Li Jinglong and Mo Rigen stood in the courtyard. Mo Rigen only explained what happened after he came back, then looked at Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong gloated, "I'm still waiting to witness your marriage. When are you getting married?"
Mo Rigen: "…"
"What about you two?" Mo Rigen asked.
Li Jinglong was suddenly speechless. Mo Rigen looked Li Jinglong up and down.
Li Jinglong thought for a while, then finally said, "His father handed him over to me."
The two fell silent for a while. Li Jinglong was still thinking about what secret Hongjun told Lu Xu when he came back. His mind was not on Mo Rigen at all.
"What does this have to do with you?" Li Jinglong said.
"Of course it has to do with me," Mo Rigen waited for a while, then finally said, "When are you going to marry Hongjun?"
"Don't use that word!" Li Jinglong said, "It's too awkward! If I don't marry him, he won't marry me … Do you have to say it like that? "
Mo Rigen looked at Li Jinglong suspiciously, then said, "It doesn't seem like it. Chief, what did the two of you do?"
Li Jinglong: "…"
"I thought you had something important to ask me, so why are you asking me these questions? Is this something a subordinate should ask? "
"Don't, don't, don't!" Mo Rigen quickly pulled Li Jinglong and said, "Chief, you have to understand me."
"You don't have to explain to others what happened between Hongjun and me," Li Jinglong said.
Mo Rigen finally screamed, "If the two of you don't take the lead, I don't know what to do!"
Li Jinglong took a while to understand Mo Rigen's meaning, then said, "Do you still need me to teach you this?! If you like it, then do it. "
Mo Rigen really didn't know what to do. Logically speaking, whether a White Deer was male or female, but marrying a male was too inconceivable. In the history of Grey Wolf and White Deer, there had never been both male and female.
"I'll be struck by lightning!" Mo Rigen finally said.
Li Jinglong's expression changed, "Mo, are you cursing me?"
Mo Rigen hurriedly waved his hand to show that he had no such intention, he said, "The people used to have the custom of sleeping with young men, but …"
"Then it's settled." Li Jinglong said, "Why don't I ask the Crown Prince to betroth the two of you and consummate your marriage on the same day?"
.............. that..................
Li Jinglong said decisively, "Shut up, is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving. "
Mo Rigen finally said, "You go first, Chief. If the two of you are together, I'll have confidence. Give us a start? "
Li Jinglong looked at Mo Rigen for a while. He noticed that the Carp Demon was behind Mo Rigen, looking at the two of them suspiciously. He suddenly waved at Mo Rigen and whispered in his ear, "Brother, compared to the sheep and horses …"
"… You should be worried about whether Lu Xu will agree or not."
Li Jinglong looked at Mo Rigen and raised his eyebrows. Although Lu Xu's horns were gone, he ran very fast. If he really ran, even Hongjun wouldn't be able to catch up. Mo Rigen, are you that confident in yourself?
Mo Rigen: "…"
"I don't want to bother with you guys." Li Jinglong was about to leave when the Carp Demon stopped him.
"Hey, Number Two." The Carp Demon put his hands on his waist and said arrogantly, "I have a few questions to ask you."
Li Jinglong: "…"
Li Jinglong really wanted to do what Hongjun had taught him on the way. He wanted to find a branch and sharpen it. Then, he would point it at the Carp Demon and put it on the fire to roast.
"Boss, please speak." Li Jinglong was all ears.
The Carp Demon looked at Li Jinglong suspiciously. Li Jinglong only looked at it with a numb and calm expression.
After running around for many days, Hongjun finally returned home. He lay down on the couch and felt that the home of the Exorcism Division was the most comfortable place in the world. He didn't want to go anywhere else.
"… So," Hongjun told Lu Xu in detail about what happened at Dazzling Gold Palace. Then, he asked Lu Xu, "I'm back. When did your horns grow back? "
Lu Xu got onto the couch and sat beside Hongjun. He shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Do you want to know about the past?" Lu Xu asked. "Some of my magic power has returned. Although it's not as good as before, it might not be a problem for you to have a dream."
Hongjun shook his head and said with a smile, "I don't want to think about it."
If Hongjun still had any attachment to the past, it would be his past with Li Jinglong. Lu Xu also knew about this past, which was why he was worried about Hongjun. Hearing this, he couldn't help but be startled.
"Face what you think directly." Lu Xu said, "You clearly know where those feelings come from. Whether it's like or hate, why don't you want to admit it? There's no point in lying to yourself. "
This time, it was Hongjun's turn to be startled. Although Lu Xu was talking about the past, it became the best explanation for Hongjun's worries.
Why wasn't he willing to admit it? There was no point in lying to himself.
