As it turned out, Hua Lin Yu was able to summarize his story with these two men in a mere handful of sentences. “Originally, I was with a man from the dragon realm. But then, I met a half-demon and somehow convinced myself that it was fate, so I broke up with my original lover. He always warned me against that other guy but I didn’t want to listen.

“It was only when I saw this vision today that I realized that something was up. Then, he also ran away and when I confronted him, there were just so many things that were illogical about it that I realized that he really must have lied to me before. I thought there was more to this so I followed him in here but I have no idea what is really going on.”

An Rong gave another hum, feeling that this didn’t sound as complicated as he had originally thought. And knowing this … “Well, when it comes to that half-demon you spoke about, I could help you make him confess if you want me to. Maybe this way, we can figure out what exactly is going on with you. It should be the easiest way to find out at least.

“In general though, I don’t think that there are many possibilities, to begin with. Usually, the vision you see thanks to the fruit of the beguiling night tree is not just random. It is about something that is deeply hidden in your soul or buried in your subconscious. Something you know but don’t want to be true or simply aren’t acknowledging. The vision shows desires or fears.”

Hua Lin Yu nodded, having heard of all that already. “I don’t think it was just a fear though. “That man in my vision was very similar to my lover but he didn’t seem to be exactly the same.”

An Rong’s fingertips drummed on the rim of the jade coffin, his eyes narrowing. “You know, that might have been a memory scrap from another life then. I’m not sure if you’re aware but demons … well, to put it lightly, inbreeding isn’t frowned upon. So for several men to look similar is not uncommon.

“That half-demon you encountered might be somehow related to the man you saw in your vision. And the reason you were convinced that he was your fated lover was also because of the connection from your past life.

“From what I’ve learned, even though we reincarnate after we die, some of those memories may be kept in the deepest parts of our souls. With the right means, you might be able to uncover them.

“They can be a source of wisdom but also one of great pain. In your case, maybe you fell in love with that man once upon a time but things went badly and as a result, you — who was a trueborn god in that life — fell, killed him, and later, after dying yourself, were reborn as a mortal. By chance, this vision now brought back a memory of that very moment when things went awry, and as a result, you somehow managed to unleash the mark of wisdom that was tied to your soul somehow.”

Hua Lin Yu pursed his lips and slowly nodded, feeling that this was the best explanation he had heard so far. “I’m not sure if I get all of that but it does sound like it makes sense.”

An Rong shrugged his shoulders. “It’s merely a guess going off the little that you’ve told me. But it could indeed be true. Now, it could be that that half-demon doesn’t know much.

“You see, demons don’t care about their families and a lot of them especially won’t care about a family member that is only a half-demon. So it could very well be that he doesn’t even know who that man was or how he is related to him.

“But anyway, if you want to give it a try, I’ll catch him for you. It isn’t that difficult to find somebody who dares to invade my own realm.” He smiled a bit cynically, feeling that that guy was really looking for death.

Really, why had he come to his realm at such a time? Was this to hide out here? It sounded strange but still somewhat possible. Especially since this not-quite-a-fallen-god in front of him seemed to believe that this realm was dangerous to him.

That was another one of those mysteries An Rong had no idea what to make of. But then, that wasn’t important at the moment so he didn’t even ask about it. He should take care of one thing and then the next.

“So, do you want me to look?”

Hua Lin Yu thought for a moment and then nodded. Anyway, it was better to try everything they could. Even if he finally found out that Xiao Li didn’t know anything, he at least wanted to know that much.

An Rong inclined his head. “Well, give me a moment then. We’ll figure it out in no time.” He turned away from Hua Lin Yu and the jade coffin, instead walking to the back of the hall that was inlaid with translucent gems that gave off a large amount of spiritual energy.

Hua Lin Yu had been so focused on the jade coffin that he hadn’t taken note of the rest of the hall but now, he turned to take a closer look. What he saw … he wasn’t really sure what to make of it.

It looked a bit like a formation but he had never seen something like this. It might have been from the demon realm or maybe this was simply too advanced for him. An Rong certainly hadn’t lied when he said that he was old even among the demon race. So him knowing a formation or two that were inconceivable to a little mortal like him wouldn’t be surprising.

An Rong imbued some spiritual energy of his own, that seemed to jump from one stone to the other, finally creating a faint layer of energy that hovered only a short distance away from the wall. A flurry of images was projected on it, changing from one moment to the other before finally condensing into a clearer picture, that showed parts of this realm.

An Rong turned to look over his shoulder, waving for Hua Lin Yu to step closer. “You tell me when you spot him and then, we’ll go and catch that half-demon.”

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