Chapter 17: The Legacy of the Wu Family

Chapter 17: The Wu Family’s Heritage

Madam Wu nodded with satisfaction and personally led the group through the front hall and backyard, eventually arriving at the mountain behind the estate.

The entire mountain belonged to the Wu family, secured only after the late patriarch exerted tremendous effort to cultivate the necessary connections, nearly exhausting the family’s fortune in the process.

Yet, the old master cared little for wealth—he regarded these dogs as the true treasures. Over the years, the Wu family’s “Dog Mountain” had become a cornerstone for the nation’s police dog training, with seventy percent of the country’s police dogs originating here or descending from these dogs.

As the group approached, the mountain seemed to come alive. Countless shadows darted through the woods, converging before them as if responding to some unseen command.

The exact number of dogs on the mountain had long surpassed previous estimates. The late patriarch once said that in his final years, even his own son dared not venture deep into the mountain, for it seemed that a true king had emerged there.

Within the forest, the dogs lived in a structured system. Besides regularly releasing small animals into the area, fierce predators such as wolves and hyenas were also introduced to ensure the dogs maintained their fighting edge.

This was why the Wu estate appeared sparsely staffed, with few servants inside or outside the manor—because few dared to come here recklessly.

“Grandmother, is this an uprising?” Tianzhen could not help but ask.

Though he knew there were thousands of dogs on the mountain, the sheer number before them was far greater. Among them, a small pack of wolves was also interspersed, their eyes fixed intently on the group.

They maintained a distance of about ten meters, but with such overwhelming numbers, if anything were to happen, no one could save them.

Sanshu Wu directed several handlers to stand guard, fearing the animals might suddenly go berserk.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of Yiqiong Wu and his wife, as well as Erbo Bai and his wife, who came from the old manor, summoning all remaining family members to assist.

“Mother, what’s going on?” Erbo Bai furrowed his brow and stepped forward, clasping his hands to whistle.

“Nothing, just watch,” Madam Wu smiled without answering.

Suddenly, from the midst of the pack, a long-haired white dog leapt high into the air and quickly ran to Erbo Bai’s side.

“Ha! Snow!” Erbo Bai laughed heartily, crouching to embrace his old companion.

Every member of the Wu family had a dog of their own, and Erbo Bai’s Snow was one of the leaders of this vast Dog Mountain.

“Good grief, you’ve gotten heavier!” Erbo Bai chuckled. “What are you all doing? Get them to move back!”

Snow usually obeyed Erbo Bai’s commands without question. But this time, Snow refused, instead howling back at the mountain, issuing a series of fierce barks.

Erbo Bai frowned and looked toward his mother. “Snow and the others are out of control—they won’t listen to my orders anymore.”

“Heh, the old lady is curious what these pups are up to,” Madam Wu said with a smile, stepping forward.

Though she relied on a cane with every step, her presence carried an imposing dignity that silenced objections; she walked straight toward the pack.

With each step she took, the dogs retreated, until finally, cornered, a thunderous roar echoed from the mountain.

In the next moment, a massive yellow dog, nearly chest-high to a man, emerged step by step.

It was clear this great dog was old, scarred all over, with one eye blind.

Yet despite its condition, its presence commanded respect. All the dogs and wolves bowed their heads slowly, growling softly.

“When did a beast this enormous appear on our mountain?” Sanshu Wu’s heart skipped a beat, fear gripping him.

This creature’s size surpassed even a tiger by several times, nearly as large as a full-grown ox.

Fortunately, it had not caused trouble before—if it ever descended, the entire Wu family would be in peril.

“I recall the old master saying that many years ago, the family lost absolute control over Dog Mountain. Yet, the mountain would never turn against the Wu family,” Yiqiong Wu suddenly spoke calmly.

Nearby, Yuyu Wu approached his elder uncle and aunt.

Yuyu was Tianzhen’s biological father, the eldest son of the Wu household, a family outlier, and indeed the family’s true hope.

To protect the Wu family, the old master had once gone to great lengths, and Yiqiong had proven himself by leaving the family to forge a legitimate path.

Originally, he had planned to clear Tianzhen’s name along the way, but Tianzhen had already fallen too deep.

Today, Yiqiong was vice dean at Sand City University, a national-level guest professor, a leading authority in domestic history, and truly a mentor to countless students.

His wife—Tianzhen’s mother—came from a refined scholarly family, evidently a noble lineage with considerable influence, though they kept a low profile.

“Xiao Yu, come greet your uncle and aunt,” Ling said, turning her wheelchair with a smile as she looked at her son.

“Nephew Yuyu, I greet you, uncle and aunt,” Yuyu bowed politely.

“Well done!” Yiqiong nodded, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, exuding the air of a scholar. “Much better than that little rascal Tianzhen. No wonder the second uncle kept you hidden so well. Otherwise, I’d have kidnapped you into our family!”

“Oh, you say that?” Bai Su, Tianzhen’s mother, smiled warmly. “Good child, if you ever need anything, come to auntie. We’re family—no need for formalities, understand?”

“Heh, I won’t be polite then!” Yuyu grinned and nodded.

“Sis, don’t spoil him too much. If this kid ever causes trouble, it’ll definitely be a big one!” Erbo Bai ruffled Yuyu’s hair with mock severity.

“Hehe!” Bai Su covered her mouth and laughed softly. “Don’t worry! I like this kid. Even if he stirs up trouble, auntie will fix it for you.”

“Hehe…” Hearing this, Yuyu laughed even more happily, shaking his head at Erbo Bai before quickly running over to Sanshu Wu’s side.

He now understood his aunt’s character—if she could say such things and his father tacitly approved, it was clear that Tianzhen’s mother was no weakling.

Glancing at the carefree Tianzhen, who was still scanning the dog pack, Yuyu couldn’t help but sigh, “Truly the fate of a protagonist.”

Yesterday, after uploading, I got a cupping therapy session that nearly left me unable to stand. Today, seeing the support and votes on the backend was a pleasant surprise—thank you all so much!

Thanks for the recommendations, bookmarks, and daily votes. You’ve also shown me what monthly votes look like… Special thanks to Dream·Death’s Sky for several consecutive days of recommendation votes (at first, I thought my brother had clicked by mistake—he gave me eighteen votes at once, then kept it up for days. Thank you so much, brother!), and for my very first reward! Thanks to Ice Dance, Mi Sheng, Ungraded Demon, Little Buddha, and 20170330184554834 for nearly daily support, which helped me secure this contract. Thanks again to everyone.

(End of Chapter)