Chapter 91: Blessing

A plain carriage stopped outside Li En's home, and a girl in a cloak stepped down.

She glanced at the house, plainly shabby in her eyes, and paid it no mind; even when she saw the clutter and trash piles in the courtyard, she merely avoided them silently.

But in the corridor, hearing laughter from a room on one side, she suddenly felt a strange irritation.

"Li En, it's time to fulfill your contract."

Under the guard's protection, the Princess lowered the hood of her cloak.

Her golden hair glowed like sunlight, her lake-blue eyes held thunder and flame; even in this humble dwelling, her jade-like beauty and bearing made her seem as if she stood in a grand hall.

The high-born Princess has come here in person—surely that shows sufficient sincerity.

"Ha." Li En was completely unmoved.

Instantly, the noble Princess's composure shattered, her brow twitching, fists clenched with a crackle.

Of course, this man is the most annoying.

"The pact! The pact to use this cursed power!"

But Li En gave no reply; his gaze turned to the female guard, clearly a formidable cultivator.

She wore heavy armor and a cloak—undoubtedly a high-rank transcendent.

"Just speak plainly." She seemed a trustworthy insider.

Li En sighed; he knew he'd offend this girl again.

"That's not a curse—it's a blessing, the power within your bloodline." His calm words stated a fact.

Li En is Li Ensu; Rex is also Li Ensu. If one is Li Ensu, even a child unaware will receive only blessings.

To make a child believe they are a cursed child is too tragic.

"You know exactly what you're saying."

Her words were calm, but her pupils turned deep red, flames exploding within—she was beyond rage.

"What you know may not be the truth—at least not the whole truth." Li En disrupted her accusation with a single "question."

As for the truth? Li En didn't know either.

"What exactly are you trying to say?!" Dainya felt a sudden chill and unease—she had touched something she shouldn't have.

"Heroine Rex is also a member of the Hall of Heroic Souls. I have encountered him."

His calm words were a thunderclap; Dainya froze, utterly stunned—was this a dream?!

"Can I... can I see him? Can I?" The fury of offense vanished; now she was merely a girl desperate to meet her father.

But Li En shook his head; tears welled in Dainya's eyes—poor girl, deceived by a lying scoundrel.

The cruel man gave her hope, then snatched it away instantly.

"Not yet. You're not ready." But Li En's words halted her instantly.

Dainya wiped her tears and glared fiercely at him.

If you pull this crap again, I'll send you to guard penguins in the Northlands and wrestle polar bears for life!

"What does 'ready' mean? Do I have to come of age?" Dainya murmured, her patience wearing thin.

Her red dragon bloodline made her increasingly volatile—dragonkin were likely the least patient beings in the world.

"The truth. When you learn the truth of the Old Capital incident and still wish to see him, he will meet you."

Clever Li En—turning his own epic quest into someone else's.

In truth, it's better for Dainya, the one directly involved, to investigate, rather than Li En, an outsider, risking death to probe royal and hero secrets.

If Dainya learns it? Even better!

"You, Dainya, are already ready!"—unlock the Heroic Soul Card!

This has nothing to do with me, an outsider. Even if I meet the Heroic Soul, it's between Rex and his daughter Dainya—deal with your own grudges and emotions. Li En had already sensed the past was likely no good thing; learning of the kingdom's elite scandals probably meant he'd lived too long.

The Princess calmed down; she had long sensed something was off—whenever her father was mentioned, her mother's smile was strange, her words vague.

Asking old courtiers yielded nothing clear; some even contradicted each other.

After a deep breath, the girl asked the answer she most wanted to know.

"You say this power of mine is a blessing—is it from Rex, from my father's power and blessing?!"

She glanced instinctively at her guard, who gave a slight nod, her ring faintly glowing.

Li En considered, then replied.

"Yes. It comes from his bloodline and blessing."

This, indeed, was the truest truth in Li En's eyes.

The dragonkin bloodline stems from the Many-Faced Dragon Li Ensu; Rex is also Li Ensu—the equation holds! This bloodline and power come from Rex!

Dainya spun around, her pupils filled with complex emotion—hope, unease, fear, even a silent plea not to receive the answer.

She could not accept that she received a blessing from her father, yet remained cursed.

And when she saw her guard's ring, glowing with silver light, tears streamed down her face, unstoppable.

"Aha! Truth Ring. Be careful—it detects lies." Kuku was thrilled.

The girl covered her face and sobbed, tears falling endlessly—years of repression released in this moment.

"I'm not a curse, not a burden—I'm a blessing."

"Child, of course you are your parents' blessing and treasure. This is also Rex's thought." If Rex were here, he wouldn't want his daughter to think this way—no matter what happened then, the child is innocent.

I am Li Ensu; Rex is Li Ensu; I am Rex—the equation still holds!

Perhaps Li En deceived himself too well—or perhaps this "equation" truly neared the truth—the Truth Ring remained silent.

The girl's outburst didn't last long; soon she stood, glared even more fiercely at Li En, and directly threatened him not to speak of this.

"You—you must not tell anyone, or else I—"

But her face, streaked like a kitten's, held no threat—only made others want to laugh.

"Hahaha." And Li En actually laughed.

"Boom!" A gale of force exploded violently just to the right of Li En's face.

"Daughter's" furious punch nearly shattered "Dad's" skull.

Glancing at the wall, now pierced clean through, Li En remembered her Golden Dragon bloodline.

Uh—better hold back. If dragged into a brutal brawl, my base stats might not survive.

But Li En's antics had let her vent; now she was calm enough to confirm one more thing.

"You—did Rex give you the method to awaken my power?"

"Of course."

Rex is Li Ensu; Kuku is also Li Ensu; Rex is Kuku—the equation always holds.

And this time, the imprecise Truth Ring remained silent—Li En exhaled in relief; so did Dainya.

As a princess, how could she accept a stranger's magical ritual?

But if it's Rex... I'll try.

Li En also exhaled—he'd gambled and won. Too many things on him couldn't be checked; he needed to wrap himself in tiger skin to gain credibility.

"If it's his request, why are you asking me for money?!" The girl's anger was often without reason.

"Er, I only took a no-interest loan for tuition. Besides, do you really think 130 gold coins equals the secret method to awaken Dragon Blood? That's just my service fee."

"It's 1, 00! 1, 00 gold coins! This house could buy several of yours!"

"But didn't you give it to me?" Li En flatly denied it—the money was spent; if you want repayment, forget it!

The Princess didn't truly care about the money—she just disliked Li En, and had just lost composure in front of him; she wanted an excuse to pick a fight.

"I—I'll make the Sudar family pay more annual tribute, tax their businesses harder!" I can't get you, but can't I get your fiancée?

"Be my guest." What's that to me? Do as you please.

Seeing the conversation devolve into a child's squabble, the silent guard intervened.

She stepped forward and directly asked Li En about the ritual's details and purpose—nothing to hide; Dragon Blood and Dragon Speech were merely qualifications.

It is a privilege to command the world—even weak true dragons lack it; the key is the material—the bloodline of kin.

"Dragon Speech? That's extremely powerful—so was Rex the Great...?" This experienced guard clearly knew of Dragon Speech.

After careful thought, she nodded to the Princess—no issue.

The Princess took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Do it. Help me obtain this blessing." This time, "blessing" was spoken with emphasis.

(End of Chapter)