Rumors Stop Before the Wise

  Afternoon, in the Du Clan back mountain rumbling sound rang out again, and it continued till night descend before it stopped.

  Usually, no one goes deep into the back mountain that Du Shaofu could train his physique in ease in here. Moreover, with the Demon Scale Tiger guarding close by, if someone ventured close it would find out immediately.

  When night came, Du Shaofu sat cross-legged and adjusted his breathing.

  Night blanketed Stone City and the Du Clan compound’s buildings. In a certain courtyard, several shadows gathered in a room, and one of them was a pale-faced young man; the same one that was beaten up by Du Shaofu earlier in the day, An Hu.

  “An Hu actually lost to him in just two moves. Enduring for ten years, it seems like a troublesome rival came out of Du Clan ah.” A young man with some similarity to An Hu, a year or two older opened his mouth and said lightly, the corner of his mouth lifted up in a faint smile.

  “Big Brother, you must help me take revenge ah!” An Hu looked wronged and furious; he was unwilling to let Du Shaofu slide just like this.

  An Long looked at An Hu, lightly said to him, “Second Brother, stay away from Ye Zhijin, she’s out of your league.”


  “Big Brother, what do you mean not suitable for me, but she’s for suitable for you!” An Hu stared at An Long, displeasure evident in his eyes.

  “Second Brother, the injuries you received today proves Ye Zhijin isn’t someone you can tame.”


  An Long’s faint smile remained on his face, indifferent to An Hu’s outburst. He looked out the window at the moon, and a faint smile seemed to have etched on his face, An Long he said, "That woman is not as simple as you think, she’s probing ah.”


  “Probing?” An Hu asked doubtfully.

  “Nothing, you rest at home this period and heal properly.” An Long said.

  “Then what about that Du Shaofu, don’t tell me we’re not doing anything about this, and let that Du Shaofu off so easily, this just shows that our An Family is afraid of him?”


  An Hu raged; he’s one hundred and twenty percent unwilling to pretend what happened this afternoon like it was nothing. He then asked a burly man who was behind An Long, “Dad, say something ah, are you allowing me to get beaten in vain?”


  The burly man was sitting down, the current Patriarch of the An Family, An Qingsong. He turned to look at An Long and said, “Long’er, what do you think?”


  When An Long heard his father’s question, he said, “Dad that Du Shaofu is younger than Second Brother some years, and if we went to Du Clan it would be detrimental to our An Family’s reputation. If the matter was spread out, some people might say our An Family is weaker than Du Clan, already lost yet have the face to look for trouble.”


  “Then your meaning is, this matter should be swept under?” Not much can be seen from An Qingsong’s face as he asked.

  “No……” An Long smiled faintly and said, “We are going to Du Clan, and we must let everyone know that we are paying Du Clan a visit. I also want to meet this Du Shaofu; someone who can endure for ten long years, I want to know what kind of a person he is.”


  “Okay, go to Du Clan, and packed that Du Shaofu.” Instantly, a smirk appeared on An Hu.

  “Hu’er, go rest; you are not allowed to step out of the house for six months!” An Qingsong looked at An Hu and said in a stern voice.

  “Yes, Dad.” An Hu dared not retort; he seemed frightened of his father; obediently dragged his heavy, and injured body out of the room.

  “Ai……”


  Watching An Hu’s silhouette leaving the room, An Qingsong sighed, and said, “Truly let me down, don’t live up to expectation; used by others and yet still unaware it.”


  An Long spoke, and the faint smile never left his face, “Dad, Second Brother is still immature, moreover, Ye Zhijin that girl is indeed unusual and Second Brother’s lost is justified, and it’s a good thing for him.”


  An Qingsong’s gaze fell on An Long’s body, saying, “If you could tame that Ye Family’s girl, the future matters will be much simpler.”


  “I will do my best.” An Long said, his smile ever present.

  “Things will start moving quickly soon. Stone City has been too calm too long.” An Qingsong said.

  “The mountain rain come bringing the wind of change the sky is about to change. Ye Family had started to make their move.” Looking out at the night sky, An Long muttered softly.

  The next morning, Du Shaofu stopped practicing and converged the golden glow around him, breathing out a mouthful of foul qi.

  “The Golden-winged Garuda’s exercise law is truly unfathomable.”


  Feeling his body’s xuanqi was getting thicker and his body stronger. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, after tidying up a little Du Shaofu left the back mountain.

  “Young Master Shaofu, it’s bad! An Family brought a lot of people over, all looking very fierce. Patriarch called you over to the Main Hall.”


  The moment Du Shaofu stepped through the backyard door, the new backyard’s steward ran over in haste, panting, a bunch of nerves.

  “An Family.” Du Shaofu looked calm, saying, “You can leave, I will be there in a moment.”


  The Demon Scale Tiger rubbed its body against Du Shaofu’s robes when he heard someone came to look for trouble; it looked at Du Shaofu as if saying it wanted to go too.

  “No need for you to join in the excitement.” Du Shaofu said to the Demon Scale Tiger.

  “Roar, roar!”


  Two low growled came out from the kitten-sized Demon Scale Tiger, seemingly protesting that Du Shaofu was looking down on it.

  Unfortunately, Du Shaofu ignored it, turned around and entered his own yard, instead of heading to the Main Hall.

