Bai Mu took a deep breath. "You are …"
"Ah. I'm sorry. My name is Xiang Yong. His Majesty sent me to escort you and your wife."
"Wi … Wife?" Nie Huang blushed and hurriedly took a step away from Bai Mu. They weren't married yet. How could she —
Bai Mu reached over and pulled her back with a smile. "We're about to leave together. Do you really mind being called my wife?"
"That …" Nie Huang smiled back at him and nodded. "You're right. Then … can I tell Mister Zhong?"
"Of course." He let go of her hand and waited for her to go over.
Nie Huang looked at the person that had given her the chance to work in his teahouse back then, taking a gamble that could have had ruined his opening. "Mister Zhong …"
"Miss Nie, you … you know that person?"
Nie Huang's cheeks flushed again and she nodded. "Yes, that … is Bai Mu. My fiance. We'll be getting married soon."
"Oh."
"I … I know I'm making trouble for you, Mister Zhong, leaving this suddenly but —"
"Ah, don't worry about it! Don't worry about it!" Zhong Gang waved his hands and shook his head. He didn't know who exactly Nie Huang's fiance was but if he was being escorted by a person His Majesty personally sent, then he had to be somebody important. He had no idea how the tea master he found for his teahouse knew such a person and was even engaged with him but … it would certainly be to his advantage that things were like this. How could he make trouble for her? "Getting married is a joyous occasion. You should have told me sooner. We could have held a small celebration."
"Ah, that's not important. I'm just … very happy that Bai Mu came back." She turned around and Bai Mu walked over, nodding at Zhong Gang.
"Thank you for taking care of Ah Huang all this time."
"No need to thank me. It's what I should have done. It was my honor to have her brew the tea in the teahouse. Without her, it certainly wouldn't have been as successful."
"Ah, right!" Nie Huang bit her lower lip. "Then Madam Zhong … will she be alright in the teahouse if I —"
"Don't worry about that!" Zhong Gang straightened up and patted his chest. "I've managed this restaurant for a long time and the teahouse has always been doing well. It won't be a problem to find somebody to fill in for the time being." He coughed. "Naturally, it'll be difficult to find somebody who'll be as good as you …"
"Thank you, Mister Zhong." Nie Huang nodded and turned to Bai Mu. "Then we …"
"Yes, let's go." He faced Xiang Yong again, his previous doubts forgotten. His family hadn't had to do with the dragons so he didn't know much about them but it wasn't unlikely that they might share a few characteristics with the demons. That Xin Lan from before had also sported a head full of white hair despite looking young otherwise. It might have been his natural hair color from the beginning so why shouldn't this person have gray hair and violet eyes? It didn't mean anything. Well, even if he was a demon, if it was just one, then he could still win over him. He would be able to take care of Nie Huang at least to this degree.
The three of them left the restaurant and Xiang Yong took them to an alley behind the building. He made sure that nobody was around before he turned around and let go of the spiritual energy, revealing his true appearance.
Nie Huang gave a surprised gasp and grabbed Bai Mu's arm. This man … How come …
"Don't worry." He patted her hand and nodded at Xiang Yong. "He was just hiding his true appearance so the other people wouldn't ask too many questions."
"Indeed. I'm sorry for startling you. I should have taken into consideration that you're human."
"Ah, it's … it's alright. I should probably get used to things like that."
Xiang Yong smiled. "In the dragon realm, people won't need to hide their appearances so … I doubt it'll be a common thing you'll see. Anyway, His Majesty didn't tell me much so I prepared a room in the palace. I hope this is alright with you."
"Yes, of course. I … I'm very grateful to him for giving us this opportunity."
"Mn. You … can fly, right?" Xiang Yong's gaze slid to Nie Huang. This woman didn't even have a shred of spiritual energy around her.
"Don't worry. I'll take her."
"Well, can you shield her from view?"
"Uh …" Bai Mu cleared his throat. "We might need to leave through the gates before we do that."
"Alright. Then I'll meet you outside of the city." He nodded at them and his figure vanished, making Nie Huang look around in a daze.
"This … Where …"
"He's still there. He just … hid his body from mortal eyes. It's something immortals can do."
"Oh." Nie Huang lowered her gaze to the ground. It seemed she'd have a lot to learn if she wanted to live in the dragon realm with Bai Mu. She reached out to take his hand and smiled. "Then let's go to the gates."
"Mn." He nodded and led her forward, making sure that they didn't bump into anyone that shouldn't see them. Ah, soon, they would leave the mortal world behind them forever and then, a new chapter of their life would begin. A few weeks ago, he never would have thought this possible but now, it was about to happen. And maybe … just maybe he would even find out what had happened to his father. Ah, if only … his mother could also know. Well, not that he knew yet what had happened but he somehow felt that this person couldn't be too bad. After all, Qiu Ling seemed to have had a high opinion of him and Qiu Ling was the one helping them. That should mean that his father too was somebody he could trust. Well, that was still a question for later.