Chapter 3: Pressure

"Little Ai, I'm disturbing you again today..."

While Du Fei was lost in thought, a clear and cheerful laugh came from outside the door, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. Upon hearing this voice, Little Ai's face suddenly turned pale, and her expression showed a hint of panic, like a frightened little rabbit.

Seeing this, Du Fei couldn't help but frown slightly and asked, "What's going on?"

Little Ai gave a bitter smile and said, "It's Young Master Du Qing. You've been unconscious for a few days, so you don't know, but Young Master Du Qing has been coming every day. I'm really troubled by this!"

Hearing this, Du Fei couldn't help but sneer inwardly. To be honest, although Little Ai was young, she had a beautiful face, fair skin, and a charming appearance that always left people amazed. In the small town before, many people had designs on Little Ai, but with the protection of the Du family and her own strength, no one dared to persistently pursue her.

He didn't expect that after just a few days in the Du family, someone would already be smitten with her.

"You little vixen!" Du Fei couldn't resist gently flicking Little Ai's nose, but he also understood that this wasn't Little Ai's fault, so he didn't say much more.

At this moment, the wooden door of the room creaked open, and a young man in white slowly walked in. The young man looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a somewhat sickly pale complexion, but his features were quite handsome. However, the moment he entered, his smile vanished when he saw Du Fei's actions, and a flash of anger appeared on his face. This anger was fleeting, and he quickly regained his composure. If Du Fei's eyes weren't so sharp, he might have missed it.

"This guy is not simple at all!" Du Fei frowned slightly and sighed inwardly. With his experience from two lifetimes, he understood where Du Qing's anger came from. More troubling was the awkward position he and Little Ai were in. If Du Qing...

"Master Qing." Seeing Du Qing walk in, Little Ai quickly stood up and bowed slightly.

"Oh, Little Ai, haven't I told you many times? There's no need for such formality between us. Just call me Brother Qing!" Du Qing laughed, waved his hand, and then deliberately looked at Du Fei, saying, "Is this Brother Du Fei? I didn't expect you to recover so quickly. I've been very worried about you, Brother!"

Worried about you, my foot.

Du Fei sneered inwardly but still managed a faint smile and said, "Thank you for your concern, Brother. However, I'm still not feeling well, so I can't get up to greet you."

"Too formal, too formal. We're brothers, no need for such formalities." Du Qing smiled lightly and then turned to Little Ai, "Little Ai, Grandfather and the others are also very worried about Brother Du Fei. That's why I came to check on him today. Since Brother Du Fei is awake, why don't you go and inform them?"

Hearing this, Little Ai hesitated and glanced at Du Fei. Seeing Du Fei nod slightly, she responded and slowly left.

After Little Ai left, Du Qing smiled and walked around the room for a bit before casually sitting down. He tapped his finger on the table and then smiled again, "Brother Du Fei, I have a favor to ask of you..."

"Of course, Brother." Although Du Fei already had a good idea of what was coming, he still smiled faintly and said, "I'm honored by Brother's regard, but I'm new here and in this condition. I doubt I can be of much help."

"Hehe, Brother Du Fei, you're too modest." Du Qing casually picked up a teacup, took a sip, and hesitated for a moment before speaking, "If I remember correctly, Uncle's family, which is Brother's family, only has one son, right?"

Hearing this, a cold light flashed in Du Fei's eyes. He was quite annoyed by Du Qing's deliberate words. However, he understood that although Du Qing seemed amiable, such a person couldn't be as simple as he appeared. If he showed any disrespect, the consequences would be dire!

If only I knew martial arts! Then I wouldn't have to be in this situation!

Often, when under someone's roof, one has to bow to their will.

Du Fei took a deep breath and concealed his anger, sighing lightly, "Brother Du Qing is right. My family indeed only has me as the only son."

"Is that so?" Du Qing clapped his hands lightly, looking relieved. "Then, Little Ai must be Brother Du Fei's maid? Since that's the case, I'll be straightforward! I fell in love with Little Ai at first sight. Although I can't marry her due to her status, I can take her as a concubine. So, if Brother Du Fei is willing, I'll offer ten beautiful maids, four guards, and a hundred taels of gold in exchange for Little Ai. What do you think?"

