Yes, if Xiang Yu was a regular trueborn god, there would certainly be a process to follow. As a dragon, he wasn’t privy to all the details but just based on the role the trials played in the Nine Heavens, this had to be the case. After all, how did everyone preserve their bodies? Not every god was familiar with arrays, after all, and jade coffins were available but also rare and somewhat expensive. Many families probably couldn’t justify that expense for something that would only happen once or twice in their children’s lives.

Also, apart from the practical considerations, he did know about the Scrolls of Fate. Surely, this was something every trueborn god would have when it came to the trials. So finding their reincarnation was actually easy. With a fallen god though … he couldn’t very well just go and ask to see it, could he?

Xin Lan’s expression turned subtle. There was a certain risk involved in this but maybe it wasn’t impossible after all. Souls were something that all three immortal races regarded as important so even if the gods knew that the one he asked about was a fallen god, they wouldn’t go and eradicate it. At most, they’d try to find his true body to kill it so the soul could completely reincarnate.

As matters stood, he had already taken care of that. Xiang Yu’s body was with Hua Lin Rong, a place where nobody who didn’t know about Xiang Yu’s first trial would ever consider looking. Of course, there was a chance the gods would check so deeply that they found out about it. Fallen gods were considered a scourge, after all.

Xin Lan put Xiang Yu’s body on the cultivation platform, his eyes narrowing. This matter was complicated but he couldn’t just let it be either. No, he had to find a way. Otherwise, where would he even start to look for him?

He sat down at the edge of the cultivation platform, sighed, and turned back to Hua Lin Rong. “He should have left two days ago. So by now, here in the mortal world, he should be about two years old. I can’t really check every single two-year-old in existence so I have to find a better way.”

Hua Lin Rong sat down opposite him, his brows unconsciously furrowing. “Is there no way to predict where or … as whom a god reincarnates for their trial?”

Xin Lan raised his brows and shook his head. “Not that I know of. But then, I am a dragon so who knows? I am just afraid that the gods will figure out where he is and do something to him. I can’t allow that to happen.”

Hua Lin Rong hummed and pondered as well. “I suppose there is no good excuse for why you’re looking into that or why they’d have to stay their hand.”

Xin Lan wanted to nod but then stopped himself. Wait. A fallen god … Wasn’t there currently some drama surrounding the Son of Heaven possibly having fallen or being abducted by a fallen god? Since that was the case, maybe he could make use of that.

He smiled faintly, the tension in his body easing a lot. “You know, you just reminded me of something. There might actually be a reason I could give. I’ll have to think about it a while longer though. I can’t take any risks with this.”

Hua Lin Rong nodded. “Do that. I’ll go and organize the jade coffin now. I suppose it wouldn’t be good if he stayed like this for too long.”

Xin Lan wasn’t sure how long a god’s body could stay without a soul but it indeed shouldn’t be that long so he inclined his head. “Well, it’s better not to take any chances.”

Hua Lin Rong left at once while Xin Lan stayed next to Xiang Yu’s body, continuing to think about how to approach this.

The idea would be to pretend that they could somehow use this fallen god to help the crown prince but that they needed to know about his trial to do so. If he wanted this information, then he first and foremost had to convince the Heavenly Emperor. After all, the Fate’s Scribe likely wouldn’t allow him to consult the Scroll of Fate or whatever a fallen god would have without the go-ahead. This wasn’t a simple matter, after all.

As for how to convince the Heavenly Emperor … Xin Lan’s eyes narrowed. This might be a bit more complicated. On the one hand, this was about his son so he might be willing to give things a try. But on the other hand, his hate for the fallen gods might be even higher than usual right now, which made this even more dangerous. Could he really risk that? And how exactly was he to explain what role this fallen god could play to save the crown prince?

Xin Lan thought for a while and finally pulled out his transmission stone. When it came to the Heavenly Family, the one who knew the most would be Qiu Ling. He should also be up to date on the current situation so he might have some valuable input. No matter how little he liked to deal with him, it was worth it in this situation. Thus, he silently imbued some spiritual energy, hoping that this would indeed lead somewhere.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to wait for long. Qiu Ling answered his request after just a moment. His brows rose as soon as he saw him, clearly not having expected to see Xin Lan either. “What’s the matter?”

Xin Lan hummed, not sure where to start. “Xiang Yu went on —”

“Oh!” Before Xin Lan could say anything more, Qiu Ling interrupted him, his gaze serious. “So it’s about him.” He raised his gaze to Bai Fen on the other side and smiled faintly. “Mother-in-law, please excuse me for a moment. It looks like somebody is about to ask me for love advice. I have to take this seriously.”