Xin Lan furrowed his brows and ignored the question. He really couldn't make up a lie in response to that and the truth … Well, Jin Ling knew well enough. It wasn't like his Master had minced his words when he exiled him, after all.
Xin Lan cleared his throat. "Actually, I came to ask something."
Jin Ling didn't answer either. Ah, just what had he done to deserve this? Hadn't he treated Jinde really well? Why couldn't he love him back?
"What do you know about that fallen god?"
"Ah?" Jin Ling lifted his head and finally looked at the person that had come to see him. "You … want to know about Xiang Yu?"
The fallen god in front of the door also tilted his head, peering at Xin Lan through the gap. The fake dragon wanted to know about him? Why?
Xin Lan nodded.
"Why?"
"Why is he in the demon realm? And where did he come from originally?"
Jin Ling sat up straight and crossed his legs, his lips curving up in a smile. "Why the sudden interest? It couldn't be that you're shifting your affections right? From one impossible target to the next?" He laughed. "Ah, this is great. Actually, I really want to see you go after him. I'm quite curious how long you'll be able to live."
Xin Lan's brows furrowed further. "Don't speak nonsense. I asked something. Why is he in the demon realm?"
Jin Ling tsked. This guy was no fun at all! "What do you think why he lives here? Isn't it all just because this is his husband's home?"
"Husband?" Xin Lan stared blankly. That guy … was married?
He thought of those black eyes and the perpetual gloomy expression and blinked. There was actually someone who fell in love with that kind of person? No, wait. Never mind his personality. That guy was a fallen god! Who would marry a fallen god?
He frowned and shook his head. "Don't kid me! He isn't married."
Jin Ling continued to smile serenely. "Why? Would you be jealous if he was?"
"Stop joking around. Why is he really here? And where did he come from?"
"Always the same questions. How would I know where he came from? It should be somewhere in the Nine Heavens. Go ask there." Jin Ling shook his head as if he didn't want to put up with this troublesome person any longer. His thoughts were churning though. Why was Xin Lan so adamant to find out more about Xiang Yu? He certainly hadn't fallen in love. He knew himself that that idea was ridiculous. No, if Xin Lan was so intent on knowing about him, then there had to be a special reason.
Ah, he really didn't want to assume again that this had something to do with Jinde when there was still the possibility that he was, in fact, already dead. But seeing Xin Lan so serious, he couldn't help but wonder. Was there any other reason for Xin Lan to be like this?
Jin Ling narrowed his eyes and rubbed his earring. "Actually …"
Xin Lan looked at him and raised his brows.
"You know if you have some problem, you can always come and find me. Our family's dog, I certainly wouldn't ignore his plight."
Xin Lan turned away. "Good that you remember you're family."
Jin Ling smiled response.
"Don't bother. Even if there was a problem, you would be the last one I'd ask for help."
"Then how will you find out about Xiang Yu?"
"There are certainly others who know about him." With that, Xin Lan left the room.
He stopped in the corridor outside and narrowed his eyes. What should he do now? He hadn't expected much from Jin Ling but the only information he had gotten was the fallen god's name. "Xiang Yu …" Just how was he supposed to find out more with just that? He didn't even know where from the Nine Heavens he was.
Xin Lan walked down the corridor and pondered. There was no guarantee that 'Xiang Yu' was a unique name. If he was unlucky, whatever Xiang Yu he found might not be the one he was searching for.
Mn? Xin Lan stopped walking. Now that he thought of it … This wasn't the only thing he knew about the fallen god. No, back when he came to the demon realm after Jinde's supposed death that fallen god had already been there. In fact, he had met him for the first time shortly after he spoke to Jin Ling that day. In other words, that fallen god had been in the demon realm all that time and had fallen even before that. Furthermore, it was almost impossible for a fallen god to fall in love and get married. So if what Jin Ling had said was true, then this Xiang Yu should have come from the Nine Heavens and married before falling.
Come to think of it, with how obsessed he had seemed with the bond of the dragons when he freed that Fu Min and his lover, he might have become a fallen god because of his own marriage. Maybe his husband had been killed or maybe he had betrayed him.
Xin Lan smiled. It seemed he had found the clue he needed after all. In that case, he should go and make sure.
With that, Xin Lan left the palace and his figure vanished in the distance. At one of the doors, the fallen god narrowed his eyes.
"Just what does he want to do? Asking about me, then leaving like that. Shouldn't he have searched for me instead?" He touched the spot between his brows before shaking his head and returning to his chambers.
Never mind. That fake dragon could do whatever he wanted. He wouldn't care about that. There was no need for him to get involved in this. No, in fact, he shouldn't get involved. After all, there was no need to make somebody else fall. Each one of them was one too much.