Chapter 8: Must Get Married Even If Not Willing

  In the conference room, Zhao Guang sat at the head of the table, with Zhao Yanzi sitting beside him. The others took their seats on either side of the long table, some still looking bewildered and confused, while others already knew what was going on and had serious expressions.

  "Today I've gathered everyone here because Ah Zi lost her inner dan and it was picked up by an ordinary person." Zhao Guang broke the silence, saying.

  Many people were shocked when they heard this news and looked at each other in dismay.

  "Last Saturday was Xia Zi's first time practicing rain, originally it should have been Lu Zhanglao who assisted on the side, but Azi didn't like being restricted, so she secretly left Lu Zhanglao's supervision and practiced on her own, resulting in some mistakes."

  "Things are going badly under your management, please punish me, sir!" The old man with white hair and eyebrows was so frightened that he almost got down on his knees.

  "It's not your fault, it's just that Zi has a stubborn personality. Over the years, I've spoiled her too much." Zhao Guang turned his head to look at Zhao Yanzi again, then glanced around at everyone else, "The problem now is that Zi's inner elixir has fallen into someone else's hands."

  "If it's an ordinary person who took it away, just take it back." a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes said.

  "If it were that simple, I wouldn't have gathered you all here. Now an even more unexpected question is, how did this ordinary person swallow Ah Zi's inner dan?" Zhao Guang paused for a moment before continuing.

  Not just everyone present, but even Zhao Yanzi was stunned on the spot.

  "How is it possible... our clan's inner elixir..." Someone immediately raised a question.

  "Azizi's inner elixir was originally immature and small. Moreover, due to the coincidence of falling from the sky, it fell into the mouth of that ordinary person." Zhao Guang said steadily.

  The old men looked at each other again and began to discuss in a low voice.

  "It's been several thousand years since an ordinary person swallowed an internal elixir..."

  "Could it be that a cultivator in the mortal world has swallowed a dragon dan and yet hasn't exploded to death..."

  "Nowadays, there are hardly any cultivators left. Three hundred years ago, the last batch ascended to immortality, and now only two or three remain in the mundane world..."

  "She didn't die from exploding, that should be because Miss Azura's power is still weak and the energy of her internal elixir isn't very strong yet..."

  They whispered to each other for a full two minutes before gradually quieting down.

  "Elderly gentlemen, how do you think this matter should be resolved?" Zhao Guang asked after they had all calmed down.

  "This is no trivial matter, Miss Zi's inner elixir has been lost. Although there won't be any immediate danger in the short term, she will be unable to cultivate and will never be able to ascend to dragon form smoothly... According to our clan's records, if one loses their inner elixir before reaching maturity, even if their body is unharmed, they will not live past five years." The white-haired and mustachioed Elder Lu said after some thought.

  "In other words, if Little Purple doesn't retrieve her inner dan core, she won't live past 20 years old?" Zhao Guang asked.

  "With the help of heaven and earth's rare medicine, there may be a chance to extend one's lifespan or even safely recreate the inner elixir. But for Miss Ah Zi's body worth a million gold, it's not worth taking such a risk." Elder Lu replied.

  "Is it inside that ordinary person's belly?" The thick-browed and big-eyed man suddenly stood up, "How simple! Capture him, cut open his belly, and take back the inner elixir!"

  Zhao Guang's face was stern and he didn't say a word.

  "Zhao Lao Lao, it's been 200 years and you still haven't changed your violent temper?" A woman with thick eyebrows and big eyes standing next to him said disapprovingly.

  "Azizi's life is important, but you are just an ordinary person, nothing but an ant!" Old Man Zhao shouted.

  He said so, and several other elders nodded slightly in agreement.

  "Just kill him directly and throw him into the sea, and no one will know!" Old Zhao continued.

  Upon hearing this, those few elderly men who were just about to nod in agreement couldn't help but furrow their brows once again.

