The Dragon

Love is More Important than Status

Gu Fuyou took the plate, her head slightly lowered. After a moment, she forced a smile and said, “I forgot. It was just a few months old then…”

The little girl had already climb down from Ah Fu and called out, “Mother.”

Zhong Michu turned and gestured to her, saying, “Yi’er.”

Gu Fuyou felt a great shock in her heart, her gaze trembling, her eyes dry yet filled with a harsh bitterness. She looked at Zhong Michu and asked in disbelief, “What did you call her?”

Zhong Michu replied, “Yi’er, come here.”

Yi’er ran over and hugged Zhong Michu’s waist, looking up at her with a smile. Zhong Michu gently stroked her cheek.

“You call her Yi’er?”

“It’s her nickname. She hasn’t been formally named yet.”

Gu Fuyou’s eyes warmed up, her heart tingling and softening. She called out gently, “Zhong Michu.”

Zhong Michu asked, “Don’t you like it?”

Because some pains and regrets are so deeply embedded in the heart, they can never be fully healed. Even just sharing a name can fill some of the emptiness. Gu Fuyou’s feelings were complicated, not just happiness, making her unable to think straight. After all, it was Zhong Michu’s daughter, yet Zhong Michu seemed to be asking for her approval.

“I like it,” Gu Fuyou’s voice was hoarse with emotion. How could she not like it? “Senior Sister Zhong, may I hold her?”

Zhong Michu nodded. Gu Fuyou squatted down and gestured, “Yi’er, come here.”

Zhong Michu gently tapped Yi’er’s arm. Understanding her mother’s intention, Yi’er approached Gu Fuyou. Gu Fuyou examined her face closely and then hugged her tightly in her arms.

Zhong Michu said, “Yi’er, she is…”

Yi’er interrupted, “I know, she’s Senior Auntie.”

“Senior Auntie?” Zhong Michu turned to Gu Fuyou, her look meaningful. “What’s the matter?”

Gu Fuyou explained, “You and I were fellow disciples for a year. I call you Senior Sister, and you’ve never objected. Can’t she call me Senior Auntie?”

“She’s a Golden Dragon,” Zhong Michu said, not expecting Yi’er to find her so soon, and that Gu Fuyou would eagerly have Yi’er call her Senior Auntie. She had wanted to find a better time to introduce them. But now, she didn’t want Gu Fuyou to keep guessing.

“A Golden Dragon? How so?” Gu Fuyou touched Yi’er’s cheek, her smile bright and pure. She was in the shadows, looking at the flowers in the sunlight, always smiling knowingly.

“Huh? A Golden Dragon?!”

The offspring of a Divine Dragon and an Azure Phoenix should either be a Divine Dragon or an Azure Phoenix. How could there be a Golden Dragon? Gu Fuyou frowned, grasping at something in her mind, and tentatively asked Zhong Michu, “Senior Sister, are you with a Golden Dragon…”

Zhong Michu’s slightly pale face and helpless eyes said it all. Gu Fuyou’s heart leapt with uncertainty, yet she couldn’t be sure. To stop her wild guesses, Zhong Michu revealed, “She’s from the dragon egg we won back then.”

Gu Fuyou was stunned for a long time, her body warming up with surprise and excitement, unable to sit still. She asked incredulously, “She’s from that dragon egg? But how, she was in a deep sleep…”

Zhong Michu saw her looking bewildered, a hint of her old self emerging in her joyful expression. She looked at her with a mix of pity and melancholy, silently hoping she would always remain this way. “It might be because of the Qilin marrow showing signs of awakening. It was nurtured for about a hundred years and only cracked open a few years ago.”

Gu Fuyou, with tears brimming in her eyes, uttered a trembling, low murmur, “Really? She’s that dragon egg. She’s that dragon egg.” She seemed unable to say anything else.

Gu Fuyou put her hands on Yi’er’s shoulders, looking at her affectionately. She bit her lip as her eyes grew warmer, and couldn’t resist hugging her again. At this moment, her happiness was magnified, and she said deeply, “Senior Sister Zhong, you truly make flowers bloom in my heart.”

Gu Fuyou sat Yi’er next to her at the stone table, finding her more endearing the more she looked at her. The girl was naturally beautiful, which made Gu Fuyou fond of her at first sight, and now knowing Yi’er’s name, her affection doubled. Now, knowing she was that dragon egg was like finding a seed she had planted in her life’s journey, thinking the road ahead barren only to find a delicate blooming tree, a seed she had once planted – what a stunning surprise. This was a sweet moment amid life’s bitterness, turning her affection complete.

Holding Yi’er’s head close, as if she had found a treasure she didn’t want to let go, Gu Fuyou said to Zhong Michu, “That dragon egg was something we got together, and she even used my blood. I have a share in this daughter too, she should call me mother.”

Zhong Michu said, “You want to be my daughter’s mother.”

“Yes,” Gu Fuyou frowned, sensing something off in that statement, and then suggested, “…Or else, she can acknowledge me as her godmother.”

Zhong Michu looked at her silently. Gu Fuyou: “…”

Zhong Michu asked Yi’er, “What do you think, Yi’er?”

Yi’er looked blankly at Zhong Michu. Zhong Michu softly said, “She is the person I told you about, the one who won you back from others.”

Yi’er’s eyes brightened: “Is she Ah Man Mother?”

Zhong Michu replied, “Yes.”

“But Mother, didn’t you say…”

“She’s back now.”

Yi’er gazed intently at Gu Fuyou, leaning into her embrace, her bright eyes examining her, and tentatively called out, “Ah Man Mother.”

Gu Fuyou felt a warm spot in her heart, gently responding, “Mhm.” She wondered what Zhong Michu had told her about this title.

Yi’er’s eyes twinkled as she said, “I’ve wanted to meet you so much.” She was so innocent. Looking at her, Gu Fuyou felt like she could momentarily step into the sunshine.

“When I was still in the egg, Mother often talked to me about you.”

Gu Fuyou was startled, asking, “What did she say?”

“She talked about your trip to Xian Luo, how you found Ah Fu, wandering through markets, how you won me back, went to Xingyue Slope, to Xiaoyao City. Back and forth, I’ve memorized it all…”

Yi’er sat on a stone stool, swinging her legs back and forth. Gu Fuyou stood by, quietly listening to her, as if their meeting was condensed into this moment in time.

Zhong Michu had asked Si Miao to take Xiao Zhongting to rest in the hall. She stood by the gingko tree, in front of four people. Two of them, men in sturdy attire and commanding presence, were her close attendants, Yinhe and Xinghan.

The other two were from the Merchants’ Association, a man and a woman, with the woman being beautiful in a red dress and the man in a long robe with a smiling face. Because she had to find Xiao Zhongting, she couldn’t stay away for long to avoid drawing Zuo Shaode’s attention, so she had instructed these two to contact Xiao Zhongting.

Zhong Michu asked, “Vice President, I had instructed not to inform the Eastern Sea of my whereabouts, how did Yi’er find me?”

The man, sweating profusely, edged closer to the woman, muttering, “Kunling, save me.”

Kunling smiled and said, “Your Majesty, it was the young princess, no, the young empress who asked. She wanted to find you, and naturally, we prioritized the young empress’s command.”

Zhong Michu looked at her for a long time, then said indifferently, “Oh.”

Kunling was uncertain about her reaction – whether it was good or bad, whether she was angry or indifferent.

Xinghan saluted and said, “Your Majesty…”

Zhong Michu interrupted, “General Xinghan, I am no longer your empress.”

Xinghan was momentarily speechless, his opening words stuck in his throat, unsure of how to continue.

Yinhe patted his shoulder and stepped forward, “Your Majesty, that day when the old clan leader challenged you and you suddenly disappeared, it terrified him. In the time we’ve been searching for you, the old clan leader has compromised. He’s willing to accept whether you prefer men or women, as long as you bear an heir…” The old clan leader was Di Jun, the former Dragon King, now referred to as such by his clan.

Zhong Michu looked at Yinhe, her gaze too cold. Yinhe quickly added, “Actually, the old clan leader said, if you really don’t want to, it’s also okay.”

