Shen An De shook his head. "I don't know what you are talking about. I don't take in any disciples."
"Mn, then it's not you but your sect that took them in."
"Then I won't be of much help to you since I don't concern myself with that. The Sect Master might be able to tell you more."
Jin Ling sighed, turned around and went over to the tea table. He sat down unsolicited and looked at Shen An De. His gaze seemed to ask why he still hadn't been offered any tea or any seat for that matter.
Shen An De sat down across him but didn't even think of offering him anything. This kind of uninvited guest … one shouldn't help him become too comfortable lest he stayed even longer.
Jin Ling sighed again. "I really don't understand how I deserve this treatment. I'm still your uncle."
Shen An De abstained from answering. They had already had this talk back when Jin Ling came by the first time. Since then nothing had changed. Why should he humor him again?
Jin Ling didn't want to talk about it either. Whether or not his nephew wanted to tell him anything, he would still find out what was going on in the end. He'd just give him a bit of time to make himself useful. "It's really a shame you haven't heard anything about those disciples. It's two of them. One of them is actually the incumbent dragon king, Qiu Ling."
So he knows. Shen An De held back whatever reaction he might have had and continued to just look at this uncle of his. He wouldn't give anything away. Maybe Jin Ling knew about the dragon king but that didn't mean that he knew anything else. He certainly wouldn't provide him with any information.
Jin Ling took up the empty teacup and swirled it between his fingers, looking at the painting on the side. "The other one is rumored to be his lover. Quite funny, isn't it?" His gaze suddenly lifted and a smile graced his lips. It was the same kind of smile that had been presented to Xiao Li the first time: One that seemed exceedingly friendly on the outside and highlighted Jin Ling's handsomeness. Nobody who saw him like this would be able to think of him as a demon. "Ah, you've been in the mortal realm for so long you might not even know about this but it's said that Qiu Ling chased after the Son of Heaven for quite a long time."
Shen An De really wanted to ask if maybe he just gave up after such a long time but Jin Ling wasn't dumb enough to fall for that. He obviously already had at least a hunch what this was about. Every word he said would just lead to Jin Ling being more sure about what he thought.
"You're only half demon so you don't even know much about your own race. Most likely you know even less about the dragons. Well, let me share an interesting thing about them: Dragons can't fall in love more than once. If they ever decide on a partner, they'll cherish them deeply and be faithful to them until the end. Naturally, there are some … accidents but you see that also depends on what they do. If they're sure, they can merge part of their soul with the other one. After that, they really don't have any other possibility anymore. They're bound for life."
"You know quite a lot about the dragons."
"Mn. Naturally."
Shen An De frowned. Why did it seem like … his uncle's smile had actually gotten gentler for a moment? No. He had probably imagined that. Jin Ling wasn't the type for emotions. One just needed to take a look at how he ruled his realm to know that.
"Our races were incredibly close once. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say we were of the same race back then. My father wished to reunite us once again and honestly, I've long since wished for the same thing. Unfortunately, the current dragon king wouldn't even think about the opportunities that could give us."
"It's hard to fault him for that. If I were him, I also wouldn't trust that the demons won't make that into a one-sided deal that only benefited them and not both races. Who knows who 'us' will be when it gets to the final stages?"
Jin Ling still retained his smile. Naturally, he'd make the other side suffer as many losses as he could if Qiu Ling was the one sitting on that throne. "Anyway, I think that the current dragon king is the type to merge his soul. In that case … wouldn't the boy beside him be the Son of Heaven?"
Shen An De only looked at him but Jin Ling didn't mind.
"You don't have to say anything. I'm already certain. I don't know why he came here or why he has a mortal identity but I don't care for that anyway. Now, where can I find the two of them? I'd really love to say hello."
Shen An De smiled back, not any less fake than Jin Ling's smile. "I really don't know what you are talking about. Didn't we establish at the beginning already that I don't concern myself with these matters? You should better ask the Sect Master about this."
"You're right. That must have slipped from my mind. Well, then." Jin Ling stood up, still smiling. "It was nice to see you again, my dear nephew. I should drop by more often in the future."
Shen An De stood up too. "Please don't trouble yourself. I know you're very busy and can't possibly have the time to come and see me just because you'd like to."
"Ah, my good nephew, you're thinking too much. This little bit of time, I can certainly set it aside for you."
"I wouldn't want to be a burden."
"Speaking of burdens I heard you got a sister-in-law. Don't tell me you married another wife?"
Shen An De frowned. "How could that be? A simple man like me … I wouldn't even dream of being like my uncle and setting up a harem."
Jin Ling reached out and patted his shoulder. "It's the natural thing to do for a demon. You shouldn't forget that." With that, he turned around and left.
It really was a pity that his nephew wasn't that talkative. But, well, he still held some hope for that sister-in-law. Maybe she would be able to tell him a bit more about the situation. Thankfully, he had seen Shen An De's wife before. It shouldn't be too difficult to recognize her sister.