[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-215":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269861,4431,"Chapter 215: Reading Group","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-215",215,"\u003Cp>The black tower, the cursed black-haired princess wanders outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thorns and venomous snakes coil beneath the tower; dark guards, bound by the Black King’s command, guard every entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, man who never knew fear—why has the nameless hero come?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For wealth? For beauty? For the crown? Or for the pitiful cursed calamity-girl, doomed to be hanged?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung his sword, severing thorns and venomous snakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He roared, driving back the guards and the Black King’s curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He climbed, guided by moonlight and flying birds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atop the tower, beneath the moon, the hero stood beneath the windowsill, reaching out to the princess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Light—I see light, my own light.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En set down the handwritten page; the poem upon it bore the marks of penmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him stood countless bookshelves filled with ancient texts on history, humanities, and religion; the poetry volume in his hand was what the attendees had just recited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around him lay several unlucky souls: a third-rate poet, a scholar, even a middle-aged apprentice mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the address on the note: No. 21 Star Street, Deven District, a three-story building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most mid- to upper-class buildings in this world are two- or three-story structures—not because everyone is wealthy enough for villas, but because, with land relatively cheap, building materials remain stable under such conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This building looked like one long neglected, yet Li En entered with ease—he had bought a ticket to get in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About the Whisperers—what do you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En spoke calmly; he had rushed here immediately after receiving the note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at night, this aging “town museum” still saw visitors, yet no one lingered before its trash exhibits; Li En easily found the mechanism leading to the basement, then seized the masked figures gathered there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far, no blood had been spilled—only because these people were too weak, most not even qualifying as professionals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such unprofessional opponents allowed Li En to hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We—we are the Whisperers. That’s just our self-proclaimed name for this reading group.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir Knight, we are merely ordinary scholars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, there must be a misunderstanding—we are just a regular reading group, with thirty years of history. Wearing masks is our tradition; we are not cultists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he arrest the wrong people? Li En smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached for the asymmetrical mask: right side adorned with black feathers, left side like octopus tentacles; four eyes, uneven in size and placement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hyper-realistic, violating mortal aesthetics—by a Holy Knight’s experience, this was unmistakably a cultist trait, likely a twisted creation of some deity’s idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En had no proof—but he wasn’t a law enforcer either!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Night Ranger sometimes enjoyed such freedom: when certain, there was no need to abide by arbitrary limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know you’re a criminal, you know I know, everyone knows—but you have no proof? Li En would never accept such a situation. If he was certain someone was guilty, he’d arrest first, judge later—no pressure at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are not cultists,” Li En said, studying their faces; their supernatural power was virtually nonexistent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had nearly uncovered the truth about this “Whisperers’ Reading Group”—it truly was an old-established group, even with connections in Huicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reading groups in this world were a peculiar phenomenon. As previously mentioned, knowledge here was extremely expensive; even moderately rare books could cost an ordinary family months of income. Knowledge was power, and for poor families to produce scholars was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus arose reading groups—people pooling money to buy, exchange, and read books together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fit Deven District’s profile perfectly: the city’s third or fourth-largest district, home to commoners, merchants, and some lower-tier nobles—a densely populated residential zone with decent conditions, yet effectively a lower-tier substitute for Huicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under such conditions, reading groups were numerous and often large; this abandoned family museum survived solely on membership fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But reality always develops in subtle ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pirated books, banned texts, handwritten copies, cult propaganda, scam pamphlets—your business is quite diverse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, everyone does this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When numbers grow, courage swells. Handwritten illegal texts were basic; these banned pamphlets and cult tracts often originated from low-level intellectuals who could barely read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reading groups easily became local “intellectual cliques.” If one or two members rose to become nobles with status in upper districts like Huicheng, things grew interesting—they became organized enforcers, acting as that noble’s agents and lackeys in other districts, constantly feeding them “talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobles generally ignored such “clubs”; they had their own reading groups—various interest salons, for instance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Whisperers’ Reading Group was among the better ones—at least, for now, they were still mostly “book-exchange clubs,” “collective-buying clubs,” and “copying clubs.” But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet your name, and the very fact of your scheduled gatherings, is the greatest blasphemy, the deepest malice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For certain entities, no elaborate ritual is needed—merely uttering Their name draws Their attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, those rituals are like ants on the ground, arranging sticks into your name as a passerby walks by—you might glance, curious, even reach down to touch them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many great beings’ names—like the Serpent—require only to be spoken; They perceive you instantly. Whether They come depends not on your offerings, but solely on Their own whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if, lost in the vast cosmos, a single planet suddenly broadcasts your name—and You are bored… or hungry…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You’ve become a beacon for an Outer God and don’t even know it. Where are your superiors? Where’s your leader?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En scanned the members—they were far too ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The leader and vice-leader died suddenly two years ago; the reading group has been running on its own since.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En sighed. Many cults operated this way: outwardly legal, legitimate businesses, their staff and members ordinary people living on wages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were merely the outer shell of true cultists—perhaps the core members had already achieved their goal, assumed new identities, and continued their work unseen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Detect Evil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint glow spread—members gasped, then smiled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Holy Knight! No need to fear being summarily executed—anyone might kill innocents, but Holy Knights never did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two members emitted faint red auras, but clearly not evil; most radiated neutral hues—yet Li En’s expression turned startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En raised his sword and slashed sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basement floor split open again, reeking fumes and guttural roars rising from below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En looked down—and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, it seems I’ve found your leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1055,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6c32d6e22582e9d6eeee55e2737f73a8df4e6e9130cafbaab9941c4385e4b763","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-216","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-214",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]