Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Danni, the Beautiful Lady, Causes a Stir in the Imperial Palace
"Master, have you awoken?"
Lu Hong felt as if he had slept for an eternity, drowsily opening his eyes to see the old man's face marked by the passage of time, and he slapped away his hand irritably.
"Master, have you awoken?" Miaomiao approached soon after, and this time, Lu Hong did not push her away but instead pinched Miaomiao's rosy cheeks, causing her face to turn bright red.
"Humph! I knew you were a pervert!" Nono's voice rose from Lu Hong's side, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"Ouch, Nono, why are you here too?" Lu Hong quickly withdrew his hand and stood up, realizing he had returned to the old man's separate residence.
"What do you mean, why am I here? What have you been doing these past few days? When His Excellency Xius brought you back, you were covered in blood. Are you trying to scare me to death?" Nono's voice wavered, close to tears.
"Okay, okay, don't cry, don't cry." Lu Hong pulled Nono into his embrace to comfort her: "Look, I'm fine, aren't I? I promise it won't happen again next time, okay?"
It took a while for Nono to calm down; she then pushed Lu Hong away and said, "Who cares if you live or die, such a narcissist!"
"How long have I slept, old man?" Lu Hong had no idea what happened after he swallowed the Dragon Blood, and because Nono and the others were present, he did not want to ask directly. Although it wasn't a secret, bringing it up in everyone's presence would surely provoke Nono's complaints.
"Master, you've been asleep for eight days, and tomorrow is the day of the academy's grand melee."
"Since you're fine, I'm leaving." Nono, noticing the meaningful glances between the two and realizing there were words unsaid, knew she shouldn't stay and so she took Miaomiao and prepared to leave.
"Take care, see you tomorrow!" Lu Hong hurriedly bid farewell to Nono and then quickly asked the old man, "Was it you who rushed to save me?"
"Actually, I wouldn't say I saved you. By the time I arrived, you had already killed the Water Zeal Demon Beast. I must admit, Master, you're truly strong!" The old man silently nodded his approval; indeed, a Level 4 Demon Beast like the Water Zeal was only a step away from Level 5, not something a First Transition Profession could handle, much less a Level 7 like Lu Hong.
"Stay cool, just the basics." Lu Hong checked the Fighting Spirit within his body and discovered he was at Level 10! He had actually reached Level 10! He had been at Level 8 when he fought those bandits, but defeating the Water Zeal in his confused state had somehow brought him to Level 10—this made no sense. Although the experience gained from defeating higher-level opponents was considerable, it shouldn't be enough for a two-level leap.
In reality, the leap from Level 8 to Level 9 happened when Lu Hong used Lionheart's Roar and virtually turned half of the Frostleaf Forest into a ghost domain. Not leveling up from that would have been nonsensical.
"Master..." During the time Lu Hong was unconscious, the old man had pondered whether or not to clarify the matter of Lu Hong's Beastman Bloodline--a raging Beastman had no memory of its actions.
After much thought, the old man decided to reveal it: "Master, do you know about your Beastman Bloodline?"
"I do, I know I'm a half-Beastman." Lu Hong answered: "Is there something wrong with my Beastman Bloodline?"
"Yes, if it were just an ordinary Beastman Bloodline, you absolutely couldn't have defeated the Water Zeal while in a rage."
Lu Hong remained silent, listening intently.
"The Beastman half of your bloodline belongs to the royal lineage of the Beastmen."
"Shit!" Now it was Lu Hong's turn to be surprised. The royal lineage of the Beastmen, hey, that was quite the fortune! The Lionheart lineage, rulers of the Beastman Empire. No wonder he had made it through the Dragon Blood Refining; it was the effect of his other half's bloodline.
"It seems you truly didn't know your own background." The old man was slightly relieved to see Lu Hong's reaction, considering that the bloodline of a Beastman royal lurking at the heart of the human empire wasn't a reassuring thought.
"You're right, I only knew I was a half-Beastman. My mother abandoned me, leaving behind only a badge." Saying this, Lu Hong took out that special badge.
This time, the old man was the one surprised, not just surprised, but his complexion changed. After a moment of twitching, he quickly signaled Lu Hong to put away the badge: "Master, you must never take out that badge again, and you must not activate your Beastman power, at least do not use it within the Holy Divine Empire."
"I understand, without sufficient power to protect myself, I will not use the power of my Beastman bloodline." This time, the Dragon Blood Refining not only doubled the fighting spirit inside Lu Hong, but the most unexpected gain was the activation of the Lionheart royal bloodline. This time was different from the uncontrollable situation in the remote mountain village, as it was a true awakening of the dormant bloodline.
