At the same time, Alliance Head Hua of the Liu He Alliance gulped and shifted his gaze away from Jinde's face to the carved seal on his desk. He picked the thing up and twirled it in his hands, trying to gather his thoughts.
Jinde merely gave a charming smile and threw the hat to the side. Finally being able to take this veil off felt good. He really wasn't a person that liked hiding his appearance. Ah, he had probably been told a few times too often that he was a beauty when he was young. What could he do? He just liked to show off. He crossed his legs and leaned back. "I guess Alliance Head Hua has to be quite surprised."
Hua Min raised his brows. "That's … I guess it would sound insincere if I denied it, wouldn't it?" He put the seal down with a thud and finally looked up again. It really was too shameful not to even be able to look at this person. This was a married man. The person he was married to was even an old friend of his Master. This was basically a member of an older generation! Mn, this definitely wasn't a beautiful young man. He might look like it but he wasn't.
Jinde's eyes curved into crescents when he saw the other man's look. Ah, it truly was nice being able to finally show his face to somebody again. With Grandmaster Zhangsun and Sect Master Yuchi always treating him with reverence and Leng Jin Yu trying to keep his calm when they met, he really had worried if he had lost all his charm. Apparently, he had worried too much. He was still as beautiful as ever.
Jinde chuckled in a good mood and got up, walking around the room, taking the opportunity to look around now that he was finally in another environment again and his gaze not obstructed by a veil anymore. "I'm currently on the run from somebody of the demon race. My husband suggested coming here so …" He glanced over his shoulder, catching Hua Min absentminded. "I hope I'm not being a bother."
Hua Min absentmindedly shook his head. Who would dare to say that it was a bother if a beauty came to visit? He just didn't understand the situation too well. "If you are on the run from somebody of the demon race, then you …"
Jinde chuckled again and picked up a book lying on the shelf, sifting through the pages. "I'm of the dragon race. Well, it's probably not too noticeable. I can't show you either. I've been injured several years ago and since then I wasn't able to take on my other form. That's also something I have to thank the demon race for." He shut the book and put it back, instead picking up a jade scroll. Ah, if he had to stay here for a while, then maybe he could have this Alliance Head Hua give him some books to read. He would really like to see just how much had changed in regard to the humans' refinement techniques since he had been here with Chun Yin back then.
Hua Min's brows raised. "The dragon race?" It wasn't completely unheard of that dragons visited the human realm. Contrary to the demons, they weren't regarded as anything bad either. Normally, they didn't make any trouble. On the contrary, there had been instances where the dragons actually helped keep things in check. The Liu He Alliance might be further to the north but stories like the one about the dragon that helped establish the Long kingdom had circulated far and wide among the cultivation sects. While some of the common folk believed that these were merely rumors, he was well aware that this was indeed a true story. "Then what you need from the Liu He Alliance …"
Jinde sighed and put the scroll down, returning to the table and sitting down opposite of him again, making the other man tense. "Actually, it's nothing much. It's just that the demon is currently at the Yun Zou Sect. Because of my injuries, I won't be able to defend myself and my husband isn't there at the moment. So if I could just borrow a room of the Liu He Alliance for a while and spend some time here … I would certainly be eternally grateful."
Hua Min gulped again, not sure what bothered him more: the idea of Grandmaster Leng owing him something or the eternal gratefulness of such a beautiful man. He felt that either of them would take at least a thousand years off his lifespan.
Hua Min rubbed his forehead and reminded himself that this person was already married. "Of course, it won't be a problem to let you stay here for a while. Never mind that Grandmaster Leng was a good friend of my Master, we also have close relations to the Yun Zou Sect. Naturally, we'll lend a helping hand if one of their people is in trouble."
Jinde smiled happily. "Thank you very much. It's really helping me a lot. Then … Would you mind providing me with that room now? To be honest, the way here has sapped quite a bit of my strength. If I could, I'd prefer to rest now."
Hua Min silently nodded and got up. "Then please wait here for a moment. I'll take care of everything." He nodded at him again and then left the room, rushing out as if it was lit on fire.
Jinde couldn't help but chuckle. Ah, even as a married man, it was nice to see that he was still looked at like this. Mn, he just shouldn't let Leng Jin Yu find out. Or maybe he should …
His lips curved up and he couldn't help but wonder just what his husband was doing right now.