"You?"
Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed sharply.
The man who had appeared was none other than Thunder Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen—rank 95 Title Douluo and the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!
This man had long been a renowned figure across the continent. The reason the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan held a place among the Three Upper Clans was precisely due to this Title Douluo who anchored their power.
But what was he doing in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace?
Dugu Bo had only encountered him once or twice before at auctions or similar occasions. They shared no real rapport.
And as far as Dugu Bo knew, apart from Yu Tianheng—who studied alongside Yan Yan at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—there was no one else in the palace who had ties to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"It is indeed this old man," Yu Yuanzhen replied calmly, face unreadable as still water.
"Heh… I wonder, Your Excellency Thunder, what business do you have in blocking my path?"
Though curious, Dugu Bo kept his tone light, wanting to probe the reasoning behind Yu Yuanzhen's unexpected presence at the palace.
"I could ask the same—what are you doing here, Poison Douluo?" Yu Yuanzhen's expression didn't change, his tone as flat as ever.
"I am a guest elder of the royal family," Dugu Bo said with a wry smile, glancing sideways. "It's only natural for me to be here. But you, Clan Master Yu, now that is truly surprising. Could It be that the recent unrest in the palace… has something to do with you?"
"Hahaha!"
Yu Yuanzhen laughed heartily.
"Poison Douluo, you give me far too much credit. I'm merely here on the request of a prince—to assist in purging traitors from within the royal family."
As he finished speaking, his gaze shifted toward the carriage behind Dugu Bo. The implication was clear: the so-called traitor was inside.
Dugu Bo scoffed, voice tinged with sarcasm. "This old man's seen many things over the decades, but I must admit—this is the first time I've heard the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan described as charitable. Truly eye-opening."
At the same time, a sense of unease crept into Dugu Bo's heart.
Yu Yuanzhen had said he was acting on behalf of a prince. But in Heaven Dou City, there was only one prince—Xue Xing.
And Dugu Bo knew Prince Xue Xing well. Over the years, he'd never had any meaningful connection with Yu Yuanzhen.
In fact, because the three education commissioners at the academy had aligned themselves with Xue Qinghe, they had always looked unfavorably upon Yu Tianheng.
Which meant… something had likely happened to Prince Xue Xing.
"Old bastard Dugu, do you still recognize me?"
Just then, two figures—a man and a woman—stepped forward from behind Yu Yuanzhen.
The man hadn't even reached the carriage before his eyes darkened, glaring coldly at Dugu Bo. He spat his words with venom.
"Hmph! Who let this dog bark?"
Dugu Bo found the voice familiar, but since the man had chosen such a disrespectful tone, Dugu Bo didn't care who he was.
With a snort, his gaze sharpened. A wave of invisible spiritual pressure laced with toxic essence shot toward the speaker.
Yu Yuanzhen, a fellow Title Douluo, naturally sensed the attack. With a flash of soul power, a bolt of blue lightning split the air and dissipated Dugu Bo's strike instantly.
"Old bastard! You humiliated and disgraced me back then… and today, you still want to suppress me with your strength?"
The man stepped forward, face twisted with fury. He pointed at Dugu Bo with a trembling hand, his voice rising with arrogance.
Dugu Bo frowned. He had been about to respond with rage, but now that the man stood beside Yu Yuanzhen, he noticed something—an uncanny resemblance between the two.
Could it be…
A mocking glint surfaced in Dugu Bo's eyes.
Tsk, tsk, tsk… too alike. Far too alike.
His gaze flickered between Yu Yuanzhen and the younger man. "So the old tree bears new fruit, eh? Quite a harvest, Clan Master Yu."
"Hm? What are you insinuating?"
Yu Yuanzhen seemed oblivious to Dugu Bo's sarcasm.
"Oh, nothing," Dugu Bo said, waving casually. "It's just that this twenty-nine ranked Grandmaster here bears such an uncanny resemblance to you, it stirred a thought. But I must be mistaken—how could someone so weak have anything to do with a mighty Clan Master?"
"Most likely just some stray mutt who wandered in—barking without knowing his place."
"Y-You!"
The man's face twisted even more grotesquely. It was as though Dugu Bo had jabbed a blade deep into some buried scar. He lunged forward, only for Yu Yuanzhen to raise a hand and stop him.
Yu Yuanzhen turned to Dugu Bo with narrowed eyes. "So what Xiaogang said is true—you're not just venomous in your methods, but in your tongue as well."
"Hahaha!" Dugu Bo burst out laughing.
"I remember now. Your name is… Yu Xiaogang, isn't it?"
He made a show of feigning realization, directly exposing Yu Xiaogang's identity.
"I must say, Clan Master Yu… he has the same surname. Is there truly some blood tie between you?"
"Hmph! Xiaogang is my son—my second son."
Yu Yuanzhen's voice was firm.
He knew Yu Xiaogang had been ashamed of his mutated martial soul and stalled cultivation. The boy had always dreaded being associated with him, fearing it would tarnish his name.
But Yu Yuanzhen had never abandoned him. On the contrary, he'd always wanted to protect this second son.
And now, he wanted to publicly acknowledge their relationship—to give Xiaogang the courage to face his lineage.
"No! I have nothing to do with you!"
Before Dugu Bo could say anything, Yu Xiaogang suddenly shouted hysterically.
Even now, he still couldn't bear the expressions people gave him once they learned he was Yu Yuanzhen's son.
He hadn't yet proved he wasn't trash. He hadn't yet become the most brilliant Grandmaster in the world. He wasn't ready to face it.
"Xiaogang, don't be like this…"
The woman beside him—none other than Liu Erlong—gripped his arm tightly, trying to calm his spiraling emotions.
"Hahahaha!"
Dugu Bo laughed even louder now.
Heh, I haven't even done anything, and this stray dog's already having a breakdown?
"Don't touch me!"
Yu Xiaogang flung Liu Erlong's hand aside, fury burning in his eyes as he pointed at Dugu Bo.
"Old bastard! Today, I will return the humiliation you once inflicted upon me—tenfold!"
"Oh?" Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. "And how exactly is a rank twenty-nine failure like you planning to do that?"
He suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, don't tell me… you're banking on that disciple of yours—Tang San?"
Of course. This waste of a man was the one Tang San called his teacher.
No wonder he hadn't shown up at the Clear Sky Clan—he had crawled his way to Heaven Dou instead. But was Tang San really his only card?
"Heh… That's right."
The mention of Tang San instantly wiped the anger from Yu Xiaogang's face.
He let out a low chuckle, voice steady once more.
"My disciple, Tang San, is a genius trained by my own hand! You, old bastard—in both my eyes and his—you're nothing!"
At those words, a shift occurred.
A glimmer of confidence flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. The years of self-doubt were momentarily forgotten. Even in front of Yu Yuanzhen—the father he'd never dared face—he now stood tall, eyes straight, exuding the unshakable air of a 'Grandmaster.'
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
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