Chapter 169: Flower Transfer and Wood Graft

"Worship me, believe in me, even faith in me is fine—just establish a deeper connection with me, and only then can I help you."

Words themselves hold magic, especially the speech of serpents.

The source of a beast's power is unquestionably its bloodline; when the origin of the bloodline chooses to interfere, you downstream naturally undergo change.

"Those who actively demand others believe in them are either con artists or cultists. Alright, alright, I'll grant you a little trust—you're still a human, so don't screw me over too badly."

Li En sighed; at least verbally, he'd believe for now.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what the most insincere believer I've ever met—I'm far superior to those worthless deities. Whatever, I'll take it. Just make sure you give me more entertainment."

Serpents don't need worshippers, only entertainment. In a sense, he might be the easiest "Great Being" to deal with.

Even in ancient times, the serpent disliked human sacrifice and ritual offerings; rituals and supernatural abilities tied to him were always strangely "unusual"—the kind of unusual that made big headlines.

"Snap!"

The knocking at the door was now very close—as if right in front of the carriage.

"Aaah! I'll pay! I'll pay! Don't kill me!"

The cry ahead made Li En instinctively grip his sword tighter.

Yet the more his unease and vigilance showed, the more the serpent smiled.

Panicked, panicked, hah.

"Are you afraid? Are you uneasy?"

The serpent had coiled itself unconsciously around Li En's head, its tongue licking his cheek.

Retracting its tongue, it nodded in satisfaction—yes, this was the taste of fear and unease. How young and naive Li Ensu was; he truly looked forward to the grotesque form his eventual fall would take.

But for now, hold back a little. If you play him to death now, there'll be nothing left to play with.

"You want to run away, don't you?" The serpent's whisper came right beside Li En's ear.

Li En looked at his reflection in the blade—the "Desire Serpent Eye" gave him the answer.

He was thinking of avoiding an unbeatable opponent, of vanishing from this cage-like carriage, of becoming like the bewildered merchant beside him—waiting to pay and survive the crisis.

"Snap!"

Suddenly, the knocking outside jolted Li En back to reason.

"Open the door! Are you trying to die?!"

Only then did he realize he had unconsciously been ensnared by the serpent's charm.

Outside, the goblins were pounding the door relentlessly.

It was too late. Was he really about to be tricked?

"No, no, no—a solo performance is too dull, monologues lack conviction. Your stage partner has arrived. Aren't you delighted?"

In Li En's eyes, the serpent's face twisted; the small black serpent gradually dissolved into a coiling, vast shadow of darkness.

Its presence warped everything—air, light, space, even time itself.

This still wasn't its true form—only what Li En was permitted to perceive.

"Your Serpent Eye has awakened, hasn't it? You can see what the ogre and goblins want. Yes—they want gold. They're opening the door now. Guess what they expect to find inside the carriage."

"There'll be a merchant holding coins—just like these people," Li En said under the serpent's influence, voicing the bandits' desire.

He was painting the future they longed for.

Inside the VIP carriage, the other passengers were all fat-bellied merchants, each already prepared with small pouches of gold coins.

"Exactly. You want to become one of them. These merchants wish you were one of them (to avoid conflict). The foreign goblins and ogres also wish only merchants lie within. How perfect—your goals align. Your desired future has achieved harmony. Open the door."

Li En stood up dazedly, instinctively walking to the door and opening it.

"Took you long enough! Want to die?!"

The goblin's shout made "Merchant Li En" instinctively step back.

Yet the vase he held had unconsciously become a small pouch of gold coins.

"Hmph, quite perceptive," the goblin's tiny eyes gleamed with greed—they always craved more. These fat merchants might yield even richer spoils.

"Ogre King, thank you for your mercy and wisdom," "Merchant Li En" summoned courage, loudly declaring as he removed his hat in salute to the bandit leader.

Nearby, the Ogre King cheerfully patted his belly and lifted the screaming "Witch Hat," returning the bow.

The lich's gaze flickered over—completely uninterested in this ordinary "merchant." In his soul-sight, there was only a plump dark elf merchant!

With the bosses watching, the goblins instantly calmed down.

They swiftly looted everything and left. The last goblin shot a furious glare at "Merchant Li En."

"Snap!"

When the door closed again, all fell silent.

"Merchant Li En" vanished. The Red Dragon-blooded Li En returned.

He felt dazed—what exactly had just happened? He'd truly become an ordinary dark elf merchant, slightly brave but far greedier, fiercely protective of his wealth.

The other merchants in the carriage snapped out of it, staring at Li En with terror. They were awake now—but had no idea what had occurred.

