Seeing Xin Lan in his human form, the man slightly furrowed his brows. He couldn't help it think of what his son had told him a few months ago about that fabric that had suddenly appeared, as well as the presence that seemed to linger around the estate. It couldn't be that this person was the culprit behind these incidents, could it?
Even though he had that kind of suspicion, he still didn't dare to show any hostility to the person in front of him. One glance was enough to let him know that he would be hard-pressed to win against this person if they were to engage in a fight. "Greetings." He cupped his fists and nodded. "I am Hua Ming Jun, the patriarch of the Hua family. Might I ask who you are?"
Xin Lan forced himself to give the man half a smile. "My name Xin Lan. I was … passing by."
Hua Ming Jun looked at him, trying to figure out if he was saying the truth or not. If he didn't have any bad intentions, then there was no reason to lie. If he had … Well, there was nothing he could do if he didn't want to have a falling out, was there?
He also gave a slight smile in response. "Then I hope I haven't alarmed you. It is just that somebody was lingering around here a while ago, startling the younger generation. So I couldn't help but be a little wary when I felt somebody close to our estate once again."
"Oh?" Xin Lan raised an eyebrow. It seemed that this 'younger generation' had run to inform the most powerful existence in their Hua family. Well, he could imagine. Whether it was the brother or the father of Xiang Yu's mortal reincarnation, they both doted on that brat quite a lot. Naturally, they would be worried if they thought that somebody might be out to hurt him. "Well, I'm not very familiar with the region. But if I do see something suspicious, I could tell you about it."
Hua Ming Jun raised his brows in surprise. He had expected a lot of responses but not something like this. "Your help would be very much appreciated."
Xin Lan nodded and then glanced around, finally giving a hum. "To be honest, I have been wandering around aimlessly for a while but have been searching for a place to settle down. There wouldn't be a suitable place around here that you could recommend?" If he had to stay with that brat after he grew up, he might as well get a little familiar with the place first. With how the child was treated, it was likely he would stay here for the rest of his life, never leaving for even a step. So he should carve out a place for himself to make it logical for them to meet and fall in love later on. Otherwise, things might get awkward.
Hua Ming Jun did not know how to respond for a moment. What kind of place should he recommend to this person? This wasn't a human, after all. And he also couldn't help but wonder if he really didn't have anything to do with the person that had been lingering around before. After all, that fabric had turned out to be part of a man's robe. Maybe this man and that person were the same after all and he had just not admitted to it and was now searching for a legitimate reason to stay?
Unfortunately, even if he could find out what the truth was, he would still be in the very same situation where he wouldn't know what to do about this. So in the end, he could only pretend that he had no concerns whatsoever and try to help this person. If he had had any bad intentions, maybe being friendly would change his mind. And if he hadn't … it would also be beneficial to their Hua family to have helped him out. If this could give his family some more security, he wouldn't reject it. "That depends. Do you have any requirements?"
Xin Lan continued to look around as if he had all the time in the world. "Not many. It would be nice if it had a water source though." After all, he was still a dragon. Even though he wasn't as fragile as the later generations, he still liked to be around water.
"There is a river not far from here."
"That sounds good. Which direction?"
Hua Ming Jun motioned over to a place that was indeed not too far from the city. In fact, Xin Lan was able to see it from where he stood.
"Mn, that doesn't look bad. I guess I should go and take a closer look."
Hua Ming Jun nodded. "Should I accompany you?"
Xin Lan looked at him but finally shook his head. "No, just pointing me in the right direction is enough. I'll go and have a look around myself."
"Very well. If there's anything else … You do know where to find me."
Xin Lan nodded and then headed over to the river, not staying to converse with that old man any longer. Anyway, he had already made his first impression. That would be enough to use later on. So anything else … He could still take care of that later.
While Xin Lan went to find a place where he could settle down for his supposed future lover, Hua Ming Jun descended back to the ground with a grave expression, scaring the people inside.
"Father, just what happened?" Hua Ning Shun couldn't help but step forward, grabbing his father's arm.
Hua Ming Jun sighed and shook his head. "I hope that the person I saw was not the one little Yu attracted. If he is …" He sighed again and shook his head. "I'm afraid there's nothing I could do."
The other family members exchanged glances. Not even the patriarch was able to do something? Just what kind of person was it that their Xiao Yu had lured over? And was this person friend or foe?