Xin Lan gave him a stern look but Lin Yu didn't seem to care at all. The child held onto his strand of hair and even happily shook his little fist, giggling while he was at it.
Xin Lan furrowed his brows and tried to pry the child's hand off him. Unfortunately, he knew very well that he couldn't be too heavy-handed or that little thing might be injured. Then, what would the Hua family think of him? They might not let him into Xiang Yu's vicinity ever again. And in that case … He would be hard-pressed to fulfill his promise.
Who knew what Tian would do then? With how much that asshole hated him, he might just tell him that it was his own fault and that he deserved to be punished. Even though that wasn't the truth at all, Tian still had the ability to take away his life so he couldn't give him any reason to do so. He had to make sure that everything worked well.
Xin Lan gave up when Xiang Yu didn't budge and turned to look at the child's grandfather and big brother.
The two men of the Hua family exchanged a glance, seeing panic in each other's eyes. They really didn't know what to do. The person they had invited over to provide Lin Yu with another layer of protection was now literally in the hands of their little one. What were they supposed to say now?
Hua Ming Jun was too embarrassed to say anything at all. He really wished that the ground could open up to swallow him.
Meanwhile, a sneaky glint appeared in Hua Lin Rong's eyes. He gave Xin Lan what could've been an awkward smile but seemed a little too calculating when looking closer and then went over to pat his little brother's head. "I'm really sorry. Our Xiao Yu especially loves handsome people. I'm afraid he's taken a liking to you. He probably won't be letting go anytime soon. Why don't you stay here for a while longer? Would you like a cup of tea?"
Xin Lan looked at him with a deadpan expression, ready to shoot the idea down. Just then, the little one in his arms tugged at his hair again, giving enough another happy laugh.
Xin Lan stopped himself from uttering the words he had already prepared and sighed in resignation. Anyway, he was supposed to become this person's lover when he grew up. He might as well spend some more time at the Hua family's house so they could get used to him. As for the child … Well, it might also be beneficial to spend more time with him.
Contrary to Qiu Ling who had been scared witless that his beloved would think of him as old when he grew up, Xin Lan had no such inhibitions. He was old. Even the dragons would probably call him ancient if they dared to be as disrespectful as their current king. So there was no way denying his age. Since that was the case, why should he pretend that it was different?
He might as well go along with what happened and hope that the child started to like him. Anyway, he was a handsome man, he could also be charming if he wanted so it shouldn't be difficult to slowly make him fall in love. This could only be to his advantage.
And cultivation family's normally didn't care about age. After all, they could all live forever if they weren't killed. What seemed like a large age gap right now would be next to nothing in just a few years. Well, at least that was what he'd say if they asked. There was no need to dive into details until he had fulfilled his promise.
With that thought, Xin Lan finally nodded. "Very well. Then I'll have to bother you to accommodate me."
Hua Lin Rong raised his brows, almost unable to believe that this had really worked. How could he just say yes to this? Shouldn't he have tried to make him take back the child? Shouldn't he resist a bit longer?
Seeing that his older grandson was too stunned to react, Hua Ming Jun hurriedly jumped in. "But of course! Follow me, please." He went ahead and led Xin Lan into the dining room. He then called for a servant and told them to serve both tea and some pastries for their guest. Then, he sat down next to him and waved for his grandson to do the same.
Xin Lan looked from one man to the other and then glanced at the child that was still in his arms. He really wondered if he didn't want to let go at all. If things continued like this, would he have to hug him to sleep? Certainly, his family wouldn't be alright with that.
Hua Ming Jun cleared his throat and tried to bring up something else to divert Xin Lan's attention. "By the way, the reason why my son left the estate was because of a meeting with some of the other important cultivation families and several sects. Apparently, there is a problem with some demon-hunting sects."
The corners of Xin Lan's lips turned upward. "Oh? Was there such a thing?"
Hua Ming Jun wasn't sure why his guest looked like that but he still nodded. "Yes. They seem to have imprisoned some people that they thought to be of demonic descent. From what has been found out, it seems that the suspicion isn't true for all of them though. Still, the demon-hunting sects didn't let them go.
"The worst thing is that the people they imprisoned were part of some cultivation sects but the demon hunters never contacted these sects to allow them to fight against these charges. So these disciples were considered missing with nobody knowing where they went."
"That sounds tragic. A lot of people must have been worried. How was it finally discovered?"
"The one who informed everyone of this behavior was the Jian Yi Sect. I don't know if you've heard of them?"
Xin Lan looked at the child in his arms and tousled his hair. "I think it was mentioned once or twice while I was around."
Hua Lin Rong couldn't help but pipe up at that. "It's no wonder. Their previous Grandmaster, Grandmaster Leng Jin Yu, was a hero. He has done a lot for the cultivation world. There really is nobody who isn't indebted to him."
Xin Lan forced a smile. "That sounds like a really great guy." Inwardly, he couldn't help but think that his older brother of the Hua family really talked too much.
So everybody was indebted to him? Should he be happy that that guy had stolen away the person he loved? Anyway, there was nothing he could change about that anymore. He could only finish up his task here in the mortal realm and then try to find somebody else to spend his life with. Until then …
Hopefully, this Hua Lin Rong wouldn't be as chatty when his brother had grown up. Otherwise, he would really need to bring this brat away from here and live somewhere else with him.
Otherwise, even he wouldn't be able to put up with it.