Back in the demon realm, Jin Ling was sifting through a few jade scrolls, his copper-colored brows scrunched up tightly. He had always paid more attention to things related to Alchemy than to setting up arrays so he could someday make Jinde proud. Thus he could only do a few basic arrays but that was it. Now … he had no idea what could be the issue with the one in the Yun Zou Sect.
He threw the scroll aside and rubbed his forehead. Just what could the matter be? The array hadn't reacted at all as if it wasn't working in the first place. But he had seen how Jinde had vanished through it so that wasn't possible. Maybe it was only supposed to work once? Maybe there was another array for exiting or another place from where that realm on the other side could be entered?
He came up with more ideas the longer he thought about it. Unfortunately, none of them brought him any closer to Jinde. If there was another array, he would still need to find it. But back when he checked the Yun Zou Sect the last time, he hadn't even found this array. And who knew if it actually was on the sect grounds? It might as well be somewhere else in the mortal realm. In fact, that was quite likely.
But then what should he do?
Jin Ling got up and walked over to the window, looking out at the sky. He just wanted to see him again. Nothing else. He would be happy as long as he could see him and have a chat. But he couldn't find him. He just couldn't find him. Even now that he had managed to find out where he was, they were still separated by one dimension. It was as if somebody was playing a colossal joke on him.
Jin Ling continued to ponder but his thoughts still remained without success. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to solve this crisis on his own. In that case, he could only rely on somebody else's help. His thoughts churned again but this time he wasn't pondering the array directly anymore. Instead, he thought about who would be able to find out more for him or maybe find a way to get into the realm. The person he thought of …
Jin Ling's copper-colored brows twitched. There was indeed such a person in the demon realm. It was even somebody he knew quite well. Unfortunately, he didn't know if this person would be willing to lend him a helping hand. After all, the matters between them … Well, he could hardly call them complicated but they weren't too good.
He hesitated for a while but thinking of how he might be able to reunite with Jinde if he did this, he just gave a sigh and then forced himself to leave his room and go to search for that man. Anyway, there was nothing he wouldn't be willing to sacrifice to attain his goal. And as long as he was able to give that person what he wanted, there would certainly be a way to make this work out. He just had to coax him for a while to comfort his ego.
Thus, in the end, Jin Ling found himself in front of a door in another part of the palace and knocked with a charming smile.
Inside the room, the inhabitant's gaze flickered and he stared at the door in confusion. He could clearly feel the energy emanating from the person on the other side of the door and he had no trouble recognizing just who this was. That begged the question of why he had come here? Could it have to do with what was happening in the demon realm recently?
The demon finally walked over to the door and opened, leaning into the doorway and crossing his arms. "What a surprise. His Majesty actually comes to see me on his own volition. I truly wonder what circumstances I owe this honor to."
Jin Ling's smile brightened and he stepped closer, reaching out and putting a hand against the man's chest. "Do I need a reason to come by?"
The demon looked down at that hand and raised an eyebrow but didn't do anything else. "I would almost believe this if you had done so back after I helped you ascend the throne. But coincidentally … you seemed to have almost forgotten about me for all these years. So you can't say that it's strange that I would be a bit baffled that something suddenly awakened these old memories."
Jin Ling took another step, almost plastering himself to the other man. "I wouldn't mind telling you. But why don't you invite me inside for that? You wouldn't want to talk about such things on your doorstep, would you?"
The demon looked the corridor up and down and clicked his tongue. "Maybe that would be worth a try."
Jin Ling gave a smile in response and then nudged the man's chest. "Maybe it is but not now."
"I guess you first want to talk proper business?" The man grinned and then motioned inside. "Well, luckily for you I'm not the resentful kind." He stepped out of the doorway and let Jin Ling into the room, closing the door behind.
He couldn't help but glance at him and size him up from behind. As for what he saw … He really liked it. Mn … although he was feeling a bit resentful over the fact that he had been pushed out of bed almost right after helping Jin Ling onto the throne, he still wouldn't mind rekindling the old flames in exchange for helping him again.
The two of them sat down and the demon gave a smile. "So, what is it that you want this time? Should I eliminate Yong Hai for you? That's rather easy. I have some difficulty believing that you can't deal with him yourself."
Jin Ling blinked his eyes. Yong Hai? He tried to remember who that was and then gave a look of surprise. Ah, wasn't this the guy who wanted to snatch his throne? He had already forgotten that there had been such a matter …