Chapter 53: Rumors End with the Wise

In the afternoon, the Du family's back mountain continued to rumble with a 'thundering' sound, which gradually subsided as night fell.

The Du family's back mountain was vast and rarely visited, so Du Shaofu felt at ease practicing his body-strengthening techniques there. Besides, with the King-Scaled Demon Tiger around, anyone approaching would be immediately detected.

After nightfall, Du Shaofu continued to sit cross-legged in the back mountain, practicing his breathing exercises.

As the night enveloped Stone City, in a grand architectural complex that rivaled the Du family, several figures stood in a room deep within a courtyard. Among them was a young man with a dirty face and a pale complexion, who was none other than An Hu, who had been disciplined by Du Shaofu earlier that day.

"An Hu was defeated in just two moves. After ten years of restraint, it seems the Du family has produced a formidable opponent," a young man who bore a resemblance to An Hu but was a couple of years older said with a faint smile.

"Big Brother, you must help me take revenge," An Hu said, his face a mix of grievance and anger. He would never let Du Shaofu off.

An Long looked at An Hu and sighed, "Second Brother, stay away from Ye Zijin next time. She's not suitable for you."

"Big Brother, what are you saying? If she's not suitable for me, is she suitable for you?" An Hu glared at An Long, his expression turning displeased.

"Second Brother, the injuries you suffered today are proof that Ye Zijin is not someone you can control," An Long said, his expression unchanged. He gazed at the moon outside the door and added, "That woman is not simple. This is a test."

"What kind of test?" An Hu asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, just focus on recovering at home for now," An Long replied.

"What about Du Shaofu? Are we just going to let him off? Is our An family afraid of him?"

An Hu said angrily, turning to a burly middle-aged man behind An Long, "Father, say something. Am I supposed to just take this lying down?"

The burly middle-aged man, An QingSong, the current head of the An family, looked at An Long and said, "Long, what do you think?"

An Long replied, "Father, Du Shaofu seems to be a few years younger than Second Brother. If we go to the Du family, it might not be good for our reputation. People might say that the An family can't beat the Du family and still wants to cause trouble."

"Are you saying we should just let it go?" An QingSong's expression didn't change much.

"No..." An Long smiled, "We should go to the Du family, and go in a grand manner. I want to meet Du Shaofu. A person who can endure for ten years must be quite interesting."

"Good, let's go to the Du family and teach Du Shaofu a lesson," An Hu sneered.

"An Hu, go and recover. You're not allowed to leave the house for the next six months!" An QingSong said sternly.

"Yes, Father," An Hu dared not argue, seemingly very afraid of his father, and left with a heavy heart.

"Ah..."

An QingSong sighed as he watched An Hu's back, "He's no good, no good at all. He's being used and doesn't even realize it."

An Long smiled at An QingSong, "Father, Second Brother is still young. Besides, Ye Zijin is indeed extraordinary. This setback will be good for him in the long run."

An QingSong's gaze fell on An Long, "If you can control that little girl, things will be much simpler in the future."

"I'll do my best," An Long said with a smile.

"Some things are about to happen. Stone City has been too peaceful for too long," An QingSong said.

"Storms are brewing. The Ye family can't hold back any longer," An Long murmured, gazing at the moon outside the door.

The next morning, Du Shaofu's faint golden glow faded as he exhaled a breath of turbid air, ending his breathing exercises.

"The body-strengthening technique of the Golden-Winged Great Peng is truly profound. The cultivation method is also extremely powerful."

Feeling the increasingly abundant mystic energy and the growing strength of his body, Du Shaofu smiled. After tidying up, he left the back mountain.

"Master Shaofu, it's not good. The An family has come with many people, looking for you. The family head wants you to go over."

As Du Shaofu returned to the back courtyard, the new steward rushed over, out of breath and anxious.

"An family." Du Shaofu remained calm, "You can go now. I'll be there in a moment."

The King-Scaled Demon Tiger rubbed against Du Shaofu's robe, seemingly eager to go along and help.

"You don't need to come along," Du Shaofu said to the King-Scaled Demon Tiger.

"Roar, roar."

The King-Scaled Demon Tiger growled lowly, as if protesting that Du Shaofu was underestimating him.

Unfortunately, Du Shaofu ignored the King-Scaled Demon Tiger, turned, and entered the courtyard without heading to the front hall immediately.

After taking a bath and tidying up, Du Shaofu arrived at the front hall and saw the An family's people. There were many of them, all looking fierce and powerful, their faces flushed, as if they had already had some arguments with the Du family.

