Chapter 66

As the last traces of the evening glow faded, the world grew dim, and night fell. The dark blue sky was dotted with countless little stars.

Du Shaofu had just taken a shower when he returned to the courtyard and saw the head of the rear courtyard approaching, saying that the family head and the second uncle wanted to see him.

"Uncle, Second Uncle, did you call for me?"

When Du Shaofu arrived at Uncle's study, Uncle Du Zhenwu and Second Uncle Du Zhixiong were already seated, whispering to each other with serious expressions.

Seeing Du Shaofu, Du Zhixiong gestured for him to sit down and asked, "Shaofu, you've been staying in seclusion lately, often out of sight. Are you busy cultivating? Your body seems to be getting stronger."

Du Shaofu sat in the chair next to Du Zhixiong, nodded slightly, and said, "There's nothing else to do, so I've been cultivating on the back mountain. I wonder why Uncle and Second Uncle called me here?"

"Have you forgotten that in three days, it will be the time for the competition among the young generations of the five major families?" Du Zhenwu's face, which had been slightly serious, broke into a smile as he looked at Du Shaofu and asked softly, "How are you preparing?"

"It's in three days, huh."

Du Shaofu had indeed forgotten. He had been so engrossed in cultivation recently that he had completely forgotten about the competition among the young generations of the five major families. Thinking of the Lei Chi of the Ye family, a smile crossed his face, and he said, "I've been preparing all along."

Du Zhenwu looked at Du Shaofu, and in his sharp, profound gaze, there was no sign of tension, only anticipation. This made him slightly puzzled. Could this young man really be so confident?

With a slight frown, Du Zhenwu said, "An Hu, Bai Tianming, and Qin Xiaolu from the An, Bai, and Qin families are not your match. I know your cultivation is not weak, but this time there has been a small change. You need to be careful."

Hearing this, Du Shaofu immediately asked, "What kind of special situation?"

Du Zhixiong continued, "There has been a special situation. This time, only you will represent the Du family in the competition."

"Why only me?"

Du Shaofu's face showed confusion. He had heard about the competition among the young generations of the five major families in previous years. Each family was limited to fifteen participants, and while they could have fewer, they could not have more.

Each time, the young generations of each family would send a full fifteen participants, without exception. Even those with no hope of winning could use it as a training opportunity, which would greatly benefit their future cultivation.

Du Zhenwu gave Du Shaofu a wry smile and said, "You still have the nerve to ask. Du Yan, Du Chong, and Du Hao were all injured by you and have only recovered to about 60%. They can't participate.

Du Yu and Du Xue have great potential, but if they participate this time, they won't be able to participate in the next competition. You know that everyone can only participate once. Du Yu and Du Xue are the hope for the Du family to win next time. Letting them participate this time would be a loss.

So, after discussing with your second uncle, we decided to let you represent the Du family alone. But this will put a lot of pressure on you. Given your conflicts with the Bai, An, and even Qin families, it's very likely that you will be surrounded by other family members."

Du Shaofu's expression turned slightly thoughtful. He knew the rules of the competition among the young generations of the five major families. Apart from not intentionally harming others or using external forces and means, there were no other rules. It was a free-for-all, and the last person standing on the stage would be the winner, the only one who could enter the Lei Chi for cultivation.

Under these rules, the cooperation among participants from the same family was crucial. Even the strongest could be overwhelmed by a group attack.

"Are you worried? If you can't handle it, let Du Yu and Du Xue participate as well. At least they can help you with the pressure." Du Zhixiong, seeing Du Shaofu's thoughtful expression, thought he was unsure. He knew that if Du Shaofu was surrounded, the consequences would be severe.

"No need. I'll go alone. It might even be easier that way."

Du Shaofu looked up, a smile on his face, seemingly not too worried.

"Shaofu, this is no joke. Even if the Ye family can help you fend off one family, the other two families will likely attack you." Du Zhenwu reminded Du Shaofu.

"Uncle, I'll do my best. If they want to surround me, they'll have to see if they have the ability." Du Shaofu smiled calmly.

"Alright, if you feel confident, then I, as your uncle, believe in you."

Du Zhenwu looked at Du Shaofu's clear, sharp gaze and nodded, then continued, "Another thing you need to be careful about is Cao Qitai from the Qin family. Cao Qitai might be your strongest opponent."

"Why would someone from the Qin family have the surname Cao?" Du Shaofu was puzzled.

"Cao Qitai is Qin Xiaolu's fiancé, so he's considered half a Qin family member. He's not old, so he's eligible to participate. You need to be cautious not only about his strength but also about his status."

Du Zhixiong explained, "We received word that Cao Qitai, despite his young age, is extremely powerful. He is also the son of Cao Tianmang, the Duke of Liuyun County."

"Liuyun County." Du Shaofu's gaze flickered. Liuyun County was a county outside of Stone City, encompassing several cities larger than Stone City.

In the empire, above a city was a county, above a county was a prefecture, and above a prefecture was the direct control of the empire.

In Du Shaofu's memory, Stone City had always been a unique existence. It was said that since the founding of the empire, although Stone City was a small border city, it was not under the jurisdiction of any county or prefecture. Over time, no one knew the reason. They only knew that although Stone City was part of the empire, no one could control it, and only the five major families in the city stood firm.

"Our empire is called the Stone Dragon Empire. Liuyun County is right next to our Stone City. In recent years, Liuyun County has had the intention of annexing our Stone City, but they are wary of the Thunder Lion of the Ye family. This time, Liuyun County's involvement in the competition among the young generations of the five major families and their marriage alliance with the Qin family may have another purpose. With the Thunder Lion of the Ye family in trouble, not only are other families stirring, but other forces are also restless. Sigh..." Du Zhenwu sighed.

After chatting with Uncle and Second Uncle for a while, Du Shaofu left the study and returned to the courtyard. He rarely saw his drunkard father at home, but as usual, he was drunk, hugging his old wine bottle, lying on a rattan chair, and snoring evenly.

Du Shaofu took a thin blanket from his room and covered his drunkard father, then gently wiped his face with a hot towel before returning to his own room.

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