After saying this, Du Qing looked very confident. With his status, he was sure no one in the Du family, or even in the entire Bu Yue City, would refuse such an offer.

Du Fei's eyes twitched slightly. Although he had expected something like this, hearing it so clearly still made him angry.

However, Du Fei wasn't a child. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and smiled, "Brother Du Qing, you're too kind... If you had offered such a generous deal, I wouldn't have refused. After all, you're being so generous, clearly showing your affection for Little Ai. A gentleman should help others achieve their happiness..."

"However, although Little Ai is my maid, she was found by my father from somewhere. Father once said that Little Ai has her own freedom and can leave the Du family whenever she wants. Besides, we've grown up together, and I've never treated her as a maid... Moreover, this time, the entire Du family was wiped out, and it was Little Ai who saved me with great effort... In terms of both emotion and reason, I can't agree to this without her consent..."

"So, I hope Brother can understand. I'm afraid I can't agree to this request..."

At the end, Du Fei sighed lightly, showing a hint of regret.

Du Qing's face, which had been smiling, gradually turned cold as he listened to Du Fei's words.

He slowly put down his teacup, stared at Du Fei with a cold gaze for a moment, and then smiled again, "So, you're not giving me, Du Qing, any face?"

"Of course not!" Du Fei shook his head slightly. "I've explained the situation clearly, Brother. I hope you can understand..."

Du Qing laughed coldly and said, "A maid, no matter how you put it, is still a subordinate. Brother, don't you understand? As long as you say the word, what courage would she have to refuse... Brother Du Fei, today I'm teaching you a lesson. In this world, power, wealth, and women—all require strength to possess... When Uncle was alive, you had a backing. Now, you're just a cripple. Although you have the Du family's blood, you've lost your status! Keeping a beauty like Little Ai by your side is just asking for trouble! I'm doing this for your own good... If you weren't part of the Du family, I wouldn't even bother..."

"Whether to keep Little Ai or not, I have my own reasons. I don't need your advice on this..." Seeing that the pretense of their relationship as cousins was now broken, Du Fei sneered slightly and said, "So, I'll pretend I never heard this."

"You... You're good! You're really good!" Du Qing stared at Du Fei for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Du Fei, Du Fei, do you still think you're that little master? This isn't your poor and desolate hometown; this is the Du family in Bu Yue City! I bet you'll soon come to me yourself to offer Little Ai! When that happens, whether I accept her or not will be another matter!"

With that, Du Qing slowly stood up, slammed his hand on the table, and then turned to leave with a cold laugh.

"Seventh level of Body Tempering!"

Looking at the deep palm print on the table, Du Fei couldn't help but frown slightly.

In the path of martial arts, Body Tempering is the foundation. Only by successfully tempering the body and purifying the impurities within can one strengthen the body. At a certain level, true qi will be generated within the body. Once a person has true qi, they can begin formal martial arts training.

Body Tempering, like martial arts, is divided into nine levels. The first three levels have little effect on the body, while the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels gradually strengthen the body from the outside in. Only at the seventh level does a mysterious internal force, known as true breath, begin to form within the body. This true breath, after continuous strengthening, will eventually settle in the dantian and form true qi.

Du Qing's palm strike just now showed that he had already cultivated true breath and had at least reached the seventh level of Body Tempering. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to leave a palm print on the table without breaking it.

Compared to Du Qing's seventh level of Body Tempering, Du Fei, who hadn't even reached the first level, was clearly a complete waste.

In a family, a seventh-level Body Tempering genius and a waste with an awkward status, who would be more valued and powerful was obvious.

"It seems I was too hasty... If the family head hadn't seen me yet, Du Qing wouldn't dare to act rashly. Otherwise, I might have..." Thinking about this, Du Fei shook his head slightly. If the so-called system couldn't help him start training, his future would be difficult!

But if he couldn't even overcome this current difficulty, how could he avenge his family?

Du Fei clenched his fists and slammed them on the bed, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

---

End of Chapter 3

---