Bai Mu took a deep breath, lifted the transmission stone and imbued his spiritual energy. The apparition of a smiling man appeared.
"Qiu Ling, you —" Qiang Yan stopped right after the greeting and his eyes widened. "Huan … Yin?" He shook his head. No, that … Obviously, that wasn't the case. This person wasn't even a woman. Instead … He took a deep breath and had another try. "Bai Mu?"
Bai Mu's lips opened but he didn't know what to say. Never mind that this man really fit what Xiang Yong had said before and looked especially amicable, the way he had reacted just now … His first thought had been his mother and there had been a glint of hope in his eyes as if he truly wanted to see her again. It was rather difficult to hate such a person.
In the end, Bai Mu nodded but he couldn't get any words out. What should he say to this man after all these years? He had never met him. Even though his mother had talked about him a lot, he was still a stranger to him. Especially now that he wasn't the practitioner Feng Jian Hao anymore but the God of War instead.
Qiang Yan also had trouble to find the right words. He brushed through his hair with his fingers and shook his head. "That guy … he couldn't have given me a warning, could he?" He gave a dry laugh and cleared his throat. "Uh … You … Where are you now?"
"The … dragon realm."
"I … I see." Qiang Yan's gaze flitted about. What now? He wanted to ask so many things, to explain so much but … How?
Nie Huang watched the two of them keep silent and evade each other's gaze. She couldn't help but smile. Well, it wasn't too strange that her husband was feeling awkward and his father probably didn't feel better after never seeing this son of his. These two needed something they could use to break the ice.
She went over and gently touched Bai Mu's arm. "Bai Mu, how about you introduce us?"
"Ah?" Both men looked at her.
Bai Mu finally pulled himself out of his thoughts and cleared his throat. He glanced at Qiang Yan and then turned to Nie Huang, his gaze softening. "This is Nie Huang, my fiancee."
"She's beautiful." Qiang Yan smiled even though it seemed sad. It seemed this son of his whom he had only found out about recently, had already grown up and even started his own family. Ah, he truly had missed out on too much. "I …" Qiang Yan sighed and looked at his sister who was waiting nearby. "Would you mind if I … came by? Then we can talk about everything … slowly. There's … a lot I have to say. And many things I'd like to ask. Would you mind?"
Bai Mu shook his head. "It's alright. If you want to come, then come."
Nie Huang smiled at Qiang Yan's apparition. "We'd be delighted if you did. We're in the palace but we don't know where exactly. A person called Xiang Yong brought us here if that helps. Ah, would it really be alright if you came? You probably … have a lot to do." After all, being the God of War sounded quite important.
Qiang Yan glanced at Bai Fen. He knew that neither she nor her husband thought of this as a good idea but he had truly loved Huan Yin. Even after he woke up in the Nine Heavens, he had still thought of her every now and then, regretting that he hadn't been there to help her, regretting that he hadn't waited longer with ascending. Maybe then … she could have followed him. Now, there was the chance that she was alive and even if she wasn't, there was their son. How could he stay in the Nine Heavens if he knew that Bai Mu wasn't far away? He had to go.
"Nothing is more important than this. Please wait a while. I'll take care of things on this side and then come over."
"Mn." Bai Mu nodded and pulled his spiritual energy back, cutting the connection. With a sigh, he turned away from the window and went to sit down. His father … He had actually seen his father. It was … hard to believe.
Nie Huang went and sat down beside him, taking his hand. "It's alright. He seemed to be a nice person."
"Yes. So … why did he never come back?"
"He might have had his reasons. Just ask him when he comes by later on."
"He will come by, won't he? He wouldn't … vanish once again, would he?"
Nie Huang shook her head. "Even if he did, you know where to search for him now, don't you?"
Bai Mu nodded and rolled the transmission stone between his fingers. "Yes, I … know where to find him now. It's a pity my mother doesn't. She … definitely would have liked to see him again."
"Let's talk to him first and see what happened. Everything else … just leave it for later."
Bai Mu nodded and leaned over, pulling Nie Huang into his arms. "Thank you. Thank you for waiting for me and not giving up hope. I've … I've been gone for so long and still …"
"Of course. I love you. If I was just a little bit stronger, I might have gone to that sect that took you away and demanded that they imprison us together. Then we wouldn't have needed to be apart for so long. Unfortunately … I didn't even know where to search for them."
"It's alright." Bai Mu kissed her cheek. "I'm happy that you're safe. That's the most important."
Nie Huang shook her head. "No, the most important is that we're together again. And maybe soon … you'll have even more family. Just … be open with your father about everything. You're both adults. What's there to worry about?"
Bai Mu nodded. "Yes. What's there to worry about?" After all, even if things didn't turn out the way he had hoped, it wouldn't change anything about his life with Nie Huang and at the very least, he would be able to let go of those worries about his father then. At the very least, he would know.