Chapter 3: The Dragonblood Warrior Clan (Part 2)
“The Dragonblood Warrior Clan?” Linley felt his mind buzz.
In Linley’s eyes, his own clan was just an ancient, declining family. How could it be connected to the legendary Four Ultimate Warriors?
“You don’t believe it?” Hogg’s face bore a trace of pride. “Linley, you can step forward and carefully look at those spirit tablets. You can read now. On the back of every spirit tablet is carved the deeds of that ancestor. The three tablets at the very top represent ancestors who were all Dragonblood Warriors!”
Hogg took Linley’s hand. “Come with me.”
Hogg led Linley to the far side of the rows of spirit tablets. He picked Linley up. “Take a close look at the writing on the back.”
Linley widened his eyes and looked—
The carvings on the back of the topmost spirit tablet were deep and clear. The ancient script, bearing the marks of five thousand years of history, narrated one earth-shaking deed after another!
“Baruch, the first Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan Continent. In Yulan year 4560, Baruch faced an Ice Dragon and a Black Dragon beneath the walls of ‘Linnan City,’ ultimately killing them both and shaking the world with his fame. In Yulan year 4579, Baruch battled the Hydra on the northern coast of the continent. That day, tsunamis raged and cities crumbled. After a fierce day and night of combat, Baruch finally slew the Hydra… He then established the Baruch Clan, becoming its first Patriarch!”
“Ryan Baruch, the second Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan Continent. In Yulan year 4690, in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, he defeated and tamed a Saint-level Golden Dragon, becoming a Golden Dragon Saint Knight! In Yulan year 4697…”
“Hazard Baruch, the third Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan Continent, born in Yulan year 5360. His first battle was in the Sunset Mountains against the Saint-level magical beast ‘Blood-Eyed Mane Lion.’ He defeated the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion, forcing it to flee in panic, and his fame shook the world…”
…
One great name after another, one awe-inspiring deed after another, made Linley’s blood boil with excitement.
“My clan is actually the Dragonblood Warrior Clan?” Linley was stirred for a long time.
Beside him, Hogg said in a low voice, “In the first three generations of our Baruch Clan, all three were Dragonblood Warriors. Once one becomes a Dragonblood Warrior, their lifespan becomes extremely long. The second Patriarch, Ryan Baruch, didn’t marry and have children until he was over seven hundred years old.”
“What about later?” Linley asked, puzzled. “Father, why doesn’t our clan have any Dragonblood Warriors now?”
Hogg nodded. “Becoming a Dragonblood Warrior mainly depends on the concentration of Dragonblood Warrior bloodline within one’s body. The higher the concentration, the better. As the bloodline is passed down through generations, the concentration of Dragonblood Warrior blood in later Baruch Clan descendants becomes thinner and thinner. However… it’s not absolute. As it passes down through generations, sometimes a descendant will suddenly have a relatively higher concentration of Dragonblood Warrior blood.”
“About a thousand years after Hazard Baruch, our Baruch Clan produced a fourth Dragonblood Warrior. Then, about fifteen hundred years later, after dozens of generations, our clan produced a fifth Dragonblood Warrior. But in the thousand-plus years since then, up to the present day, there hasn’t been a single one.”
Hogg shook his head and sighed. “The fifth Dragonblood Warrior only existed on the Yulan Continent for about two hundred years before disappearing. Over the next thousand years, our Baruch Clan completely declined.”
A thousand years of time could bring even the most glorious clan to ruin.
“But our clan still has hope. Perhaps in some generation, a descendant will have a Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration high enough to meet the conditions. If they meet those conditions, after decades of arduous training, they can become a true Dragonblood Warrior. Our Baruch Clan could then restore the glory of the ‘Dragonblood Warrior Clan’!” Hogg’s eyes shone. “Linley, you’re six and a half now. According to tradition, once you reach six, the test for Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration is fairly accurate. Today, I will test you.”
Linley’s heart shook. “Test for Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration? Test me?” Linley understood very well what his father meant by this. This test would determine whether he had the potential to become a Dragonblood Warrior.
“Linley, wait a moment. I’ll go get the ‘Dragonblood Needle.’” Hogg said, slightly excited. He then walked toward the secret chamber behind the ancestral hall.
“Dragonblood Warrior? Will I become a Dragonblood Warrior?” Linley’s heart was uneasy.
Standing there, Linley’s heart was in turmoil. There was anticipation, but also a trace of fear—fear that the concentration of Dragonblood Warrior blood in his body wouldn’t meet the requirements.
“If I fail, Father will probably be very disappointed,” Linley thought. Having relied on his father and younger brother since childhood, Linley didn’t want to let his father down. But the concentration of Dragonblood Warrior blood in his body wasn’t something he could control.
After just a short while, Hogg walked out of the secret chamber behind the ancestral hall, holding a very thin, transparent needle nearly twenty centimeters long.
“Dragonblood Needle?” Linley looked at the long needle in his father’s hand and naturally guessed its name.
“Alright, Linley. The tip will just gently prick your skin. It won’t hurt. Hold out your hand,” Hogg said with a smile. Linley nodded, then took a deep breath and nervously extended his right hand. The slight trembling of his right hand showed just how tense Linley was right now.
