At the same time, Xin Lan made his way over to the nearest gate. He couldn't be sure that they would come in there but it was at least worth a try. He definitely wouldn't just stand back when he knew that Hua Lin Yu was returning.
When Bai Mu and Nie Huang stepped through the gate and he saw Hua Lin Yu actually being carried, Xin Lan stopped in his tracks though. He had originally wanted to go over and see how Hua Lin Yu would react but he couldn't bring himself to do that when he saw that Hua Lin Yu wasn't even walking into the city on his own. Most likely, he had suffered quite a bit if things were like this. He hesitated and then stayed back, only watching from afar.
Bai Mu nodded at the guards that had been looking out for Hua Lin Yu and then brought him back to the palace. Hesitated a bit when he got to the corridor where all of them were living but then went to Hua Lin Rong's room. In any case, if Hua Lin Yu didn't want to see Xin Lan it was probably best to have him stay with his brother. After all, he would likely need somebody to comfort him if he had argued with his fiance to this degree.
Hua Lin Rong had no idea what to do when the two of them stepped in. He had Bai Mu carry Hua Lin Yu over to the bed but then didn't know what he should do. Get a physician? There actually was one in the palace even though he hadn't spoken to him much. Then again, maybe Hua Lin Yu just needed a bit of rest. He didn't want to disturb him either.
Bai Mu looked from Hua Lin Yu that had immediately curled up and pulled up the blanket to his older brother who was obviously too agitated to make any decision. He sighed. "Just let him sleep for a bit. I guess he got drenched in the rain and might've gotten a bit cold but that shouldn't be anything that a cultivator can't deal with. Right now, he's probably just too agitated."
Hua Lin Rong nodded hurriedly. "Sure, sure. Thank you for finding him and bringing him back."
"It's alright. Anyway, we were all looking for him. It's good that we managed to find him."
Hua Lin Rong nodded again and then stayed with Hua Lin Yu when Bai Mu and Nie Huang had left. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he sighed. Since Xin Lan told him, he knew what this was about in general. But that made him even more afraid. It was one thing to get into a bit of trouble but it was a different thing altogether to get into trouble with Xin Lan to the degree where his brother would run off. He was the one who had brought the two of them over here. He was the person that Hua Lin Yu was supposed to marry. What now? If these two didn't make up again …
He hurriedly shook his head at himself. No. No, he shouldn't even think about this. It was just a lovers' tiff. Just a moment of confusion because his brother was too young and too hotheaded. After letting him cool off and sleep for a while, and maybe having a discussion, things would go back to normal. He refused to believe that it was any different.
Meanwhile, Xin Lan slowly returned to the dragon king's palace as well. He stared up at the gates, sighing to himself. He didn't know if Bai Mu had brought Hua Lin Yu back to his room but he doubted it. Since Hua Lin Yu had asked not to see him, he had probably brought him somewhere else. Either to his brother so wouldn't be alone or to the room he shared with Nie Huang. In any case, if he returned to his own room now, he would likely be alone.
Who would've thought that that kind of thing would actually annoy him so much?
He had lived alone for thousands of years. But after just three years of living in the same room with Hua Lin Yu and sleeping on the same bed, he felt completely unaccustomed to the idea of returning to an empty room. Returning to a quiet place where nobody was waiting for him and where he wouldn't have anyone to talk to … He couldn't do it.
He closed his eyes but still went in the end. In any case, what else was he supposed to go? Entering the room, he stopped in the doorway, staring into the darkness. It had already become evening by now and there wasn't much light falling in through the windows. It really made him feel that he had returned to a dark place. Not just literally but also figuratively.
He just wished that there was Hua Lin Yu's bright voice ringing out somewhere on the other side of the room, maybe coming from the courtyard where he was still sitting at the edge of the lake. He could go over, pull him into his arms, and just hug him for a while. It would have made him feel so much better.
Xin Lan finally stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against the wood. What now? What should he do? How to win him back? And back from what?
He took a deep breath and sighed and then went to sit on the bed. If he went over now, he didn't know what he would find. Maybe Hua Lin Yu was having a heart-to-heart with his older brother right now. Maybe that would actually make him reconsider his response before. Maybe tomorrow, when he had calmed down, he would already tell him that he had just panicked at the moment and that yes, of course, he wanted to marry him.
He should wait for that. Right?