What Dragon King Live-in Son-in-Law

Some time earlier, when the Wa Lord and Shirou Emiya met.

Shirou had never before encountered a being like the Wa Lord, with a human head and a serpent's body—not a snake-shaped Death Servant, but a true member of that race.

It wasn't that he held any prejudice; rather, knowing about Chinese Paladin from his past life, the title "Wa Lord" easily brought to mind the Nuwa Clan, descendants of the goddess Nuwa from the Age of Gods. Generation after generation, they inherited her divine power, taking it upon themselves to protect the world.

But at this point in time, the single-player game version of Chinese Paladin should have already been released...

Seeing him lost in thought, the Wa Lord teased, "It's rare for our Zhou Family to entertain an outsider like this. Most people, upon seeing my serpent tail, either tremble in fear to the point of fainting or fly into a rage, thinking they've stumbled into a demon's lair. But you? You're as calm as if I were nothing at all."

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I spaced out. I just randomly thought of Nuwa..."

Shirou couldn't very well say: Wow, Wa Lord, your appearance is just like a certain game series' design. In the future, that game will get manga, novel, and film adaptations, becoming a massive hit across the land. Characters like Zixuan and Zhao Ling'er, with similar human-headed serpent bodies, will become the dream lovers of countless people...

"Hmph, so you know there's a Wa in the world? Thunder Marsh gave birth to the Divine Daughter; from the ultimate yin, all things arise!" The Wa Lord recited an ancient history. The Classic of Mountains and Seas records that in Cloud Thunder Marsh lived the Thunder God, with a human head and a dragon's body. The divine maiden Huaxu trespassed into his territory, stepped on his footprint, and conceived Fuxi and Nuwa.

Then the Wa Lord explained that their Zhou Family's mixed-blood lineage was inherited from ancient Nuwa, passing down the human-headed, serpent-bodied form through generations, forming the Nuwa Clan. Each head of the Zhou Family took the name "Wa Lord," and only someone like her, with serpent features, could hold the position... As she spoke, she suddenly noticed Shirou's face showing an expression of understanding.

What are you understanding, kid... And where did you learn that from?

The Wa Lord puffed out her cheeks, a little indignant.

"I have to say, you've got quite a few strange secrets on you..."

Earlier, when Shirou Emiya had spoken at length about Magic Circuits and Refining Essence into Qi, the Wa Lord had developed a keen interest in him. She'd sent her subordinate Zhou Yuxuan to test him, never expecting a Death Servant attack to interrupt things midway... But later, Shirou pulled out the Dragon Severing Platform without going through the spirit trial—that twist of fate served as proof of his genuine ability.

If that was the case, then his so-called Magus training was probably real... The Wa Lord's heart burned with excitement. Gathering the essence of heaven and earth for one's own use, absorbing the power of the world into oneself—this was the dawn of a new era... a brand-new path to the heavens, a path to immortality, a Path to Godhood!

If it could be spread, from now on it would be the age of cultivators. The old, traditional mixed-bloods would be swept into the trash heap of history, and the world would enter a new epoch. At this turning point between old and new eras, the Zhou Family must seize the leading role, rising with overwhelming momentum!

The Wa Lord pondered for a moment and came to a decision.

Just then, Shirou Emiya was about to bring up the aftermath of the Death Servant attack. "...Speaking of which, have the results of the investigation into that day's incident come in? That meeting you arranged with me should have been kept secret. Were those guys transporting the Death Servants just a lucky guess?"

"A lucky guess? In a way, yes, but also no..." The Wa Lord opened her folding fan to cover half her face, uttering a somewhat contradictory, meaningful statement.

"Few knew about your meeting with Zhou Yuxuan, but before that, another incident had already come to the attention of many family factions."

Shirou suddenly remembered. "The Tomb of the Three Kings ruins involved multiple families! Some family orchestrated this, intending to send Death Servants into the ruins ahead of time... So the goal is—"

"The Tomb of the Three Kings was originally led by our Zhou Family. No matter what accident occurs, it would put the Zhou Family in a bad light." The Wa Lord's voice turned cold.

"Right, and..." Shirou stared at the Wa Lord's agilely swaying serpent tail. Almost all the attackers that day were snake-shaped Death Servants. In this region of the land, that was practically a blatant attempt to pin the blame on the Zhou Family.

Noticing Shirou's fixed gaze, the Wa Lord suddenly smiled, her serpent body twisting seductively. "If I reckon the time, that kid Zhou Yuxuan should be waking up about now. Come with me to check on him."

"Sure, with Old Tang looking after him, it shouldn't be a problem... Uh, Wa Lord, what are you doing?" Shirou saw the Wa Lord open her arms.

"Carry me over."

"Isn't that a bit...?"

The Wa Lord pointed at the ground. Only then did Shirou notice that her serpentine lower half, all the way to the tail, was "sitting" on a flat, low platform, not touching the ground at all. The long hem of her Tang-style dress was also gathered up:

"You see? If you don't carry me, I'll have to slither along the ground, and then my lower body and clothes will get all dusty."

Shirou Emiya naturally didn't know that the Wa Lord usually had family members carry her around in a sedan chair. So he had no choice but to carry her on his back all the way to see Zhou Yuxuan. Incidentally, the entire way, he felt the strange, awkward sensation of a serpent body coiled around his waist.

After the visit, the Wa Lord didn't end the trip. Instead, she lay on Shirou's back and waved her delicate little hand: "Carrying me once is the same as carrying me twice. Why not take me one more leg? This time, I'll take you to a good place!"

Having adapted a bit to the feel of the serpent body wrapped around him, Shirou replied in his usual good-natured tone, "Alright, alright. Where is the Wa Lord planning to lead me?"

The Wa Lord didn't answer, just grinned at Shirou with a meaningful look in her eyes.

Before long, Shirou felt the ground sloping downward as he followed a stone path. After a while, the area opened up again. There was a place like this in Xiangyang?

Lanterns hung everywhere, illuminating a sprawling palace complex. These underground halls bore no resemblance to the underworld; their ornate carvings rivaled those of the Tang City above. Doors and pillars were carved with dragons, phoenixes, lotuses, and curling vines. Every few steps, an ancient-style landscape painting hung, and the roofs were adorned with gleaming lead-glazed tiles.

Shirou clicked his tongue inwardly. Real estate really showed off one's wealth, especially for a family like the Zhou Family, which had lasted millennia. Even a single brick they pried out would probably be a priceless antique.

But what exactly was this place?

The Wa Lord finally relented and answered: the living quarters of the Family Elders.

As Shirou carried her through the main entrance, a row of aged faces looked up from stacks of newspapers in the candlelight. The Wa Lord gave a light cough, and the old faces lifted their heads. A pair of golden, slit-pupiled eyes first glanced coldly at the Wa Lord, then noticed Shirou.

"Who is this?"

It sounded like a casual question, without any interrogative tone. Clearly, the Family Elders didn't concern themselves with how many people in the Zhou Family they didn't know.

The Wa Lord suddenly wrapped her arms around Shirou's neck and said slyly, "The husband I've chosen."

In an instant, over a dozen pairs of Golden Eyes brightened noticeably, their piercing, scrutinizing gazes converging on Shirou.

Shirou looked around in bewilderment. Was... was a live-in son-in-law plot about to start?