An Imbalance Between Lovers

Xin Lan kept quiet for a moment and then reached out, putting his other hand over Hua Lin Yu's, his lips curving up into a smile. "That time is long past. It doesn't matter anymore. Now, things have turned for the better."

Come to think of it, they had. Even though he hadn't gotten what he wanted, at least things weren't as bad as they could have been. His Master hadn't managed to stay with Chun Yin and have the happy life that he wished for but at least he hadn't died. And by now, he was pretty happy with that bastard's reincarnation. So the person he cared most about was happy. What more could he want?

Now, it was time to think of himself. He should also find at least a bit of happiness in this life. He couldn't rely on his Master for that any longer. Any sense of purpose, any hopes for the future … He had to stop pinning them on Jinde. He had to find something else. A new goal, a new purpose.

Even if he had no idea yet what that could be, following through on his promise to that fallen god was a good first step. He would take this time to heal from what had happened in the past. He would use it to think over what he wanted from life from now on. And certainly, with some time, he would be able to figure it out.

Xin Lan faintly smiled back at Hua Lin Yu, this time actually feeling some sort of happiness. He might not be in the greatest situation right now but at the very least, he could look forward to the future. That was already much better than what had happened in the past.

He leaned forward, free his hands of Hua Lin Yu's, and then reached out, pulling him into his arms. "You know, I'm really happy that I found you." In fact, it wasn't wrong. While he had thought that this fallen god was a little annoying, he brought about quite a bit of change. Without him, his Master would never get healed this fast and he himself wouldn't have this opportunity now. That was something he could be grateful for, wasn't it?

Hua Lin Yu hugged him back, quite happy. "I love you too."

Xin Lan's lips slightly twitched. So him saying that he was happy was actually taken as a love confession? Well, there was no need to deny it. For him, this was probably already quite good. It could be worse.

He reached up and rubbed Hua Lin Yu's back, the black strands of the youth's hair caressing his hands while he could feel the faint echo of Hua Lin Yu's heartbeat. It made him feel especially close to him.

Xin Lan gave a low hum and then leaned back, looking at the youth's face. He still hadn't asked his family about the wedding. Most likely, it should be done first. And then … then, he would see where things led.

He sighed and turned back to the front, trying not to think too much. Anyway, there was no reason to rush anything. A day or two more or even a few weeks wouldn't make a difference. He had all the time in the world to do this.

The older generations of the Hua family watched the exchange between the two of them with mixed feelings and a bit of apprehension. In general, they wouldn't mind either of their children marrying another man. After all, while they were a cultivation family that relied on blood relatives, for cultivators, having children was more of an optional thing since they wouldn't grow old and need a family to rely on. Other family members were merely a safety net in terms of resources and support. Thus, this really wasn't a problem.

What was a problem or at least might turn into one was Xin Lan himself. Being of the dragon race was already a difficulty in and of itself but it was one that could still be overcome with enough time and effort. His age and all the experiences that came with it though … That kind of thing couldn't be changed. And from what had happened just now, there seemed to be quite a lot in Xin Lan's past.

While it didn't necessarily mean that things would go wrong between him and Xiao Yu, it would cause a lot of imbalance between them. That might be problematic. Especially since their Xiao Yu was really very young. He had barely come of age. His experiences were only limited to the scope of the Jian Yi Sect, their own family's estate, and just a handful of places outside. That really wasn't much to speak of even at his age.

It would take a lot of time to make up for that and since he seemed close to Xin Lan, these experiences would likely all been made together with him. Whether that was helping or not … Who could say for sure? It might be for the best if he spent at least a few years traveling to see the world and meet new people but judging from how close Xiao Yu and Xin Lan already were, it might be difficult to make them consider that.

Yes, even if they were worried about this, it was already too late. Xiao Yu had gotten attached to Xin Lan early on and what happened now was only the result of that. They could only hope that there wouldn't be any negative consequences.