“Hoo, hoo…”
The lingering warmth from playing with Bai Li as she coaxed him to sleep still clung to her fingertips.
Longjiu gently closed the door, her movements so light she feared disturbing the tiny, steady breaths of the child sleeping soundly inside.
The night mist in the corridor was slightly cool.
As she turned, a Dragon Race soldier who had been waiting for a long time stepped forward.
His armor clanked softly as he bowed, his tone meticulously respectful.
“Dragon King, an urgent report from the front line. Following your decree, we have kept the Succubus Queen and the Vampire Queen outside the pass. We did not allow them to take a single step into the Dragon Territory.”
“Mm, thank you for your hard work. You may leave.”
Longjiu’s voice was indifferent.
The soldier bowed and withdrew, his footsteps gradually fading until she was the only one left in the corridor.
Longjiu gazed toward the dark night beyond the pass, her heart a whirlwind of emotions.
‘I hope my two ever-troublesome sisters won’t hold a grudge against me for this.’
She wasn’t being impulsive, nor did she simply want to monopolize Father.
Within Bai Li, the bloodlines of the Human Race, the Vampires, and the Succubus were entangled and messy, clashing against one another like a tangled web.
The slightest oversight could trigger a Bloodline Rampage.
He would either end up in a miserable state where his body exploded, or be consumed by the two opposing forces, falling into a permanent slumber as a vegetable.
This was not mere alarmist talk.
According to her memories, if a mixed bloodline could not find a dominant balance, it would ultimately be nothing but a fleeting illusion.
‘Sister Baining’s Vampire power is overbearing and fierce, while Sister Ziya’s Succubus power is ethereal and unpredictable. Only the upright purity of the Dragon Bloodline can suppress these two undercurrents.’
A flash of determination crossed Longjiu’s eyes.
‘What I am doing now is gradually purifying Bai Li’s Dragon Blood to make it dominant. Then, I can use the dominance of the Dragon Blood to neutralize the other two bloodlines. Only then can I ensure he remains safe and sound.’
Thinking of this, a mischievous smile curved her lips, and a hint of girlish excitement flickered in her eyes.
‘Once I’ve trained Father properly and he has stabilized, I will naturally share him with my sisters. However, now is not the time. A good show needs to be brewed slowly to be interesting…’
—
Meanwhile, inside the King’s office in the Human Royal City, the candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across the Map of Territories on the wall.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
The urgent knocking hammered against the door like a heavy mallet, carrying a sense of imminent anxiety.
“Come in.”
The King’s voice carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked up toward the door.
“What is so alarming that you have lost your composure?”
An intelligence soldier burst in, his face as pale as paper and his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
“Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! According to the urgent report from our scouts, the Succubus Race and the Vampires have suddenly mobilized a large number of troops. They are massing at the border, and it looks like they have ill intentions!”
“What?!”
The King bolted upright from his seat.
“Where specifically are they deploying their troops? Is there a clear location?”
The soldier bowed his head even lower, his voice trembling with a sob.
“Please forgive me, Your Majesty! We cannot determine the exact location yet… Most of the intelligence personnel stationed in the Monster Territory have lost contact and disappeared. I fear—I fear they have met a grim end. This bit of intelligence was only brought back by several warriors who exhausted their final breaths, trading countless lives for it!”
The King stumbled back half a step.
He stared at the heavy night outside the window and muttered to himself, his voice filled with despair.
“What should we do now? The previous generation’s Hero died on the battlefield, and a new generation of Heroes has yet to appear. Yet the Monsters are suddenly making a comeback and rising again. Is this heaven’s will? Is the Human Race destined to perish?”
“Your Majesty…”
Seeing the King frowning and sighing, the soldier’s heart clenched, but he truly could not think of any countermeasures.
He could only watch as the situation fell into a deadlock.
The King remained silent for a long time.
A sense of powerlessness flashed in his eyes as he waved his hand.
“Go notify those old fools in the Senate. Tell them to come for a meeting immediately. Let’s see what kind of plan those guys, who usually boast about their resourcefulness, can come up with at a time like this. Currently, I have already been stripped of my power by them. I am a lone voice that cannot be heard.”
“By your command!”
The soldier felt as if he had been granted a reprieve.
He quickly stood up and withdrew, leaving the room in a deathly silence once more.
The King looked at the empty doorway and suddenly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable penetration.
“Sok, stop hiding. Come out.”
In the shadows outside the window, Sok’s entire body stiffened.
He muttered to himself.
‘Is the King bluffing? That is impossible. I hid so perfectly; how could I be discovered?’
“You have been eavesdropping outside the window since just now. I noticed it long ago. There is no need to deceive yourself further.”
The King’s voice was cold, shattering Sok’s last bit of hope.
Sok knew he could no longer hide.
He could only shrink his neck and sneakily climb in through the window.
He bowed so low he hardly dared to breathe.
“Your Majesty… I… I really didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just happened to be passing by and heard a few words. Please let your anger subside and forgive me this once!”
The King slowly turned around, his gaze like a torch as he stared intently at Sok.
His voice was full of long-suppressed rage.
“Passing by? Do you take me for a three-year-old who is so easily fooled? Look at the mess you and those people in the Senate have created! The Hero is dead, and the loyal Lu Chen has disappeared without a trace. In the past, I turned a blind eye to your secret little schemes for the sake of the big picture, but now that things have reached a boiling point, I can no longer tolerate it!”
Sok trembled with fear.
His knees went weak, and he almost collapsed to the floor.
The color drained from his face as he stammered a question.
“W-what? Could it be… Your Majesty, did you always know… that I had ulterior motives toward you?”
He never imagined that his clever disguise had been seen through by the King long ago.
Recalling what that lord from the Senate had said to him, and realizing this was the perfect opportunity to be alone with the King, his right hand slowly reached for the small knife at his waist, intended for self-defense…