"Who gave you permission to speak? Do you think you have the right to talk here? You're just a lowly son-in-law of the Zhou family. You're not even worthy to carry the shoes of our elders."
"Oh? Who's this? Emiya Shirou, the Zhou family's live-in son-in-law? Wow, impressive. But you're not good enough for Wa-zhu. She's about to file for divorce."
"Here's the divorce agreement. Sign it."
"Dragon King, the three-year deadline has arrived…"
…
Having absolutely no clue what the Zhou family's customs were really like, Emiya's brain involuntarily conjured up a montage of ridiculous "cocky Dragon King" drama scenes.
He focused on the so-called "elders" Wa-zhu had mentioned. As expected, they were all shriveled, wrinkled old men and women, each with the same serpentine lower bodies as Wa-zhu. Their slit-pupil eyes were dimmer and colder, and they wore traditional robes richly embroidered with mountains, stars, and mythical beasts.
One of the elders sitting at the head spoke first. "Which family are you from? What is your bloodline?"
His gaze was that of someone appraising a fine artifact. It made Emiya feel deeply uncomfortable, though he didn't show it out of respect for Wa-zhu.
"Decent appearance. Strong vitality. Dragon-like energy, tiger-like spirit. Not a bad base… But if your lineage is lowborn, you are not fit to enter the Zhou household."
Another elder added, eyes fixed on Emiya, though the words were directed at Wa-zhu.
Wa-zhu wasn't surprised. Bloodline supremacy had been the rule for thousands of years. But this time, it was different. In her eyes, Emiya was someone capable of reshaping the world.
"What I care about isn't blood. All of you need to open your eyes. Look at the era we live in. It's time for the rules to change."
"?"
This time, all the elders turned to stare at her. One of them exhaled angrily and accused, "Would you cast aside the law of the ancestors for your personal desires?"
Tension immediately flooded the room.
Emiya tugged discreetly at Wa-zhu's sleeve. Setting aside the fact that he didn't have strong feelings for her, Wa-zhu, while cute and pretty, did look a bit too young in appearance. He wasn't about to get himself tied down just for her… especially not as a live-in husband.
Then again, Wa-zhu had said the elders were stuck in feudal thinking. Maybe in their eyes, someone looking like Wa-zhu was already marriage age?
Still, that was definitely not something one should say to her face. If he did, she'd surely snap back in fury: "Just because I look young doesn't mean I am! I've been an adult for years, alright!?"
As Emiya spiraled through these thoughts, Wa-zhu gave him a quick wink. Her confident expression said, Relax, relax. You're not actually becoming a son-in-law. I've got this under control. Just follow my lead and wait for the grand finale surprise.
Then, with all eyes watching, Wa-zhu raised her hand and declared:
"Bring forth the Dragon Severing Platform!"
The elders all paled in shock. What are you trying to do!? Are you staging a coup!?
Wa-zhu, as the family head, had just summoned the ancestral sword—was she going to challenge the Zhou family itself!?
Under their anxious stares, Wa-zhu took the massive bronze sword—an ancient family treasure—and raised it high…
Then calmly handed it to Emiya.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The elders exhaled in relief, though their tones remained stern. In their eyes, Wa-zhu wasn't actually planning to rebel. She was just flexing a little—intimidating them, and now handing the weapon off to some unworthy attendant with poor lineage. (Emiya: ...Excuse me?)
"Hmph. Emiya, go ahead and draw it. Let the elders see it for themselves!" Wa-zhu put her hands in her pockets and smirked, face full of pride as if she had already won.
…So Emiya gripped the Dragon Severing Platform—and simply drew it out.
"...Huh?"
Why did he just pull it out like that? Where was the seal? Where was the spirit trial? How could he just skip the steps!?
The elders were dumbfounded.
Cough cough.
Wa-zhu began making gestures beside Emiya. Time to show off a little more.
Got it.
Emiya nodded, and in the next instant, poured his magical energy into the blade—awakening the dragon soul.
RUMMMMBLE—!
A great wind rose from flat ground. The sword let out a deep, thunderous dragon's roar. The elders' faces twisted in shock, their long beards and luxurious robes whipped about by the wind.
Then a powerful force emanated from the blade—dragon's might—pressing into their withered minds like a spike. They all hallucinated a giant, emotionless, wrathful dragon eye glaring down from the heavens...
Several shrieks rang out—some of the elders had clearly made a fool of themselves.
When they came back to their senses, the wind had vanished. Emiya had already sheathed the sword, calmly staring at the floor like nothing had happened.
Wa-zhu decided that was enough and let her smirk fade slightly. "Emiya possesses a rare talent. A true genius of artifact forging. His ability to resonate with magical weapons is unmatched. He has already formed a contract with the dragon spirit of the Dragon Severing Platform, and can now draw upon its power."
Just as the elders began to calm down, her words struck like another bombshell.
For countless years, they had only heard of the Dragon Severing Platform testing its wielders—harshly. To put it simply: the sword spirit would ask a deep, ultimate question. If you passed, you lived. If not—it would rip your consciousness apart and kill you.
When Wa-zhu had once activated it, she had been pulled into a mental realm and given a challenge about the observer effect—"If the observer disappears, does the observed world also cease to exist?" She had spent two whole days in mental battle with the sword spirit, eventually answering with a line from the Diamond Sutra: "Let the mind arise without clinging to anything."
And this guy?
He just… talked to it, and made a deal?
One elder finally spoke, weak and aged. "This... agreement with the Dragon Severing Platform, what exactly does it entail?"
Emiya replied plainly: "The Noble Phantasm's power is now mine to use. In return, I'll help restore its broken blade."
"Impossible! Absolutely not!" another elder barked, stroking his white beard. "The Dragon Severing Platform is a symbol of the Zhou family. It cannot be wielded by outsiders. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Wa-zhu prompted.
Another elder continued, "Unless he marries into the Zhou family."
Once bound by blood and law, a son-in-law would be subject to Zhou family rules. Then using the sword wouldn't be considered a violation.
Do your minds never leave the word "son-in-law"!
Emiya's eyelid twitched. Then, a sudden idea sparked in his mind. He glanced at Wa-zhu and gently tapped the sword's scabbard.
A subtle pulse of dragon's might leaked out.
The same eerie pressure returned. The elders' faces again shifted between green and white.
Agreeing to the son-in-law bit was already a big compromise, and now he wants more!?
Emiya thought to himself: Dear sirs, this is just like those ancient treaties—give up five cities today, ten more tomorrow. Better to just surrender to Wa-zhu now and find peace.
At that moment, Wa-zhu—like a Qin Dynasty empress staring down the six warring states—finally raised her hand like a ruler making judgment.
"I have one thing to say. I ask you all to listen..."
(End of Chapter)
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