"Mn, Longjun is so sincere. It really moves my heart." Jin Ling looked back at Qiu Ling's form on the ground and chuckled again. "I'm starting to consider to really let him go. It's just …" His fingers brushed Jing Yi's arm and he sighed. "I actually caught such fine prey. Not taking him home and tasting him seems like such a waste. I don't know if my poor heart will be able to take that. How about this? I'll bring him home for now and then after I'm thoroughly done with him, I'll send him back to you. What do you think?"
Qiu Ling's body shook but he forced himself to calm down. "What do I have to do for the demon king to let him go now?"
"Ah? You don't think it's a good idea?" Jin Ling's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Mn, well, if it's like that … How about an exchange? Present somebody else to me. Doesn't the dragon race also have beauties? Give one of them to me to cut my losses. The more beautiful the person you choose is, the less other things I'll demand. How about it?"
Qiu Ling froze. Give somebody else to him in exchange for his Jing He? Someone beautiful? Qiu Ling looked up to the person standing next to him, his eyes burning.
An Bai gulped. Ah, this was … Well, it was to be expected. He sighed and looked at Xiang Yong who still stood at Qiu Ling's other side. "I'll leave everything here to you then."
"An Bai."
An Bai shook his head. "Don't worry. He's just messing with us. He won't do anything to His Highness. He just wants to see His Majesty suffer. As for me … Even if he does something, it would still be the lesser of two evils. I'll be able to cope with it and not in a relationship yet. His Highness though … His Majesty wouldn't be able to take it."
Xiang Yong nodded. He didn't like this but it was the best thing they could do for now. And An Bai could take care of himself. Most people might know him as a scholar but that didn't mean that he wasn't also a fierce warrior. Contrary to a frail mortal boy, he wouldn't be without options in the demon realm. In the worst case, he could just change into his dragon form to defend himself until they figured out how to save him.
An Bai looked at his king for the last time and slowly went over to the side of the demons. He finally stopped a few meters in front of Jin Ling. "I'm here. Now let His Highness go."
Jin Ling narrowed his eyes. "I'd need to be quite stupid for that. Isn't your king eying me right now because he hopes I'll loosen my grip? If the boy slips away and then you grab him or your king grabs him … Then what will I be left with?"
"Then what does the demon king suggest we do?"
Jin Ling looked around and his gaze fell on the demon that had delivered Qiu Ling's message previously. His brows raised. The guy had a hole in his shoulder and blood had soaked his robe. "What happened to you?"
The demon lowered his head in shame. His king had actually remembered him but whatever impression he had left him with previously … it should be utterly destroyed now.
Jin Ling didn't care what the guy thought. He turned back to An Bai and smiled. "Since this dragon is willing to take His Highness' place, then you certainly won't mind to follow one of my subjects to my palace first and wait there, will you?"
An Bai lowered his gaze. Well, he shouldn't have expected it to be so easy. "I don't mind. It's just … Who says that we can trust the demon king? What if you imprison me in your palace and then still refuse to let His Highness go?"
Jin Ling smiled. "Even if I do, it won't be your problem. You can just wait in my palace until I come back." He ignored An Bai and turned back to Qiu Ling. "I must say, Longjun, this is quite surprising. The person doesn't look bad overall. I'm a little dissatisfied with the hair color though. He looks like that old man of your race. What was his name? Xin Lan?"
The dragons behind Qiu Ling once again growled. This guy! Not only had he kidnapped their king's consort, now he was even insulting one of the heroes of their race! When this was over, they would appeal to their king to go to war regardless of the cost. They wouldn't be able to bear this otherwise!
An Bai's lips twitched. Actually, he also admired Senior Xin Lan and he had often thought that having this kind of hair color wasn't bad at all if there was even one person who thought it made him look a little like him. But now, the thing he had been proud of was suddenly brought out as something that made him less handsome. Don't tell him this was secretly the reason while he was still alone?
In the end, he didn't dwell on it. This was a demon. He wouldn't give anything about his evaluation. Instead, he followed Jin Ling's subject to the demon king's palace.
The demon didn't know what exactly his king wanted to do with this dragon but … he couldn't just let him sit somewhere, could he? Thus he led him to the dungeon and An Bai finally landed in a cell. The door was locked behind him and the demon left to report to his king.
An Bai looked around. The most eye-catching were the fairly knew bars that made up the front of the cell. Other than that, there was only an array on the ground but that was all the cell needed. Looking at the faintly glowing marks, this array would absorb his magic if he tried to use it to break the bars or the door and reflect any physical attacks back at him. Ah, well, he shouldn't have expected anything else. The demon king wasn't stupid, after all. He certainly wouldn't let a dragon wait anywhere else.
An Bai sat down at the back side of the room and took out a scroll from the spatial room tied to his hairpin. Well, if he had to wait until the demon king returned and decided what to do with him, then he might as well use the time.
While he concentrated on the scroll, An Bai failed to notice the person that had quietly followed him and the demon as soon as they entered the dungeons.