Ao Wen wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. With how her Master had stressed that this incarnation of her little junior was dangerous, she had expected something very different. Something like … him getting angry if she wasn’t careful enough with her words. Instead, she was now holding a delicate youth that was crying into her robe, making her feel that he was delicate rather than anything else.
Ao Wen felt helpless for a moment but then simply continued to pat his head, finally even raising her other hand to rub his back. “It’s alright. Your senior martial sister is here now. Just tell me what’s going on.”
Xiang Yu continued to hug her. He would have liked to spill all his grievances again starting from Xiao Li betraying him and Xin Lan turning his back on him but he knew right now wasn’t the right time for that. Back in the dragon realm, there was still Leng Jin Yu waiting for him to bring back the coffins and guard his child again so he could take care of Jinde. He couldn’t waste too much time here.
He sniffled and then pulled back, looking at his first senior martial sister with an aggrieved look. “Leng Jin Yu sent me to get two jade coffins.”
“Leng Jin —” Ao Wen stared at him in a daze, not sure if she had gotten this right. Truth be told, she also knew Leng Jin Yu. That man had been the Grandmaster of their Jian Yi Sect for a long time and her Master was even indebted to him since it had mostly been his word that allowed her to finally snatch the position of Sect Master. Of course, as Fei Bai Mu’s oldest disciple she had also met him.
Xiang Yu didn’t realize what was going on with his senior martial sister. Seeing as she knew who he meant, he felt a bit better. “One of the demons killed his husband’s child and …” He paused, blinking his eyes in a daze. Actually, how should he describe Leng Jin Yu’s relationship with Jing Yi? It seemed to be … “His son-in-law?”
Ao Wen felt like she couldn’t understand what he was talking about at all. Husband? Husband’s child? Son-in-law? Was this to say that … after ascending, their Grandmaster had not only gotten married but also had a child with his spouse?
That was … well, she wasn’t sure what to think of that. Certainly, he was old enough. And come to think of it, it seemed like a millennium had gone by since he ascended. That was more than enough time to have and raise a child. Not to mention that Grandmaster Leng had always been good-looking. His appearance might not have been out of this world but he definitely had a good face and his strength spoke for itself. Why wouldn’t he find a spouse?
In the end, she hastily shook her head. No matter what, she should focus on the issue at hand. “That’s very sad for him and his family. Have you found the coffins yet?”
Xiang Yu shook his head. He had looked through several shelves but he hadn’t needed to ever get something from the storehouse so he wasn’t even sure where to start looking.
Ao Wen smiled faintly. “Well, then it’s good that I’m here now.” She rubbed his head again, this time a bit more forceful, almost feeling like her little junior brother was back. He might look different but, to be honest, their demeanor was very similar.
Xiang Yu’s eyes lit up. “Let’s hurry then! I still need to go back so I can guard the little one.”
Ao Wen looked at him, not sure what to make of this comment. She realized that she wasn’t very well-equipped to hold this conversation though. There was just too much she didn’t know. Rather than fumbling around in the dark, it was better to focus on what she knew and could do.
She patted Xiang Yu’s back and led him back into the storehouse. Compared to her little junior, she had lived in the sect for much longer. And even though they had both been the Sect Master’s disciples, Xiao Yu had been raised as the little one that everyone guarded like the apple of their eye. She, on the other hand, had been trained to be Fei Bai Mu’s successor. Naturally, she knew about all the big and small matters of the sect. The way the storehouses were organized was just one of many things she was familiar with.
Ao Wen directly led Xiang Yu to one of the shelves in the back of the storehouse and picked up a jade box that stood there.
Xiang Yu blinked his eyes and looked at her in a daze. “How did you know exactly where they were?”
Ao Wen smiled and rubbed his head again. “That’s because Master explained everything to me when I was younger. What we need often is closer to the door and similar things are put together if possible. These jade coffins, they are rarely used so, of course, they are in the back. They are also stored together with some other jade accessories so the shelf is really obvious.”
She held out her hand, motioning for Xiang Yu to take the box. “I probably don’t need to explain but it’s a storage box. All the jade coffins the sect has are stored in it. You pick out two that you like.”
Xiang Yu looked at it in a daze. To be honest, while he was familiar with the concept, he had seldom seen things like this. Originally, he had come from a simple family. A storage box like this … he never would have been able to own it. It was only after falling in love with Yan Xia back then and then later with Xin Lan that he was able to own something like this.
Thinking of it, he couldn’t help but reach up to his ear where the earring was still fastened. Who knew … whether Xin Lan was still grieving the other him deeply or if he would be willing to see him soon.
To be honest, he really could have used him at his side right now. That quiet support had always made him feel that no situation was too hard to get through. But now, when he was in a situation worse than any ever before, Xin Lan wasn’t there. He had to admit that thinking about that … really hurt.