Qiu Ling went over to the rooms where Jinde and Leng Jin Yu were staying and opened the door without even knocking.
On the other side of the transmission stone, Qiang Yan's eyes bulged. This guy … he was really unafraid of everything, wasn't he? Who would dare to barge into Jinde's room like that? Actually, who would dare to barge into a married couple's room? Who knew what they'd be doing?
To both of their surprise, the room was empty though. Qiu Ling raised his brows and then went over to the door on the other side, stepping into the courtyard. Sure enough, Leng Jin Yu was sitting next to the lake.
Qiu Ling went over and poked his shoulder. "My uncle-in-law wants to speak to the old geezer."
Leng Jin Yu opened his eyes and looked at that so-called son of his with a complicated gaze. "He's in there, healing. I don't think you should disturb him."
"I'm not the one disturbing him." Qiu Ling waved the transmission stone. "I'd much rather spend time with my beloved anyway."
Leng Jin Yu nodded. "I can imagine. Maybe I'd be able to help the God of War?" He didn't know what this was about but he'd rather not disturb Jinde. It was important for him to finally heal his soul. If it could be achieved even a moment sooner, he would gladly make that happen.
Qiu Ling stopped waving the stone and instead sat down next to Leng Jin Yu, turning it so that he could see it.
Qiang Yan nodded at him. "Leng Jin Yu."
"God of War. What might this be about?"
"I only have a question. If you are able to answer it, I wouldn't want to disturb Longjun Jinde."
Leng Jin Yu's smile grew a little strained. 'Longjun Jinde'. He had never heard anybody refer to him like that. It … felt strange. His gaze grew distant and he felt like he heard somebody calling from far away.
"Longjun. Longjun!"
"Mn …" There was a hum that sounded very much like the teasing tone of Jinde. "Seems like work is calling again. What a pity."
"Mn." He also hummed, a low tone that he couldn't quite associate with himself but he had obviously been the one who issued the sound. Steps receded and finally, he sighed. "That robe looks good on you though." Most likely, the other person hadn't heard it though.
"Leng Jin Yu?"
The call pulled Leng Jin Yu back out of his thoughts. He raised his brows and shook his head. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
Qiang Yan smiled wryly. He had never seen Leng Jin Yu like that. Was this what marriage did to a man? Had he also been like that back when … He cleared his throat and decisively pushed the thought aside. He still didn't know what had happened to her. It was better not to dwell on it. "I was asking about Senior Xin Lan. Does he know about Longjun Jinde?"
"That he's alive? Yes."
"Then do you know where he currently is?"
"Not exactly but he's somewhere in the mortal realm. He's …" He blanked and his expression turned awkward.
"He's what?" Qiang Yan raised his brows. How bad could it be?
"He's … romancing somebody." His lips twitched when he thought of how proudly Jinde had told him about this. He seemed convinced that things would work out very well between Xin Lan and that fallen god.
"Ro…" Qiang Yan rubbed his brow. Alright, he could somewhat understand why Leng Jin Yu looked like that. "Well … He's not married."
Qiu Ling harrumphed. "No wonder. Who would want to marry him?"
Leng Jin Yu smiled wryly. "Mn." To be honest, he didn't doubt that Xin Lan would have several admirers that would be willing to marry him. He had some reservations against him but if he was honest, Xin Lan was a good-looking man. Even that half his face was habitually obscured by that mask didn't change that. In fact, this look fit him quite well. It highlighted his mysterious side as one of the ancestors of the dragons. Some people would certainly like that type of look.
The problem with Xin Lan was just that he was obviously uninterested. He only cared about Jinde. And winning against him … Leng Jin Yu couldn't help but smile at that thought. Maybe he was biased but he felt that it was almost impossible. Jinde was just … What wasn't perfect about him?
Ah, he already sounded like Qiu Ling.
Leng Jin Yu shook his head at himself when he realized that and he got back to the topic at hand. "I don't know too much about the situation, just that he promised that person something. It seems … he is attempting a trial as well." He kept the fact that the person in question was a fallen god to himself. Most likely, it would be troublesome if somebody found out. "I hope that'll help you with finding him. I don't know where exactly he is."
Qiang Yan smiled wryly. "Well, I might be able to go and ask the Fate's Scribe …" But that would be a little embarrassing, right? Hadn't he just said his goodbyes? "You wouldn't be able to reach Senior Xin Lan somehow, would you?"
Leng Jin Yu sighed. "Well, I guess I could. Wait a moment." He got up and looked at the lake. There was only one person that could contact Xin Lan at will.
He jumped into the water and dived down, hovering in front of Jinde. When his lover cracked his eyes open, he motioned at the necklace he was wearing. Jinde glanced up at the edge of the lake where Qiu Ling and the transmission stone in his hand could be seen and nodded. He didn't take the necklace off though. Instead, he hooked his finger at Leng Jin Yu.
Leng Jin Yu tilted his head but still swam over and reached out to take it off himself. Jinde leaned forward and his lips brushed Leng Jin Yu's cheek. He smiled, finally reaching up and taking off the necklace to hand it over to his husband.
Leng Jin Yu took the necklace in a daze and looked at Jinde, wondering what this was about. Jinde reached out and touched his cheek before he closed his eyes again. Leng Jin Yu continued to float in the water for a moment longer before he pushed off the ground and broke through the lake's surface. He took a moment before he went ashore, pondering by himself.
Most likely … Jinde had wanted to apologize for how he had brushed him off before. Ah, there really was no need for that. It was obvious that he would be confused when he heard something about the time back then. There was nothing bad about that.