[{"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-50":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},2269696,4431,"Chapter 50: Drive the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-50",50,"\u003Cp>Where is Mama Maria?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mama!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Mashan peed her pants again—shshsh, so dumb, all she does is call for Mama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big brother, Kevin hit me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the hypnotic spell shattered, the real disaster arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some people, a few unruly kids in front of them were already hell; if thirty or more children erupted at once, it was likely utter despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want a candy? Fruit flavor.” The arachnid’s six arms produced candies of every color, vivid and fragrant, clearly expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush. I’ll help you change your pants. Xiao Susie, lend me your skirt.” Two arms pulled free to tidy the child’s clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kevin, don’t bully your little brother.” Two more arms pulled free to discipline the brats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Li En had to sigh—thank goodness Lari was here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her six arms moved swiftly: changing clothes, handing out candy, swiftly punishing the brats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene left Dimon stunned—he’d truly never seen a “man” so fond of children, so fiercely maternal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Li En himself put on new gear and adjusted his equipment for better combat readiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Lari’s gear was impressive—especially this armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver armor wasn’t just high-quality material; it bore defensive enchantments against fire, acid, and electricity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With multiple enchantments and magical metal, this was surely the work of a master craftsman—even including arachnid-specific weight reduction (anti-gravity) modifications. Li En didn’t dare guess its value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A standard knight’s armor started at forty to fifty gold coins—enough for ten months’ rent on Li En’s house. Without Shaliman’s gift, he could never have afforded it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enchanted armor was even more absurdly expensive; even minor enchantments doubled the price. This level of magical armor could serve as a knightly family’s heirloom for generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this wasn’t even her most expensive item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most expensive was now on Li En’s feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boots. They fit alright, right? Looks like they’ll work—good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Li En try on her boots, Lari’s face flushed with a strange blush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This micro-expression made Dimon stare longer—he wondered if this guy was acting odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, hadn’t Lari been clinging to Brother Li En before? And Brother Li En hadn’t resisted… Dimon spun around abruptly, deciding to pretend he saw nothing and heard nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nice. I never expected you’d have these Jipin  speed boots—you never used them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En was genuinely surprised. Speed boots, strength gloves, and Holy Power Shu —Suer had said these were the three essentials for a novice Holy Knight to become combat-ready quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These boots carried a built-in “Speed Boost” spell, granting near-doubled running speed for short bursts—ideal for melee who needed to charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En had dared ask for strength gloves and Holy Power Shu , but never even dreamed of these speed boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure speed-enhancing enchanted gear was astronomically expensive, and demand was virtually limitless—almost no transcendent would refuse faster movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even spellcasters cursed their lack of legs when danger struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a Holy Knight like Li En, clad in heavy armor with no inherent speed, velocity had always been his greatest weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, missing a single step in a charge meant the difference between life and death. Even though speed boots only lasted briefly, they helped immensely in offense and defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being trained by Suer, Li En knew how useful they were and had inquired about their price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he heard they cost thousands of gold coins—and were unobtainable even at that price—he wisely gave up. He couldn’t even scrape together ten gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Then again, your sword technique is too refined, your footwork too fast. You don’t need to worry about closing distance.” In Li En’s view, Lari truly didn’t need speed boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among knights, Lari, who followed the Speed-Sword path, was among the most agile. The Holy Knight’s short-leg weakness barely showed on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, she was rich enough to own a war beast mount—there was a world of difference between a Holy Knight with and without one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her sword style didn’t require speed boots to force-close distance with enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Really great. Really great.” But short-legged Li En? He truly needed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En tested his gear while adjusting his armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me help you fine-tune it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure, thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a composite armor—main piece plus many modular attachments. With Lari’s help, Li En could adjust the tightness of many components.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lari, as an arachnid, was bulkier than Li En’s “degenerated lizard-man” frame; the armor fit a bit loose and needed further adjustment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The left and right arm openings allowed good mobility, but the four rear (auxiliary limb) gaps left the back nearly defenseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No time to modify now—just make do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Lari, any more candy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only two sentences had passed before Lari was dragged off again to manage the children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama, Maria Mama, where’s Mama?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst were these kids who kept crying for Mama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When one child cried for Mama, soon all of them started calling for Mama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your mothers…” Facing the crying children, the honest Holy Knight opened her mouth, unsure what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better short pain than long suffering. They’d find out sooner or later. She gritted her teeth and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your mothers? They’re waiting outside. Go find them with Brother Lari. Oh, and your mothers have tasty treats—hurry, or they’ll eat it all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li En directly trampled on Holy Knight virtues and told a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I knew Mama went to the amusement park first! Brother Lari, hurry and take us to find her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Lari being dragged away by the children, Li En smiled and continued assembling his gear, preparing for the coming battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps in the future he’d properly explain and even apologize for his lie—but not now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’ll free your mother now.” I am just a warrior now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not letting this “mother” appear before the children again—perhaps this is all I can do now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En touched the Hero’s Sword on his hand. Though its exterior hadn’t changed, he vaguely sensed something within had shifted—something different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, it had been completely unresponsive; Li En could only treat it as a “sturdy” good sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he felt a faint connection between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It… acknowledged me. Well, just a little.” The connection was extremely thin. Li En tried to draw on its power—but nothing came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably, to unlock its true power, one needed the proper Hero hardware—like a class or bloodline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever. Better than a plain sword. At least it’s progress.” Li En himself was surprisingly philosophical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it truly fully awakened and unleashed all its power, Li En would have to flee immediately—he’d be recognized for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li En.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a female voice suddenly echoed directly into his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this a transcendent ability?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look up, idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his head up—and saw a giant gray serpent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It… she stared at Li En silently, flicking her tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those eyes showed clear delight. Li En was even more startled—he’d just read joy and relief on a snake’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered if he was going mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thwack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray serpent dropped a large sack right in front of Li En, still holding it in her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s me, Shaliman. Here’s some stuff—you might need it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Li En was busy flipping through books, in a corner of the cave, Maria continued happily hunting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She still held one human head in each hand—one still humming a tune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She urged the small beasts beneath her to hasten the final hunting season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that, shedding her disguise, her spirit had grown younger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her help, scattered squads couldn’t resist the beast horde—they were hunted down one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far, the slave market had suffered heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More and more small beasts had evolved, sprouting broken horns. At this point, she stopped feeding them and instead harvested the mercenaries, turning them into “Little Horns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two masked figures stood silently behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Protection? Surveillance? Or both?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haike is dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Useless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brief exchange ended the discussion of a companion’s fate—no humanity between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead was dead. One less waste to share food and duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their greedy eyes fixed on the sack of “Little Horns” Maria carried. For them, “dieting” was a necessity to preserve humanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for their eternally hungry selves, it was also a painful suppression of instinct. A little snack right here shouldn’t hurt—why not eat Maria too? Then they wouldn’t have to worry about exposure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maria?! Hand over the goods—I’ll let you keep a whole corpse!” A sudden roar halted their internal chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guided by a shadow, “Volcanic Howl” Kewierdufu finally blocked his intended target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared fixedly at Maria, noticing the human heads she carried—especially the lifeless skull of his third-in-command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Forget it. Die. I’ll find what I need on your corpse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1452,"2026-06-19T21:45:41.002Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","eb334319e1b8f10a427132ad972163e69b46930aa7ab1795b8606db69c4b5f65","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-51","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-49",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]