Now Lu Hong only seemed to be a Level 10 warrior, but he possessed a fighting spirit comparable to that of a First Transition max level. Although he had the stature of an ordinary human, he held the formidable brute strength of a Beastman. Even with Nono bestowing her top-tier strength blessings, she couldn't overpower Lu Hong in a show of strength.
"Young Master understands, that's good. If there's a chance, please stay away from the Imperial City, and this old man is willing to accompany you to other places."
"As a warrior's descendant, it's only right to travel far and wide to spread the warrior's glory throughout the world." Lu Hong positively responded to the old man's concern, and though he paid no attention to the affairs of the empire, it wasn't hard to guess from the old man's worried face that if he stayed in the Imperial City, accidents bound to happen that even he couldn't protect against.
"Danni! Tell me, what on earth happened in the frost leaf forest outside the city!" Konstantin's face darkened as he looked at the beautiful Danni.
"Nothing significant happened, I've handled it," replied Danni calmly.
"Nothing significant? Lionheart's Roar has made an appearance, and you tell me that this is nothing significant? Are you waiting for the Beastman army to march on this Imperial City before you consider it a big deal?" Konstantin was furious, smashing the case table in front of him to pieces with a slap.
Danni sighed inwardly, knowing that there was no hiding it from Konstantin: "You can't touch him."
"Nonsense! Don't think that just because I have feelings for you, you can do whatever you want in front of me. He has the bloodline of the Beastman royals, he must die!" Konstantin roared.
"I said, you are not allowed to touch him!" Danni's gaze turned icy as the power of nature began to emanate around her.
"Very well, I want to see what the Tower Master has the power to challenge the Imperial Authority!" Konstantin shouted, "Guards! Seize her!"
As soon as Konstantin's words fell, hundreds of guards who had been lying in ambush around them sprang into action.
In an instant, a sky full of Rain of Fire and ice attacks viciously rained down on Danni.
"Threshold! Forest of the World!"
Within moments, a green glow from Danni's body brightened, nearly illuminating the entire night sky. Instantly, the Imperial Palace of the empire transformed into an ocean of plants, entwining the magi and priests so quickly they couldn't even react. As for the knights and thieves, and other close-range professions, they also struggled, unable to escape the encircling plants.
"I don't want to take action, so don't force me. You cannot kill that child, but I promise you, if he dares to join the Beastman Empire, I will deal with him personally." Danni settled all of Konstantin's ambush with just a single move, truly deserving the name of the Green Tower Master.
"I don't believe you. He can only reassure me if he's dead." Konstantin didn't trust this ticking time bomb. It was known that the Lionheart royal lineage reproduced extremely slowly. A thousand years ago, there was only one empire on the continent formed by a Beastman, and all other races lived under its rule and barely survived. Every powerful race has its weakness, and for the Lionheart royal lineage, it was reproduction. The current Beastman Empire had only seven Lionheart Beastmen. And with just these seven Lionheart Beastmen, they were worth a thousand troops. Therefore, Konstantin could never let Lu Hong live; even if he only possessed half of the Lionheart bloodline, if he were to join the Beastman Empire, it would be a major threat to the Holy Divine Empire.
"If you're so afraid of him joining the Beastman Empire, why don't you firmly control him within the Sacred Empire!" Danni understood Konstantin's thoughts and shouted.
"What identity would you have me give him?" Konstantin darkly said, "If he didn't lack my Prolo family's bloodline, I might consider sparing his life to serve the empire."
"Then there's nothing more to say, I will take him away, and no one can stop us," Danni realized. At this point, the only way to protect Lu Hong was one: to take him away from the Sacred Empire.
"He can't leave, I said he must die!" Konstantin declared sternly.
"You can't stop me," Danni said proudly, and she indeed had the capital to say so.
"I can't stop you, but he can."
Danni suddenly felt a dangerous presence, the green vines around her wrapping her body. The next moment, the thick vines were shredded to pieces.
"Vili!" Danni gritted her teeth; her worst fears had come to pass. Of the seven Tower Masters, only she and Vili were still in the Imperial City, but Vili didn't care about the empire and rarely did anything for it. She hadn't expected that this time, Konstantin would have been able to call on him.
"Long time no see, Danni. You are still so beautiful," said Vili, floating in mid-air, bowing very gentlemanly to Danni.