[{"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-233":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},2269879,4431,"Chapter 233","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-233",233,"\u003Cp>Half the private box and the theater’s ceiling were sliced diagonally in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams and footsteps of people fleeing filled the air, yet the girl who did this merely smiled, asking for praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En looked around; there seemed to be no injured or dead, and he exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, that was amazing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Praise costs nothing, so Li En wasn’t stingy—he had a feeling that if he didn’t praise her well, the girl’s next sword strike might land directly on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, given that razor-sharp sword qi, it’s not just ‘maybe.’” Li En now possessed Lex’s intuition, and it made him even more aware of how dangerous Hela truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least seventh-rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been careless. He’d probably need to bring the Garrison Commander just to stand a chance against this girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So young.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the eager girl, Li En sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much suffering has she endured? Rosalind wasn’t a good mother. Damn it, I’m being influenced by Lex again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En realized Lex’s spirit possession had a peculiar effect: Sul made him less tolerant of injustice, Kuku slightly increased his curiosity and thirst for knowledge, while Lex made him become\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More sentimental? Die, you overly emotional hero—you deserve this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En was numb. He could accept any change, but becoming sentimental? He never expected this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when he saw the adorable little Dainya and little Hela—he wanted to ruffle their hair, hug them. Beneath Lex’s playboy exterior, was there really a pure-hearted fool of a father?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on the other hand, he felt himself growing numb toward ordinary people. To the “omnipotent Hero,” only family and loved ones deserved attention—being a Hero was just a job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pat, pat.” Hela had come very close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh-oh, he’d touched her without thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, her hair was silky, her cheeks soft and plump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was actually being touched? Hela froze for a moment, then broke into a smile, nuzzling closer as if craving more affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li En!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the other girl could no longer bear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She yanked Li En behind her, her dragon eyes glaring fiercely—only to meet the same dragon eyes glaring back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, Hela’s face lit up with sudden understanding, and she covered her mouth, giggling softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t do it, can you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing was more ironic than reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do it? Do what? Slice through buildings—or cities—with one sword strike? Is that something a normal person could learn?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, I’m Thorne. Hela Thorne.” She brushed her lips, her face nearly identical, yet wearing a seductive smile Dainya would never have.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the hidden meaning in her words mattered more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d abandoned the royal surname?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Dainya d’Alyse froze completely—this meant her older sister might be the sole heir, the only one bearing their father’s surname, more truly the heir than she was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li En!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you glaring at me? I’m not Lex.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En sighed. Can’t you two sisters fight without dragging me into it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He regretted coming along. Couldn’t he go find Lex instead and leave this poor, innocent man alone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li En exhaled in relief—Hela clearly had issues, but she didn’t seem like a bad girl. Wait, am I being influenced by Lex again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hela, what is your purpose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Li En asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized Hela hadn’t planned to leave—she’d been waiting for him all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me? Shouldn’t a child’s purpose be given by their parents?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her pure eyes gazed silently at Li En, as if awaiting his command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En felt it—if he spoke, she would obey any order, even now slaughtering the entire city. His scalp prickled—this being might be nothing more than a monster pretending to be human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next moment, the girl suddenly burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, just kidding. You’re not my real father—I know that. But Mom’s always nagging me: ‘Listen to Mom. Mom suffered so much for you. Mom loves you most. Mom is the only one in this world you can trust.’”\u003C\u002Fp>",665,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8c9d950b9046be0e70b903a453747f7274f5c8d5ef3608cd365df9aaebe8c9a3","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-234","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-232",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]