Once, there was a great family that possessed a set of peerless, rare martial arts. However, this set of profound skills could not be mastered by one person initially; it required two individuals to cultivate separate halves. Ideally, the cultivators were sworn brothers. At the appointed time, one would transfer their internal energy to the other, thus completing the unified technique. In this manner, one of them would become the other’s cultivation furnace. Of this arrangement, only one of the two practitioners was aware. The younger brother, designated as the furnace from the very beginning, knew nothing. The family’s influence was too vast. The elder brother knew he could not openly defy the family, and he knew that if he revealed the truth to his younger brother, the latter would immediately become his sacrifice. To protect his brother, to allow his brother to escape that tragic fate, the elder brother made a decision: he would bear the burden of everything! As long as his brother could live, it didn't matter if the brother hated him for it. Spurred on by the perceived neglect, the younger brother diligently improved his power. The elder brother saw this and rejoiced inwardly, yet he maintained an infuriating ruthlessness in his demeanor. It mattered not if the entire world misunderstood him; as long as his brother survived, it was all worth it. Until one mission, when the elder brother, in order to save his younger brother, struck and severely wounded him under the pretense of competing for merit. Yet, no one knew that it was precisely this despicable sneak attack that allowed the younger brother to avoid a bullet piercing his heart. It was this very palm strike that instantly channeled Zhenqi to protect the younger brother's vital heart meridians. It was his final, flying interception that blocked the bullet meant to kill his brother. It was his transfer of blood, mingled with Zhenqi, that allowed the younger brother’s Wuxiang Shuibiao Gong and Qixing Xianlei Gong to finally merge into a complete set…

The story finished, Qin Fen quietly watched Du Peng.

Du Peng sat stunned in the chair. He stared blankly at Qin Fen, his neck beginning to turn slowly. “No… no… no… no… Fake… fake…”

Years of understanding were utterly subverted in that instant. Du Peng collapsed instantly. He knew how sincere Qin Fen was when he spoke those words; he knew all of it was likely true, but he could not bear for it to be the truth.

The Du Zhanpeng who had ignored him for years, suppressed him for years, and whom he had hated for years—he actually… actually…

Qin Fen placed the metal box, which Du Peng had discarded like trash, into his palm and quietly set it before Du Peng. “This, I imagine, was a gift from him to you, not something meant to harm you.”

“No… no… Du Zhanpeng is not that kind of person… He didn’t just insult me; he often ordered my mother around… He never truly looked at me… No…” Du Peng seemed to lose the last shred of self-control. He raised his hand and knocked over the metal box in Qin Fen’s hand. “No… no…”

“There are a few more things he said when he was unconscious. I will relay them to you now. I imagine he wished he could have told you in person but never got the chance.” Qin Fen’s voice carried a faint sorrow. “Little brother, I’m sorry for always being harsh with you. I apologize. Please forgive me.”

“Shut up! I won’t listen! Shut up!” Du Peng roared, forcefully covering his ears with both hands. “Shut up! I won’t listen!”

“Silly boy, how could a brother on these stone steps not love his younger brother? This is all I could do for you; don’t blame me. Do you know? The thing I wished to hear most in my life was you calling me…”

“No… no…” Du Peng stared fixedly at Qin Fen. His body trembled incessantly. His feet, at some unknown time, had found the ground.

Thump…

He knelt on the ground, his hands continuously reaching out. The moment they touched the box containing the bio-beast, he snatched it up. Trembling, he pulled out the bio-beast egg from the container. “This… this must be meant to harm me…”

Qin Fen took the red metal box from Du Peng’s hand. He carefully rotated the box, finally lifting the black foam supporting the bio-beast egg, and pushed the metal box back towards Du Peng.

“Happy Birthday.”

Four simple words were engraved on the bottom of the box. Words reflect a person's mood at that time; these four words exuded joy and happiness. Du Zhanpeng was a complex person, and a cautious one at that. He was skilled at hiding his emotions; he could even deceive the King of Vipers. But he was always an older brother. As a brother, he still needed to express his feelings. He knew Du Peng would certainly not examine the metal box closely, so he had carved these four words beneath the black foam.

“Happy Birthday… Happy Birthday…”

Du Peng stared blankly at the metal box in his hands. Today was his eighteenth birthday.

“No… no…” Du Peng shook his head repeatedly. He glared fiercely at Qin Fen. “Where is Du Zhanpeng? He wants you to pass on such a lie to me—it’s nothing more than trying to trick me! I won’t believe it! Take me to see him, take me to see him!”

“You want to see him?” Xing Wuyi stood at the doorway he had pushed open, tears streaming down his face, and said, “Fine then, come with me; I’ll take you. I’ll take you to him.”

