Chapter 38:

To prevent Ao Fugui from throwing a tantrum, Yan Zhi quickly expressed her feelings. She stepped forward, trying to pull the sack from Xue Ying’s hands, but despite her efforts, she couldn’t retrieve it. Not only that, before she could even say a word, Xue Ying’s murderous intent surged toward her.

“Daoist…”

Before Yan Zhi could finish her sentence, the Dragon King interjected, “Prime Minister, there are plenty of fish in the sea. If a money-grubbing female cultivator like this enters your household, she’ll abandon you when disaster strikes, and your family fortune will be plundered clean.”

Xue Ying chimed in, “Exactly, exactly.”

The Dragon King earnestly advised Yan Zhi, “Better a short pain than a long one. It’s better to pay her off now than suffer unforeseen calamities later.”

Xue Ying, “Exactly, exactly.”

The Dragon King added, “Don’t worry, the East Sea will cover this expense. Consider it work-related compensation—no need for the Prime Minister to spend a dime.”

Xue Ying, “Exactly, exactly.”

This parrot act finally made the Dragon King turn his head toward Xue Ying. Just as before, nothing had changed—she still carried the sack on her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

*Hmph, women.*

Ao Fugui jumped in to compete for favor, “But he shouldn’t get more than me!”

The Dragon King frowned, “Is that any way to speak to your father?”

Ao Fugui changed his tone, tugging at the Dragon King’s sleeve, “But Daddy, I’m just not happy about it.”

The Dragon King patted his head affectionately, “Good son, let me teach you a lesson. A scholar will die for his confidant. If you treat the Prime Minister well, he will one day work tirelessly for you—seven days a week, nine to nine, no problem.”

Yan Zhi wiped cold sweat from her brow. Setting aside her dealings with the dragon clan for now, the main issue was Xue Ying. Weren’t they supposed to be devoted to each other? How did it turn into this money-grubbing mess?

“Your Majesty, Xiao Hong and I share a deep bond. I brought her to the East Sea with the intention of building a life together.”

This lie might fool the Dragon King, but Ao Fugui wasn’t buying it. “Dad, don’t listen to the Prime Minister’s nonsense. This swordswoman, Xiao Hong, likes someone else. She’s just using our Prime Minister as a backup.”

Yan Zhi now understood the meaning of “hoist with one’s own petard.” The Dragon King’s gaze shifted between her and Xue Ying before he sighed deeply. “Prime Minister, you’re peerless in strategy, yet you stumble in matters of the heart. Let me teach you a trick. With women like this, you should have ten or a hundred of them. One is a backup, but with ten or a hundred, the tables turn.”

What backup? What scoundrel? It’s all just a numbers game.

After imparting his wisdom on romance, the Dragon King pointed at Xue Ying. “In short, this kind of woman is no good.”

In the art of seduction, Yan Zhi was utterly outmatched by the Dragon King. Unable to argue, she could only turn to Xue Ying for help—*stop carrying that sack and focus on the bigger picture!*

“Xiao Hong…”

Xue Ying had already made up her mind. “Prime Minister, can we break up first? After I get the money, you can come back in three days to reconcile. Deal?”

Yan Zhi, “…”

*This gold-digging, heartless scoundrel!*

Furious, she grabbed Xue Ying’s wrist and sneered, “In the East Sea, you don’t get a say.”

Xue Ying stared at Yan Zhi for a moment before suddenly realizing—*oh, we’re doing the angsty, forced-love trope now?* After a brief thought, she simply picked Yan Zhi up and tossed her back into the carriage, pinning her against the seat with one hand. Leaning down, she growled, “Man, you’ve got some nerve.”

Yan Zhi covered her face in agony. The scene was right, but the script was all wrong.

Fortunately, the Dragon King knew how to take care of his subordinates. He immediately called for the shrimp soldiers and crab generals to apprehend Xue Ying. After a half-hearted struggle, Xue Ying was subdued by a turtle. Glaring at Yan Zhi, she spat, “Yan Zhi, just you wait.”

The frail Yan Zhi clung to the carriage door, her face pale as she weakly delivered her lines, “You’re the one in the wrong, Xiao Hong.”

*Damn it, Xue Ying, why’d you have to be so rough?*

With Xue Ying gone, only the spectating Nühou remained. The Dragon King cracked sunflower seeds and asked, “You also want to break up and reconcile later?”

Nühou nodded sheepishly. “Uh, I’ll skip the acting. Just point me to the prison—I’ll go myself.”

Yan Zhi’s eye twitched. She’d seen femme fatales and bloodthirsty demonesses, but this was her first encounter with a naive sweetheart like Nühou, who *volunteered* for prison.

*Are you hoping to reenact Xue Ying’s drama with Ao Fugui?*

Too exhausted to argue, Yan Zhi waved over a ninja turtle to escort Nühou away. Before leaving, Ao Fugui held Nühou’s hand, reluctant to part. “Even if iron bars separate us, my love for you will never fade.”

Nühou nodded absentmindedly, thinking *whatever*, before turning to the guards with a businesslike attitude. “Can I be Xiao Hong’s cellmate?”

As Nühou and Ao Fugui disappeared into the distance, the Dragon King switched from sunflower seeds to shredded squid. The monarch and his minister walked toward the grand hall, dismissing their attendants to discuss serious matters.

“The Five-Colored Divine Feather has been located.”

Yan Zhi hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. “Originally, the Daoist and I planned to use the feather as bait to lure the demoness to the East Sea. Once we captured her, the feather would belong to the dragon clan. But…”

The Dragon King nodded approvingly—it was a solid plan. “But what?”

Yan Zhi deadpanned, “The demoness surrendered for free.”

She got herself arrested along with the farce.

*If I’d known the demoness was this dumb, why did I bother with that tragic love act? I could’ve just thrown her in jail and taken the feather.*

The Dragon King disagreed. After some discussion, he issued orders. “The demonic clan hasn’t shown themselves in ages. Why would they act so recklessly? She must have a scheme. Increase security and patrol rigorously until the Taichu Sect arrives. Once we have the feather, whether she has a countermeasure against them is none of our concern.”

Yan Zhi nodded, speculating internally. Given the timing, Daoist Cen Wuwang was probably already on his way. For now, they just had to wait.

“As for the Crown Prince…”

The Dragon King rubbed his temples and sighed heavily. “Come with me.”

While the monarch and minister held their secret meeting, Ao Fugui returned from visiting the prison.

Hoping to have a serious talk with his elders, he signaled the guards to stay quiet and carried a pile of treasures looted from Yunmeng Lake, planning a surprise.

Peeking inside, he saw the Dragon King and Yan Zhi transform into streaks of light, heading toward the rear of the palace. Ao Fugui was puzzled—that direction led to the dragon clan’s sacred grounds, a place even he was forbidden to enter. Why was his father taking the Prime Minister there?

Dropping his gifts, he stealthily followed, concealing his aura as he traversed the dark catacombs. He stopped before a cavern glittering with crystal clusters, thick with spiritual energy and rarely visited. Before he could figure out what this place was, he overheard their conversation.

“Since our dragon clan left the demon realm, each generation has declined. The birth of the True Dragon Emperor was a blessing, and with the Prime Minister’s aid, I’d hoped our clan would rise again and return to the demon world. But now, this mishap…”

Yan Zhi murmured, “Your Majesty, do not despair. The Crown Prince is young and was deceived by villains. With proper guidance, he will surely return to the right path.”

The Dragon King sighed. “It won’t be easy. My health worsens by the day—I may not live to see it.”

A heavy silence fell. Ao Fugui’s heart sank as he recalled recent events. He truly loved Nühou, but if his feelings hindered the dragon clan’s future…

After much hesitation, he steeled himself for a father-son talk—only to hear Yan Zhi ask, “Your Majesty, what is this?”

She held a small golden hammer the Dragon King had handed her, confused until he wheeled in a cart of golden eggs.

“Your Majesty…”

The Dragon King coughed awkwardly. “Do you know why the dragon clan hasn’t seen a True Dragon Emperor in millennia?”

Yan Zhi knew the answer. “After the dragon-phoenix war, most of our kind were slaughtered. The survivors struggled to produce strong descendants.”

The Dragon King shook his head. “Wrong. The True Dragon Emperor’s bloodline is no different from ordinary dragons—it’s all about luck.”

Yan Zhi blinked. “Luck?”

“Exactly. The True Dragon Emperor is blessed by destiny—a child of heaven itself. With one among us, our clan would surely rise again.”

But this was an elusive thing, and the ritual drained one’s vitality. Countless dragon kings had tried and failed. Today, he wanted to test Yan Zhi’s luck—maybe she’d hit the jackpot on the first try.

Rubbing his hands excitedly, the Dragon King urged, “Give it a whack.”

“Huh?”

Done with pretenses, the Dragon King clarified, “I’m telling you to open a loot box—get me a True Dragon Emperor buff.”

Rather than waiting for Ao Fugui to grow up, have children, and then wait for *his* children to grow up, why not try their luck here? If they got lucky, they could slap the buff on him, and he’d become the second True Dragon Emperor.

Yan Zhi, “…”

*Your dragon clan’s reproduction methods seem a bit… unconventional?*