DRAGON EMPEROR RING
671 Words
LEGENDARY SON-IN-LAW
Chapter 2: The Dragon Emperor Ring
Rain continued to pour as Li Chen walked away from the Su Family Manor.
The laughter behind him faded into the distance.
He looked at the phone in his hand.
The call had ended, but the words still echoed in his mind.
The Dragon Emperor Ring (***) has awakened.
For three years, he had prayed those words would never come.
He wanted nothing more than an ordinary life with Su Xinyi.
Fate had other plans.
A black luxury sedan stopped beside the road.
Its door opened automatically.
An elderly man wearing a black Tang suit stepped out and bowed deeply.
"Young Master."
Li Chen recognized him immediately.
"Elder Han (**)."
The old man's eyes reddened.
"It has been three years."
Li Chen helped him straighten up.
"You shouldn't bow to me."
Elder Han smiled.
"You are the last heir of the Hidden Dragon Clan (****)."
"I will always bow."
Li Chen sighed.
"I left that life behind."
"You did," Elder Han replied.
"But it never left you."
The two entered the car.
As it drove through the rain, Elder Han placed a small wooden case on the seat.
"Your grandfather instructed me to give this to you when the Ring awakened."
Li Chen slowly opened it.
Inside rested a black ring engraved with a golden dragon.
The instant he touched it, the dragon's eyes flashed.
A warm current surged through his body.
His heartbeat quickened.
Ancient symbols appeared briefly on the ring before fading.
"The Dragon Emperor Ring has accepted you," Elder Han said.
Li Chen slipped it onto his finger.
It fit perfectly.
Then countless memories flooded his mind.
He saw endless mountains hidden above the clouds.
Golden dragons flying through the heavens.
Ancient warriors kneeling before a magnificent throne.
Finally, he saw an old man smiling.
His grandfather.
"If you are seeing this," the old man said, "it means destiny has found you."
"The Dragon Emperor bloodline has awakened."
"You must return to Dragon Mountain (**)."
"Everything you believed about your life is only the beginning."
The vision disappeared.
Li Chen opened his eyes.
A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Elder Han handed him a handkerchief.
"The memories can be overwhelming."
Li Chen wiped away the blood.
"My grandfather..."
"Is he truly gone?"
The old man lowered his head.
"He protected the Ring until his final breath."
"He died believing you would one day become the Dragon Emperor."
Silence filled the car.
Li Chen closed the wooden box.
"I couldn't even attend his funeral."
"You honored him by surviving," Elder Han replied.
"The clan's enemies searched everywhere for you."
"If they had found you then..."
Li Chen understood.
His grandfather had hidden him inside the Su Family to protect his life.
The humiliation of the past three years had been the price of survival.
The car stopped outside an abandoned temple on the outskirts of Jiang City.
"This is where the clan has been waiting," Elder Han said.
As Li Chen stepped out, twelve figures dressed in black robes appeared from the shadows.
They knelt on one knee.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
Li Chen looked at them in surprise.
"You've all been here?"
"For three years," one of them answered.
"We swore to protect you from the shadows."
Li Chen felt a knot tighten in his chest.
While everyone believed he was alone...
These people had quietly risked their lives for him every single day.
Before he could speak, the Dragon Emperor Ring suddenly glowed.
A golden beam shot toward the sky.
The earth trembled.
Deep beneath the temple, an ancient stone gate slowly opened.
A powerful voice echoed from the darkness.
"The heir has arrived."
"Enter... and claim your destiny."
Li Chen stared at the ancient gate.
He knew that once he stepped through it...
His ordinary life would never return.
He took a deep breath.
Then he walked forward
- Writer
