Chapter 37: Finding an answer part 1
"To see a wrong and do nothing is also a crime as big as participating. As such, they were accomplices of my captors I could not forgive. Now, I believe I'm running out of time for today and hopefully, this will be the last time I will be forced to do something like this. I will make sure the world remembers my wrath to never do anything like this again" Xiao Lan heard those words but he did not understand them at all.
The female was leaving with Fu Hua now and Xiao Lan might be losing his chance to save his kingdom. All he had to do was to say one word.
One word and it would all be over. His mistakes would be rectified and he would never have to think about Fu Hua again. His soul would cease to exist and Xiao Lan would never meet Fu Hua again in any of his life.
This was what he had been praying for all this time, a way to forget and to never meet the other (He prayed to meet the other once again). All he had to do was to say it and he failed even that.
"Your highness, are you alright?" The concern from commander Yuhan burned him. The other should be angry, cursing him for not choosing the nation over everything else. Commander Yuhan had given up a lot of this nation so he should be angry.
Fu Hua had also given a lot but he had also betrayed it all in the end. He deserved to give up his life for this nation's betterment so why had Xiao Lan not been able to make this decision?
"Hey, you alright? What should we do next then?" Detective Song's hands made Xiao Lan come back to himself, the spell on his body finally lifting. He could move and speak again.
"We need to go after them before they cause any harm to the people" Xiao Lan came back to himself and his mind finally decided to work properly. He needed to stop Hinoe uma before she went too far.
"Hinoe uma looked to have lost her senses and it must be the corruption warping her mind. But how do we even find her again? She is long gone anyway" the deity had left no way around to follow her trails.
But Xiao Lan refused to give up at all. He had to save his world from burning after all. He had to bring Fu Hua back at all costs.
No, wait. He had to stop Hinoe uma at all costs. Fu Hua should be the second thought he should have after all this. If he had to sacrifice the other then he should not hesitate at all and follow through.
"There should be a way to track her down. Luckily we are at the place where such type of knowledge should be available. After all, wasn't that why we were here initially" Commander Yuhan was right.
Xiao Lan had almost forgotten but they were here initially for the sacred texts on corruption and other things that secretly existed here. Fu Hua had been sure that they would find them here after all.
But the other was not here right now which meant they had to search around. But there was another problem and that was the access. Fu Hua had also said that only the direct blood could access them.
"We don't have a way to open them even if we found them. Should we still take this chance?" Xiao Lan asked. He did not want to lower the morals of the others but he had to bring this fact up.
He had forgotten about his claim on Fu Hua and he would feel stupid once he remembered but the muted nature of the bond did not alert him currently.
"I don't think we should worry. The Xi family would not be that foolish to keep around documents they could not use or bargain with. Most families with such documents are preserved for emergencies so there should be some here" it was a disturbing thought to know.
But then again, Xiao Lan was not surprised that detective Song knew these types of things. The other had his hands and mind all over the place which made him aware of things no one else was usually.
"Would the Xi family have such a thing as well? Aren't they too proud to deploy these means? They wanted to build their own power and that's why they called upon Hinoe uma. Would they really have that blood with them?" commander Yuhan could not help but question this claim.
"Surely you are not this native commander Yuhan? Every tree has its dark roots. The faster they try to grow, the rotten they become. I don't think the Xi family was any different. Besides, there were rumours about them and Fu Hua in our youth" rumours Xiao Lan knew existed but had never been acknowledged by either party.
Once every four months Fu Hua left for this place and came back weaker than before. He never told Xiao Lan what it was all about either and Xiao Lan never asked.
He always had an idea what it was about but it had never seemed important in the grand scheme of things.
"Well, we can think about all this later anyway. We should head back right now and check on the situation" now that the array had been broken, they needed to check up on things.
...….
"So, how long are you going to pretend to stay asleep in my arms? I should drop you right now" Hinoe uma's amused voice reached Fu Hua who reluctantly opened his eyes. He had been enjoying his nap after all.
"It depends. How long are you going to carry me for? Besides, I don't think I can walk right now and it's all thanks to you" there was subtle blame in that jesting voice that came out of the injured party.
Despite those words and actions, the atmosphere filled with a tense air which made it difficult to breathe.
"I will not apologise for your own foolishness. After all, you are the one who stood between me and my prey. You should have known what would happen little fox" it was said in a tone that indicated that they could be talking about the pleasant weather for all the passerby knew.
The fire was still burning brightly around the female.
"I see, so it's my fault huh. I guess I should have expected that. So, what are you going to do now? Go back to our homeland?" Fu Hua asked the female who finally stopped and put the other down on a raised platform.
She herself sat down in front of him.
"Home, huh. I've not been back to my, excuse me, our land of origin for millennia now. It was even before your ancestors took residency over these plains and gained that blessing. It's sad to see that only a few handfuls remain, especially those who do not bear the curse openly" ah yes, the curse that caused the extension of their species before their power was recognised.
Then it was a race to preserve them and interbreed them for the pure babies. In the end, only Fu Hua remained. He was not sure what would happen once he died.
But perhaps there were still some out there like him in his homeland, safe and cherished.
"By the way, your mate is weird. I gave him the voice between you and this kingdom to test him and he disappointed me greatly" of course he did. It was Xiao Lan and he loved his kingdom.
As for mates? He could guess why she thought that of him and Xiao Lan. the claim of magic was still burning bright, but a little dimmer right now because of Fu Hua's poor condition.
"It must be the one-sided claim you must be feeling. It was a way to keep me under his control. There is no need to feel disappointed that he chose his kingdom over me. After all, he does have a duty to protect it" Fu Hua had been thankful that he had not been conscious then.
He was not sure how he would have taken it at all but he would not have been happy for sure. Maybe disappointed? Maybe indifferent? He was not sure he could tell.
"Ah, I see. Though my disappointment did not come from that fact, he refused to choose one over the other at all. Had he chosen either one I would have taken it but he is far too indecisive to make a decision" Fu Hua felt frozen at that answer.
Xiao Lan had not chosen between him and his beloved kingdom? A small hope bloomed like a flower inside him but he had to crush it under his own fist.
He could not hope or wish for things that were out of his reach. He had no right to be in his current position, especially right now when his future was not clear at all.
But he did wish that the other had chosen the kingdom over him just to root out the last parts of Fu Hua that still made him care.
Made him himself.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone