Having cleared that up, Hua Lin Yu immediately went on to the next question. "Bai Mu said that all the races were originally created by the same person and that they all head some similarities because of that. What do you know about that?"
Xin Lan gave an unenthusiastic grunt in response. "It's true. Remember the person I told you about that cursed the dragon race? Well, he's also the one who created it in the first place."
Hua Lin Yu nodded. "I already thought so. In that case, there must be a lot of similarities between the races, right?"
Xin Lan pondered and finally nodded. "Yes, they're not that different actually. In fact, the differences that they do have, have in part developed over time and weren't created originally. Just like the dragon race didn't exist originally. To say that he created us … It is not wrong in the sense that he created our ancestors. But it is wrong in so far that he did not actually create a dragon."
Hua Lin Yu didn't quite know what to make of that. "So, what did he create then?"
Xin Lan leaned back, pensively brushing through Hua Lin Yu's hair. "What did he create? That's a good question. To be honest, I can't say for sure either. I might be the oldest person of my race that is alive but even I haven't lived at that time. There were many generations before mine.
"From what I know, the dragons were originally part of the demon race. Only with time, some differences in that race became more pronounced which finally caused the different groups to split. As a result, some characteristics stood out even more over time and are still left even today. That is what has created the ability to shift into two forms: one that is reminiscent of the humans or gods and the one that we call the dragon form which is closer to what a spiritual beast would look like.
"Originally, there were quite a few groups in the demon race that were able to shift like this. But that ability hasn't survived in all of them. Right now, there are probably only a select few that are able to do so. In fact, maybe it isn't even all the members of these groups that have this ability."
"Then the demon race must've been really different in the past."
Xin Lan nodded without hesitation. "Yes, that is true. I think that the curse hit them even harder than it did us. At the end of the day, while we were restricted in how we could live our lives, it still didn't change the whole of our society. With the demons, it was different.
"Back then, there had actually been a royal family. They were ruled pretty similarly to the dragon race. In fact, from what I know, the relationship between our races wasn't that bad at that point. But with the curse, the royal family soon fell. And after that, things spiraled down further. There was a lot of unrest in the realm and finally, the only way to unite them was to go against the dragons. That conflict has lasted up until today."
Hua Lin Yu's eyes glittered with excitement when he heard that. He only had some very vague knowledge of the three immortal races. To hear something like this … He could really call himself lucky.
Xin Lan smiled slightly when he saw Hua Lin Yu's expression and pulled him closer. "That's the truth behind it. I'm afraid that I can't tell you much more though."
"Why? Is it a secret?"
Xin Lan's lips twitched and he was actually tempted to say yes. In the end, he still went with the truth again. "No, it's not. I simply do not know."
Hua Lin Yu blinked his eyes, not having expected that answer. "You really don't know anything more?"
"No. As I said, that time was long over when I was born. And the dragon race had to grapple with their own curse and the newly issued war so there wasn't really much time to put into making sure the memory of these things stayed alive. So save for some dedicated scholars, I'm afraid nobody in the dragon race would be able to tell you about it. The ancient times …" He shook his head. "No, they are mostly a mystery to us."
Hua Lin Yu gave a hum and then tilted his head. "Didn't you say that that adviser An Bai was a renowned scholar? Maybe I should go and ask him."
Xin Lan craned his neck and kissed him on the lips, giving him a smile. "If you are so curious, we can go and ask him. Anyway, I doubt he would have a problem with that."
Hua Lin Yu nodded happily and then got up from Xin Lan's lap. "Let's do that!" He pulled at his hand, wanting to go over immediately.
Xin Lan stayed where he was though.
"What's the matter? Didn't we want to go and ask?"
"You really want to leave again already? You only came back just now. I thought that the two of us … would spend some time alone first." He reached out, grabbed him by the waist, and pulled him back onto his lap, his gaze tempting. "Or could it be that you don't want to spend some alone time with your fiance?"
Hua Lin Yu chuckled and then cupped his cheeks, giving him a kiss. "I definitely do. Although I can't deny that I'm really curious about your race. There are so many things that I don't know yet. I wish I could soak all of that up like a sponge."
Xin Lan gave a hum and kissed his cheek, his hands brushing over his back. "You can still be a sponge a little later. Right now, how about just being my lover? I've been missing you all morning since I woke up."
Hua Lin Yu laughed and then nestled into his embrace. Yes, he should probably spend some time with him. He really shouldn't have left for so long.