"That's right." Hongjun said with relief. "But it's not that I don't want to admit it. I've admitted it all. It's just that when I returned home this time, I realized that there are many things that the more I cling to the truth, the more upset I feel. So, I don't want to get to the bottom of it anymore."
When Hongjun said this, Lu Xu was at a loss. He asked again, "Then, the Tianma race …"
Hongjun sat up and said seriously to Lu Xu, "Lu Xu, I have an idea."
Lu Xu: "???"
Since this was his innate fate, perhaps he would never be able to get rid of the demonic seed in his entire life. Hongjun naturally knew that Li Jinglong's words today were just to comfort him so that everyone wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. Presumably, there wouldn't be any special methods. At most, it would be like when he was young, setting up a formation in the Exorcism Division and forcibly exorcising the demonic seed. But if it happened again, there wouldn't be a father to save him, and there wouldn't be a mother to prolong his life.
Since that was the case, why not just live a few more happy days until he truly became a Tianma? Then, he would receive the final blow from Li Jinglong with the golden sword and leave.
Lu Xu: "You …"
"Qing Xiong said it." Hongjun didn't take it to heart. He said again, "The mushroom in the morning doesn't know the day and night, and the cricket doesn't know the spring and autumn. Everything will eventually die. Even heaven and earth can't last forever. What's the point of living long or short? "
In fact, on the way back, he often looked at Li Jinglong. The more the feelings in his heart were on the verge of bursting out, the more guilty he felt. He felt guilty towards himself, and also towards Li Jinglong.
Lu Xu said, "You can't think like that, Hongjun!"
Hongjun just smiled at Lu Xu. After experiencing so much, he had gradually become more open-minded.
"You still haven't thought of a way to get rid of Tianma." The Carp Demon said, "Isn't that right?"
Mo Rigen also remembered and said to Li Jinglong, "These days, Lu Xu often asks me what to do about Hongjun's demonic seed."
His colleagues in the Exorcism Division were all shrewd people. Naturally, they could all see that Li Jinglong wasn't confident. Previously, they all cooperated with him to reassure Hongjun.
"No." Li Jinglong replied, "I really do have a way, but I'm not sure."
The Carp Demon said, "Let's hear it. I promised Qing Xiong Daren that I would take good care of Hongjun. "
"Hongjun isn't under your control now!" Li Jinglong was simply furious, "When I painstakingly climbed up the mountain and brought him back, where were you?"
Mo Rigen said helplessly, "Why are you angry with a carp?"
The Carp Demon said angrily, "Old Third, are you rebelling?!"
Li Jinglong was simply speechless. However, when he looked at the Carp Demon, his intuition told him that it might know a lot about Hongjun. He looked at it, then looked at Mo Rigen. Everything so far was just his speculation, but when Mo Rigen asked, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
He was afraid that as soon as he opened his mouth, Mo Rigen would mercilessly judge that his plan was wrong. Li Jinglong was most afraid of this feeling in his life. After all, he wasn't like them, who had the background and qualifications of an orthodox exorcist, nor did he have a teacher to teach him.
"We'll talk about it later." Li Jinglong was about to leave, but Mo Rigen said, "I'll say it now. You're not the only one who cares about Hongjun."
Li Jinglong could only stop and say, "The demon seed isn't in his body."
The Carp Demon was pleasantly surprised, "Really?"
Mo Rigen frowned slightly, but Li Jinglong continued, "It's in his soul."
"That's right." Mo Rigen nodded.
The Carp Demon said, "Can you not speak with such a big pause?!"
"Do you remember when we entered the 'Deer King Portrait' that day?" Li Jinglong said seriously, "After leaving his physical body, the demon seed in Lu Xu's heart was separated from his three spiritual and seven physical souls."
Mo Rigen said, "Hmm, but for Hongjun, it's obviously not."
"The Tianma seed is fused with his soul." Li Jinglong said in a low voice, "Or … I really don't want to talk about this …"
Mo Rigen signaled him to say it. Li Jinglong thought about it and finally made up his mind, answering, "Or, there's no 'Tianma seed' in the first place. Hongjun himself is the Tianma seed."
Mo Rigen suddenly stopped breathing, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head. The Carp Demon stared blankly at Li Jinglong, looking left and right, as if wanting to leave. Li Jinglong immediately judged from this detail that he had guessed correctly!
