Chapter 11: Revealing Strength

Du Long and Yue Xiaoshan were chatting happily in the northwest corner of the Golden Dragon Hall, which irritated certain people. For Zhao Lin’er, this was only to be expected, but another discontented fellow was mingling in Wei Yiming’s circle—Du Wei, a third-generation member of the Du family.

As the son of a second-rank General of Martial Valor, and having already participated in the coming-of-age ceremony, Du Wei naturally possessed the right to attend the Longquan Palace gathering. Thanks to his father’s influence in the empire, he also enjoyed a measure of status in such occasions.

“When did that brat sneak in here?! What gives that snot-nosed kid the right to attend this gathering? And has Yue Xiaoshan lost his mind? Chatting and laughing with him as if nothing were amiss—does he not know the truth about that boy?” Du Wei, face twisted in annoyance and suspicion, stared toward Du Long and muttered in a low voice to his entourage.

“I think I saw Sister Cai Ni bring him in earlier. Yue Xiaoshan probably doesn’t know that kid’s real identity. Otherwise, anyone would steer clear of that walking disaster—who’d want their reputation tainted by association with him at a gathering like this?” replied Du Kang.

“Hmph! That useless wretch entering a place like this is a disgrace to the Du family. Come, we can’t let him enjoy himself!” Du Wei’s expression darkened as he drained his cup of fine wine and took the lead in rising.

In Du Wei’s eyes, only by crushing Du Long’s spirit and driving him into ruin could he secure his place as the future leader of the Du family’s third generation. Ambition, coupled with his father’s tacit approval, made him target Du Long at every opportunity, regardless of the occasion.

It could be said that Du Long’s foul reputation in the capital was largely due to Du Wei’s relentless scheming behind the scenes. He had orchestrated the spread of Du Long’s scandals, deliberately smearing his name.

“Well, well, who is this? The legendary Poison Dragon Ninth, eh? Since when did the Longquan Palace gathering allow little brats to attend? Oh, and Xiaoshan’s here too! Don’t you know Poison Dragon Ninth’s infamy? Are you trying to get your name on the capital’s villain list?”

Du Long and Yue Xiaoshan were engrossed in conversation when an unwelcome voice abruptly intruded. Without turning around, they knew Du Wei—the persistent fly—was once again stirring trouble.

The smile faded from Du Long’s face. He leaned against his chair, his right hand gently stroking the smooth scales of the little golden snake on the table, his eyes narrowing with a cold gleam as he stared icily at Du Wei and his three equally disagreeable companions—all brothers of the Du clan who had humiliated him many times in his previous life.

“Du Wei! What’s your problem? Looking for trouble?” Even with his thick skin, Yue Xiaoshan sensed the hostility in Du Wei’s words and glared at the four, barking, “You think you can mess with my good brother? You’re asking for a beating!”

Though Yue Xiaoshan’s shout was loud, the northwest corner was secluded enough that few noticed the altercation. Zhao Lin’er’s group, however, had been keeping an eye on Du Long and immediately realized drama was unfolding, shifting their attention with anticipation.

“Your good brother?!” Du Wei was taken aback. He had people reporting on most of Du Long’s movements, but had never heard that the boy and Yue Xiaoshan had become close. Few would believe they’d forged a brotherhood in mere moments.

“Of course! Today, I, Yue Xiaoshan, have sworn brotherhood with Du Long. From now on, anyone who bullies him is crossing me!” Yue Xiaoshan’s declaration was no surprise to Du Long, who, while moved, also felt guilt for having implicated his friend in his previous life, vowing never to let that happen again, even at the cost of his own life.

“Hahaha…”

Yue Xiaoshan’s words failed to intimidate Du Wei’s group; instead, they burst into laughter. Gasping, Du Wei pointed mockingly at Yue Xiaoshan, “Have you lost your mind, Xiaoshan? Becoming brothers with someone like him—you’re not afraid your father will break your legs when you get home?”

“Yeah, exactly! Poison Dragon Ninth is infamous in the capital, and if you haven’t lost your mind, why stick so close to him? Hahaha…” Du Kang, notorious for his foul mouth, chimed in, mocking Yue Xiaoshan. His own father, a third-rank General of the Thousand Oxen, held a status not inferior to Yue Xiaoshan’s father, so he had no respect for him.

“I like Du Long and I’ve sworn brotherhood with him—what are you going to do about it? Bite me if you dare! We’re just drinking and chatting, what business is it of yours? Get lost—seeing you four makes me lose my appetite. Stop spouting nonsense!” Clearly enraged, Yue Xiaoshan jumped up and cursed at Du Wei and his cronies.

As the situation escalated, Du Long swept his cold gaze over the four, “What, are you so eager to disgrace the Du family’s reputation today? Or do you think you haven’t made a big enough fool of yourselves?”

