A Forced Marriage

In the meeting room, Zhao Guang sat at the head of the table with Zhao Yanzi next to him and the others took seats on both sides. Some of them looked puzzled about the situation while others had grim expressions on their faces since they had known about the reason for this meeting.

"The reason I summoned you to this meeting is that Zi lost her internal core to a mortal." Zhao Guang was the first to speak.

Upon hearing this information, many of them looked at each other in astonishment.

"Last Saturday was Zi's first time creating the rainfall. Elder Lu was supposed to assist her, but Zi, not liking the supervision, left Elder Lu to practice on her own. That was how the misfortune happened."

"I didn't do my job. Dragon…Boss, please punish me!" Panicked, the elderly with white eyebrows and white hair was about to leave his seat and kneel.

"It wasn't your fault. Zi is too stubborn, a result of my spoiling." Zhao Guang glanced at Zhao Yanzi before looking around. "The problem is that Zi's internal core is in someone else's hands."

"If some mortal took it, we can just take it back," a man with bushy eyebrows and big eyes suggested.

"If it was that simple, I wouldn't have summoned you here. Something unexpected happened: the mortal swallowed Zi's internal core," Zhao Guang continued after a pause.

This piece of information stunned everyone at the meeting, including Zhao Yanzi.

"How is that possible? The internal core of our tribe…" Someone questioned the possibility immediately.

"Zi's internal core has not matured and is very small. When it fell from the sky, it dropped into the mortal's mouth by accident," Zhao Guang explained in a steady voice.

Looking at each other, the elders began to talk in low voices.

"A mortal swallowing an internal core has not happened in the past thousands of years…"

"Is the person a cultivator in the mortal world since this mortal has not exploded after swallowing the internal core…"

"There are almost no cultivators left after the last bunch flew up from here 300 years ago. Maybe only two or three are still living in the mortal world…"

"The fact that the mortal has not exploded should be due to the weak power of Ms. Zi's internal core…"

They talked in whispers for at least two minutes before they quieted down gradually.

"Elders, how do you think we should solve this problem?" Zhao Guang asked when they stopped talking.

"This matter is quite serious. Although Ms. Zi will not be in danger in the near future, without her internal core, she will not be able to cultivate and can't transform into a dragon. Besides, according to the ancient records, members of our tribe can't live more than five years after the loss of their internal core before maturity even if he or she is healthy," after some consideration, Elder Lu with white eyebrows and white hair said.

"Does it mean Zi will not live beyond 20 if she can't retrieve her internal core?" Zhao Guang asked.

"She may extend her life or even grow another internal core with the help of miracle herbs of nature, but Ms. Zi is too precious to take the risk," Elder Lu warned.

"Is it in the stomach of the mortal sitting outside?" That man with bushy eyebrows and big eyes stood up abruptly. "It's simple! Bring him in here and cut open his stomach. We'll get the internal core back!"

Zhao Guang remained silent, he looked livid.

"Elder Zhao, it's been 200 years, and you are still hot-tempered," the woman sitting next to the man said disapprovingly.

"Zi's life is at risk here, and the mortal is just an ant!" Elder Zhao shouted.

At his outburst, some other elders seemed to be nodding.

"Kill him and dump his body into the sea. No one would know," Elder Zhao continued.

Hearing this plan, the elders who were about to nod began to frown.

Ignoring Elder Zhao, Zhao Guang turned to the other elders, "How about other elders? Do you have any other suggestions?"

Sulkily, Elder Zhao sat down and turned to ask the woman next to him, "Was I wrong?"

"The boss had told us to learn to be modern people. It's been hundreds of years now, and you still act and speak like a gangster. I wonder how you can survive the Heavenly Tribulation this year!" The woman glanced at him in.

"I'm just all words and no action. You know I never kill." Elder Zhao smiled embarrassedly.

"Shut up and listen to the other elders." The woman still gave him a disapproving look.

Meanwhile, another white-haired elder stood up, "There is one solution that can both keep the mortal alive and help Ms. Zi survive the crisis."

With a wave of his big hand, Zhao Guang said, "Tell us!"

However, the elder hesitated for several seconds before saying, "But…I don't know if I should say it."

"There is nothing you can't say. Say whatever you want, and I won't punish you," Zhao Guang encouraged.

"Umm, fine." The elderly nodded. "In fact, if the mortal can absorb the dragon core and gain some degree of cultivation, he can transfer some dragon essence to Ms. Zi to sustain her vital essence."

"Now let's put aside the problem that a mortal might not be able to cultivate using our techniques. Even if your plan works, what should we do when Zi is 20 years old, five years later?"

"Then…the dragon core will be strong and big enough, and he can share half of it with Ms. Zi. After all, the dragon core originated from her and will not pose any risks to her. They can achieve this result by…"

"By what?" Zhao Guang asked immediately.

"By…" The elderly brought his thumbs together and spat out one word with difficulty, "Consummation."

"What?!" Zhao Yanzi froze for half a second before jumping up and shrieking, "Oldman Sun! You are a disgraceful jerk at such an old age!"

"Behave!" Zhao Guang glared at his daughter and emitted a powerful presence which pushed Zhao Yanzi back into her seat.

"Elder Sun's plan may be a plausible solution," Elder Lu with white eyebrows and white hair spoke up abruptly. "In fact, even if we did as Elder Zhao suggested and took the core out by cutting open his stomach, it would not be safe to put the contaminated core back into Ms. Zi's body. I've read about the solution mentioned by Elder Sun in an ancient book. It's a kind of surrogate core cultivation. The problem with this kind of cultivation is that it takes a long time and needs the assistance of a cultivator without an internal core. In addition to all the restrictions, the cultivator will get very few benefits, and that is why the method had gradually lost its appeal and is not practiced anymore. However, in the case of Ms. Zi, it's worth a try."

"No!" Zhao Yanzi shouted immediately, "I'd rather die!"

Ignoring his daughter's outburst, Zhao Guang waved his hand, and Zi froze as if she was bound with an invisible rope since she could neither move nor yell.

Turning to Elder Lu, Zhao Guang furrowed his brows. "If we take this solution…Doesn't it mean Zi and the mortal will have to…"

"We don't have a choice…" Elder Lu said humbly.

After a moment's consideration, Zhao Guang asked, "How about the guy's character?"

"I did some investigating. His name is Hao Ren, and he is kind-hearted and very good to his grandma. Though not very hardworking at his university, he has a passable score. He is neither stupid nor a libertine. More importantly, he is not married and doesn't even have a girlfriend."

"The marriages between dragons and humans are rare but are not unheard of. Once he gets a new dragon identity, it's not against our law for him to cultivate our techniques." Zhao Guang thought for a while. "Let's hear him out and see how he responses to the plan. If he agrees, then the matter is settled."