*Cough*
After resisting Xi Meili’s Dragon’s Gaze for another minute, Yuan suddenly turned his head to the side and coughed up a mouthful of blood before closing his eyes and losing consciousness.
When she saw Yuan’s body beginning to fall, Xi Meili quickly used her slender arms to catch his body, hugging his body afterward so that he didn’t fall.
"Yuan!" Wang Xiuying rushed onto the stage with a worried look on her face.
"He’s okay. He only sustained minor internal injuries and lost consciousness due to the tremendous stress his mind had endured. His injuries will heal once he leaves the stage, but he’ll probably remain unconscious for a little bit longer." Xi Meili said to Wang Xiuying to calm her down.
Xi Meili then carried Yuan like a princess and said, "I’ll cut our tour today short and bring him back to the Dragon Palace with me for now."
"Thank you all for your time today." Xi Meili said to the spectators and the fighters before flying away while carrying Yuan in her arms and Wang Xiuying with Qi Manifestation.
The people in the Ancestral Dragon Temple remained still and silent for a good moment even after Xi Meili and the others left.
Sometime later, someone said, "I’m exhausted— even though I didn’t fight anyone today. I think I’ll go home for today."
Once one person spoke, the others also began snapping out of their daze.
"You’re right. I need some good rest after today..."
"Me too."
Thus, everyone left the Ancestral Dragon Temple shortly after, leaving the Ancestral Dragon Temple completely empty for the rest of the day, which was an extremely rare sight.
On their way back to the Dragon Palace, Xi Meili stared at Yuan’s peaceful sleeping face their entire way there with a profound look on her face, looking like she was in deep thoughts.
"Even though I am well aware that he’d managed to reveal all nine pillars of light, his talents still shock me." Xi Meili mumbled in a low voice.
"Just what is his background? It’s simply unbelievable that someone like him exists in the Lower Heavens."
"Do you have any ideas?" Xi Meili turned to ask Wang Xiuying.
Wang Xiuying shrugged and said, "He’s as much of a mystery to me as he is to you. I also have no idea about his identity. We encountered each other by chance, and I have been following him since then out of curiosity."
"I see... Well, I won’t dive any deeper than this."
Sometime later, they returned to the Dragon Palace.
"What happened?! Who did this to him?!" The Dragon Emperor was immediately enraged when he saw Xi Meili bring back Yuan in such a state, looking like he was prepared to kill someone.
"Well... I did this to him..." Xi Meili said with a somewhat blushing look on her face.
"What? You? Why? What happened?" The Dragon Emperor was greatly taken aback when he learned that it was his own daughter that had injured Yuan!
"Calm down, father. Let me explain." Xi Meili said, and she proceeded to explain to him the situation and how everything occurred.
"I had a match with him, and I wanted to test his limits..."
After explaining everything to the Dragon Emperor, he sat down with a look of disbelief on his face.
"He also knows Dragon’s Gaze? How is that possible?" The Dragon Emperor mumbled.
"Anyways, I am going to let Yuan rest in his room for now." Xi Meili said.
Sometime later, Xi Meili placed Yuan on the bed before returning to the Dragon Emperor’s side.
"Father, I have a question." Xi Meili said to him with a serious look on her face.
"What is it?" He looked at her with raised eyebrows, as she rarely shows such an expression.
"What do you think of a dragon and a human being together?" Xi Meili asked.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" The Dragon Emperor didn’t immediately comprehend her question and asked her.
"Marriage. What do you think of a dragon marrying a human?" Xi Meili asked again, this time making it crystal clear.
"Marriage? What kind of question is this— Wait... Don’t tell me you’re..." The Dragon Emperor’s eyes widened with shock when he realized her reason for asking this question.
"D-Don’t tell me you’re interested in him?" He asked for confirmation.
Xi Meili nodded and said, "I am considering it."
"What made you pick him?" The Dragon Emperor asked her with a profound frown on his face, yet he didn’t immediately refuse.
"Is it because of his talent? His strength? Or is it just because of the fact that he’s a human?"
"A little bit of everything," she replied with a slight smile on her face.
"In terms of talent, he’s above everyone in this world. Although his experience is somewhat lacking, he’s definitely a fast learner. Furthermore, he has this unique aura around him— this charisma that is quite attractive. Oh, he’s also very handsome." Xi Meili said.
"You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?" The Dragon Emperor said with a pondering look on his face.
Xi Meili nodded. "I sat through countless arranged marriages, meeting countless men over the last few thousand years, but alas, none of them could make my blood boil the way Yuan did today on the stage."
"I understand that he appears to be an excellent partner, but you just met him not long ago... You’re barely acquainted, much less friends." The Dragon Emperor said.
"And how is that any different from the people you’ve arranged for me, huh? I don’t even know them at all!" Xi Meili refuted.
"Uhh..." The Dragon Emperor was rendered speechless after hearing her words. Indeed, his logic was flawed.
After pondering for a moment, he said, "You’re right about that. However, he’s not from our world, and he won’t remain here forever. Once we find a way to help them return to where they came from, that’ll be the end of you and him."
"..."
It was Xi Meili’s turn to become silent now, as her father was right about this one. Yuan won’t be here forever, which will make their relationship complicated if not impossible.