“Good!” Du Peng ripped off the IV tube from his wrist and hurried after him, his steps unsteady. “Take me to see him.”

“Patient, you cannot yet…”

“Get lost!”

Du Peng roared and shoved the nurse to the ground with one palm.

The young nurse sat on the floor, staring blankly at Du Peng’s retreating back. Just a short while ago, this man, whose brow carried a hint of a gentle smile, had become so terrifying.

Qin Fen gently helped the young nurse up. “I’m sorry. My friend is extremely emotionally unstable. I will bring him back later.”

“O-okay…” The young nurse was frightened by the near-ferocious look on Du Peng’s face. “His body is still very weak, and the wound on his chest hasn’t fully healed…”

The nurse’s warning was unfinished before Qin Fen had already chased after him.

The Mourning Hall…

Du Zhanpeng lay quietly in a crystal coffin filled with flowers, covered by the Federal flag. The slight, happy smile on the corner of his mouth had not vanished. He looked peaceful, as if he were merely sleeping rather than dead. One after another, people dressed in black approached the coffin, bowed silently, and then moved away quietly. The entire hall was filled with oppressive sorrow. Standing on either side were Du family relatives. These people all bore varying degrees of sorrow on their faces. Among the crowd, there were two young men bearing a faint resemblance to Du Peng and Du Zhanpeng, but the grief on their faces could not mask the barely concealed glee in their eyes.

A rush of rapid footsteps shattered the silence of the mourning hall. Everyone looked up with confusion. At this time on this day, who dared to cause a commotion here? Were they not afraid of offending the Du family?

Xing Wuyi was the first to appear in everyone’s sight. He stood quietly at the entrance of the hall, watching Du Peng follow closely behind. “See? Young Master Du is lying there.”

All gazes converged on Du Peng, who was still wearing a patient’s gown. Du Yu’s eyes were also filled with astonishment. Why was Du Peng here? What was he intending to do? Cause a scene in the mourning hall?

“Du Zhanpeng…” Du Peng strode into the hall, his eyes flickering with complex light, and walked swiftly toward the crystal coffin.

“Stop.”

From the crowd, a sharp shout came from the Dou couple. The two young men resembling Du Peng stepped out, blocking Du Peng’s path.

“This is not a place you should be. Get out.”

“You are not welcome here. You killed Zhanpeng; how dare you show your face here?”

Du Peng stopped his steps. A mocking sneer flickered in his eyes. “Du Chaoqun, Du Chaopeng. I’m in a foul mood today. Get lost.”

The expressions of the two young men instantly turned icy. Normally, Du Zhanpeng was the recognized prodigy of the Du family. (Mobile reading 1 6 k . cn) (Mobile reading 16k. cn) The two were indeed inferior to Du Zhanpeng; they didn't even qualify to contend for the position of heir. Now that Du Zhanpeng was dead, Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng knew their chance had arrived! If they could perform well now, severely humiliating and punishing this bastard who caused Du Zhanpeng’s death, perhaps Du Hen would take notice and make them the next heirs.

Hearing Du Peng’s words, the two men raised their arms and tried to push his shoulder. This seemingly casual push secretly included an internal force (Anjin) set to release only upon physical contact.

“Get lost!”

Du Peng neither avoided nor dodged. He flipped both palms and met their push head-on. The three forces collided secretly, producing a sound like a wooden stick striking a quilt. Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng staggered, stepping back two paces before stabilizing their bodies. Du Peng merely swayed slightly in the upper body, his feet remaining firmly planted without retreating at all. Who among those present did not practice martial arts? They saw at a glance that the three had engaged in combat right there in the mourning hall. Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng were also stunned. Du Peng’s palm strike just now had been subtly soft and immensely powerful; his body shouldn’t have swayed, nor should his face have turned even paler. In that moment of stunned silence, a faint patch of crimson appeared on the front of Du Peng’s patient gown. He was injured! Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng exchanged a look, and smiles spread across their faces.

“You can pass only if you can beat both of us down!”

As Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng spoke, they lunged forward again. This time, they no longer concealed their power but displayed it fully.

“Get out of the way,” Du Peng coldly snarled. The crimson on his chest spread into a large patch. The light in his eyes suddenly sharpened intensely. He stamped one foot down, and his entire body exploded forward like a general riding a warhorse on an ancient battlefield. The sound of his body scraping the air was like the neighing of warhorses, and his arms slashed down like great axes or battle knives, directly shattering the momentum of the two cousins.

