Volume 1: The True Purple Dragon – Chapter 8: I’m a Fool

Currently, there are six members of the third generation of the Chu family: five sons and one daughter. They belong to Chu Fangshan’s line—Chu Minglei’s three sons: Chu Tiancheng, Chu Tianfeng, and Chu Tianyu; as well as Chu Fangwei’s two grandsons and one granddaughter—Chu Tianao and Chu Tianjie, born to Chu Mingdi, and the only daughter, Chu Yuna, born to Chu Mingchen.
…
At that moment, in the Chu family’s pavilion, Han Yixue stood in front of two children who hung their heads low, dressed in tattered clothes, dirty all over.
Han Yixue’s face hardened as she demanded sternly, “Tianfeng, why won’t you listen? All you do is fight! What happened today? And why did you bring your brother along to fight too? It’s utterly unacceptable! If you don’t explain clearly, you’ll go to the small building tonight to write a self-criticism.”
Tianfeng lifted his little face, kept his mouth shut, and refused to answer his mother.
Han Yixue had always struggled with this second son. She had to focus on Tianyu, and Tianfeng wasn’t as well-behaved and studious as his brother Tiancheng, making him a constant headache.
Annoyed, she raised her voice, “Oh, so now you think you’re in the right? Even fighting has become an excuse!” She reached out to pull him over and give his thick buttocks a few hard blows, but was stopped by her mother-in-law, who had come over upon hearing the noise—her grandmother to her two beloved grandsons.
“Daughter-in-law, just educate the children a bit if they make mistakes. Never hit them—what if you accidentally hurt them? Look at them! Oh, Tianyu, why did you go fighting with your brother too? Come here, let grandma hug you…”
Seeing someone to rely on, Chu Tianfeng immediately perked up, held his head even higher, and shouted at his mother, “I’m right! I’m right!” He even glanced at his grandmother, as if to confirm once more that he still had her support.
Although annoyed, Han Yixue’s anger faded considerably when she saw her son’s childlike expression. With her mother-in-law present, she really didn’t know what to do with him. She forced a stern expression and asked, “Fine, then explain—why do you think you’re right?”
“I’m right! I’m right! Who dared bully the third son and call him a fool? If anyone insults my brother, I’ll beat them!” He clenched his little fists and waved them around from time to time.

Hearing her son’s words, Han Yixue was stunned for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes. To be honest, although Tianyu was regarded by their masters as a natural genius, a descendant of the Dragon Realm, undergoing various training methods and meridian unblocking, with great promises for his future, given the current strength of the Chu family and the influence of her own family, there was no need to endure so much hardship. Even if he were truly foolish, he could still achieve success in the future. But now…

Hearing her grandson’s words as well, the grandmother immediately became furious and said, “Who dares to bully my grandson like this? Daughter-in-law, let’s go to the school right now. I want to see what they have to say!”

“Mom, calm down. It’s just kids arguing and fighting. As long as it’s not a serious issue, let’s not get involved too much. Besides, you know how strict Dad is with these grandchildren. That’s why he sent them to an ordinary school to train,” Han Yixue hurriedly explained.

The old grandmother found her reasoning sound and gave up the idea, turning instead to complain about Chu Fangshan: “It’s all because of this old man. He talks about fostering a sense of teamwork. Not allowing private tutors is one thing, but instead of choosing any of the elite schools, he insists on an ordinary one. Look, trouble arises. I’m going to hold him accountable…”

“Mom, Dad is doing this for their own good. What the Chu family needs are strong men who can stand on their own feet in the future, not spoiled rich kids! Mom, take Tianfeng to wash up first. He listens to you. I’ll take care of things here in Tianyu.”

“Even so, one shouldn’t be bullied…” The grandmother kept nagging as she walked away with Tianfeng.

Seeing everyone leave, Yixue quickly went to Tianyu and asked anxiously, “Tianyu, are they okay?”

Tianyu, who rarely spoke, finally spoke up in front of his mother: “M-Mom, they’re… they’re okay. The eldest master said that Tianyu shouldn’t use energy to hit people. Tianyu knows they can’t beat the second brother, so he just let them hit him without fighting back. But if the second brother can’t beat them, then Tianyu will step in and hit them…” Although he expressed himself clearly, he still stammered, and it was obvious he wasn’t good at communicating, even with his own mother.

“Good boy…” Yixue hugged Tianyu tightly.

“Mom, I know. Being called a fool means it’s not a good thing, but why can’t Tianyu remember what the teacher taught? Sometimes Tianyu understands in his heart, but he can’t express it. Is it because Tianyu is really a fool?”
“No, definitely not, child. On the contrary, Tianyu is mom’s smartest and best child…”
After a long while…
“Mom, I’m going to see the great master. I figured out the question he gave me yesterday. I need to answer it.”
“May I accompany Tianyu?”
“No, it’s okay, Mom. I can go by myself.”
“…”
Watching her son’s retreating figure, Yi Xue’s tears, which had been gathering in her eyes, finally streamed down.
…
At a corner of the house, two figures—one large and one small—appeared.
“Third master, why didn’t you let mom know you came?”
“Hehe, because the master wants to talk to you alone!”
It turned out these two figures were Chu Tianyu, who had just left his mother, and theTheKuangru, who had arrived at some unknown time.
TheTheKuangru gently stroked Tianyu’s head with a kind expression and said, “Tianyu, were you bullied at school today?”
“Third master, what does it mean to be bullied? I just fought with my second brother…”
“Oh, fighting can be either hitting others or getting hit. If you hit someone, that’s bullying them. If you get hit, it means others are bullying you.”
“My second brother hits people and bullies them. I get hit; others are bullying me…”
“Why are you the one getting hit? Why don’t you hit back?”
“The great master doesn’t allow me to use my energy. He says I can’t control it well and might hurt someone’s life. If that happens, there will be a lot of trouble, and I won’t be considered a good child anymore…”

“Hehe…” The mad scholar fell silent, thinking to himself, “Young man, do you know which of your words your master appreciates the most? It’s that line, ‘If Second Brother wants it, and if we can’t defeat them, then Tianyu will have to step in and fight them…’ Haha, well done. That’s the style of a descendant of our Xuanji Sect. But you, young man, are far stronger than your master. At such a young age, you already know what to do and what not to do. It’s not in vain that Old Monk Buzhan taught you. Hehe, but once your mind is restored, your master will show you what true ‘action’ means! Don’t let Buzhan fool you into thinking his methods still work. Though he still needs to strengthen your good roots for a few more years. With such a unique opportunity, even your master envies you!”
Overjoyed, the mad scholar led Tianyu, saying, “Tianyu, come on. Let’s go find your great master together. Hehe, do you still remember the Xuanji Steps your master taught you last time?”
“I… I originally couldn’t remember, but my great master used his energy to guide me around my body. After walking once, I learned it. I’m not sure if I really remember it or not…”
“Good, let me see!”
Two figures, one large and one small, appeared simultaneously and vanished around the corner.
…
That year, Chu Tianyu was eight, Chu Tianfeng was ten, and Chu Tiancheng was thirteen.