Chapter 129: The Unique Ability

"Wait!" Before Fan Kun could reply, two more figures soared through the air, and suddenly, two more Spirit-rank existences came rushing in at high speed.

The one who had called out was none other than the Fire Phoenix Princess's own grandfather. This old Emperor, accompanied by the Spirit-rank elder of the Wei family, had heard the news and rushed over at full speed!

"Your Majesty, Elder Wei!" Fan Kun hurriedly spoke up. "My duel with Old Man Du has already been agreed upon. You would do well not to interfere in our duel!"

"Fan Kun!" The old Emperor looked at him with dissatisfaction. "You are an existence who broke through to the Spirit-rank many years ago. Must you disregard all sense of decency and challenge Du Fengtian in front of all the citizens of the capital?!"

"Hmph! He insulted my Fan clan first. If I do not challenge him today, how will the Fan family maintain their standing in the capital in the future?!" Fan Kun replied, fuming with rage.

"You and Du Fengzhong are both Spirit-rank existences of my Haotian Empire. No matter who falls in this duel, it will be a great loss for the empire! It is not easy for our Haotian Empire to produce a Spirit-rank expert. For the sake of my face, let this duel be canceled!" The old Emperor clearly did not wish to see two tigers fight.

"Canceling the duel is possible! But that old man Du must apologize to me in public; otherwise, today's duel is inevitable!" Fan Kun did not dare to completely ignore the old Emperor's face, but he proposed an outrageous demand.

"Hahaha!" Old Master Du laughed in extreme anger. "Your grandson had the audacity to attempt to forcibly abduct the two beloved daughters of the current second-rank General Jinglin in broad daylight! My grandson stopped his evil act, which led to his challenge. After your grandson failed the duel, you, old man, actually came to my Du manor to run wild. Who is right and who is wrong? Who should be apologizing to whom?!"

Seeing that Old Master Du would never apologize, the old Emperor spoke again. "Fan Kun, Du Fengzhong! You both have your own reasons; let's skip the apologies! In any case, for my sake, let this duel be canceled here and now! It is merely a conflict between children of the third generation; why blow it out of proportion and risk being ridiculed by all the citizens of the capital?!"

"Your Majesty!" Fan Kun tried to argue further, but the old Emperor interrupted with a gloomy face. "What! Fan Kun, do you no longer take my words to heart?!"

"Fine, fine! Today, for your sake, I shall let it pass for now! However, if the Du family dares to insult the dignity of my Fan clan again in the future, I will certainly not show mercy!" Seeing the change in the old Emperor's expression, Fan Kun had no choice but to compromise.

"Hmph! You should do a better job of disciplining your own wicked grandson. To dare to humiliate the beloved daughters of a second-rank general stationed at the border—such an audacious act is something even the royal children would not dare to do, I suspect! Your Fan clan certainly has quite the prestige!" Old Master Du continued to mock him without reservation.

"You..." Fan Kun was about to turn hostile on the spot, but the old Emperor interrupted him again. "Enough! Both of you, say no more! And Fan Kun, General Jinglin is stationed at the border. Your grandson bullying his beloved daughters in the capital is indeed something you must discipline him for when you return. Fortunately, the Luo sisters were not harmed this time; otherwise, I would certainly hold your precious grandson accountable!"

"Yes! Fan Kun understands! If there is nothing else, this old subject will take his leave!" Faced with three Spirit-rank masters, Fan Kun did not dare to act recklessly. Being in the wrong, he had no choice but to bow his head and leave.

Of course, the rage he felt toward the Du clan was boiling deep within him. As he turned to leave, a sinister, murderous intent flashed through his eyes—a cold, dark malice directed at the Du clansmen.

Watching Fan Kun's retreating figure as he slunk away, the three Spirit-rank experts in mid-air looked at each other and sighed, shaking their heads.

"Fengzhong! Congratulations! Haha, I never expected it! You have finally crossed that most difficult step. It is truly a cause for celebration!" After Fan Kun's figure disappeared into the distance, the old Emperor smiled and congratulated Old Master Du.

"Congratulations, Old Man Du! Haha!" The elder of the Wei family joined in the congratulations.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Elder Wei! It is rare for us to be together. Come! Let us gather in my study; there are some matters I would like to discuss with you both!" Old Master Du said, bowing in thanks while issuing a quiet invitation.

Immediately, the three Spirit-rank masters flew together toward Old Master Du's private study. Before leaving, Old Master Du also summoned Du Long to join them.

"This junior greets the Retired Emperor, Elder Wei, and Grandfather!" Inside the study, Du Long respectfully saluted the three Spirit-rank experts.

"Haha, the younger generation is formidable! I actually cannot discern your current strength, young man! To be able to defeat Fan Tong of the seventh level of the Qi Cyclone, your strength must be quite impressive!" The old Emperor nodded with a chuckle.

