"Well …" Qiu Ling finally pulled out a transmission stone and imbued some energy without thinking about it further.
Jinde jumped behind the door at once, scolding him fiercely. "What are you doing, brat?!"
Qiu Ling once again blinked his eyes but he had already started to contact the other person so it would be weird to stop. He merely turned around as if that would help somehow.
Jinde facepalmed. That bear child! If he turned around, he'd be even easier to spot in the background! He stepped away even further and quietly complained about him to the child in his arms. "See that big brother over there? He's handsome but stupid. In the future, when you've become bigger, you definitely have to make sure that you don't just look for a pretty face. Make sure the person you marry also has the brains to match their good looks."
Hua Lin Yu nodded earnestly. Afterward, his expression impression turned thoughtful though. "I'm going to marry uncle Xin Lan in the future. Then we're going to be family."
Jinde stared at him in a daze. "Xin Lan?" He had overheard before that this child had some kind of relationship with him but he was really wondering how things had developed to this degree. "Does Xin Lan know that you intend to marry him?"
Hua Lin Yu nodded hurriedly. "He said I should grow up and then marry him!"
Jinde felt dumbstruck. This Xin Lan … How could he trick an adorable child like this just like that? Did he feel no shame at all?! Well, this one was still very small. Until he grew up, he might've already forgotten about it.
With that thought, Jinde rubbed his head and smiled. "Well, if you want to marry him, then you should marry him. If you feel different about it until then, you also don't have to. I'm sure Xin Lan would understand."
Inside the room, Leng Jin Yu glanced at Jinde, his expression a little complicated. Shouldn't Jinde be happy if Xin Lan found somebody else? Then at the very least, he wouldn't need to worry Xin Lan would continue to be hung up over him. Leng Jin Yu didn't say that out loud though and just kept the thought to himself. Anyway, they couldn't force Xin Lan to fall in love with somebody else either. And it would be strange if he found somebody this fast after being in love with Jinde for such a long time.
In the meantime, the person who Qiu Ling had tried to contact answered his call. "Your Majesty." Xiang Yong had furrowed his brows and his expression didn't get any happier when he saw Qiu Ling and the room behind him. That place … I did look like it was in the dragon realm but obviously, the king hadn't returned yet. More importantly, there was that ascended deity in the background that had come by the other day to meet Bai Mu. It made him a little worried. That relationship with His Majesty he had spoken of … Just what was it about? He wanted to know but he didn't dare to ask. After all, the king had always kept to himself. Even if he asked him, he likely wouldn't get an explanation.
Qiu Ling just gave a curt nod. "Xiang Yong, I need you to help me with something."
"I'm at your service, Your Majesty. Just say the word."
Next to Qiu Ling, Fei Bai Mu's brows rose. This person … He wasn't just of the dragon race, he also … happened to be the dragon race's king? Just what kind of freak coincidence was this? She really wanted to ask but now was hardly the time.
Qiu Ling gave a happy hum when Zhong Yong was so quick on the uptake. "I need you to take a look at the treasury and take everything out that can help to nourish a soul."
Xiang Yong's gaze once again swept to the person behind his king and he couldn't help but question his king this time. "Your Majesty, this wouldn't have anything to do with that ascended deity Leng behind you, would it?"
Qiu Ling blinked his eyes and looked over his shoulder. "Him? Why?"
Xiang Yong hesitated considering that this person was able to hear him but then gave a wry smile. "Well, he came by the palace a while ago. I found it quite coincidental that Your Majesty would meet up with him once again like this. I was just curious." Anyway, the king should know who he could trust and who he couldn't trust. In that case, how could he interfere?
Qiu Ling once again looked at Leng Jin Yu before he turned back to Xiang Yong. "Wasn't he there to help my cousin-in-law? Anyway, this is important so check it right now."
Xiang Yong nodded. "Of course. Then I'll contact you again —"
"No need. You just go look now and tell me what you find while you look for it. I don't want to wait that long."
Xiang Yong's lips twitched but he still nodded and made his way over to the treasury at once. Anyway, this was very much like their king. It actually put him at ease to see his usual unreasonable behavior.
He entered the room and then went to pick up a book that was displayed not far from the entrance, flipping through the pages. "Let me see …" He finally found a treasure that fit what their king wanted and went to the shelf. When he looked at the place where the item should be placed … he was only faced with a gap though.
Qiu Ling raised his brows. "What's the matter?"
Xiang Yong looked in the other parts of the shelf before he furrowed his brows. "Your Majesty … There seems to be something missing from the treasury."
Outside of the courtyard, Jinde couldn't help but look over. He couldn't say that he was surprised that something like this would happen under Qiu Ling's reign considering how his stepson behaved normally. It wasn't a good thing though.
Qiu Ling also turned serious when he heard that. "Just one thing? Check if there's anything more. I'm pretty sure we should have several items that fit the bill. Wasn't there a phoenix feather or something?"
Xiang Yong's expression turned subtle when he heard that. "There was one. But …"
"But?"
"Your Majesty might remember that we had to offer that as tribute to the gods after that encounter with His Highness."
Qiu Ling blinked his eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about?" He had encountered his beloved many times. In fact, he had seen him almost daily for ten years and every single one of these encounters was engraved in his mind but he really couldn't remember any time there had been something with a phoenix feather.
Xiang Yong cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed to bring these old matters up. "The Heavenly Emperor accused you of having indecently assaulted his son and banned you from entering the Nine Heavens."
Qiu Ling pondered and finally, his expression lit up. "Right! Wasn't that after his birthday banquet?"
Xiang Yong rubbed his forehead and nodded. Why was his king sounding so happy to have remembered this embarrassing story? "Yes, shortly after that." In fact, he still felt astonished that his king had actually managed to achieve that kind of thing just a day after meeting the person he had fallen in love with. Their king … truly had a special kind of talent.