Hua Lin Yu also looked happy when he was given the full account of things. "Ah, I think I remember a bit. My Master also came here back then and took me along. I was still really small at that time though so I didn't really remember. It's great that your lover is doing better now."
Nian Hong Fang pondered for a moment and then realized who he had to be. "Ah, you are the disciple of Sect Master Fei from the Jian Yi Sect, right?"
Hua Lin Yu nodded. "Yes, exactly! That … that one disciple of your sect invited us to his wedding. That's why Xin Lan and I came here. My Master is also here at the Yun Zou Sect at the moment."
Nian Hong Fang nodded. "Yes, I saw her before. I was also at the ceremony." He couldn't help but smile a little wryly when he thought back to that. "I am actually feeling a bit sorry for junior martial brother Yu. He held this kind of wedding and then it was still overshadowed. He and his lover must feel pretty annoyed by it. If I imagine that had been my wedding …" He shook his head.
Xin Lan gave a faint hum at that. "Well, to be honest, I think they held that kind of big ceremony because it was expected of them, not necessarily because they wanted to. In any case, it was just to comply with customs. They have been married according to the customs of our race for quite some time already so I guess this was more of a formality. They've been a couple and living together for more than a millennium already. I don't think it changes much."
Nian Hong Fang nodded at that. "Well, that's true as well. At least they are together now. I guess that is the most important." To be honest, if it was him, he probably would've been alright with it as well. After all, after going through everything, what was a ceremony? Just being able to spend the rest of your lives together was good enough.
Back when he watched that ceremony, he couldn't help himself but wonder if maybe it would be time for him and Ma Zhi Wu to take the same step. They had been together for so long. The problems of the past were also behind them. Now, everyone also knew about his heritage and nobody was raising a fuss about it anymore. What exactly should they still wait for? It would be so great if they could just go forward with it now.
He lost himself in his thoughts for a moment before he hurriedly shook himself out of it. "I'm sorry. I just got carried away a little. Say, did you come to the Grandelder's peak for something specific? Maybe there is something I can do for you?" He looked from Xin Lan to Hua Lin Yu, not quite sure if his original thought had really been the right one. In any case, the dragon race clearly was superior to them in regard to the pills and potions they could refine. If these two needed something, they would probably go to that person of the dragon race. Well, unless it was that they didn't want to bother him when he had just gotten married.
Xin Lan turned to look at Hua Lin Yu. He had actually just followed him so he really wasn't sure if Hua Lin Yu had taken this path on purpose and there was something special that he had wanted to do here.
Hua Lin Yu felt put on this spot a little. "Uh …" He reached up and rubbed his cheek, not quite sure how to explain. "Actually, I just wanted to have a look around. It's been years since I was here so I wanted to take a look at everything. I hope we weren't keeping you from anything."
Nian Hong Fang laughed and shook his head. "You don't have to worry. I was just taking care of the field and about to go in any way. Also, it was nice seeing you again. Back then, I was so worried about Ma Zhi Wu, I didn't really get the chance to thank anyone despite so many people helping to make it possible to save him. I'm very glad that today, I had the chance to encounter you." He turned to Xin Lan and once again lowered his head. "I do remember that you went out to gather some of the ingredients back then. Without that, his life would have been lost for sure. I really can't thank you enough."
Xin Lan just waved, not feeling like it was anything much. "I'm definitely not the person you should be thanking. To me, I was doing somebody a favor that I knew. Also, getting these ingredients was quite easy for me. The one who really put himself through some suffering was probably that person of the demon-hunting sect."
Nian Hong Fang's expression turned a little subtle when he heard that. Right. Shen Qiang. After that day, he hadn't seen him anymore. He wasn't quite sure what he had been up to in the last millennium. And he couldn't help but worry about it every now and then.
Even though he knew that Shen Qiang had been part of the Chun Feng Sect and hadn't told him about Ma Zhi Wu earlier despite being able to do so, that didn't mean that he felt he was a bad person. When it really mattered, when he found out that what his sect was really doing, he had confessed. And without that confession, maybe things would have turned out differently. So even though he hated his original actions, he couldn't help but also admire him for being honest when it counted.
This person … he felt like he was still a good man deep down. He had just had the problem that he was in the wrong company for too long, clouding his judgment, and making him commit wrongs in the process. "I haven't heard from him in all this time. Even if I wanted to thank him, I guess it would be difficult. Well, I hope he is leading a good life somewhere."
Xin Lan gave a hum but actually didn't care too much. He had just casually said that. What this Nian Hong Fang did or what that Shen Qiang was up to, why would he care? In any case, there was only one human that he cared about. He turned to Hua Lin Yu, raising his hand and gently brushing back his hair. "Well, since you were about to leave, we shouldn't bother you any longer."
Hua Lin Yu also hurriedly inclined his head, and then followed Xin Lan in the other direction, feeling that despite what Nian Hong Fang had said, they had probably kept him from something more important. Still, he couldn't help but also be a little intrigued by the story he had just heard. He really wondered how these two originally ended up together and how despite everything that had happened, things had turned out so well.
Hearing of such a story, he actually felt a little more reassured in regard to his own troubles recently.