The person in question was lying on the floor right now, looking at his newly-wedded husband with raised brows.
"Might I —"
Jinde clasped a hand over his mouth before he could say another word. He tilted his head and listened for any sounds outside. Nothing. It seemed he had already left.
Jinde closed his eyes and took a relieved sigh. He had honestly thought his heart was going to stop right now. How could that bear child turn up this unexpectedly?
Leng Jin Yu's brows raised even further. Just what was happening here? He didn't dare ask though. Jinde had looked quite spooked just now. He didn't want to aggravate him further.
Jinde's golden eyes opened and he took his hand from Leng Jin Yu's mouth. "I'm sorry. That … That was … Ah, forget it."
"Forget it?" Leng Jin Yu sat up, securing Jinde on his lap. "My dear, you just pushed me out of bed even though you were the one who was going on about how we were always being interrupted just a few minutes earlier."
Jinde grimaced. "You think I wanted to interrupt you? It was just getting good. It's all those children's fault."
Leng Jin Yu rubbed his brow. He certainly couldn't get used to Jinde's way of addressing other people that fast. Especially considering the status of these people. "You're not talking about Longjun and the Son of Heaven, are you?"
Jinde considered nodding but finally shook his head. "Not just them. That … Did you hear that voice just now?"
"That man?" Leng Jin Yu frowned. "If I heard right, he pretended to be Tian."
"Yes. But he can pretend as much as he wants. I certainly wouldn't mistake him. That was Jin Ling."
"Jin … The demon king?"
Jinde nodded and sighed again. He could probably be happy that Jin Ling had been focused on ruining Qiu Ling's relationship. Otherwise … If he had gone on another tour in the Yun Zou Sect to find out whether he was here or not, it wasn't certain if he might not have found him.
"I'm afraid we won't be able to continue to stay here." He turned to look at Leng Jin Yu, trying to figure out what he thought about this. His husband didn't look too thrilled. "You don't want to."
"I promised my Master to take over the sect. I might not be a real disciple but … I don't want to break that promise either. It's bad enough that … I can't be the person I pretend to be. The Yun Zou Sect should at least have something from me, shouldn't they? If I go now …"
"I see."
The two of them fell quiet for a moment.
Leng Jin Yu used the time to look out the window. Just the demon king's voice had been enough for Jin Ling to recognize him even though it had had to be millenniums since they last heard each other. This person … had really been very important to him.
"You don't want to be found by him."
Jinde nodded. "Yes. But I understand what you mean. Maybe I'm over-thinking things anyway. Those two dragons before sent word that he received information about the Yun Zou Sect from someone. He might have heard that Qiu Ling returned with his lover and come because of that."
"But the two of them were here just a few minutes ago. If he had followed them in …"
Jinde nodded. "Yes. But what can we do? We only found each other again not too long ago. I would have to leave but you can't. And there's no way I want to separate from you. Let's just forget about it."
Leng Jin Yu gently took his lover's hand. "Only for now. We will think about this later and find a way that won't leave you vulnerable. Alright?"
"If my husband says so. Then do we continue now?"
Leng Jin Yu smiled and brushed Jinde's hair back behind his shoulder. "You're not in the mood anymore, are you? This was quite a shock."
Jinde sighed. "I never would have thought I'd have to say this but … yes. I'm not really in the mood anymore."
"Then let's get dressed and see how Longjun is doing." He got up and pulled Jinde to his feet, helping him back into his robe before getting dressed himself. Just when he wanted to go out with him he stopped. "Right. If the demon king is getting information about the sect from Qiguan Cheng Da or maybe even from other people too, then you can't be seen by any of them."
He turned back to him and cupped his cheeks. "I'm sorry." Only now did he understand just how bad Jinde's situation was. Before this, he had had the dimension at the foot of Grandmaster Zhangsun's peak but now … there was only this house. He wouldn't be able to leave it for the foreseeable future. That certainly wasn't good.
Jinde forced himself to smile. "It's alright. You just go and see how Qiu Ling is doing. I'll wait here. You can tell me about it later." He patted Leng Jin Yu's chest, leaned over and pecked his lips before stepping back and waving at him.
Leng Jin Yu sighed. "We will find a way. Don't worry. This … It won't continue like this. I promise."
"Don't promise too much. Just staying with me is enough." Jinde turned away and returned to the bedroom, falling onto the bed with a sigh.
It certainly would be great if his lover could indeed find a way. He was already sick of being imprisoned. But he couldn't really imagine any way for this to work out. There were a lot of things different between Leng Jin Yu and Chun Yin but this sense of loyalty and the urge to honor one's promise, that hadn't changed one bit. If he didn't have to, he wouldn't leave the Yun Zou Sect hanging. Instead, he would make sure that the sect was doing well and that the wishes of his Master were fulfilled. He just was like that.