Xin Lan stared dumbfounded at the child that was extending his arms in his direction. What was that fallen god's reincarnation doing here?! Even though his Master had just said that he wanted to thank him when all of this was over, that didn't mean that he actually needed to be here. Especially since his Master didn't know just who he was. Well, even if he did, it wouldn't matter since Xiang Yu couldn't remember his actual life. He was just a mortal boy right now.
Xin Lan held his forehead, regretting that he hadn't been more careful when he came in. Now, this kind of thing would actually be exposed in front of his Master.
Next to him, Jinde already chuckled. "No need to be shy. I already heard before that you promised to marry him. I really wonder how you came up with that." There was an amused smile playing around his lips while he looked at Xin Lan. Obviously, he enjoyed his plight thoroughly.
Xin Lan pressed his lips together tightly, refusing to say anything. Whatever he said right now, he would be on the losing end anyway. He might as well keep quiet and leave his Master his own imagination.
Meanwhile, Sect Master Fei came over, looking at Xin Lan with a thoughtful expression. She knew pretty well that he probably had no intention at all to marry her disciple when he had grown up. He had only said that at that moment so he could get rid of the child.
It was a pity for Hua Lin Yu but she couldn't say that it was much of a surprise. After all, this man was a dragon and probably not just anybody when he was acquainted with this person that their Jian Yi Sect's Grandmaster had married. After all, that person in turn had some dealings with the dragon king. It stood to reason that other people he was acquainted with might be of similarly special status.
"So we meet again."
Xin Lan ignored the child on her arms and nodded. He didn't bother to say anything though and instead turned back to his Master. Even though he would have liked this to happen more privately, it was still best to turn his Master's attention to something else. "I brought something for you." He once again took out something from his spatial ring and handed it over to Jinde.
It was a small bag with a seal on top that would allow people to store something inside. Contrary to a spatial ring, it wouldn't require any spiritual energy to open it though. For somebody like Jinde who needed to make sure that he used every last bit of spiritual energy that he recovered to heal his own soul, this definitely was something good.
"Oh? Was this bag the reason you wanted to come over?" He didn't really think so. After all, while it was useful, these bags weren't anything special. Even the humans had things like this.
Xin Lan shook his head and lightly squeezed Jinde's hand. "It's not about the bag but about what is inside. I'm pretty sure that you will like this."
Fei Bai Mu looked from one person to the other and then to the way Xin Lan was holding Jinde's hand. Well, she suddenly understood very well just what their Grandmaster had meant when he said that his partner and this Xin Lan were very close. Apparently, they weren't just close. Instead, it seemed that there were some special feelings involved. At least from this Xin Lan's side.
While Fei Bai Mu could plainly see what was going on, she didn't mention any of her thoughts. From what she had seen in the last few weeks, their Grandmaster and his husband seemed to be very much in love. Even if there was another man that had feelings for their Grandmaster's husband, it wouldn't change anything about their relationship. And even if that was the case, she was certainly one of the last people that should worry about it. Their Grandmaster would sort things out himself.
Thinking of that, Fei Bai Mu turned to her disciple instead. "I'm afraid your uncle Xin Lan is currently busy. We should give him some time to sort things out."
Hua Lin Yu scrunched up his face, obviously prepared to throw a tantrum if Xin Lan wasn't going to pay him attention.
Jinde laughed when he saw that and walked over to the two of them, picking Hua Lin Yu up. "Your uncle Xin Lan might not have time for you but it's a different matter if it's about me. I always have time for you."
Hua Lin Yu's expression immediately lit up. He clung to Jinde's neck, not bothering about the bad person who wouldn't hold him any longer. Anyway, this person was still the best.
Jinde laughed and then went over to the table, sitting down with the boy in his arms and opening the bag that Xin Lan had given him. He took out what was inside, one item after the other, his expression slowly turning into one of stunned silence. "This is …"
Xin Lan walked over, stopping next to him and giving him a long look. "If I had known that you were still alive, I would've started gathering things much earlier. But since I know now, I have been using a bit of my time to go and gather things for you. I hope that this will help you recover soon."
Jinde looked up, a complicated feeling in his chest. He had wanted that Xin Lan went to live his own life. Because even though he understood that Xin Lan had feelings for him, they both knew that his own feelings for him would never change. There was nothing he could do so he could only hope that Xin Lan would be able to fall in love with somebody else sometime down the line. But … Even after leaving, he was still mostly doing things for him. How could that be good?
"You shouldn't put yourself out on my account this much. Just taking some time will be enough for me."
"I know. But it is something that I want to do. Even if you don't want to take anything else into consideration, you saved my life. I should repay you." Xin Lan didn't give him any time to answer and just turned away, searching for something else to change the subject. When he did, his gaze fell on a person that stood not far from them, his expression a little timid and wary of the two of them. Seeing him, Xin Lan's eyes lit up slightly. Well, this certainly was a welcome change of topic.