The Duan Family's Grudges

"No need for such formalities, Master Xiao. How are your family matters going?"

While at the Vulture Peak Palace, Xiao Feng had already heard Duan Yu recount many of the turmoil at Shaolin Temple, but it was not complete; there were still some things that Xiao Feng needed to supplement himself.

Ji Boying was also very interested in these entanglements.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng stood up and took A'Zhu's small hand in his large palm.

Before he even spoke, his face was already filled with solemnity and sighs.

"The twists and turns of it are a long story."

"No rush, let's sit down and talk slowly."

Ji Boying casually walked into a restaurant.

"Waiter, bring some wine and some of your best snacks to go with it."

"Please wait a moment, sir. It will be here shortly."

The waiter diligently wiped the tables and chairs, gave a drawn-out reply, draped the rag over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

Duan Yu, Wang Yuyan, and the others all looked surprised.

Although Ji Boying was not completely abstinent from alcohol, he did not drink much alcohol in his daily life.

Even when Duan Yu and Xu Zhu were drinking heavily together, Ji Boying would drink tea instead of wine and rarely joined them in drinking.

It's really strange lately; why is Great Hero Ji taking the initiative to invite everyone to drink?

Ji Boying led everyone to sit down with smiles, he too was in high spirits because of the happy occasion.

His skills have greatly improved, and he can almost be considered to have achieved perfect merit in this martial arts world.

Because of this pleasant surprise, he broke with tradition and drank with everyone.

"Where did Xu Zhu go? How's the matter of finding a son-in-law?"

Ji Boying asked casually.

Duan Yu, on the other hand, excitedly came over and said with a smile, "It is exactly as Great Hero Ji said. Second Brother is truly blessed."

"We were drinking and practicing martial arts on Misty Peak, enjoying ourselves immensely and completely absorbed in the profound principles of martial arts, oblivious to everything else around us."

In the past, Duan Yu refused to practice martial arts even when forced by Duan Zhengchun and others, but now he enjoys practicing.

I didn't like practicing martial arts before because I was a bookworm, and I also had a compassionate heart and couldn't bear to fight.

Having traveled the martial world, I've learned that martial arts are the foundation of one's livelihood, so I dare not slack off anymore. Especially since I and Wang Yuyan are being chased by Murong Fu for thousands of miles. If I were to die, it wouldn't matter much, but if Yanmei were to be injured, I would truly be unable to atone for it and would regret it for the rest of my life.

When you have something you want to protect in your heart, you will naturally crave power.

In addition, people like Duan Yu, who also enjoy studying Zen and philosophy, make the martial arts of the Xiaoyao School not only look elegant and graceful, but also contain profound Daoist principles, which are completely different from the crude and stupid fighting skills in the martial arts world.

This naturally suits Duan Yu's personality as well.

In fact, those kung fu skills that make people feel energetic and ethereal contain profound principles of health preservation, which naturally aligns even more with Duan Yu's pursuit of Duan Yu life.

"But one day, someone from down the mountain came to report that a princess in Western Xia was actually looking for a husband, which really worried my second brother. Haha."

Duan Yu laughed heartily.

Xiao Feng, A'Zhu, Wang Yuyan all had smiles on their faces.

"We didn't linger any longer and hurried down the mountain, arriving in Western Xia. In this city, we saw many people: some were of high rank and power, some were skilled in martial arts, some were literary and elegant, and some were handsome and dashing. This made my second brother very anxious."

Xu Zhu always considered himself a little monk, and his humility inevitably led to some negative and self-deprecating remarks.

Although none of the candidates for the imperial son-in-law were as skilled in martial arts as him, he was not one to bully the weak and was humble. Compared to others, he was ugly and had no power or money, so naturally he felt uneasy.

If the Meng Gu he so desperately longed for really was the princess of Western Xia, and if she were to become someone else's consort, then Xu Zhu would truly be at a loss for words.

Duan Yu felt a deep empathy for Xu Zhu's behavior back then, and found it all the more amusing.

It turned out that Xu Zhu was restless, his forehead was covered in sweat, his face was pale, his brows were furrowed, and he was having difficulty breathing as if his chest was being tightly squeezed.

Wasn't this how Duan Yu Duan Yu when he was in love?

"I originally wanted to give my second brother some encouragement to take action quickly, but I didn't expect him to be so determined this time. He didn't care about anything else and sneaked into the palace overnight, and he never came back. Hehe."

Duan Yu's smile made the women present blush.

"I really didn't expect my second brother to do something so selfless."

Xiao Feng also laughed heartily.

When Xiao Feng was on his way to Shaolin Temple, he encountered Xu Zhu and his companions on the way. At that time, Xu Zhu did not leave much of an impression on him; he was just a dull and ugly monk.

But in Lingzhou, he met Xu Zhu again. Although Xu Zhu already possessed profound martial arts skills, his style of doing things was always timid and cowardly.

However, this time, for the sake of a beautiful woman, he actually made such a brave move.

"Their emperor was still planning to arrange a selection, but little did he know that my second brother had already gotten there first. We followed their officials through the process for two days, but we didn't see my second brother return. Only a maid came to deliver a letter. My second brother said that he had been extremely happy these past two days and told us not to worry."

Duan Yu grinned slyly.

Xiao Feng, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Now he can no longer say that he is just a little monk."

Xiao Feng smiled, and was about to say, "He is also a man of deep feelings."

But she couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly, though she quickly dismissed the random thoughts from her mind.

In that instant, he actually thought of Abbot Xuan Ci of Shaolin Temple.

Is it true that the more steadfast a monk is, the more vulnerable he becomes when faced with someone with whom he has a karmic connection? Is it a karmic connection or a karmic one?

Duan Yu briefly and clearly explained the matter of choosing a consort.

However, some details about him were overlooked, namely the middle-aged men following behind him, who were three of his Four Great Retainers.

He was ordered by Duan Zhengchun to have Duan Yu marry the princess of Western Xia.

Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing followed behind, but Duan Yu already had Wang Yuyan, was naturally unwilling, not to mention that she was his second brother's sweetheart.

Only three of the Four Great Retainers came, because one of them died at Little Mirror Lake.

Upon receiving news of Duan Yu, Duan Zhengchun went to confront Dao Baifeng.

He was indeed a scumbag, using this incident to pressure his wife, but he was also deeply in love and had a silver tongue.

The two first argued, then hugged each other and cried, then started saying sweet words to each other, and finally made up.

Dao Baifeng still refused to return to the manor with him. At this moment, she was indeed a little embarrassed because of what she had done. Sure enough, it was always the one with higher moral standards who suffered the loss.

Duan Zhengchun then made him give in and bring Qin Hongmian, the Shura Blade, into his home. Although there were still some arguments and discord, he ultimately enjoyed the blessing of having two women.

Duan Yu is the biological son of Dao Baifeng, but he is not the biological son of Duan Zhengchun. Duan Zhengchun also made a solemn vow to Dao Baifeng that he would make sure that Duan Yu would inherit the throne in the future.

This also relieved Dao Baifeng, who no longer needed to worry that this scumbag would have children with other women and shake Duan Yu's position.

Duan Zhengchun, feeling triumphant, decided to bring all his mistresses to his home and arrived at Little Mirror Lake.

The Four Great Retainers were protecting him when they suddenly encountered a young girl.

Unexpectedly, such a clever and lovely young girl suddenly turned ruthless and poisoned the Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, Scholar to death.

The other three rushed forward and immediately killed the girl with their weapons.

Faced with the two corpses, everyone felt empty inside, unsure of what to do.

They were all baffled, wondering why such a clever and lovely girl could be so vicious, and how they had offended her. It seemed that she killed Chu Wanli without any reason, as if she could kill an ant at will.

Even if she kills someone, she might not actually be happy.

In short, he is someone who seems to have no regard for human life, no morals or shame, and no humanity whatsoever.

After killing the person, the remaining people didn't even dare to collect the body. Brother Wanli had just been poisoned to death after only touching a little bit of poison, and no one knew how much deadly poison was still on the girl's body.

With heavy hearts, the crowd could only burn the two bodies and collect two pieces of ashes.

The girl's ashes contained piles of deadly hidden weapons, a sight that sent chills down one's spine, as well as a gold locket that was slightly deformed from being burned.

When Ruan Xingzhu saw it, she burst into tears; it was her daughter.

Duan Zhengchun was somewhat taken aback and stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

The four men —Fisherman, Woodcutter, Farmer, Scholar, a farmer, and a scholar—were utterly loyal. To avenge their brother, they killed their young master. They felt no remorse, only that killing their young master had offended Duan Zhengchun and was disloyal. Therefore, they immediately committed suicide to atone for their sins.

Although Duan Zhengchun was a womanizer, he was always very kind and loyal to his subordinates. How could he watch the three of them commit suicide on the spot? Of course, Duan Zhengchun also felt that the three of them had done nothing wrong.