“Haha, reputation? The Du family’s reputation was ruined long ago by you, Poison Dragon Ninth! How dare you lecture us? As long as you stay away from gatherings like this, that’s the best you can do for the family’s name!” Du Wei sneered, as if Du Long were the eternal sinner of the Du clan.

“You claim I ruined the family’s reputation? Du Wei, don’t think your secret machinations have gone unnoticed! My reputation today is thanks to you—so stop pretending!” Du Long’s anger flared; in his previous life, he had accidentally overheard Du Wei drunkenly confessing to all the schemes he’d plotted.

“You mongrel, born of Du Zhentian and Zhou Ruoxue…” Driven to the limits of his argument, Du Wei finally spat out the venomous insult he had harbored for years, enraging Du Long.

“You’re the mongrel, damn you!” With a roar, Du Long struck. Having reached the sixth stage of Qi Accumulation, and his body transformed by the little golden snake, he had never unleashed his strength until now. He shot forward like a bolt, smashing his fist into Du Wei’s jaw.

With a loud thud, Du Wei had no time to react before he was sent flying, blood and several teeth spattering across the floor.

Seeing Du Long act, Yue Xiaoshan wasted no time. Grabbing the wine jug from the table, he swung it at the nearest foe, smashing it with a crash and splitting the man’s head, blood streaming down his face.

Clattering chaos ensued as Du Wei’s body crashed into a nearby table, overturning chairs and sending everything flying.

“How dare you attack? Courting death…” Though he was injured, Du Wei was still at the eighth stage of Qi Accumulation and kept his wits about him. Bracing himself, he steadied his stance, ignoring the blood in his mouth, and charged at Du Long in fury. He unleashed his full Haotian force, aiming a deadly palm strike at Du Long’s chest—a blow that would kill any ordinary person.

“Brother, I’ll block him—get out of here!” Yue Xiaoshan had heard of Du Long’s supposed inability to cultivate and avoided the topic in conversation. Du Long’s attack had relied mainly on surprise and brute force, not revealing his true martial prowess.

Before Du Long could reply, Du Kang had already reacted, darting to intercept Yue Xiaoshan, his intention clear—to keep Yue Xiaoshan occupied and give Du Wei a chance.

The commotion drew the attention of those nearby; Zhao Lin’er watched eagerly, savoring the scene of Du family infighting. Seeing Du Wei attack Du Long with wild fury, she hoped Du Long would be struck dead, thus avenging her own grievances.

Fan Tong, Li Xiaojun, and others looked on with expressions of amusement as the chaos unfolded.

Everyone who knew Du Long understood him to be a useless cultivator, who never dared utter a word when bullied, venting his frustrations only on commoners. What was happening today?

Witnesses assumed Du Wei’s beating was a fluke—caught off guard, nothing more. No one believed Du Long could triumph in a fair fight, and they awaited the spectacle of his defeat.

Under everyone’s gaze, Du Long finally moved. A surge of energy, characteristic of the sixth stage of Qi Accumulation, flickered across his body. Like a bull, he advanced instead of retreating, charging directly at Du Wei.

“Sixth stage of Qi Accumulation?!” Du Wei, closest to Du Long, sensed the energy emanating from him and frowned. “No wonder he’s grown bolder, daring to challenge me repeatedly! Hmph, but with just the sixth stage, he’s still far from worthy!”

Du Wei, at the eighth stage, dismissed Du Long, confident he would easily defeat him.

Though Du Long had little confidence in facing Du Wei head-on, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and meet the attack with all his strength.

With a resounding crash, the two palms met, no skill involved—just brute force. Du Long staggered back five steps before steadying himself, his body showing no major signs of injury.

Du Wei, though only retreating three steps, was pale as death; in that clash, he realized both his arms were fractured!

The crowd failed to notice Du Wei’s broken arms, but seeing the two exchange blows with little difference in outcome, a wave of astonishment swept through the Golden Dragon Hall.

“Sixth stage of Qi Accumulation?! Did I see that right? That useless cultivator actually managed to cultivate, and the force he released just now was no weaker than the sixth stage!”

“Is he really the infamous useless cultivator Du Long? Wasn’t he said to be a total waste? How did Du Wei, at the eighth stage, fail to gain the upper hand?”

After the initial shock, Fan Tong, in the distant crowd, wore a mocking smile as he glanced at Zhao Lin’er and Li Xiaojun. “Unbelievable! The former useless cultivator can now cultivate—looks like Xiaojun’s luck’s turned for the better! Hahaha…”

Some chuckled along with Fan Tong, while Zhao Lin’er’s expression darkened as she stared at Du Long, a tumult of emotions stirring in her heart—a bitter feeling spreading within.

Back then, to break off the engagement, she had sacrificed her virtue to Li Xiaojun. The main reason for her determined rejection was not Du Long’s bad reputation, but his inability to cultivate. Now, seeing this, she wondered whether her decision had been right or wrong.