Jinde also turned around and his eyes immediately lit up when he saw Xiang Yu. “Oh, look at you! You’re adorable!” He got up and walked over, cupping Xiang Yu’s cheeks. “Nobody in the Nine Heavens would ever guess that you’re a fallen god.”

Xiang Yu’s usually gloomy expression turned pleasant when Jinde praised him and he couldn’t help stealing a glance at Xin Lan: The dragon was still staring at him even though he hadn’t said anything. His expression didn’t look that good though. Xiang Yu pursed his lips and turned back to Jinde. Anyway, it was enough if one person thought he was adorable.

Leng Jin Yu also smiled when he saw Xiang Yu and nodded. “Alright. I guess we can go then.”

Jinde turned to look at Xin Lan again. “Are you coming along?”

Xin Lan finally took back his gaze and shook his head. “No, I …” He glanced around for something to do and then motioned at the courtyard. “Well, if you’re all going, somebody should stay here for protection. I’ll keep guard over your child.”

Jinde nodded. In fact, he had also worried about Xiang Ling. They might not be gone long and there were still Qiu Ling’s advisers around but with Xin Lan at the scene, he indeed felt a lot safer. “Very well. We’ll come back as soon as we are done over there.”

Xin Lan nodded and then sighed when the three of them left. He shook his head at himself and then walked out into the courtyard, going to sit down next to the shell. Guarding Jinde’s child … well, it seemed like an alright task.

Inside, Zheng Yin looked at the door outside before lowering his head again. The whole time, Xin Lan hadn’t even glanced at him once. He had been eying that fallen god pretty obviously though.

Well, he shouldn’t be surprised. Xin Lan wasn’t the type of man you could tie down. He would spend some time with you and then move on to the next target. He simply was like that and nothing could change it. This wasn’t news to him.

Xiang Yong glanced at the spirit beast that was sitting on the other side of the table and wondered if he should say something. Zheng Yin was currently doing them a favor and Jinde had seemed pleased with his abilities before. Not to mention that the king of the spirit beasts looked kindly upon Zheng Yin as well from what he remembered. It definitely wouldn’t do to let him gain a bad impression of their realm. On the other hand … this was his private matter.

Xiang Yong thought for a while and finally coughed to get Zheng Yin’s attention. “This … doesn’t really concern me but I should probably warn you that Senior Xin Lan has never had a lover for long. He … isn’t impacted by the same curse as the rest of the dragon race and I believe he takes relationships rather lightly.”

Zheng Yin shook his head. “I know. Although it’s wrong to say he takes them lightly. It’s all a question of who the other person is.” He smiled faintly and turned to look at Xiang Yong. “Still, thank you for the warning, Adviser Xiang Yong. If nothing else, I am happy to be able to spend some time in the dragon realm. I have learned a lot here which is of benefit to both me and the people of my tribe. Also … to receive the trust to allow me to even treat your king, that has its own impact.”

Xiang Yong nodded. “I know the relationship between our races hasn’t always been easy. That is one of the reasons I wanted to warn you. I hope you don’t feel that I have overstepped. Of course, you are able to make your own decisions. I just … feel that a warning might be due in case somebody hasn’t heard much about him.”

Zheng Yin hummed. He had already experienced how heartless Xin Lan could be. If it suited him, he would be with you. If it didn’t … well, then you were old news. Nothing could change that. He knew all of that. It was just … it still pained his heart to see Xin Lan ignore him while paying somebody else his undivided attention. Especially … “That person is a fallen god, isn’t he? Senior Xin Lan really must be brave to dare to think about him that way.”

Xiang Yong really would have liked to say that it wasn’t like that but Xin Lan’s gaze just now had been rather explicit. “Well, I can’t say much about that. I only know that there doesn’t seem to have been anything between them previously.” Xiang Yu had been … around, lately, while Xin Lan had been nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t close to either of them though so it was tough to say.

“So was that just instant attraction?”

Xiang Yong huffed. “Well, we have always appreciated good-looking people. He probably isn’t an exception. And if you don’t take into consideration that he is a fallen god …” He shook his head.

Just now, Xiang Yu had really looked good. Personally, he’d never dare to think about it but Xin Lan might indeed be more adventurous than him. Romancing a fallen god … it sounded like a suicide mission but maybe that ancestor of the dragon race really didn’t care. And considering that he had never had trouble getting who he wanted if the rumors were to be believed, it might not be out of the question either.

Xiang Yong shook his head once again to get that image out of his mind and smiled at Zheng Yin instead. “You’re good-looking yourself and getting to know you should be much less dangerous. Not to mention that you are very accomplished. I am sure you have a lot of admirers yourself.”

Zheng Yin smiled, actually feeling a little appeased. “Maybe I do. I don’t know. I guess it just … feels a bit uncomfortable to be completely invisible to somebody you admire.”