Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
74. Dragon Tribes

“I will awaken your bloodline!” Long Zui repeated, her voice filled with conviction.

Jinshu frowned. “I heard that. But what does it mean? I feel like you’re not talking about the Azure bloodline.”

“That’s because I’m not.” She nodded, her tone carrying a weight that made his chest tighten. “I’ve found a way to awaken your special bloodline. You won’t just be the next Azure Dragon—you’ll be something else, a Silver Dragon, or something. Like the original, not one of the diluted descendants born through a drop of Azure blood.”

“I’m… not following.” Jinshu tilted his head, his confusion deepening. “How do I have a special bloodline?”

Long Zui’s gaze grew sharper, as if sizing him up. “Do you know the story of the first Azure Dragon?”

“Bits and pieces.”

“Then you know they were from the Water Tribe, born with absolute control over the Water element, yes?”

Jinshu nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. But… isn’t that normal? Aren’t all dragons born with control over their tribe’s elements?”

Long Zui shook her head so rapidly it was a wonder her neck didn’t snap. “No, not at all. True mastery of an element at birth is almost unheard of—no, is unheard of. Most dragons must cultivate for years to even grasp the basics of an element. Most beings, in fact.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Let me explain it differently. I’ll tell you a little about the first Azure Dragon and the tribes.”

Jinshu sighed but nodded. “Sure.”

“Good. Then listen closely.” Long Zui brought him over to the dining table, her excitement bubbling just below the surface. She unrolled a blank scroll, grabbed an ink brush, and deftly painted three characters: Water, Fire, and Earth.

“At the very beginning, there were only three tribes of dragons,” she began, her brush gliding over the paper with precision. “The Water, Fire, and Earth Tribes. Each thrived in an environment that catered to their specific needs.”

“Yeah, I know this. And then the Metal Tribe was born from the Earth Tribe,” Jinshu said, casually pointing to himself when he mentioned the Metal Tribe.

“Yes, but we’re not talking about that right now, so just listen,” Long Zui said, turning back to the scroll. With deft strokes, she painted a vivid scene: blue dragons swimming in what looked like an ocean, red dragons soaring over volcanoes, and brown dragons burrowing into mountains.

Jinshu couldn’t help but marvel at her ability to make the black ink shift into vibrant colors. The blue shimmered like the ocean’s surface, the red glowed like molten lava, and the brown seemed to radiate a quiet solidity. He wanted to ask how she did it, but her voice cut through his awe.

She pointed to the brown dragons first. “The Earth Tribe dug deep into the ground, their Qi adapting to the earth’s attributes. But that doesn’t mean they controlled the earth element.”

Next, her brush hovered over the red dragons. “The Fire Tribe lived near the hottest flames, drawing power from their surroundings. Yet they couldn’t command those flames at will.”

Finally, she gestured to the blue dragons. “The Water Tribe, much the same as the others, lived in the deep oceans, thriving off their strength and resources. But even they couldn’t control the ocean itself… not until they were born.”

Her brush moved swiftly, painting a mighty dragon bursting forth from the ranks of the blue dragons. The azure ink shimmered with an almost magical brilliance, the scales glittering like real gemstones.

“The Azure Dragon,” she declared, her tone reverent, “was born with true control over the Water element. They could command the ocean itself.”

Jinshu blinked at the illustration, tilting his head. “How is that different?”

Long Zui froze, then slowly dragged a hand down her face, smearing ink across her cheek. She let out a groan of frustration, sending droplets of ink flying from her brush.

“Shouldn’t you know this already? You can control the elements, for crying out loud!” she burst out, exasperation dripping from every word.

Jinshu frowned, thinking carefully. Then it clicked. “Oh! Like how the elements feel different from my Qi?”

“Yes!” Long Zui threw her hands in the air, the brush nearly slipping from her fingers. “See? You get it!”

“So… the tribes’ Qi adapted to each element, but they couldn’t actually control the elements themselves,” Jinshu muttered, piecing it together. “Okay, I get that. But what does that have to do with me having a special bloodline?”