The fierce and domineering Qixing Xianlei Cavalry Slash reappeared in Du Peng’s hands at this moment! Du Peng’s current emotional state was extremely unstable; the move he unleashed lacked a fraction of Du Zhanpeng’s former dominance but possessed a touch more madness. Neither Du Chaoqun nor Du Chaopeng expected Du Peng to suddenly unleash the ultimate skill only Du Zhanpeng knew. They had already rushed in front of Du Peng; dodging was no longer possible, so they could only try to meet the attack with their palms, hoping Du Peng was merely bluffing.

A dense clash of fists and feet against muscle ensued. The two brothers, Du Chaoqun and Du Chaopeng, were sent flying sideways. They were caught by others in the crowd, only to discover that the arms of both men were twisted at bizarre angles, hanging limply.

Pfft…

Du Peng opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. Even his back was stained crimson. Being shot through the body, though not hitting the heart directly, still injured some vital meridians in close proximity to the heart. Three days of rest and treatment, even with the protection of the Qixing Wuxiang Xianlei Gong, had not allowed Du Peng to fully recover. Simply being able to get out of bed and walk was a miracle. Fighting was essentially an act of self-mutilation.

After spitting the blood, Du Peng acted as if he felt no pain and took another step forward. This time, the person blocking him was Du Yu! A body taller than Du Peng’s radiated a suffocating pressure. He looked down at Du Peng and said calmly, “You should leave. You are not welcome here.”

“No,” Du Zhanpeng shook his head firmly. “Either let me see him, or I die.”

Du Yu slowly raised his arm. “Then, die.”

As the thunderous palm strike began to advance, the air faintly resonated with the sound of wind and thunder. Du Peng lowered his stance, executing a Tianwang Tuota (Heavenly King Holding Pagoda), completely disregarding the difference in rank between them.

Bang…

The stone slab beneath Du Peng’s feet instantly turned to powder. Blood sprayed from both his chest and back simultaneously. A Seven-Star level strike! Everyone present knew that Du Yu had not used his full strength. Facing a five-star martial artist severely ill, using full power would not enhance Du Yu’s prestige; it would only earn him the label of bullying the weak and oppressing a sick warrior.

Du Peng slowly raised his head, as if a mountain of weight pressed upon his neck. He opened his blood-red teeth. “Now, may I pass?”

The already quiet mourning hall became even quieter in that moment. People stared blankly at Du Yu. There was no reply. Du Yu slowly moved his feet aside, opening a path.

Du Peng arrived before the crystal coffin and quietly gazed upon Du Zhanpeng, who lay peacefully within. The scenes of memory began to flash through his mind once more.

Seventeen years old: “Bastard, you’ll be trash your entire life.”

Sixteen years old: “Bastard, why don’t you just die?”

Fourteen years old: “Bastard, do you even qualify?”

Five years old: “Bastard, I’m taking your toy, and what can you do about it?”

Four years old… Memories before the age of four were almost blank…

Du Peng never remembered having any memories before the age of four. Yet, this time, he remembered.

“Oh no, how did you fall? It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt. Big brother will blow on it for you.”

“Can you still stand? Come, I’ll carry you on my back.”

“Get on. I’m the older brother; it’s my duty.”

“Grandpa, I broke the bottle, it has nothing to do with my little brother.”

“It’s fine. I’m the older brother; it’s my duty to take the blame for you.”

“Haha, we are brothers, after all…”

The sealed memories surged like a tide.

Du Peng stared blankly at the crystal coffin, looking at Du Zhanpeng covered by the national flag, muttering to himself, “Get up. Get up, get up. Stop lying there. Get up. Get up. Do you think you’re so great? Do you think this means you don’t owe me anymore? Get up… Get up for me…”

The muttering grew louder, escalating into a hysterical roar in mere seconds: “Get up! Get up! Get out of this crystal box! Do you think you’re so great? Do you think this means you don’t owe me anymore? Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up for me! What you owe me, you will always owe me! Get up for me and pay back what you owe before you die! I don’t want your blood! Take back the blood you injected into me! I don’t want it—I don’t want it!”

Everyone in the mourning hall watched the maniacal Du Peng in silence. The moisture in his eyes could no longer be distinguished between tears and blood, and his pale face was similarly stained with blood and tears.

His legs could no longer support his weight, and he collapsed onto the crystal coffin, pounding forcefully on the not-so-sturdy crystal with both hands. Having just endured Du Yu’s blow, his body was already on the verge of collapse again, and his internal energy had been exhausted in that instant. No matter how hard he struck, he could not break the crystal coffin. The sound of him beating the crystal echoed in the silent hall.

“Get up~ Get up~ Brother~~~~ Get up for me~~”