Nian Hong Fang continued to stand there for a moment, watching the two of them leave. Finally, he gave a sigh and then returned to his Master's palace, going over to his own room.
Ma Zhi Wu had naturally long arrived and was lying on the bed, with his arms crossed behind his head and one leg draped over the other while his food was swaying from one side to the other. Clearly, he was impatient.
When the door opened, he looked up, and his expression lit up immediately. "You're finally back!" He sat up and stretched out his arms, pulling Nian Hong Fang into them when he sat down at the edge of the bed. "I was already considering to come out and try to chase off whoever it was." He leaned over and then kissed his cheek, pulling his lover a little closer in the process.
Nian Hong Fang put his head on his shoulder and laughed. "You won't talk like that as soon as I tell you who it was."
Ma Zhi Wu raised his brows. "Why? Was it the Sect Master? I'm sure if I told him that I really needed you at my side, he would be able to understand."
Nian Hong Fang shook his head. "The two that came up were the disciple of the Sect Master of the Jian Yi Sect and his fiance from the dragon race. If you remember, that guy was one of the people that helped gather the materials for the pill back then. They actually weren't here for anything and only taking a look around. I haven't seen him since then so I took the opportunity to thank him."
Ma Zhi Wu clicked his tongue when he heard that. "Damn! Had I known that, I would've stayed outside. The person who should thank him most is definitely me. Are they still there? Maybe I should run after them to do so."
"No. And to be honest, I don't think he would appreciate it if you tried. As I said, the two are engaged. I don't think he was even happy to see me. He sounded as if it was such a bother." He couldn't help but laugh a little. He could understand why Xin Lan reacted like this if he was trying to spend a moment with his lover in peace but if somebody thanked you for saving their lover … couldn't you at least pretend for a moment that you had done so gladly? Well, he seemed to be a bit of a grumpy guy. But in any case, he had still helped them tremendously. He'd never blame him for however he behaved.
Ma Zhi Wu smiled wryly. "Right. That probably wouldn't be the right moment."
Nian Hong Fang reached out and interlaced his fingers with Ma Zhi Wu's, giving him a faint smile. "Don't worry about it. They will probably stay here for at least another day. You can still go over to Wu Min Huan tomorrow and ask him which house they are staying in. Then, we can go over to thank him again together."
Ma Zhi Wu nodded and then leaned down, hugging Nian Hong Fang more tightly. "Ah, what would I do without you?" He kissed his cheek, and then buried his face in his hair, taking a deep breath.
Nian Hong Fang hugged him back, closing his eyes. "You know … after watching the wedding today and then meeting these two lovebirds, I couldn't help but think … how about us getting married as well?"
Ma Zhi Wu pulled back and looked at him, slightly raising his brows. "You … you want to marry me?"
Nian Hong Fang pulled back as well, looking at him strangely. "We've been together for so long. What makes you think that I wouldn't want to?"
Ma Zhi Wu scratched his head, not quite sure how to answer that. "Well … I mean, I might not be injured anymore, but I guess ascending will never be possible. You can't achieve true immortality with me."
Nian Hong Fang furrowed his brows. "Do I look like I care about that?"
Ma Zhi Wu looked at him and realized that he really had been thinking too much. "Well, if you ask me like this, then you definitely don't. I just … I guess I just can't help but worry. But clearly, I don't need to. So, yes, if you want to, let's get married. Just … maybe let's have a slightly smaller ceremony if you don't mind."
Nian Hong Fang laughed at that and turned around, leaning against Ma Zhi Wu's chest with his back. "You know, I don't care so much about the ceremony. If it was just us and our Masters, it would also be alright. I guess it would be good to invite everyone who helped us back then but it's been so long, I guess most of them won't care much. You probably also wouldn't feel that it is right to invite the people of the Jian Yi Sect. They clearly didn't help because of us. I don't know how everything ties together but I guess we were just incredibly lucky that there was something in it for everyone else too. Otherwise, you might not have been saved."
Ma Zhi Wu nodded. "Well, a fool's luck is still luck. The most important thing is that I'm alive and we are together. The thought of having to leave you alone and not be able to answer any of your questions … that was always the worst. It wasn't how I imagined things to end."
Nian Hong Fang looked up and slightly shook his head. "Just don't think about it. In any case, that is long in the past. We are both here, both safe and we just need to look into the future."
Ma Zhi Wu nodded at that. "Right. Well, we should ask your Master what would be an auspicious date then. It doesn't need to be immediately. But … I would really love to marry you."
Nian Hong Fang smiled. "Yes, although I guess we also waited long enough. Now, even a martial brother several years our junior got married like this. We're really slow when you think about it like this."
Ma Zhi Wu leaned down and kissed his shoulder. "We're not slow. We're just taking our time. I guess it should be acceptable. What others do … it's not really our problem, is it? Although I will wish them every bit of luck they can have."