Xin Lan gave a smile of his own but contrary to that of Jin Ling, his was cold. "Just say 'hello' … You really want me to believe that? As if you were ever satisfied with what he was willing to give you! You weren't back then and you certainly won't be now that you've been starved of his affection for the last several thousand years."
Jin Ling's expression didn't waver. He wouldn't let this guy incite him. He was only one step away from finding Jinde. He couldn't let anything happen now. Who knew if Jinde wasn't watching right now? If he was able to show him that he had changed, that he wouldn't go too far anymore, then maybe he would come out on his own. "Even though you might not believe me, I'm sure that Jinde will. Why don't you go and tell him that I'm here? He can decide whether he wants to see me or not."
Xin Lan chuckled. "Tell him? So you're telling me to go and kill myself? Who knows if there's a life after death? And with how long His Majesty has been dead, he might as well have reincarnated already. Ah, come to think about it, maybe you should just go to the Nine Heavens and ask the Fate's Scribe about it." He paused and widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Oh, no, I forgot. That is impossible. He couldn't have reincarnated. After all, your father cut him with the soul-devouring dagger. So his soul has completely dissolved. He won't return, he won't even be able to reincarnate as a little beast."
This time, Jin Ling's expression wavered. This was probably his deepest regret. Had he known that something like this might happen, then he would've made sure that his father wasn't able to hold onto that weapon. He certainly could have found a way to steal it. After all, that had already been after his banishment and he had been living in the demon realm. Even if his status wasn't high, he was still allowed to be close to Jian Heng. After all, that guy had still wanted to use him to get close to Jinde.
Jin Ling took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. This time, he wouldn't give up. He would continue until the end. "What are you saying? Didn't you and Jinde find a way to stop that curse and heal him? I'm sure he's doing well. So where is he?"
Xin Lan shook his head. "You're delusional. And even if your guess wasn't an illusion, you'd still be delusional. The things you want from him, he will never give them to you. So don't try to talk me into this. I know you and I knew him well enough. Obviously, I knew him much better than you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made such a grave mistake."
Jin Ling's copper-colored brows drew together. "It's in the past. And I was young. Jinde also understands that. He won't hold it against me. He'll accept seeing me again. So let us talk. It's just a … family meeting." His expression froze up, showing something that might have been called a smile but was actually gruesome to look at.
Xin Lan smiled. "Yes, a family meeting. It doesn't sound too bad. Mn, if His Majesty was still alive, he really would've liked to hear that. Now, while we're at it, we should have invited that other brat. After all, he's still that man's child." He took in a breath and clicked his tongue. "That reminds me … Didn't you kill that man's reincarnation just a while back? Do you think His Majesty would have liked that if he was still alive? I'm sure that would have left him with a bad impression."
Jin Ling's expression blanked. That man … Yes, he had instigated that. Could it be … Had Jinde heard about it? Was he faulting him for that? Was that why he refused to see him even after all this time? Was it … Was that just because of that man? Had he lost to him once again? His hands trembled but he forced himself to take a deep breath and restored his smile. "What are you even saying? Wasn't it that Qiguan Cheng Da who killed him? What do I have to do with that?"
"Weren't you the one who provided him with the means to kill that man? Ah, you might not have known but … if his Majesty really was still alive, I definitely wouldn't tell him about that. Whether it's killing the Son of Heaven to get back at that brat Qiu Ling, or killing the reincarnation of the person His Majesty loved … You still haven't learned your lesson.
"So why would His Majesty bother to see you? Actually, I can tell you. Yes, he did survive. The curse has been lifted, he won't die. But … he doesn't want to see you. In fact, he knew that you were searching for him. He knew that you were here several times. But he refused to meet you. Even now, he is still refusing to meet you. Why do you think that is?"
Jin Ling's body shook. Jinde … Jinde was really still alive. He hadn't … He hadn't imagined it. He was still alive! He hadn't died that day. His father hadn't been able to kill him. He tried but he hadn't succeeded. No, Jinde was still there.
Jin Ling took a deep breath and his previously strained smile turned into a genuine. "That's good as well. As long as he's alive, I can still try. He doesn't need to accept me right now, I just want to have the opportunity to obtain him in the future."
Xin Lan frowned. Obtain him in the future. Yes, this was exactly the way a demon would think. For all his pretense of loving Jinde, these had never been genuine feelings. There was no love. This brat, even though only half of his blood was that of a demon, his soul was still much more similar to them. The only thing he felt for Jinde was that cursed obsession.
Well, by now, his Master should have escaped. And after that, Jin Ling wouldn't be able to find him. So now, they would be able to prepare everything silently and when they had finished and his Master's soul was healed, then there was no need to hide anymore. His Master would be able to proudly return to the dragon realm.
How would Jin Ling still matter then? No, this person, he would soon be a negligible existence. As he should be. He would just be a mistake of the past, nothing to worry about anymore.