Hua Lin Yu blinked his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Hua Lin Rong also looked at him with a puzzled expression but there was a hint of worry mixed in. He really hoped this didn't mean that he'd have to stay home …
Xin Lan continued to smile with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "As I said this morning, dragons are rather straightforward. If you sleep with somebody and someone observes, you'll count as married in our people's eyes. So, you should be rather careful over there or you might come back with a spouse." Naturally, there were ways to get around this but he wouldn't tell him. Putting it this clear-cut would be beneficial in making him understand how serious this could be.
Hua Lin Rong gave a wry smile, unable to see any kind of humor in that. "Is it really that strict? Also, normally, we wouldn't do that in the human realm either." He really wondered just what Xin Lan thought of him to actually give this kind of advice. Did he think it would be normal in the human realm to just go around and sleep with people? That couldn't be, right?
He didn't think so but from what Xin Lan had said, it did suggest that. So he couldn't help but be a little unsure. In the end, he couldn't help but ask. "Say, that kind of behavior … It isn't normal in the dragon realm, is it? You don't just meet somebody and then you'll get married just like that, right?" It was rather hard for him to imagine that.
Xin Lan chuckled and shook his head. "No, normally, it isn't like that. Although I can't deny that there will be some people out there that are rather fast in deciding on their partner and will really get married almost immediately. The current dragon king is said to have proposed to his fiance upon first sight, for example. A pity for him that the gods don't operate like that."
He shook his head, not actually pitying Qiu Ling. "Well, that isn't a concern for you. If somebody propositions you, just a no will be enough. But there are some accidents as well."
Hua Lin Rong didn't quite understand. "What kind of accident?"
"The kind where you will get drunk and then wake up the next morning with a wife. This is precisely why I am warning you. I naturally don't think that you would go around and try this kind of thing but you can't forget that this is a different realm.
"If they give you any food or drink, it can be that it will be quite a bit more potent than that in the human realm even if it looks remarkably similar to something that you know. So, you should always be careful. If we split up at one point, you definitely have to make sure that you keep track of that. I really don't want to be responsible if we have an additional person with us when we return."
This time, Hua Lin Rong nodded solemnly. It might not sound like something that was likely to happen but this really was something that couldn't be taken lightly for the off-chance that those circumstances might come about. After all, since he didn't know much about the immortal realms, it would be easy to get something wrong if he couldn't rely on Xin Lan or anybody else for guidance.
What if he met somebody with bad intentions? What if somebody played a cruel joke on him? What if he just got extremely unlucky? If that happened, he would have nobody to cry to!
Thinking of that, Hua Ling Rong couldn't help but worry for his future self. No, he definitely needed to be careful and make sure that something like that couldn't happen in the first place. He couldn't take any chances.
After all, he really didn't want to get involved in this kind of accident. He still believed that he would be able to find love one day. Whether that was in the mortal realm or in one of the immortal realms, he didn't really care. But he definitely didn't want that to be cheapened by some short moment of inattention. No, he couldn't put his future marital bliss in jeopardy!
Ah, but then again, he might also get lucky and fall in love with a beauty in the dragon realm. Just thinking about how they would meet and exchange a glance, feeling the connection between them in their souls, and then think of each other for the days to come …
Mn, he couldn't wait to go there. Getting married immediately wasn't necessary but falling in love sure would be nice. And the dragon realm probably was full of beauties. Maybe there would really be one for him there?
Xin Lan slightly raised his brows when he saw Hua Lin Rong become absentminded but he didn't say anything. Anyway, he didn't look unhappy. That was the most important. In fact, surprisingly, he looked as if he didn't mind his warning at all and was even thinking about something positive. It really made him wonder what exactly was going on in his mind …
Well, Xin Lan wasn't about to find out. The three of them arrived at the hall where the banquet would be held and Hua Lin Rong was pulled out of his thoughts, putting off finding a spouse for later. Anyway, this evening was about his precious little brother. He couldn't be distracted!
Thus, the three of them started to accompany Hua Ning Shun and Hua Ming Jun, not saying a single word more about the journey to the dragon realm. Soon enough, Fa Min Juan and Helian Nuan also arrived and even the two Huo brothers made their way over, prompting the servants to bring in the dishes so the banquet could start.