It wasn’t just Linley; Hogg himself was also very nervous.
“Bear with it a little.” The transparent Dragonblood Needle in Hogg’s hand gently pricked Linley’s right index finger, easily breaking the skin. Linley felt a sharp, piercing pain, and the Dragonblood Needle turned from transparent to crimson red.
Hogg, trembling, brought the Dragonblood Needle up to his eyes and carefully examined it.
Linley looked up, not blinking, staring at his father. His heart was uneasy. “Is the concentration of Dragonblood Warrior blood in my body enough? Why is Father looking at that ‘Dragonblood Needle’ for so long?” A bad feeling began to creep into Linley’s heart.
“Sigh…” A sigh. Hogg set the Dragonblood Needle aside.
Hearing his father’s sigh, Linley, who had been nervous for so long, knew that his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration definitely hadn’t met the conditions. Tears streamed down his face.
“Linley, why are you crying? Don’t cry. Be good, don’t cry.” Hogg immediately picked Linley up. Seeing Linley cry, Hogg’s heart ached. After all, Linley was only six and a half. He was still a child.
“I won’t cry. Hmm, I won’t cry.” Linley sobbed a couple of times, then forced back his tears. “Father, I’m sorry. I let you down.”
Hearing Linley say this, Hogg felt a warmth in his heart. He couldn’t help but hold Linley tightly in his arms. “Linley, don’t be sad. Father didn’t really have high hopes anyway. For over a thousand years, not one person in dozens of generations has become a Dragonblood Warrior. It’s nothing that you didn’t make it. Father doesn’t blame you.”
Feeling the warmth of his father’s chest, Linley’s heart gradually relaxed.
At this time, the two-and-a-half-year-old Wharton was already fast asleep in the arms of the butler, Hill.
“Linley, the Baruch Clan now only has me, you, and your brother left. I don’t have any great ambitions in this life. Becoming a Dragonblood Warrior—I don’t dare to hope for that anymore,” Hogg said with a self-deprecating laugh. Becoming a Dragonblood Warrior—how could it be that easy?
Linley looked up at his father.
He rarely saw his father talk to him like this. Usually, his father was so strong, so strict.
Hogg looked at the rows of spirit tablets, a hint of longing in his eyes, and said softly, “My real goal is actually to retrieve our Baruch Clan’s heirloom treasure.”
“Heirloom treasure? What is it? I’ve never heard of it,” Linley asked curiously.
Hogg said proudly, “Our clan’s heirloom treasure—the warblade ‘Slaughter’—was the weapon of our Baruch Clan’s first Patriarch, Baruch, the first Dragonblood Warrior of the entire Yulan Continent. Alas… unfilial descendants. Over six hundred years ago, because the clan was in decline, the patriarch of that generation, in order to indulge in his own luxurious lifestyle, actually sold off our clan’s heirloom treasure.”
As he said this, Hogg’s body trembled with anger.
“Sold the heirloom treasure?” Linley felt a surge of anger too. Even though he was only six and a half, after reading many books, he understood. No matter how difficult things got, one should never sell the heirloom treasure. And from what his father said, that patriarch had only done it for his own extravagant pleasure.
Hogg shook his head helplessly. “Every patriarch after that wanted to get the warblade ‘Slaughter’ back. But our descendants have worked toward this goal for six hundred years without success. After all, the warblade ‘Slaughter’ was originally sold for eighteen thousand gold coins. Eighteen thousand gold coins! Not only could we never come up with that amount, even if we could, others wouldn’t sell it to us.”
As an ancient Dragonblood Warrior Clan, to have its heirloom treasure sold…
This was a disgrace!
The disgrace of an ancient Dragonblood Warrior Clan!
Every generation of descendants wanted to retrieve the warblade ‘Slaughter,’ but six hundred years of effort had failed.
Hogg, as the current patriarch of the clan, naturally longed for it as well. But the entire clan’s financial situation was now extremely poor. Eighteen thousand gold coins? Even selling the ancestral home probably wouldn’t raise such a vast fortune.
The heirloom treasure being in the hands of others was a shame that often pained Hogg, filling his heart with shame, making him feel he couldn’t face his ancestors.
Seeing his father’s expression, Linley spoke up to comfort him. “Father, don’t worry. One day, I will bring our clan’s heirloom treasure back.”
“You?” Hogg laughed, affectionately stroking Linley’s head.
But in his heart, Hogg thought, “Linley, how would you know… I said the same thing to your grandfather back then.” Six hundred years of effort by so many generations of descendants had failed. How could it be easy? After all, the person who could afford to collect the warblade ‘Slaughter’ was certainly no ordinary figure.
Why would they sell it?
And even if they did, how could the declining Baruch Clan ever afford the price?
“Father doesn’t believe me?” Linley looked up at his father, puzzled.
“I believe you, I believe you.” Hogg laughed.
Father and son leaned against each other. The ancient Dragonblood Warrior Clan, passed down to the present day, now had only these three members left. When would this ancient clan, which had been in decline for over a thousand years, be able to regain its former glory? And at this moment, lying in his father’s arms, Linley’s fists were clenched tightly!