Jinde had no way of finding out how this half-finished painting had come about. He couldn't leave the house for fear of being spotted by Jin Ling and he didn't have any other means of contacting Zhangsun Xun Yi than to go over and ask him directly. Thus, he could only stay in that study and look at one painting after the other, the shock in his heart growing deeper and deeper.
He might not know who was living in this house, what his name was and how he looked like but he was certain that he knew exactly who he had been before. This person … was obviously the one he had waited for all this time.
Jinde lowered the last painting in his hand and looked at the dazzling light streaming through the window. Unknowingly, his eyes had long since teared up and by now one of those glittering tears hung on his lashes, trembling for a bit before finally sliding down his cheek and dripping onto his golden hair.
Soon enough, it was joined by another one until Jinde was unable to bear his blurry vision. He closed his eyes and curled up at the table, covering his face with his hands.
"Chun Yin," he choked out, his whole body trembling with his sobs. "Chun Yin …"
How long had he waited? How many millennia had gone by since the day he left the dragon realm after his so-called death? How many years had it been before that that he had actually seen him?
All the years that they had lost … Would they finally end? With Jian Heng dead and that demonic woman out of the picture … Would they have another chance? Could this love they had never been able to live finally have a chance to come to fruition?
Jinde's tears continued to stream down and for the longest time he wasn't able to calm down, his body racked by sobs until he could barely breathe.
He had strolled through this house long enough to know that it might be deserted right now but it hadn't been for long. Furthermore, just counting the scrolls of paper in that shelf even if he had only painted one a day it would still mean that he had been in the sect for quite a while now.
"Ah, Chun Yin, why are we always so unlucky?"
They had clearly been at the same place for a long time already but they still hadn't met. If not for Jin Ling appearing and him fleeing the special dimension in haste, he might never have found out that Chun Yin had already come. In the worst case, the person he had waited for might have ascended someday without them ever knowing they had closely passed by each other.
Jinde couldn't help but give a laugh, his voice still hoarse from crying for so long. "Jin Ling, as much as you hated Chun Yin, without you I never would have been able to find him." He slowly lowered his hands and his lips curled in a brilliant smile, his golden eyes suffused with happiness.
"I'm sorry I can't come to see you. I know I … shouldn't be like this. It wasn't your fault back then. If not for Jian Heng, everything might still be well. Maybe even you and Qiu Ling …" He sighed and shook his head. "It's not that I hate you. I really hope you're going to find your own happiness someday. Then, there really wouldn't be any reason to worry any longer."
He picked up one of the scrolls he had put down on the table and gently traced the dark lines. Who knew his Chun Yin would ever be patient enough to sit down and draw something like this? It seemed this new life of his had brought quite a few changes with it. He really couldn't wait to see him.
Jinde stood up with the scroll still in his hands and went back to the window. When would he come back here? How many more days did he need to wait? "Chun Yin, since I've already found your traces here and since you seem to remember at least some things from your past life, can't you hurry back to my side already? I've waited for you for so long. I don't mind waiting a little longer. Just … don't let me wait too long. My heart … might not be able to take it."
He leaned against the wall and gazed at the painting once more. This definitely depicted their master's courtyard. There was the tree in the background, the winding path to the left and the wall of the building to the right. All of that looked as lifelike as if the person had stood there in that very same courtyard and seen these things before him before merely capturing their appearance on paper.
In fact, he could even imagine where that person had stood and how he had looked doing so: At the corner of the winding path, his hands propped up on the handrail, his gaze following the movements of the person in the courtyard while his thin lips were slightly curved.
How often had he seen him like this? How often had Chun Yin startled him out of training the sword? Ah, it was probably no wonder that he hadn't achieved such a high proficiency in the sword arts compared to his achievements in alchemy.
Caught up in the memories of this part of his life when everything had still been alright and he and Chun Yin had spent every day with each other, another beautiful smile tugged at Jinde's lips. He really couldn't wait to see him again. Unfortunately, their reunion probably wouldn't be as heartfelt as he hoped.
He looked once again at the painting and gave a sigh. Even though everything about the courtyard was lifelike there was one thing about it that made Jinde's heart squeeze painfully: The middle of the painting was empty as if the one painting it just couldn't make up his mind what should be there. Or maybe it should rather be said that the person just couldn't remember what should be there.
Yes, obviously, even though Chun Yin could remember that place where they had spent so much time he had forgotten everything about him. The love of his life didn't remember him.