Leng Jin Yu patiently listened to what Jinde had to say, his expression a little blank. He had almost lost himself but the answers were actually this simple. In fact, all that Chun Yin had said basically boiled down to one point: 'I don't know.'
Leng Jin Yu rubbed his face and shook his head. "I probably shouldn't even be surprised. I mean I remember what happened in his life. I can tell you that he really didn't know why your Master did what he did. Still, thinking that we did all of this only for this to be the answer … I'm really sorry."
Jinde shook his head and put his arms on his shoulders, giving him a smile. "You don't have to be. In any case, it was on Chun Yin not on you if anything. And to be honest, after what he told me, I feel like it wasn't his fault either.
"Yes, he probably should've asked. But then again, our Master lied to me as well and I never had the guts to speak up about it. The two of us knew each other so well. We probably should have realized that we were being lied to. We should have known that there was no way that the person we spent so much time with and had gotten so close to would ever treat us like this.
"But somehow, we both fell for it. Most likely, we were too insecure and too much in love to give it a second thought. Just the idea that if we spoke up, the person we held so dear would tell us that there was no way to ever be together, the idea that we would have our hearts broken … it scared us so much that we rather kept quiet and finally lost that love that way."
Leng Jin Yu lightly furrowed his brows and sighed. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised. I know you said you grew up with him but I didn't realize that you were so close. The two of you were practically glued together as kids."
Jinde laughed. "What can I say? I fell in love early. I don't know about Chun Yin but he definitely had a soft spot for me. He might've just seen me as a junior brother but he never would have just ignored me. Seeing the other kids bully me, he also couldn't help but be compassionate."
Leng Jin Yu's gaze turned soft at that. Maybe it was because he also had Chun Yin's memories now but when Jinde spoke about that time, he couldn't help but feel a special sense of warmth. Yes, it had really been like this. Originally, Chun Yin hadn't been in love with Jinde. But he had liked him a lot. And he had regarded him as family. It had only been later that things changed.
"Actually, he fell in love with you when you were already a youth. I'm not that surprised by that if I'm honest. It was in the early autumn. You were training your sword arts in the palace's courtyard where you lived. He was walking by to call you over and seeing you there, he just suddenly realized."
This was precisely the scene he had originally remembered. When he came to the Yun Zou Sect, this place had been what he saw. He hadn't been able to remember Jinde's face or figure but it had been this very moment that had been etched so deeply into Chun Yin's mind that it came back to him as soon as he got close to Jinde even after he reincarnated.
"Maybe those feelings were there all along but it was only at that moment that he realized. Or maybe he actually fell in love just like that. A love at second sight if you so will."
Jinde chuckled. "Actually, it might be that you should call it love at a millionth sight. Spending every day together … I can't believe he needed that long."
Leng Jin Yu shrugged his shoulders. "What am I to say? But I guess I can't judge. When I saw you for the first time, I already fell for you. But then again, his soul was bound to you and my soul originated from it. So no matter what, I guess I had an advantage."
Jinde leaned down and pecked his lips, his fingers slipping into Leng Jin Yu's black hair. "Well, no matter whether you had an advantage or not, contrary to him, you didn't blow the chance."
"If I'm being honest, then that was also because you were adamant in not letting me go. Otherwise, I might have done many more things wrong." He reached up to take Jinde's hand, playing with his fingers. "I remember how afraid I was when I met you. I didn't want to give you the wrong impression. I wanted to take it slowly. To get to know you, to start our life together in an honorable way. Well, things worked out quite differently from what I had expected."
Jinde gave a hum. "They did. Which reminds me that while we got married following the customs of my people, we never did following yours. Have you ever thought about changing that?"
Leng Jin Yu raised his brows, not quite sure where this came from. "Are you trying to make up for Chun Yin's return? You don't have to."
Jinde's golden eyes narrowed and he continued to brush through Leng Jin Yu's hair. "And this is why I am able to immediately tell the difference between you and him. That's such a you thing to say. You are able to actually figure it out so fast."
He leaned back a little and sighed. "I do feel a bit guilty, yes. But I guess it is not just paying you back. I guess I just … also gained a new perspective on things after seeing him like this.
"Before this, I thought of things only from my point of view. I thought a lot about our past. But I failed to recognize that you aren't a dragon anymore. You're human. Well, an ascended deity but you were originally human. There will be things that are important to you that I can't understand. And while I wanted you to understand that this path was important to me, I didn't bother to actually take your people's customs into consideration."
"Chun Yin hurt you deeply with what happened. You wanted to make up for it. And you did. I'm not angry about it either. But … I would love to marry you following the customs of my people as well, yes. If you want to, we could marry following the customs of all the people in the three thousand lower, middle, and upper realms. I wouldn't complain."
Jinde laughed, cupped his cheeks again, and leaned down, kissing him more deeply this time. "It doesn't have to be quite as much. But yes, let's have a second wedding."