Just when Shen An De wanted to ask how she wanted to get Hong Bao and that man to meet again, there was a commotion not too far away. "That is …" He narrowed his eyes and tried to see if he could make out what was going on on the other side of the palace.
He didn't have to wonder about it for long. In just a moment, two figures flew over the roof and landed in front of them.
Shen An De's brows rose. What a coincidence! "Qiu Ling, Jing Yi, what brings you over here?" To think that the two people they had just thought of were suddenly standing before them certainly was a surprise.
Somehow, he didn't believe that this matter was that simple though. No, they probably wouldn't have come here if there wasn't anything urgent that they needed. After all, they were from a righteous sect. Outside of some kind of mission, there would be no reason for them to come over and at least Jing Yi certainly wouldn't do so without good reason. While Qiu Ling wouldn't have to worry about it since he was not even human, that boy was a different matter altogether. He definitely took being a member of the Yun Zou Sect seriously. Casually walking into a demonic sect could lead to trouble for him. So why had he still done it?
Qiu Ling walked over and unceremoniously sat down next to them. He didn't really bother about Shen An De who clearly had quite a few things on his mind and instead turned to Hong Ai. "Say, do you still have that demon-hunting sword?"
Hong Ai raised her brows and gave a nod. "Of course." This had been a present from her husband after all. Even though she never intended to use it against him, it was still an important memory for them. She definitely wouldn't throw that out.
Qiu Ling's expression lit up and he looked at Jing Yi happily.
Jing Yi could only smile wryly and come over, nodding at Shen An De and his wife. "I'm sorry for disturbing you like this. The reason why we are asking is that something happened to a few friends of ours. They are currently being imprisoned in the Chun Feng Sect. We want to get them out but … Well, it's a little difficult for Qiu Ling."
Shen An De nodded thoughtfully. "Right, that shouldn't be an easy feat for a dragon. What about the demon-hunting sword though? That shouldn't be helping you at all."
Qiu Ling waved as if it wasn't anything important. "We just want to try something. So can I borrow it for a few hours maybe? Or, no, make that a few days. I need to bring it to the dragon realm."
Hong Ai looked at him in astonishment. "You … You want to bring it to the dragon realm for a few days?"
Qiu Ling nodded as if it was nothing much. "Actually, it wouldn't be that long in the dragon realm but it will be quite a bit of time here. So, can you give it to me?"
Hong Ai didn't look happy at all about this proposition. The sword meant a lot to her and she really wouldn't like to give it to somebody else.
Shen An De saw her expression and got up, walking over to her and taking her hands. "This isn't an easy decision for you to make. Why don't we take a moment to talk it through? I can tell the servants to bring some refreshments for Jing Yi and Qiu Ling in the meantime."
Behind them, Qiu Ling narrowed his eyes. "Is there something we shouldn't hear?"
Shen An De looked at him and smiled brightly. "Well, you're really putting me on the spot with this, aren't you? But I guess if you already realized, then I might as well say my thoughts out loud."
Qiu Ling leaned back, feeling a little tensed. Just what did he want to say?
Shen An De pulled Hong Ai back to the table and the two of them also sat down, facing Qiu Ling and Jing Yi. "To be honest, we were just talking about Hong Bao before you came. We heard that there was some trouble involving the Chun Feng Sect. I guess your friends being imprisoned there will be precisely because of that reason.
"Anyway, we'd like to get Hong Bao out of there. The problem is that she is still in love with one of her senior martial brothers. I remembered that you had said that there was a man she had been in love with before when she was in the Nine Heavens and I was thinking that maybe if she met him again, she might forget about that senior martial brother of hers. Then, Hong Bao wouldn't need to be involved with them any further and wouldn't be embroiled in this conflict when it will escalate.
"We are unable to make this work on our own though. Since there's something we need and something that you need, how about we make a deal?"
Qiu Ling raised an eyebrow and looked at him deeply. "Spoken like a true descendant of a demon."
Shen An De laughed. "I guess I can't refute that. But anyway, I'm not asking for much, am I? It is just you asking a question to somebody you already know. Of course, the person could refuse. And I would even understand that. But I feel like wanting you to ask him wouldn't be too much. On the other hand, the sword means a lot to me and Hong Ai. Asking her to give it away without being there is a little too much, don't you think so? I feel like we should get something in return."
Qiu Ling pursed his lips but he could hardly say anything against it. It was indeed true. "Well, then I'll contact him. I can't promise anything though."
He got up from his seat and walked a few steps, taking out his transmission stone. Eh … The Fate's Scribe shouldn't have a problem with helping him out, right? And Hong Bao wasn't that bad. He might as well meet up with her once and let her fall in love with him again.