"Looks like I guessed correctly." Li Jinglong said, "Zhao Zilong! What else do you know?! "
The Carp Demon didn't dare to pretend to be the boss anymore, and immediately said, "I also accidentally heard Lord Qing Xiong say it! You guessed it! Chief Inspector, you're so smart! "
"You must think that there's a black thing in Kong Xuan's body." Li Jinglong confirmed his guess, and gestured to Mo Rigen, pointing to his heart, and explained, "In order to be free, he gave birth to a son …" As he spoke, he gestured with his hand, making a gesture of the height of a child, and then used his hand to pretend to pull out the heart, indicating that he pressed it on the child's body.
"Then, he took out the Tianma seed and seeped it into Hongjun's three souls and seven spirits." Li Jinglong said, "But I think that everyone, including Hongjun's father, has been wrong from the beginning. He doesn't have three souls and seven spirits. He's the demon seed that Kong Xuan separated. This demon seed, in order to adapt to the human body, split into three souls and seven spirits. Removing it is equivalent to destroying Hongjun's soul. "
Mo Rigen sat down at the side, silent. Since Li Jinglong had already said so much, he might as well say it out loud, asking, "Do you think this deduction is reasonable?"
Mo Rigen muttered, "I understand."
Li Jinglong made a shushing gesture, reminding him, "Don't say it. Hongjun's heart is very sensitive about this matter."
Mo Rigen raised his hand, indicating that he naturally knew. The Carp Demon said, "You're so smart, you even thought of this. Since that's the case, how are you going to get rid of it? Even Lord Chong Ming didn't think of a way … "
"I won't get rid of it." Li Jinglong said, "Let Hongjun continue to live like this. Not only that, I'll take good care of him. Whether he's a demon, a human, or even a devil, so what? "
Mo Rigen: "!!!"
Carp Demon: "…"
Mo Rigen looked up at Li Jinglong in disbelief. Li Jinglong said, "To be honest, going home with him this time wasn't very pleasant, but it also confirmed my previous idea. If handled properly, it's completely feasible. Chong Ming also tried to do the same."
"If there's a cover, a shell, or a seal," Li Jinglong said, "it can temporarily protect Hongjun." As he spoke, he made a gesture and said, "For Xie Yu, isn't Hongjun's greatest use the birth of Tianma? Xie Yu will definitely come to find him and forcefully inject the devil's aura into his body, just like that day … "
Mo Rigen thought of that night in Dunhuang, grunted, and frowned.
Li Jinglong said again, "If my Mind's Lamp is strong enough, I can guard this seal and purify all the devil's aura, or set a trap nearby … To be honest, I haven't thought about it yet. Chong Ming's seal is his Dazzling Gold Palace, but I don't know why Qing Xiong changed his mind … "
Carp Demon answered, "Because Lord Chong Ming is about to reach nirvana."
Li Jinglong was startled. "How much longer?"
Carp Demon started to calculate, but Mo Rigen hurriedly stopped it and said, "Doesn't he know whether he's about to reach nirvana?"
Carp Demon: "He knows, that's why he's very conflicted."
Li Jinglong was a little worried. He observed Mo Rigen's expression and asked tentatively, "Do you think it'll work?"
Mo Rigen immediately said, "It makes sense, Chief. But how do you want to seal Hongjun? "
"You can't think like that." Lu Xu sat sideways on the couch, straightened his back, and said to Hongjun, "Do you know? I keep feeling that Li Jinglong is not simple. "
Hongjun said in surprise, "Not simple?" Then he thought for a moment and smiled. "He is indeed not simple. As a mortal, he can do this …"
Lu Xu shook his head and said, "When I said 'not simple', I wasn't talking about his perseverance or his spells. I heard a lot about him from Big Wolf. I feel that he seems to have an innate ability … "
Hongjun heard the two words "Big Wolf" and changed the topic, not wanting to discuss this heavy topic. He said, "Do you know? Mo Rigen wanted to marry you before he met you … "
"Stop fooling around!" Lu Xu hurriedly stopped Hongjun's teasing and explained, "Grey Wolf only likes the White Deer in his destiny. It's just my appearance that he imagines. If it were someone else, he would treat them the same way. Is there a difference?"
"There is a difference." Hongjun immediately said.
"What's the difference?" Lu Xu asked.
"In short, there is a difference." Hongjun seemed to have become a child again.
In the past, Hongjun wouldn't have understood, but now he desperately hoped that Mo Rigen and Lu Xu could be together. How many people could have this kind of predestined fate? Thus, he began to seriously praise Mo Rigen. Lu Xu wanted to talk to him about Li Jinglong, but Hongjun kept interrupting. In the end, he became angry and threw a soft pillow on Hongjun's head. The two of them each held a pillow and started to fight, shouting repeatedly. The door was pulled open and Mo Rigen rushed in.
"Don't fight!" Mo Rigen said.
"Get out!" Lu Xu shouted.