“This!” Long Zui exclaimed, whipping her brush dramatically toward the image of the Azure Dragon. Ink splattered everywhere, dotting the scroll and even Jinshu’s face. “The Azure Dragon could control the Water element because of their awakened bloodline at birth!”

Jinshu raised an eyebrow. “So you think I have a special bloodline like the Azure Dragon?”

Long Zui nodded so vigorously her hair whipped about wildly. “You must!”

But Jinshu tilted his head, skepticism creeping in. “I’m… not so sure about that.”

Her excitement vanished instantly, replaced by a slack-jawed expression of disbelief. “What?”

“Well…” Jinshu hesitated, glancing down as his cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “I think it might have something to do with my dreams.”

“Dreams?” she repeated, her voice sharp with curiosity. “What dreams?”

“I… sometimes dream of different lives,” he admitted slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. “In one of those dreams, I could control the Wind and Water elements. For some reason, it feels connected to my abilities now.”

Long Zui leaned in closer, her golden eyes narrowing. “Were you a dragon in these dreams?”

“No.” Jinshu shook his head. “I was a human.”

“A human?” she repeated, her tone a mix of disdain and disbelief. “You mean those weak, fragile things created in the image of The True Immortal?”

Jinshu blinked. “True Immortal? What’s that?”

Her expression shifted instantly, and she waved her hand dismissively. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

That only made Jinshu more curious, but he could tell from her tone that pushing further wouldn’t get him anywhere—at least not yet.

“By the way, Aunt Zui,” Jinshu began, his brow furrowed in thought. “How is it that all dragons supposedly have a portion of the Azure bloodline to awaken, if the Azure Dragon was originally from the Water Tribe? Wouldn’t the Azure Dragon have to be the ancestor of all dragons?”

Long Zui answered immediately, though her certainty wavered even as she spoke. “That’s because of the intermarriage between the tribes… I think? Or maybe not all dragons have it…?” Her voice trailed off, and she tapped her chin. “Huh. I’ve never really thought about it.”

Jinshu hesitated, his expression skeptical. “But the Fire and Water Tribes never intermarried before, right?”

Long Zui blinked, then slowly turned her head toward Chanshi, who stood silently in the corner with her bluish-graying hair. Realization dawned in her golden eyes. “Wait… Is it really only those with Water Tribe heritage who have the potential…?” Her voice grew quieter as the question hung in the air.

Chanshi gave her a sympathetic look but said nothing.

“It is, isn’t it…” Long Zui muttered, gripping the sides of her head with both hands. She sank to the floor dramatically, her expression contorting into one of utter despair. “All my research… in vain!”

Jinshu stared at her in alarm, unsure how to respond. Her defeated expression tugged at him, and he took a hesitant step forward, intending to console her.

But before he could speak, Long Zui’s face abruptly shifted into a serene smile, as if nothing had happened.

“Welp, whatever,” she said cheerfully, pushing herself off the floor and taking a hearty swig from her wine gourd.

“W-whatever?!” Jinshu stammered, utterly bewildered. “That’s it? You’re giving up on your dream just like that?”

“Well, yeah.” She shrugged as if the answer were obvious. “It’s not like I can just leave the Fire Tribe out of the equation, can I? So now I need to find a new way to make the dragon clan stronger than the other clans.”

Her nonchalant tone left Jinshu speechless, and he could only stare as she hummed to herself, already brainstorming her next scheme.

Jinshu plopped down in a chair with a soft groan, burying his face in his hands. He couldn’t help but contemplate the life choices that had brought him to this moment, sitting across from his undeniably insane aunt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if her eccentricity had rubbed off on him—or worse, if he’d always been this way.

“Oh, right!” Long Zui’s sudden exclamation snapped him out of his thoughts, startling him into looking up. Her face was alight with excitement, her earlier despair seemingly forgotten.

“We were going to train, weren’t we? Let’s go!”

Before Jinshu could muster a response—or even a protest—Long Zui seized his hand. The world around him warped and shimmered as they disappeared in a ripple that spread through the air like a drop in a still pond.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.