I Want You to Earn Merit

Silent and invisible, without form or color.

But this time, Lucia Lu was different.

A golden light flared around her body, and the hidden talisman struck it, instantly revealing itself and bouncing straight toward Henry Xiao.

Henry Xiao dodged awkwardly.

Lucia turned and walked toward him.

Henry panicked, blurting out, "Lucia, wait! Listen to me!"

Lucia gave him a cold look. "Speak. I'm listening."

"That talisman on you before—it was mine," Henry admitted. "But I swear I meant you no harm! I wanted to help you earn merit!"

"Merit? What kind of merit?"

"Baxa and Serena Tang must be wiped out!" Henry said. "If you helped us find them, wouldn't that be a great achievement?"

He had his own agenda.

After the last incident with Marcus Xuanchen, the Empress Dowager was thoroughly displeased with her.

This time, he wanted her to earn merit, hoping the Empress Dowager would change her opinion and still allow him to marry her...

"Why do you think Baxa and Serena Tang absolutely must be wiped out?" Lucia countered.

Henry said, "They started the war, causing endless suffering. They deserve a thousand deaths!"

"Then why did they start the war?"

"Isn't it obvious? They..."

"Do you even know what happened at Hundred Blossoms Paradise?" Lucia interrupted.

Henry's eyes flickered. "What does that have to do with Hundred Blossoms Paradise?"

"I'm asking if you know what went on there," Lucia pressed. "They locked up the Flower Fairies and forced them into prostitution to make huge profits! When they got caught, they killed them all to cover it up! Do you know about that?"

Henry said, "Marcus Xuanchen is a notorious pervert! Sure, he's brothers with Gideon Xuanchen, but they're nothing alike! And the Southern Xuan Kingdom has nothing to do with Marcus!"

"What if I told you Hundred Blossoms Paradise was just one of many? There are dozens, maybe hundreds, all controlled by the Xuanchen Clan. Baxa rallied the妖 to attack them as an act of resistance!" Lucia said. "Do you still think they deserve to die?"

"Impossible!" Henry suddenly shouted. "Who told you that nonsense? Was it Baxa? I'm telling you, it's all slander! He..."

As Henry ranted, his face shifted to sudden realization. "I get it now! Sean Shaw refused to attack Baxa and sent you to meet him instead—it's a conspiracy! He must be in league with Baxa, plotting against the Xuanchen Clan and against us! Get it?"

Lucia was so exasperated she couldn’t even speak.

"I'm not defending the Xuanchen Clan... It's just, you know, they're my relatives, I know them! They're all wonderful people, really kind and gentle. I'll introduce you someday, they're honestly—"

"Fourth Highness!" Lucia called out. "His Majesty taught us, as Divine Generals, that every decision—even a single word—can have huge consequences for the lower realms! Our first duty is to understand the truth before making any judgment."

"Of course I know! The truth is Sean Shaw and Baxa are working together to harm us! Lucia, he's got a dark heart—far worse than you can imagine!"

"Then tell me, does the Xuanchen Clan send rare treasures every year to the Azure Dragon Lord's Manor and the Celestial Empress?" Lucia asked him.

Henry frowned. "They're not really rare treasures, just some little trinkets and odds and ends..."