"Indeed! This child's talent is definitely no less than that of my own Yi Ming, and he carries many secrets unknown to outsiders!" The elder of the Wei family, usually a man of few words and a serious demeanor, offered a faint smile and a word of praise.

"The Retired Emperor and Elder Wei are too kind!" Du Long replied modestly.

"Haha, you two, stop praising this brat! Lest his tail grows so high it reaches the sky!" Old Master Du stroked his beard, laughing with unconcealed pride. "Let us talk about serious matters!"

"Serious matters?! Right, you mentioned earlier that there was something to discuss. What might it be?" the old Emperor asked curiously.

"Come, let my grandson recount the intelligence he accidentally obtained for you both!" Old Master Du looked at Du Long with a serious expression, signaling him to speak.

Du Long immediately understood what the old master wanted him to reveal. He recounted the information he had overheard that day, and the old Emperor and the elder of the Wei family listened with expressions of complete disbelief.

"To my knowledge, the Left Prime Minister Fan De has indeed met with various officials at the Tianlong Hotel many times. However, they always had reasonable excuses for their meetings, and the places where they met were completely inaccessible to outsiders. How did you manage to eavesdrop on their conversations?" the old Emperor asked, puzzled.

After all, the Du and Fan families were at odds, and as the former Emperor of the empire, he could not simply listen to one side.

"As for that... the means by which I overheard their conversation is a secret, and I cannot disclose it for the time being..." Du Long replied, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Your Majesty!" Old Master Du spoke at the right moment. "After Du Long told me about this, I felt the matter was of great importance, so I sent people to carefully investigate Du Zhennan's identity and background. As it turns out..."

Old Master Du began to present the information he had collected. It was the first time Du Long had seen these documents, which contained evidence casting doubt on Du Zhennan's identity.

It turned out that the so-called fellow villager who had brought Du Zhennan back had been missing for many years. It was said that the woman had indeed been close to Du Zhennan's alleged biological mother, but one important piece of information caught the investigators' attention.

The woman who was supposed to be Du Zhennan's biological mother had never given birth to any children. After returning to the village from the bandit mountains, she had lived in depression and eventually died of illness.

However, the woman who had delivered Du Zhennan to the Du manor had a son. Ever since she left home with her son over forty years ago, there had been no news of her, and she had vanished without a trace.

These pieces of evidence indicated that Du Zhennan was not of the Du bloodline. Since the woman he claimed as his biological mother had never given birth to any children, how could she have given birth to a son of Du Fengyun?

"Fengtian! The evidence you have only proves that General Zhenwei Du Zhennan's identity is questionable, but it does not prove he is colluding with the enemy!" the old Emperor analyzed objectively.

"Indeed! Many things from decades ago have been obscured, and it is nearly impossible to fully uncover Du Zhennan's origins! Therefore, the crucial point is whether the information Du Long overheard is accurate. I trust my grandson would never lie about such a matter!" Du Fengzhong analyzed.

The entire study fell silent. The old Emperor and the elder of the Wei family both looked at Du Long, as if contemplating something.

To this, Du Long could only offer a helpless smile. He could not explain further; he had to let the two old men judge for themselves whether to believe him, not believe him, or remain somewhere in between.

Finally, Old Master Du broke the silence. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Elder Wei! Regardless of whether my grandson is lying or not, we are currently facing a very dire situation! If all this information is true, the reserves behind our defenders at Red Dragon Gorge and Yulin Pass are all in the hands of the enemy! On the entire border between our Haotian Empire and the Blue Moon Empire, only Tonghai Pass, which is defended by the Wei family, remains stable. Our Haotian Empire is in grave danger!"

The old Emperor and the elder of the Wei family clearly understood the urgency of the situation. The two old men sat there, exchanging glances, and finally, their eyes landed on Du Long.

"Du Long! You are now practically my granddaughter's husband! This matter is of great importance. Are you certain that the information you overheard is accurate?!" The old Emperor finally could not help but ask Du Long.

"How about this! I will leave this study now. You can send someone to follow me to the backyard, and the three of you can discuss a matter here in the study. When I return, I will be able to tell you exactly what you discussed!" Du Long thought for a moment and decided to use action to prove his unique ability without revealing his secrets.

The three old men looked at each other. Finally, the elder of the Wei family interjected, "No need to send others to follow him! I will take responsibility for following Du Long. You two chat in the study, and ensure no outsiders have any contact with Du Long during the process!"

"Agreed!" Du Long accepted without hesitation.

The test began immediately. The elder of the Wei family followed Du Long as he walked around the back garden of the Du manor. They then returned to the study, where Du Long explained the general content of the two old men's conversation. The result was, naturally, completely accurate.

The three old men, including Old Master Du, were dumbfounded. They looked at Du Long as if he were a monster. One had to know that such an ability was a special power that usually required one to transcend the Spirit-rank.

With Du Long's current strength, the fact that he could achieve this left all three of them feeling that it was truly incredible.