Without Bloodline, Can One Truly Not Become King

The moon hung in lonely silence.

Led by Little Beast, Ye Shu wound through the inn’s corridors, taking one turn after another before climbing to an even higher floor. This level was quieter and more luxurious, occupied by the distinguished guests attending tomorrow’s election—either the eldest sons of their respective clans or rulers of their own domains.

The fact that Little Beast had a room here was proof that her standing among the beastfolk was far from ordinary.

“You’ve come a long way since we last met,” Ye Shu said with a somewhat wistful smile as he followed behind her.

“N-No, not really.” Little Beast hurriedly waved her hands. “It’s only because everyone is showing consideration for Father that they’ve raised me to be the leader of the Eastern Wastelands. I’m not that impressive.”

She said this, but her tone could not conceal the faint pride beneath it.

The person she had thought about for more than a decade had praised her in person. Little Beast felt as though all the effort she had put in throughout her life had finally been rewarded. She could not contain her joy; her eyes narrowed into happy crescents, and her tail swayed back and forth in the air.

“Heh…”

Ye Shu smiled faintly and did not expose her.

The Amethyst Lion King was only a fifth-tier magical beast. He might have commanded some respect in the Magical Beast Mountains near Moon City, but expecting the other high-level magical beasts of the Eastern Wastelands to show him deference would be asking too much.

After walking for a while, they arrived before a room bearing a plaque that read “Eastern Wastelands.”

Little Beast stopped, took out a key, and unlocked the door.

“We’re here.”

She turned around and, with rather gentlemanly manners, pulled open the door for him and gestured invitingly.

Ye Shu stepped inside.

The first thing that caught his eye was an oil lamp still burning on the desk. Beneath it lay a mass of documents and letters concerning the Eastern Wastelands, scattered messily across the tabletop.

Following his gaze, Little Beast noticed the disorderly desk as well. Her pretty face flushed crimson, and she hurriedly explained, “I’m only this busy because there’s so much work to do. Normally, I’m a very neat person! Really!”

As she spoke, she frantically gathered the letters into a pile and moved them to the corner of the desk.

Ye Shu walked over to the bed and picked up a writing brush from the bedside.

“You’ve been busy with…?”

He stared at the tip of the brush, which was still stained with a suspicious liquid that had yet to dry.

Little Beast’s face instantly turned bright red.

“That was—That was because I accidentally dropped it in water!”

She hurried over, snatched the brush from him, and hid it behind her back. The blush on her face showed no sign of fading.

“All right, all right. You dropped it in water.”

Ye Shu gave her a teasing wink and did not press the matter. He casually found a stool and sat down, placing both hands on his knees with a smile.

“Now tell me. Why did you ask me to come here in the middle of the night?”

“Don’t tell me you lured me out alone so you could secretly enjoy a feast all by yourself?”

“That isn’t a very good habit.”

“But considering your current performance and circumstances, I suppose I can reluctantly make an exception for you.”

His tone was solemn, as though he were discussing something of great importance.

“What are you talking about?” Little Beast sat down opposite him. She had only just put the writing brush away when she heard his shameless remarks, and she could not help shooting him an annoyed look.

Still, the interruption eased her nervousness.

Little Beast lowered her head and spoke in a tiny voice. “It’s just… I haven’t seen you in so long, Teacher. I wanted to have a private chat with you.”

“Just like… just like we used to…”

Was there really nothing more to this than a conversation? Ye Shu remained skeptical, but he did not expose her. Instead, he sat quietly, adopting the posture of an attentive listener.

There was one thing he knew for certain.

If a woman asked you to meet her alone in the middle of the night and did not intend to do anything else with you, then she must have something she wanted to get off her chest.

And his job was to serve as the trash bin.

“Go ahead,” Ye Shu said with a smile. “I’m listening.”

“Mm…”

Little Beast pressed her lips together and organized her thoughts.

But when the moment finally came, she suddenly found herself unable to begin. After a while, she rose from her seat and walked to the window, gazing out at the bustling streets of Myriad Beasts City.

Ye Shu frowned slightly.

At that moment, he saw a melancholy in Little Beast that did not seem to belong to her.

Little Beast turned her head with a smile on her face.

“Teacher, since you’ve come to Myriad Beasts City, you must know that tomorrow is the day the beastfolk will elect their leader.”

“But do you know this?”

Her petite body leaned against the windowsill. She extended one hand and pointed toward a distant corner of the street.

“Just now, at that sugar figurine stall, the missing daughter of the Old Dragon King appeared.”

“She possesses the purest bloodline of the Old Dragon King.”

“If she survives, she is destined to become a ninth-tier existence. She is destined to become the future leader of our beastfolk. No one can dispute that.”

“Everyone already knows the outcome of tomorrow’s election.”

“She will stand upon the election platform, announce her identity to everyone, proclaim her return, and then take the position of leader as a matter of course.”

“Our leaders have always come from the dragon clan. That is the history of the beastfolk…”

“From beginning to end.”

Her voice was soft and calm, neither hurried nor slow.

She spoke as though she were merely describing an event that was certain to happen, an event in which nothing unexpected could possibly occur.

A simple statement of fact.

And Ye Shu’s response?

He had quietly listened from beginning to end without saying a word.

Only after Little Beast fell silent did he lift his head from the silence and ask a single question.

“Are you willing to accept that?”

It was only four simple words, yet Little Beast instantly broke down.

She bit down hard on her lower lip. Tears quickly filled her bright eyes, then spilled over in large drops as though someone had turned on a faucet.

“How… how could I possibly be willing to accept it?”

“Everyone came all the way here from the Eastern Wastelands because they hoped I could become the leader of the beastfolk. They believe I can lead our people toward a more glorious future.”

“But… but…”

Little Beast’s eyes reddened, and her voice caught in her throat.

“Why? Why am I only an Amethyst Lion? I don’t have dragon blood, nor do I possess any ancient inheritance. My bloodline has doomed me to remain behind them no matter how hard I work. I can never reach the starting point they were born with.”

“Even this election… sob…”

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “It was only because everyone insisted that I participate as the representative of the Eastern Wastelands. With my bloodline, I wouldn’t even have been qualified to take part.”

“Teacher…”

She raised her head, her eyes blurred with tears.

“Does lacking a powerful bloodline really mean that a person can accomplish nothing?”

Ye Shu did not answer immediately.

Instead, he remained silent for a while, as though searching for the right response. Only after some time did he rise from the stool and lean against the windowsill in the same manner as Little Beast, gazing at the bright moon outside.

“Throughout my life, many people have told me the same thing.”

“That I would one day become the ruler of the world.”

“But I have walked all the way to where I am now without a trace of bloodline inheritance or any extraordinary natural talent.”

“And those descendants of true immortals have all been trampled beneath my feet.”

He turned his head toward Little Beast and said calmly, “Don’t try to become part of the dragon clan.”

“Set your sights on becoming a dragon.”