Tang Jinyan leaned back in his chair, his piercing gaze moving between their faces. After a long while, he slowly said, "The current account is that it's merely an unusual undersea beast. I did hear mention of an Azure Dragon through some channels in the United States, but they weren't certain either. I asked Director Wu about it, and she didn't directly deny it. So you're saying this really is the Azure Dragon?"
Chu Ge privately thought he seemed to have been drawn into revealing something again.
But this man had connections everywhere; he even knew about the news from Sandru's side. With someone like him, it was better to speak plainly, lest suspicions arise among their own people. His mother probably thought the same way—was that why she hadn't denied it? So he didn't dodge the question, instead saying seriously, "You're one of us, President Tang. There really is no need to hide it. It is the Azure Dragon."
Tang Jinyan nodded slightly. "The Azure Dragon... You could actually have persuaded me by taking the moral high ground that our country's Four Sacred Beasts must not fall into foreign hands. Naturally, I would have been even more cooperative. There was no need to force a connection to life."
Qiu Wuji said evenly, "Do you think we deliberately tried to stir up your desire for it, President Tang?"
"Didn't you?" Tang Jinyan said. "The Azure Dragon might have something to do with life, or it might not. But even if it does, none of us cultivate immortality. How would we apply that power to ourselves? Could I really keep something belonging to the nation and study it for eight or ten years?"
Qiu Wuji chuckled. "Are you truly not tempted, President Tang?"
Chu Ge glanced at Qiu Wuji, knowing this