Yet any being capable of twisting one's perception was not to be trifled with.

"Hehe, fun, isn't it? This ability is perfect for pranks—you can help others fulfill their wishes, making them endlessly repeat 'Fan Jin Passes the Exam.'"

The Spirit Tome, at last, reacted belatedly.

【Beastification level exceeded 10%. Bloodline ability awakened: Flower Transfer and Wood Graft (%&#: I love this name! "Misplaced Gaze" or "Cognitive Mist" are so lame! Whoever says "Cognitive Mist" gets banned. 】

【Flower Transfer and Wood Graft (Cognitive Confusion): Guides the subconscious to confuse, correct, or overwrite perception.】

【Note: The subconscious has strong self-defense mechanisms. You can only guide, not alter; only subtly adjust, never forcibly implant. The more deeply desired the illusion, the easier it becomes real; the more resisted, the more likely it shatters into a nightmare.】

Li En glanced at the Tome and instinctively recalled his earlier battle.

"This ability... wasn't this what the Purple Rose used?"

Yes, exactly this ability—though most Serpent Witches and outsiders called it "Cognitive Mist."

Seeing his beastification at 10. %, Li En felt he'd been tricked again by the little serpent.

Not only had he unconsciously deepened his beastification, but he'd merely awakened a power he would've gained eventually—and in the end, he himself had solved the problem, bearing the extra cost!

I paid you, and you just told me to do it myself—then I bore the extra price. Is that fair?!

"Hehe, did I fulfill your wish?"

"... es."

Li En sighed. He couldn't get angry at this thing.

The more emotional he became, the happier it grew. And when it was happy, it'd inevitably find some new entertainment.

Though their time together was short, Li En had unconsciously learned its nature.

The serpent happily flicked its tail. If Li En had simply accepted or thanked it, it would've been truly angry—tricksters always crave their opponent's frustration.

But there was one crucial thing Li En had misunderstood—and the serpent wouldn't bother to correct him.

This bloodline ability tree, originating from the serpent, after awakening the Desire Serpent Eye that sees desire, the next ability wasn't supposed to be Flower Transfer and Wood Graft—the one that guides and misleads desire.

The ability meant to awaken next was "Serpent's Honeyed Words," which suppresses or amplifies desire and the subconscious.

The serpent had indeed interfered, making Li En skip the third bloodline ability and directly awaken the fourth—the one capable of resolving the current crisis.

This supernatural system had a complete logical chain.

First came "Understanding Language," letting you comprehend another's consciousness and perception—through language, an ideological link is formed.

Second came "Desire Serpent Eye," which perceives the target's consciousness and desires—only after establishing a link can you perceive, recognize, and predict.

Third came "Serpent's Honeyed Words," which follows and expands or shrinks the target's instinctive desires—now you can guide and interfere with their consciousness to some degree.

By the way, Li En had tested this one repeatedly these past days—Purple Rose used it with great skill.

Fourth came "Flower Transfer and Wood Graft," which directly interferes with self-perception and external cognition. "Cognitive Mist" is, in fact, the true name most understand.

What outsiders find incomprehensible and unpredictable about the serpent's powers actually has a complete logical chain and internal program—an ever-expanding, ever-strengthening function.

Their bafflement stems only from an inability to grasp its essence.

"Next step—can it now confuse perception with reality?" Logically, this seemed a valid inference.

There was an analogous concept: the ultimate goal of magic's illusionary school was said to be blurring the line between reality and illusion, creating tangible "material" from pure illusion.

Though he'd skipped a step, Li En faintly sensed its trajectory.

"Hehe, you're right."

"I was wrong?" Li En immediately denied his own guess.

"Tsk," the serpent flicked its tongue in displeasure—soul-linking was annoying. Mutual understanding came too fast; the subtle truths beneath the real lies were too easily exposed.

It regarded Li En with ill intent, making the young knight's scalp prickle—perhaps it'd be better to play dumb from now on.

"So this is the serpent's power? Twisting perception and consciousness?"

"Precisely, it's my power."

The serpent smiled in reply.

It was a serpent—but the serpent was not necessarily only it.

"Uh... are there other serpents?" Li En was puzzled; the deer he'd encountered all had nearly identical abilities.

Aren't all beast clans merely bloodline derivatives of "Beast"?

"This is the fundamental difference between the Seven Beasts and the Ten Thousand Beasts. Want to know? It concerns the essence of your own nature—it'll help you greatly."

"Yes." Li En truly wanted to know.

"Hehe, I won't tell you." The serpent, as always, stoked curiosity but had no intention of satisfying it.

(End of Chapter)