Ruan Xingzhu wanted to make a scene, but she had witnessed her daughter poisoning someone first without any reason, so she was naturally in the wrong and could only cry without saying anything.

The blame cannot be placed on the Four Great Retainers; it can only be placed on Duan Zhengchun, since he was the daughter's father and had failed to fulfill his responsibilities.

Duan Zhengchun was caught in the middle, facing a dilemma.

That's when they sent the remaining three of the Four Great Retainers to find Duan Yu.

The remaining heartbroken Ruan Xingzhu was kept happy by Duan Zhengchun's silver tongue.

Duan Yu did not tell anyone Duan Yu these things.

One thing Duan Yu hasn't mentioned yet is about Duan Yanqing, his biological father.

Duan Zhengming Duan Zhengchun learned the truth, they did not look at Duan Yu with any strange eyes, and even felt relieved.

It seems to be the best arrangement given by heaven, not only for Duan Yu personally, but also because he no longer needs to care about the identities of his siblings.

For Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun, the Crown Prince Yanqing was always a burden.

Duan Yanqing's martial arts skills were extremely high, and he was indeed orthodox. He had not done anything wrong in the Duan Family; he could only be said to have been burdened by fate.

Now that Duan Yu is actually his biological son, it can be considered an explanation to Duan Yanqing and an explanation to the legitimacy of the Duan Family.

Duan Yu inherited the mantle of Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun, as well as that of Crown Prince Yanqing, making it the most suitable way to achieve the best of both worlds.

Duan Yanqing should have continued to pursue and kill Duan Zhengchun with his men.

But after losing Ye Ernian and Yun Zhonghe in the Apricot Forest, he was left with only Third Master Yue.

Their strength has been greatly reduced.

Third Master Yue was able to hold off two of the Four Great Retainers, and his martial arts skills surpassed Duan Zhengchun's. However, if Duan Zhengchun and his two retainers were to deal with a disabled person like himself, then they would indeed have many methods at their disposal.

Even in terms of skill, he was slightly better than Duan Zhengming, but because he was disabled, he was naturally no match for Duan Zhengming in a fight.

Therefore, losing two subordinates did indeed make Duan Yanqing dare not act rashly again, and he could only continue to lie low in Western Xia Yipintang.

Yipintang has suffered repeated heavy blows, and now the top two masters are Third Master Yue and Duan Yanqing.

The third brother only relied on his physical strength, but he had no brains.

Duan Yanqing, however, was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and could barely be considered a minor master of his generation.

His strength was greatly diminished, so he naturally needed to win over his subordinates. Because of his deep knowledge and high level of martial arts, he could easily benefit these subordinates by giving them pointers.

Taking advantage of the situation, he recruited many people and gradually brought the entire Yipintang under his control.

During the process of choosing a son-in-law, both the Empress Dowager and the young emperor tried to win him over.

As Duan Yu and his Duan Yu arrived, the three dukes of the Dali Kingdom also arrived.

The retainers searched for Duan Yu, while Ba Tianshi and his men searched everywhere for Duan Yanqing.

Upon meeting Duan Yanqing, he presented him with a letter written by Duan Zhengming himself, which clearly explained the whole story and included some evidence.

Duan Yanqing was naturally overjoyed and at a loss for words, tears streaming down his face.

Who would have thought that this man, who had been disabled for many years, wandered from place to place, and had no home, would actually have a biological son?

It was only then that he realized Duan Yu's face did not resemble Duan Zhengchun much; it looked more like his mother, and also somewhat like himself.

The hatred he felt for Duan Zhengming vanished instantly, and all the pent-up frustrations of his past life were released.

Having a son was already a pleasant surprise for Duan Yanqing, and the assurances from Duan Zhengming that Duan Yu would inherit the throne were naturally the best possible outcome for him.

For a moment, he truly felt that he was favored by God and blessed by the Bodhisattva.

Overjoyed, he felt a sense of fulfillment. For the sake of his son, he agreed not to make things difficult for Duan Zhengming and the Duan Zhengming anymore. He was even willing to return to Dali to become a monk and live permanently in Tianlong Temple to watch his son grow up, govern the country, and establish a family.

The three Dali Kingdom were naturally delighted to grant Duan Yanqing's request. Not only would they resolve their long-standing conflict and eliminate a dangerous enemy, but they would also gain another powerful expert to protect and safeguard the Dali Kingdom.

Everyone wanted to leave immediately, but Duan Yanqing looked at Third Master Yue beside him, then at the Western Xia Yipintang in his hand, and stopped.