Leng Jin Yu left the dragon realm and only stopped when he had reached the human realm. This place was still quite a bit off from the Yun Zou Sect but he didn't continue. He furrowed his brows and his gaze slipped to the side.
He might not be a trueborn god but he had lived for a long time in the human realm, experiencing the life in the cultivation world. Not trusting people blindly had been a habit he had formed over a long time. There were just too many instances where somebody you thought of as a friend would stab you in the back. Even if they didn't, some secrets just couldn't be divulged. And right now, even though he couldn't see the person, he knew that somebody was following him. This certainly wasn't the moment to hurry back to the Yun Zou Sect. Then now what?
He glanced at the transmission stone that he was still holding in his hand and wondered if he should just contact Jinde to ask how he was doing. He didn't entertain the idea for long though. Never mind that the person following him might see Jinde's face if he did and thus give away that they knew each other, Jinde had also just used his energy to flee. Who knew how he was doing right now? Even though the amount needed to use the transmission stone he carried was minuscule, it was still an amount that couldn't be lacked if he hadn't made it to the Liu He Alliance yet. In that case …
Leng Jin Yu furrowed his brows and finally imbued his spiritual energy into the stone. The person following him should be that Xiang Yong. Despite him saying that he had just been trying to be careful, he obviously still hadn't let his guard down. So if he tried to contact somebody, it should be somebody that would reassure the guy. Then he might let go of his doubts and leave, giving him the opportunity to inquire about Jinde.
The person whose apparition finally appeared was none other than Xin Lan. Seeing the person on the other end, Xin Lan's brows furrowed. "What?" Qiu Ling hadn't said anything when he arrived so he couldn't help but feel that this person was even worse than Chun Yin had been. Hadn't he heard that the demon king had come over? Why hadn't he returned at once? Even if he couldn't win against him, he should at least try to divert his attention from Jinde. That was much better than leaving his Master in this kind of situation alone.
Leng Jin Yu had no trouble picking up on the other person's dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, he couldn't explain anything right now. "Senior Xin Lan, you wouldn't happen to know if the dragon king is currently still in the Yun Zou Sect, would you?"
Xin Lan furrowed his brows. The dragon king? That should be referring to Qiu Ling but … "Is that really what you want to ask?"
"Well, Longjun carelessly gave away his transmission stone. The God of War told me to get it from Bai Mu. I'm supposed to bring it back but it occurred to me that he might not be there anymore. Actually, it wasn't that easy to get it. People in the dragon realm seem to be rather careful with regard to strangers." Once again, he glanced to the side, trying to signal Xin Lan that something was going on.
Xin Lan's eyes narrowed in response. He also knew about Bai Mu and the transmission stone but the way Leng Jin Yu said this and that look just now seemed to insinuate that there was something more going on. "So somebody is making things difficult for you? Well, never mind. That brat is still here. He has been making trouble for a while now. It seemed like he doesn't want to leave anytime soon either."
Leng Jin Yu nodded. If Xin Lan had figured out what he meant, then the 'brat' he was talking about wasn't Qiu Ling. It seemed the demon king still hadn't given up. But in that case … He looked questioningly at Xin Lan, not daring to ask what he really wanted to know. Even if that Xiang Yong was an adviser of Qiu Ling's, it wasn't safe to let anybody know about Jinde. At least not if that person was of the dragon race.
Xin Lan sighed. "I'm thinking of taking a break. You know some things have come up and why shouldn't I go and take care of that first? I'm pretty sure that brat will be able to amuse himself. So if you want to come by and return the transmission stone …" His eyes narrowed. "Well, actually, the Son of Heaven returned. So I guess you might not be too welcome, right now. Why don't you go and do something else first too? We can return afterward. Maybe he'll be a less busy with this reunion then."
Leng Jin Yu nodded. "I guess I'll do that then. Then … I hope you have a nice break."
Xin Lan nodded and cut the connection, turning to the person standing in the doorway. "Seen enough yet?"
Jin Ling shook his head. "Who cares about some ascended deity? I want to know where Jinde is. I want to see him. So why don't you just tell me what I want to know? I'll leave immediately then.
Xin Lan smiled. "What makes you think that I would do what you tell me? Since His Majesty's back my loyalty lies with him. I've taken care of you long enough. I'm sick of it and I certainly won't stay a day longer in the demon realm. So shouldn't you go and make sure that you don't lose your throne? After all, you always wanted to hold onto it, didn't you?"
Jin Ling narrowed his eyes. "I held onto it for Jinde. So that we could reign over the demon and the dragon realm together. Is there really any use to it if he isn't even at my side?"
"Then what was the use in getting that throne in the first place? You always knew you wouldn't be able to reign with him side-by-side anyway." He got up, stretched his body and went to the door. "Well, I think I have accompanied you long enough. I'll do what I told him just now and really go and take a break. If you have your suspicions about whether or not I'll go and meet with His Majesty, you may follow me. I don't care. Just don't get in the way of my business." With that, he left the house, rose into the air and left the grounds of the Yun Zou Sect, leaving for the clouds high above in the sky.