"Greetings, Uncle and Second Uncle."

Du Shaofu greeted Du ZhenWu and Du ZhiXiong, his gaze sweeping over the An family's people, paying special attention to a burly middle-aged man and a slender young man sitting at the head of the table.

"Shaofu, sit down. Someone said you injured An Hu yesterday. Is that true?" Du ZhenWu gestured for Du Shaofu to sit and asked.

Du Shaofu nodded and sat next to Second Uncle Du ZhiXiong, "I did discipline someone named An Hu yesterday. He insulted me, so I beat him up."

"Du ZhenWu, you heard that. This boy injured my son. You need to give me an explanation today," An QingSong said angrily, his face determined.

"An QingSong, you heard it too. Who let your son insult my nephew? He deserved it," Du ZhiXiong stood up and glared at An QingSong, "If your son can't handle it, you come to fight. Your An family is really protective of your children."

"Du ZhiXiong, what do you mean?" An old man from the An family glared at Du ZhiXiong.

"I mean what I said. If you're not satisfied, the An family can declare war on the Du family," Du ZhiXiong slammed the table, mystic energy surging, showing no mercy. He would not let his nephew be bullied.

"War, so be it. The An family is not afraid," many of the An family's strong figures said angrily.

"War, so be it. If you dare to bully us, do you think the Du family is easy to push around?"

The Du family's strong figures in the hall were also furious, showing no retreat against the An family. The Du family had risen in Stone City in a short time because of the unity of all its members, and they had never been hesitant in the face of external enemies.

Du Shaofu looked at his Second Uncle, who had stood up, and felt warmth in his heart. The Du family's strong figures, who had been against him yesterday, were now united against outsiders, which moved Du Shaofu deeply. His gaze then returned to the An family's people.

An QingSong glared at Du ZhenWu and said, "Du ZhenWu, are you saying the Du family won't give me an explanation today?"

"What explanation? Your An family came to the Du family in such a fierce manner, clearly not respecting us. If you want an excuse for war, the Du family will oblige," Du ZhenWu sat still, his sleeves fluttering, not giving an inch.

"Fine, fine, the Du family. We'll see what happens." An QingSong slammed the table and said to the An family's people, "Let's go."

"Goodbye," Du ZhenWu leaned back in his chair, not being polite.

"I am An Hu's brother, An Long. You are Du Shaofu?" An Long stood up and approached Du Shaofu. The hall, which had been noisy, fell silent as everyone's attention turned to An Long and Du Shaofu.

"What, your brother couldn't handle it, so you're planning to gang up?" Du Shaofu raised an eyebrow, looking at An Long.

An Long smiled at Du Shaofu, "I heard you were foolish for ten years. It seems the rumors are not reliable. My second brother is not up to the task. He lost, and it's good for him to learn a lesson. There's a long road ahead, don't you think?" His words subtly mocked Du Shaofu as a fool.

"Indeed, rumors end with the wise."

Du Shaofu's gaze was calm, but his words were sharp. Everyone could tell that Du Shaofu meant that anyone who believed he was a fool was a fool themselves, and the wise would not believe it.

An Long looked at Du Shaofu, his expression subtly changing, and said, "I heard you have a good relationship with Ye Zijin from the Ye family?"

"But it seems An Hu and Miss Ye have a better relationship. Didn't you know, as his brother?" Du Shaofu said lightly.

"Ha ha." An Long laughed, looking at Du Shaofu, "There will be a grand gathering of the major martial families in Stone City soon. The younger generation will all participate. I hope to see you there."

"I might not go," Du Shaofu said.

"Goodbye." An Long smiled, then turned and left, followed by the An family's people, who were all seething with anger.

"This An family is shameless." The Du family's strong figures in the hall all cursed as they watched the An family leave.

"Shaofu, come with me to the study."

Du ZhenWu stood up and looked at Du Shaofu, his expression unchanged, then turned and went into the inner hall.

"Go, don't worry about the An family. The Du family is not afraid of them."

Du ZhiXiong patted Du Shaofu's shoulder and laughed, "I heard you defeated the An family's An Hu, who is at the Xiantian realm, in just two moves. You've brought honor to the Du family. Well done."

"Second Uncle, I don't have that kind of strength. An Hu tripped and fell on his own, trying to frame me."

Du Shaofu wouldn't admit it. He had just told the Du family that he couldn't beat his Xiantian realm cousin Du Hao, so he couldn't admit it now. After saying this, he hurriedly followed his Uncle into the inner hall.