  Zhao Guang ignored the elder Zhao and looked at the other elders, "Do any of you have any other suggestions?"

  Old Zhao sat down with a humph and turned to ask the woman beside him, "Did I say something wrong?"

  "The boss said that to learn to be a modern person, how can you not change your Jianghu habits for hundreds of years? You're so good at fighting and killing, I'll see how you get through this year's heavenly calamity!" The woman gave him a glance.

  "I'm also good at talking tough, but I've never taken a life." Old Zhao couldn't help but give an embarrassed smile.

  "Shut up and see what other elders have to say." The woman still glared at him with dissatisfaction.

  At this time, another white-haired elder stood up, "If you want to save the mortal's life and let the young lady pass through this crisis safely, there is a way."

  Zhao Guang waved his hand, "Speak!"

  However, the old man hesitated for a few seconds, "It's just... I don't know if I should say it or not."

  "There's nothing you can't say, just speak your mind, I won't blame you," said Zhao Guang.

  "Ah, good." The old man nodded, "Actually, if that mortal can absorb the dragon dan and cultivate some small achievements, he can also transfer some dragon energy to Miss Azura, so that her vitality will not be damaged."

  "Let's not discuss whether he, as an ordinary mortal, is qualified to practice our clan's techniques. Even if your method works, what will happen 5 years later, when Ah Zi turns 20?" Zhao Guang asked.

  "That... when the dragon dan grows up, we can divide it in half and give one half to the young lady. After all, this dragon dan originally came from the young lady's body, so there won't be any danger. The method is, as long as both people..." At this point, the old man suddenly dragged out his voice.

  "What's going on between you two?" Zhao Guang asked anxiously.

  "As long as two people... " The old man made a big thumb touching big thumb gesture, and then, with some difficulty, spat out two words, "Round house."

  "What!" Zhao Yanzi's face turned purple for half a second before she shrieked and jumped up, "Old Sun, you shameless old bastard!"

  "How dare you!" Zhao Guang glared at his daughter, a surge of powerful pressure bursting forth, forcing Zhao Yanzi back into her seat.

  "Mr. Sun's words might indeed be a solution." The white-haired and mustachioed Mr. Lu suddenly spoke up, "In fact, even if we follow Mr. Zhao's method and extract the elixir from that mortal, this internal elixir would still be tainted by the mortal's aura, and sending it back into Miss's body may not be safe after all. There might still be unknown risks involved. As for Mr. Sun's method, I've also seen it in ancient texts - it's a clever technique to conceive an elixir, a way of cultivating on behalf of someone else. However, this method takes a very long time and requires the assistance of another cultivator who originally didn't have internal elixir. The benefits that person receives are also minimal, with too many restrictions, which is why it's gradually been lost to the ages. But for Miss's situation, it might be worth trying."

  "I won't!" Zhao Yanzi shouted immediately, "I'd rather die than do it!"

  Zhao Guang ignored his daughter's cries, and with a casual wave of his hand, Ah Zi suddenly seemed to be wrapped in an invisible restraint, unable to move or cry out.

  Zhao Guang faced Lü Changlao, furrowing his brow, "If that's the case... won't Ah Zi have to follow that mortal..."

  "This is also an unavoidable thing..." said Lu Zhanglao humbly.

  Zhao Guang sank into thought for a moment, "What about that young man's character?"

  "I've investigated, that young fellow named Hao Ren is of good character, and he's very filial to his grandmother. He didn't study hard in college, but his grades were still passable, not a foolish person at all, nor a worldly playboy. Most importantly, he's still unmarried, doesn't even have a girlfriend." Lao Lao replied.

  "There have been some precedents for intermarriage between the Dragon Clan and human beings, although it's rare. As long as one has the right status, practicing our clan's techniques is a natural thing to do." Zhao Guang thought for a moment, "Let's go sound out that young man's intentions, if everything is fine, we can settle on this arrangement."