Chapter 26: I Am a Dragon 

Xuan Yu was the only person that Qi Ying was concerned about in the entire Celestial River County. His worst nightmare was for Mother Yu to be hurt because of him. That was why he had been so merciless toward Duan Yuan and Duan Jin, following the threats they had directed toward her. But his worst fear still came to pass. Where was Mother Yu?

Qi Ying felt as if his heart had stopped beating, and that all of the blood in his veins had been frozen solid, as he charged into the small house. His breathing and heartbeat only resumed after he caught sight of Xuan Yu, who was sitting on the bed with her eyes closed. She appeared to be a little frail, but was completely unscathed.

Xuan Yu sensed Qi Ying’s arrival and she had only just raised her head when he rushed over before grabbing her hands. “Mother Yu, are you alright? What happened? Who did this?”

Even Qi Ying himself didn’t notice that he was exerting so much force with his hands, that the fingernails on his right hand were digging into Mother Yu’s skin.

He was absolutely furious.

What had been done was unforgivable.

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He had worked very hard to build this house and it was a place of sanctuary for Mother Yu and himself. No one could wreak havoc there and expect to get away with it.

Before Xuan Yu had given a reply, Qi Ying suddenly caught something out of the corner of his eye. He released Mother Yu’s hands and leaned down as his body trembled. There on the ground, the cane he had bought for her just a day prior had been snapped in half.

Qi Ying gritted his teeth tightly as he stood up with the two halves of the cane in his hands. “Who? Who did this?!”

In reality, he already knew the answer.

Who else could be responsible aside from the Duan family?

It was just that Qi Ying didn’t think that the Duan family would be so persistent! Why were they so intent on causing trouble for him? It was as if they always wanted to be above others and would only be satisfied once they stomped everyone else into the dirt.

What was surprising to Qi Ying was Xuan Yu’s reaction. She stood up and laid a hand on Qi Ying’s shoulder. Her expression was quite calm and collected, and she did not appear to have suffered any trauma at all.

“What have you done to irk the Duan family?”

“I…”

Qi Ying was just about to give a reply, but he swallowed his words and fell silent again.

What could he say?

Mother Yu had always warned him against dabbling with nobles. If he were to tell her about what he had been doing, he was definitely going to be scolded again. However, if he refused to tell her anything, she would only be more concerned.

Thus, after some internal conflict, Qi Ying told Xuan Yu about everything that had happened in the past few days. Of course, he refrained from recounting his exploits at the Colosseum. Instead, he only elaborated on his fight with Duan Tianshan on the dueling platform and the subsequent troubles that followed.

“So that’s what happened…”

Xuan Yu’s expression remained calm and she paused momentarily before continuing, “Those people came in the morning and waited for you for an entire day. They got sick of waiting in the afternoon and started smashing things before leaving. They also said that they were going to wait for you tomorrow, in the forest on the mountain behind the academy.”

Qi Ying’s hands balled up into fists as he spat through gritted teeth. “Those b*stards… They’re too scared to challenge me one-on-one, so they’re trying to gang up and take revenge on me like this!”

Xuan Yu asked, “What do you plan on doing about this?”

Qi Ying replied. “I’m going to report them to the academy teachers! They’ve gone too far! Despicable people like them do not deserve to receive the academy’s tutelage!”

“But what if the teachers refuse to help you? Those people are from the Duan family. Even if the teachers want to help you, they’re powerless to do anything. If you report everything to the teachers, they may be able to punish a few of the inconsequential lackeys, but what good will that do? The academy may throw their support behind you and discipline all of the Duan family disciples attending the academy, but how will you combat the entire Duan family?”

Qi Ying was truly stumped after hearing that.

She was right. He currently didn’t have the power to combat the colossus that was the Duan family by himself.

The Duan family was not just limited to a bunch of teenage academy disciples; they had countless servants and even a private army within which there was no lack of Seventh and Eight Energy Martial Stage powerful beings. Furthermore, the Duan family’s leader, Duan Xilai, and Great Elder Duan Hongxue, were both Spirit Martial Stage warriors!

That was the reason that the vast majority of people in the Celestial River County were fearful toward them; no underprivileged academy disciples dared to irk them.

“Poor child…” Xuan Yu stroked Qi Ying’s hair with a sympathetic look on her face, “You’re still too young. In the face of this massive world, we are all far too insignificant. Do you remember the story I told you about the dragon?”

“I do.” Qi Ying nodded, “A dragon can expand or shrink, just as it can rise or conceal itself. At its largest, it can encompass the entire heavens, while at its smallest, it is next to invisible. When it rises, it can transcend beyond the world; when it hides, it can bury itself at the bottom of the seabed. A dragon knows when to reveal its might and when to exercise humility. There is no shame in displaying weakness as it is only biding its time for when it can rise again.”

“You know what to do now, right?”

“I…”

“To a dragon, a temporary rut is nothing. When the wind and lightning wreak havoc in the sky in an attempt to strike it down, it can still hide beneath the ocean. It will then build up its strength and when it rises again, it will make sure to vanquish all the wind and lightning that dared to strike at it!” Xuan Yu paused momentarily, before laying her hand on Qi Ying’s shiny silver left hand and heaving a faint sigh, “I believe that you are a true dragon and that you will make the right choice.”

…

Qi Ying left the room and stared blankly at the moon up above, as he sat amid a pile of rubble.

The Duan family had truly gone too far.

However, there was nothing he could do against that overwhelming force. The situation had transpired to the extent that it was no longer just a squabble between him and Duan Renshan. If everything were still just a matter of personal conflict, he could simply threaten and intimidate Duan Renshan. However, things had escalated to become a conflict between himself and the entire Duan family; threats would only prove to be ineffective after that. Those arrogant high-born nobles were allowed to pick on others, but no one could display the slightest hint of disrespect toward them. If things continued in that manner, the conflict would only be exacerbated, to the extent that it could even reach the ears of the higher-ups in the Duan family… If that were to happen, there really was no way he would be able to rectify the situation.

Mother Yu’s advice was difficult to accept, but it was full of wisdom.

True heroes who were going to do great things had to be like dragons. They had to pick their fights and know when to back down. Only then could one ensure longevity and achieve greatness.

Some problems could be resolved using brute force. However, that was not always the case.

If he couldn’t stride over the hurdle that the Duan family posed to him, how would he be able to face even bigger threats further down the line?

A set of vibrant gorgeous features surfaced in Qi Ying’s mind and he clenched his fists as he made up his mind. ‘I am a dragon! I am destined for great things and cannot become embroiled in pointless conflict.’

Within the room, a smile suddenly appeared on Xuan Yu’s face and she murmured to herself. “I knew this day would come for you, Qi Ying. You are destined to be an extraordinary person. The Duan family is nothing but a small pebble in your path. The four major families of the Celestial River County are mere ants compared to truly powerful families!”