Bai Mu looked at Qiang Yan's face, searching for a hint of what he really thought. The only thing he found was a trace of awkwardness that seemed to grow more obvious the longer he waited with his answer. Bai Mu barely held back a laugh. It seemed this father of his was rather worried that he wouldn't take the suggestion well. Mn, that wasn't too unexpected with how they had only met for the first time today. He should probably release him from his worry. "I guess I'm rather curious to see what kind of person is able to make the dragon king go crazy for him like this."
Qiang Yan heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed he had thought too much. Bai Mu didn't mind at all. "That's good then. If you want to meet my sister …" He stopped and once again looked at Bai Mu with a mixture of anticipation and awkwardness. Heavens, this whole conversation required more of his energy than fighting for three days! Being a father really wasn't easy.
Bai Mu wanted to nod but then he hesitated. "Your sister should be in the Nine Heavens, shouldn't she? Then Nie Huang …"
Qiang Yan nodded. "That's true. I don't think it should be a problem to visit though."
Bai Mu raised his brows. "I thought those who haven't cultivated to the status of a deity can't enter the Nine Heavens?"
"They can't enter to live there but they can enter for a visit if they are brought over. It's not as easy from the mortal realm but definitely possible from the dragon realm. There shouldn't be a problem. Just tell me if you want to and I'll take care of everything."
Bai Mu nodded but didn't decide immediately. Even if they could enter the Nine Heavens for a visit, there were still some other things to consider. Right now, he didn't even know his father very well. Even though he was slightly curious about the family his father had in the Nine Heavens, he still felt that it would be better to wait a while longer. It would be best if he took the chance and got to know his father better first and only then got to know the people around him. That way it would be less awkward too.
Furthermore, there was still Nie Huang's situation. Right now, she was only a mortal. Each day they spend here would be a day for her that she grew older. If too many of those days passed … That wouldn't be good. Thus it was better to invest everything they had into making her acquire spirit veins and then start to cultivate.
Right, speaking of that … "There is one thing." He wasn't too sure about how to bring this up but his father had said that he could ask him for help. This shouldn't be too much, should it? After all, they were still family even though they hadn't seen each other in all these years.
Qiang Yan straightened up. He didn't know what it was that Bai Mu was going to say but he had the faint feeling that it was important. The way Bai Mu looked at him right now said as much. "Just tell me what it is. If it's anything I can help with, I'll definitely do it."
Bai Mu nodded. "Qiu Ling promised to help find a way for Nie Huang to cultivate but it seems that there is one problem. Even though he can gather the ingredients for the pill that's needed for that and he also has the necessary recipe, we're still lacking somebody who can refine that pill. But without it …"
Qiang Yan furrowed his brows. Yes, without it, there was no way for Bai Mu and Nie Huang to be together in the long run. He couldn't let that happen! He got up and gave him a smile. "I can't promise anything but if there's any god in the Nine Heavens that can refine such a pill, then I'll definitely find that person and ask them to help. I'll go ask right now."
Bai Mu blinked his eyes. He had expected that his father would accept but not that he would go and take care of the matter right now. "There's no need to hurry —"
Qiang Yan shook his head. "Of course, there is. The sooner she gets this pill, the better. If I can do anything to help with that, then I should do it. The time flows differently in the human and the immortal realms. Longjun might already have gathered all the materials. The sooner we find somebody who can use them, the better for your wife. We shouldn't lose any time. I …" He took a long look at Bai Mu and his gaze softened. His son asking him to help with this probably meant that he was giving him a chance. He certainly wouldn't hold anything back now. "If I find something, I'll inform you immediately. You have the transmission stone now, after all. And … I hope you wouldn't mind seeing me again in the future."
Bai Mu also got up and looked at this person he had wondered about for so many years. This father of his was definitely different from what he had imagined but the difference wasn't a bad one. Being this approachable … It would make things easier in the future. He nodded and then slowly walked him to the door. "If you want to come by, you can always do so. Nie Huang and I would be happy to see you again."
Qiang Yan smiled back at him and finally turned to leave. It seemed his son was willing to forgive him for all the years he had missed out on. In that case, he should help Bai Mu so that he wouldn't need to miss out on the years with his wife. This new generation, it shouldn't need to suffer through the same problems as they had back then.