Chapter 2, Such a Youth

In the past century, the Situ family has been home to numerous experts. Even before the older generation of masters has retired, the young talents within the family have already begun to shine.

Dugu Yan from the Dugu family is very skilled in business, having opened a large number of rice shops, cloth stores, and restaurants. He is wealthy but not greedy, often giving alms to the impoverished families in the town. The Dugu family has become known as great benefactors in the eyes of the townspeople

Sima Jingyun could not help but exclaim: "The head of the Sima family actively took on disciples, yet surprisingly, someone rejected the offer. Once this news spreads through the martial arts world, it will surely be a major headline"

Dugu Baitian's father is an honest figure in the martial arts world, having no significant enemies or rivals, and in fact, not many friends either. The once illustrious Dugu family has long been forgotten by the martial arts community, and even in the eyes of the people of Changfeng Town, they can only be regarded as a prominent household.

The declining Dugu family and the Situ family face each other across the street, and the two families have a very good relationship, often visiting each other. The current head of the Situ family, Situ Jingyun, and the master of the Dugu family, Dugu Yanzhi, refer to each other as brothers, while the older generation of the Situ family is also closely connected with Dugu Yanzhi's father, Dugu Feiyu

Although Du Gu Bai Tian does not love martial arts, he particularly enjoys fighting. Almost all his peers in the small town have been beaten by him, and even the young masters from the Situ family, who have just begun to practice martial arts, are not exempt from this fate

Although he is only 8 years old, this child is exceptionally gifted. The first time he fought with a thug, he left the opponent bloodied and battered. Since then, he has carried the family heirloom, a black jade stone, at his waist every day, seeking out local thugs to fight. The nearby thugs try to avoid him whenever possible, and if they cannot, they flee.

In response, Dugu Baitian said: "Grandfather, your beard can actually move on its own without wind, and your eyes are big and bright when your beard moves. How adorable."

The family's martial arts have not been lost, and a piece of black jade has been passed down from the hands of the ancestors. It serves as both the token of the clan leader and the family's secret manual. In the eyes of the previous generations, the black jade was undoubtedly a priceless treasure, as it symbolized power and represented the hope for the family's resurgence to glory. However, in the eyes of the more recent generations, the black jade has become indistinguishable from ordinary jade. Du Gu Bai Tian's grandfather, during his decline, once used it as a drinking vessel, while his father used it as a whetstone. To Du Gu Bai Tian, it is merely an essential weapon for competing with street thugs—a brick. However, in the eyes of the more recent generations, the black jade has become indistinguishable from ordinary jade. Du Gu Bai Tian's grandfather, during his decline, once used it as a drinking vessel, while his father used it as a whetstone. To Du Gu Bai Tian, it is merely an essential weapon for competing with street thugs—a brick.

From this point onward, wherever Dugu Baitian went, Situ Mingyue followed.

Dugu Baitian was born into a declining martial arts family, which once had a glorious history and was a legend in the martial arts world of the continent. During a large-scale invasion by foreign enemies, even the formidable ancestor Dugu Zhantian met a tragic end, and the family was nearly annihilated. Who were the foreign enemies? It is no longer possible to verify; the truth has long been lost to history.

Childhood sweethearts, growing up together.

The most famous person in the town is neither Situ Jingyun nor Duguyanzhi, but rather Duguyanzhi's eight-year-old son, Dugubaitian

Strictly speaking, the Dugu family is no longer part of the martial world

Yet he continued to act according to his own whims, prompting even the usually indulgent Dugu Feiyu to step forward and glare at him with disapproval

In no time, the renowned name of Dugu Baitian spread throughout the small town

Six-year-old Situ Mingyue, exquisitely beautiful and charming, possesses a pair of bright, large eyes filled with admiration for Dugu Baitian. She constantly exclaims, "Brother Baitian, I want to marry you when I grow up"

From this point on, Dugu Baitian indeed ceased to trouble his peers. He set his sights on the delinquents aged sixteen or seventeen.

In response, Du Gu Bai Tian shook his little head like a rattle drum, saying, "I won't learn, I can't be bothered to learn"

"Alright, I will marry you when you grow up, but you must not go back on your word." This was Du Gu Bai Tian's response to Si Tu Ming Yue.

The head of the Situ family, Situ Jingyun, developed a strong interest in him, believing that he was a prodigy in martial arts and was inclined to take him as a disciple

The notorious Du Gu Bai Tian, known for his fighting prowess yet lacking a love for martial arts, truly became the "King of the Children" in Changfeng Town. Wherever he went, he was always followed by a large group of children. Even the sons of Situ Jingyun became his followers, and Situ Jingyun's six-year-old daughter, Situ Mingyue, was particularly attached to him, becoming his most loyal shadow.

The parents who went to complain to Du Gu Bai Tian's home nearly wore down the threshold of his house. As a result, Du Gu Yan Zhi offered apologies and made amends to them, while he also advised Du Gu Bai Tian with kind words, accompanied by stern measures.

Every day, when the children in the town gather together, the first question they ask each other is: "Did he hit you today?"

Dugu Feiyu was so angry that his mustache almost curled up to his forehead, yet he had only this one grandson and was reluctant to hit him. There was no other choice but to say to him: "If you bully the little ones again, I will lock you in the house and not let you go out"

After that, Dugu Baitian could not find any opponents to fight in the town. He once secretly slipped into the forest outside the town to provoke wild beasts. On that day, the townspeople heard the furious howls of the beasts, which frightened the hunters in the town so much that they dared not go out to hunt. In the evening, Dugu Baitian returned to the town dragging a dead tiger, covered in blood. His mother and grandmother were horrified, and in the following days, they constantly sent people to follow him, fearing that he might one day feel inspired to seek trouble with wild boars or lions again.

Time flies swiftly, and eight years have passed in the blink of an eye

Within the black jade stone lies a fragment of the ancestor's spiritual imprint: "By mastering the third-rate martial arts of the continent, one will ultimately achieve great success"

Changfeng Town is renowned in the Han and Tang Empires, not for any local specialties, nor for the town's prosperity, but because it is home to a prominent martial arts family. A single stamp of their foot can shake the martial world of the Han and Tang Empires three times — the Situ family.

Since the arrival of the Situ family in this place a century ago, no bandits have dared to disturb it. Even during the time of the Nine Nations War, the defeated bandit forces did not dare to act recklessly against the small town, quietly leaving after a day of confrontation with the Situ family. The Situ family has evidently become the guardian deity of the town

The ancestors of the family traveled the world, mastering various martial arts of lesser renown, ultimately leading to the family's decline to such a state