  Du Shaofu took a bath, and freshened himself before headed out to the Main Hall, and saw many An Family present within. All of them were quite strong judging from their atmosphere, and most of them were flushed red with anger, judging from the situation seems like the argument with Du Clan already started.

  “Seen Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle.”


  Du Shaofu walked up and greeted Du Zhenwu and Du Zhixiong, his eyes quickly glanced once over the An Family; his sight paused longer on the burly man sitting on the main guest seat and the thin young man beside him.

  “Shaofu, sit down first. Someone said you injured An Hu yesterday, did such a thing happen?” Du Zhenwu inferred Du Shaofu to sit, and followed with a question.

  Du Shaofu nodded, and he took place beside Second Uncle and said, “Yesterday I taught someone named An Hu a lesson; he scolded me, I beat him up.”


  “Du Zhenwu, you heard it right, this child hurt my son yesterday. No matter what, today you must give me an explanation.” An Qingsong glared angrily at Du Zhenwu as if he would never forgive this issue.

  ‘An Qingsong, you also heard it, it was your son who scolded my nephew first, deserve being beaten.” Du Zhixiong spoke as he stared at An Qingsong, “The son can’t match, the older one come out; An Family is really protective ah.”


  “Du Zhixiong, what are you trying to say!” A An Family elder shouted at Du Zhixiong sullenly.

  “What I said is what I meant. If you’re unsatisfied, let An Family and our Du Clan declare war.” Du Zhixiong’s fist slammed on a chair and stood up in anger, and xuanqi started to surge, not at treating An Family as guests at all. Du Shaofu is his nephew, of course, he won’t allow anyone to bully him.

  “War then war, my An Family is not afraid.”


  “War then war, dare to bully till our Du Clan’s house, you think it is easy to bully us!”


  The Du Clan’s experts also heated up, against An Family none of them retreated. Du Clan could rise within a short ten years in Stone City relied on their unity against external enemy without any hesitation.

  Huang Xiaolong looked at his Second Uncle stood up in anger banging on the chair, a trace of warmth filled his heart. Just yesterday, most of the Du Clan experts were against him, yet today against outsiders, they all united without slightest delay.

  An Qingsong looked at Du Zhenwu in a fury, his voice gloomy, “Du Zhenwu, Du Clan isn’t planning to give my An Family an explanation today?”


  “What explanation! Your An Family came to my Du Clan looking for a fight, clearly not putting my Du Clan in your eyes. If An Family is looking for an excuse to start a war, Du Clan will grant your wish!” Du Zhenwu sat in the main seat, not giving an inch.

  “Good, what a good Du Clan, we’ll see.” An Qingsong’s palm slammed on a chair, then turned around and said to the An Family present: “Leave.”


  “You know the way out.” Du Zhenwu leaned into his chair, full of disregard.

  “I am An Hu’s elder brother, An Long. You’re Du Shaofu?” An Hu stood up and walked till he stood in front of Du Shaofu. In the big hall, everyone’s eyes turned to focus on An Long and Du Shaofu.

  “Why, the little brother can’t rival, so the whole family comes?” An eyebrow rose as Du Shaofu observed An Long.

  An Long sent Du Shaofu a smile, saying, “Hearsay you were an idiot for ten years, it seems rumors aren’t reliable. My Second Brother doesn’t live up to expectation, a lost is a lost, a setback will be good to sharpen him a bit, don’t you agree?” An Long’s words mainly were to poke at Du Shaofu.

  “Indeed, rumors stop before the wise.”


  Du Shaofu’s expression was calm. However, everyone could hear the underlying meaning of his words – those people who believed he was a fool, then he’s the real fool; a wise person wouldn’t believe such nonsense.

  An Long who was facing Du Shaofu turned a little gloomy inside, however, on the surface his faint smile remained, “I heard you are on good terms with Ye Family’s Ye Zhijin?”


  “From what I see, An Hu is on better terms with her. As An Hu’s elder brother, you don’t know?” Du Shaofu retorted calmly.

  “Hehe,” An Long laughed, his eyes never left Du Shaofu said, “Soon, Stone City will hold a Five Families event, most of the younger generation will participate, and I hope to see you there.”


  “I may not go.” Du Shaofu replied.

  “I take my leave.” An Long said, his trademark faint smile etched on the corner of his lips, turned around and left with a group of unwilling An Family.

  “This An Family is really shameless.” As the An Family left, Du Clan experts that were in the Main Hall cursed.

  “Shaofu, come with me to the study.”


  Du Zhenwu stood up and said, no telltale signs of what he’s thinking, he turned around and headed to the study.

  “Go, don’t worry about the An Family, our Du Clan does not fear them.”


  Du Zhixiong patted Du Shaofu’s shoulder, chuckling he said, “I heard say, you only use two moves to defeat that Xiantian level brat An Hu. This is glory to our Du Clan, good kid!”


  “Second Uncle, how could I have that much strength, An Hu tripped and tried to frame me.”


  Du Shaofu would not admit it, less than one day ago he told the whole clan that he’s not Du Hao Xiantian cousin brother’s opponent. So no matter what, he couldn’t wouldn’t admit that he defeated An Hu. Leaving that sentence, he quickly trailed behind his Eldest Uncle’s shadow towards the study.