"We're not fighting!" Hongjun replied.
Then two pillows flew at Mo Rigen and knocked him to the ground.
Li Jinglong stuck his head out behind them and said, "Dinner."
Everything was normal. At night, the Exorcist Division was warm and full of lights. Everyone set up the table and poured wine to welcome Li Jinglong and Hongjun. Atay hadn't returned yet. For Hongjun, this scene made him nostalgic, but also a little disappointed. He couldn't sleep in the same bed as Li Jinglong after returning home.
As usual, Li Jinglong poured a little wine for Hongjun. Mo Rigen made a "cage" gesture to Li Jinglong, and Li Jinglong nodded to show that he understood. After dinner, Lu Xu still wanted to talk to Hongjun, but Mo Rigen said, "He just got home. Let him rest for a while."
Lu Xu glared at Mo Rigen. Hongjun said to Lu Xu, "I'll wake you up tomorrow morning."
"I'll make lunch for you." Lu Xu said, "My mother's dumplings are delicious."
Mo Rigen was a little unsure whether Lu Xu liked Hongjun or not, but he couldn't blame Hongjun. He immediately felt a sense of irritation. He also wanted to talk to Hongjun, but he didn't expect that ever since they returned, Hongjun had been dominated by Lu Xu, so he could only give up for the time being.
As he spoke, Lu Xu raised his hand and placed it on Hongjun's forehead. The spiritual energy in his hand spread out and entered his forehead. He said, "Hongjun, have a good dream." Only then did the two say goodbye to each other.
The Exorcist Division was restored to its former light. In the spring night, Hongjun was still thinking about Li Jinglong. In the afternoon, he forgot to ask Lu Xu what kind of amazing abilities he had. And ever since Li Jinglong returned, he seemed to have regained his status as everyone's superior. He was no longer like when he was outside, taking care of him in everything.
Does he like me? Hongjun couldn't help but think about this question. He seemed to treat everyone like this. To Atay, to Mo Rigen, to Qiu Yongsi. He treated everyone in the Exorcist Division very well. He seemed to treat him especially well. Perhaps he really did treat him like a younger brother.
He didn't seem to have heard that he liked any girl, but according to Li Jinglong, there were many girls who liked him.
Before going to bed today, he actually didn't come over to say a few words to him? After returning to the Exorcist Division, Hongjun felt that Li Jinglong seemed to have changed back. He was still that Chief Clerk. The current him was like a completely different person from the one who chased after him in the snowy night and showed him the tattoo on his chest.
Hongjun sat on the bed, lost in thought. A lantern marker spun between his fingers, hesitating whether he should light it up. After dispersing just now, Li Jinglong seemed to have gone to the East Wing to investigate the case file. Would he still come back?
Hongjun waited for a long time. His heart was in a mess. He thought about the words he said to Li Jinglong when he was staying at the inn, and then he thought about the two of them soaking in the hot spring and Li Jinglong carefully applying medicine for him. For some reason, perhaps it was Lu Xu's magic, he couldn't help but think about the time he spent with Li Jinglong outside.
Li Jinglong tidied up the case file. Seeing that everyone had returned to their rooms, and even the Carp Demon had gone into the pool, he walked barefoot along the corridor, his hair ribbon fluttering in the spring breeze.
Hongjun's room was still lit, so Li Jinglong walked straight in. Hongjun heard the sound of footsteps and immediately became nervous. He didn't know why, but he quickly turned over and pressed the lantern marker in his hand against the wick. The lights in the room faded silently. The remaining moonlight cast Li Jinglong's tall figure on the door.
Li Jinglong stopped in his tracks. Hong Jun's heart was thumping wildly.
"Asleep?" Li Jinglong asked outside the door.
"En." Hongjun shrank into the quilt. Li Jinglong seemed to want to say something outside the door.
However, Atay was drunk. He barged in from outside and vomited into the well. Li Jinglong hurriedly turned him to the other side. Atay vomited into the Carp Demon pool.
The Carp Demon was simply a fish sleeping at home. When he understood what was going on, he scolded Atay loudly. He was so agitated that everyone woke up. Hongjun even ran out to see what was going on. In the end, he saw Atay lying by the well, crying and singing.
"Ignore him." Ashina Chong dragged Atay inside and said, "Trapped by love."
"Trapped by love." Li Jinglong said helplessly.
"Trapped by love." Mo Rigen said. Everyone fell asleep, ending this chaotic night. Before entering the room, Hongjun couldn't help but sneak a glance at Li Jinglong. However, he saw that Li Jinglong was also looking at him and smiled at him. Hongjun couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. He turned around and entered the room. With this spring night's smile, he fell asleep.