Chapter 158: The Anomaly
Chapter 158: The Anomaly
"That’s another illusion right there. Do you seriously think that the Upper and the Lower Realms can ever be united?" Xin Cheng knew better than to believe in something that was impossible to achieve.
Dao Ming let out a long sigh and the carrige was once again filled with a deep silence. Several long moments later, he finally asked in a soft voice. "Can you really let go of her then?"
Xin Cheng was ready to answer in affirmative but the woman in his arms chose that very moment to snuggle her face closer against his collarbone. Her sweet scent surrounded him as did the warmth of her soft and small body. She felt so perfect in his arms as if she belonged there. At that moment, his heart forbid him to lie.
"See? You can’t." Dao Ming answered when Xin Cheng failed to do so. "You can’t even handle seeing her with another man who’s not one among the five of us. You care about her more than you let her know... more than you allow yourself to believe. And please... don’t lie and say that I’m being delusional. I know you enough to tell that your feelings for her are almost on the same level as mine. We both like her."
Xin Cheng didn’t dare to say anything at all. He wasn’t strong enough to accept the truth and didn’t have the heart to decline it, at least not when he was holding her in his arms. Unconsciously, his hold tightened around her slightly as he pulled her closer against his embrace.
"I told you she’s a trouble from day one." He finally found something to say and his words made Dao Ming chuckle, eventually causing him to smile as well.
The future was indeed unclear when it came to their feelings toward Supreme Immortal Xing, but at least, they have the current moment to enjoy in peace with her.
A few more moments of silence passed before Dao Ming spoke, "I can’t promise anything, Ah Xin, but I will try my best to control myself. Just don’t expect too much from me. I don’t have it in me to ignore her, let alone stay away from her. If she ever made the first move, I will fail to hold myself back."
Xin Cheng slowly nodded his head in understanding. His gaze shifted toward the slave who was fast asleep and he suddenly found himself recalling the incident in the Black Market.
"We will need to find that person as soon as possible." He suddenly spoke and Dao Ming nodded his head in agreement without him needing to ask about whom the Demon Emperor was talking about.
"It’s indeed weird. After so long, we finally felt his presence in the Black Market today for a few seconds before he completely disappeared. Not even the essence of his energy was left behind." Dao Ming couldn’t help but feel slightly worried after what happened in the Black Market.
The very reason that brought the two of them into the Mortal Realm - finally made his appearance after years of staying hidden within the Mortal Realm. But unfortunately, they were too late to find him.
"I will send my men to check the Black Market and the Underground Slave Market thoroughly. We will also need to check every person who was present in there tonight. His sudden appearance can mean that he’s plotting something. We will need to catch him before he succeeds in whatever he’s planning." Xin Cheng added and Dao Ming immediately showed his approval by giving another nod of his head.
Letting out a small sigh, Dao Ming spoke, "Up until two months ago, I wanted all this to end as soon as possible so that we can return to our Realms and keep living in peace there. But now..." His gaze shifted toward Xiang Ling’s sleeping form and a small smile made its way to his lips as he continued, "... now I’m scared that if everything ended too quickly, she will leave as well."
Xin Cheng also looked at the woman in his arms and a sudden question entered his brain. "We have confirmed that there’s indeed something wrong with the Heavenly Realm’s Portal array. Do you think it’s also related to that person’s sudden appearance and all the chaos that is currently going on in the Mortal Realm?"
Dao Ming didn’t answer immediately but when he did after a few moments of silence, it was in affirmative. "There’s a huge possibility that all these things are related to each other because their timing can’t be just a coincidence. What I can’t understand is... why she ended up getting involved."
No matter how much they think about it, as a Supreme Immortal from the Celestial Realm, Xiang Ling didn’t really fit anywhere in the chaos that was currently going on. Was she really an anomaly who mistakenly ended up in the very centre of all this?
The two men also fell silent after that, both lost in their own thoughts. While Dao Ming was thinking about the possibility of him being able to spend the rest of his life with Xiang Ling, Xin Cheng decided to enjoy the moment that he knew wouldn’t be coming again to him. He placed his cheek on the crown of Xiang Ling’s head and closed his eyes.
When Dao Ming saw the way his friend was wrapped around their woman, he almost regretted giving away the chance to hold her himself. It seemed because of their friendship, he would eventually need to give up on her.
Initially, it was quite normal for the Spirit Beasts to marry Immortals, especially the royal families. However, ever since the Spirit Beast Kingdom sworn their loyalty toward the Demon Realm, everything changed. It was against the current Heavenly rules for any Immortal to be involved with those from the Demon Realm and the Spirit Beast Kingdom.
Even if he could ignore the Heavenly rules and get into a relationship with Xiang Ling, the Upper Realms would punish her heavily for breaking those rules. And that’s the reason which was keeping Xin Cheng from getting too involved with her despite him having feelings for her. He wasn’t trying to save himself, he was saving her.