Xinghan said, “Your Majesty, please return to the Eastern Sea. Your sudden disappearance has thrown the Eastern Sea into chaos. The young princess is too young to handle the clan’s affairs, and now it’s all being managed by the old clan leader.”

Zhong Michu glanced toward the stone table. Yi’er was sitting there, talking with Gu Fuyou, who was bending over. Gu Fuyou’s eyes were smiling, and the wind rustled the leaves, creating a tranquil moment.

A few years ago, after Zhong Michu reached adulthood in her Dragon form, Di Jun became increasingly eager for her to reproduce. The White Dragon lineage had only the two of them left, and the royal lineage was dwindling. Without heirs, if both of them either ascended or perished, there would be no White Dragons left in this world.

Unfortunately, Zhong Michu had no interest in this. Apart from cultivating, managing affairs, and taking care of Yi’er, she was uninterested. Di Jun, worried and anxious, even went so far as to send people into her palace – men, women, robust, delicate, cold, handsome, charming, gentle, from the dragon race or the human race, all kinds.

He wholeheartedly believed that desire was a natural instinct of the dragon race. Although Zhong Michu was raised among humans, the dragon blood flowed in her veins; he thought she couldn’t remain uninterested. But Zhong Michu sent everyone back and appointed Yinhe and Xinghan as her personal guards, guarding her palace doors, preventing any unwanted visitors.

Di Jun’s hopes were dashed. Later, when Zhong Michu formed a relationship with Jiu Yao, despite the old feud between the Dragon and the Azure Phoenix Clans, the enmity had faded over thousands of years of non-contact. With both clan leaders getting along, the relationship between the two clans improved. Di Jun thought, “If it’s with Jiu Yao, so be it. It’s better than being celibate.” He hoped they would marry and even told Zhong Michu, “You don’t have to marry first, just share a room. The clan doesn’t care about formalities.”

Zhong Michu clarified, “We’re just friends.”

With no other options, Di Jun switched from covert pressure to overt coercion: “Giving birth to an heir is your duty as the Dragon King.”

“Then I shall abdicate.”

“Do you really think the clan wouldn’t dare to remove you from your position? Yi’er is also of the royal family; you’re not indispensable as the Dragon King!”

Both were highly esteemed in their clan, and neither would submit to the other’s command. Among the Dragon Clan, strength was respected, and when decisions were tough, they followed the lead of the stronger one. A fight broke out between the two White Dragons, or rather, Di Jun attempted to force Zhong Michu into submission with martial strength. This caused great upheaval in the Eastern Sea, with huge waves crashing.

In the heat of battle, it’s hard to hold back. Di Jun injured Zhong Michu at a vulnerable spot near her heart. In a moment of shock, he loosened his grip, and in a blink, Zhong Michu transformed into a streak of light and disappeared, leaving the clan members in utter astonishment.

Initially, Di Jun was surprised, but having lived for ten thousand years and possessing extraordinary experience, he calmed down and guessed it was a summoning. He sent clan members and the Merchants Association to search for Zhong Michu’s whereabouts.

After some time with no substantial leads, Di Jun began to worry. He had already uncovered the past events involving Yunran and Di Wujing. He knew Zhong Michu had some resistance towards the Dragon Clan in her heart and was indifferent to the throne. She was willing to take on the responsibility only because of her identity and out of gratitude for being saved in the past. Di Jun feared that this time, if Zhong Michu left, she might never return.

His concern gradually turned into anxiety, and the Eastern Sea experienced several floods.

It wasn’t until Kunling brought news that Zhong Michu was in Wantong City that Di Jun fully compromised. He only requested to bring the dragon back, letting everything else be up to her.

Seeing that Zhong Michu remained silent, Yinhe couldn’t help but call out again, “Your Majesty.”

Zhong Michu turned her gaze back, her eyes downcast, and said, “Return to the Eastern Sea and inform the old clan leader that he should handle the clan affairs for a while. I will return after some time.”

“Yes,” Yinhe replied, relieved to hear her words. Seeing that she hadn’t completely severed ties with the Eastern Sea, he didn’t dare press her further. After all, she was willing to return eventually, so let it be after some time.