to admit your mistakes quickly, voluntarily confess and you’ll be treated leniently, at most imprisoned for just two or three years. But if you refuse to confess, the penalty will be increased, and it won’t be as simple as just imprisonnt anymore."
"Ye Chen, cousin, I’m not speaking against you, but I advise you to confess. Otherwise, a family trial is no small matter," Ye Zhengyang spoke, pretending to be considerate, but his eyes were clearly mocking as he watched Ye Chen.
Ye Chen didn’t even glance at him, completely indifferent, which annoyed Ye Zhengyang. What kind of attitude was this? Did this waste truly not regard him at all?
Then, he coldly laughed, standing aside and watching smugly; even if Ye Chen flaunted himself, he couldn’t continue to do so, offending Ye Zhengyang was not going to have a good ending.
Ye Chen laughed, filled with coldness, saying, "Why should I confess? ’Where there is a desire to punish, an excuse will not be lacking.’ These so-called cris are not valid at all. I did not disrupt anyone else’s cultivation at the Martial Arts Arena, I was rely passing by, Ye Hua attacked first and I was forced to retaliate, that’s the reason for both the first and the second. As for the third, it was Ye Zhengyang who coerced first, I never provoked anything."
The Great Elder snorted coldly, "Does anyone bear witness for you?"
Saying this, he swept his cold gaze over the other clan youths present; everyone lowered their heads, afraid to et his gaze directly.
Ye Chen’s expression darkened slightly, these three old n indeed intended to fra him. But he was soone who, as a revered figure reborn, was not afraid.
Elder Yan floated forth, unable to hold back a chuckle, "So this is what’s called a family, coalescing factions, internal strife. They trap other clansn just for their selfish interests. Ah, Little Chenzi, how will you deal with these people?"
Ye Chen rolled his eyes, not particularly fond of the nickna "Little Chenzi," but of course, he wasn’t without ans to handle this. He was about to speak when suddenly a graceful figure appeared before him, it was Ye Zii.
A faint fragrance wafted over as Ye Zii positioned herself in front of Ye Chen, suddenly attracting everyone’s gaze, and facing the Great Elder, she lifted her lovely and charming face, saying, "I can testify that Brother Ye Chen is not that kind of person."
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