Although it was somewhat difficult to bring up, Fu Zhun was not one to beat around the bush, so after a brief moment of hesitation she said: "I'd like to talk to you about Lin'er."
At the sound of that name, Zhu Yan's brow furrowed and he sighed: "It's been so many years — haven't you let it go yet?"
Fu Zhun stared straight at him: "Have you?"
Zhu Yan said: "What good does holding on do? Things are already the way they are. You have to look forward, not keep staring at the potholes at your feet."
Fu Zhun shook her head: "I just can't accept it. We both possess Tier Ten bloodlines — so why was Lin'er's inherited essence insufficient? Whose fault was it, in the end?"
Zhu Yan smiled bitterly: "What does Tier Ten matter? The continuation of the Dragon Clan's bloodline has always been difficult — how many such cases have there been throughout the generations?" He paused for a moment, then said: "There's no point discussing this further. Let the past be the past."
Fu Zhun continued to shake her head.
Zhu Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Then what do you want?"
Fu Zhun lowered her head: "I've always believed that Lin'er isn't dead. That one day, he'll see the light again."
"He's already in the Dragon Tomb." Zhu Yan placed his hand on Fu Zhun's shoulder, earnestly beseeching her: "Don't dwell on this any more."
Fu Zhun's head drooped even lower, and her voice dropped: "Lin'er isn't in the Dragon Tomb."
Zhu Yan froze, his expression turning odd as he regarded her: "What do you mean?"
"Lin'er isn't in the Dragon Tomb." Fu Zhun repeated herself, then raised her head to meet Zhu Yan's gaze directly. "He's on Dragon Island."
Zhu Yan's eyes went wide with astonishment: "You're saying — back then, you didn't place Lin'er in the Dragon Tomb?" Throughout the generations, the necrosis of dragon eggs was not an unprecedented occurrence. Each time it happened, the dead egg would be interred in the Dragon Tomb. Zhu Yan had never imagined that Fu Zhun would break this rule. It was unthinkable — anyone on Dragon Island might violate the clan's laws, but Fu Zhun would absolutely be the last person to do so.
"Yes!" Fu Zhun nodded.
Zhu Yan's face darkened and he snapped in a low voice: "Foolish! If the other clansmen were to learn of this, what face would you have left?" Using the clan's laws to bind others while breaking them herself — that was something utterly intolerable.
Fu Zhun said nothing, clearly aware that what she had done was wrong. But it was a mother's attachment to her child — even if it was a mistake, so what?
"Where did you put him?" Zhu Yan was equal parts exasperated and amused. He had been kept in the dark about this the entire time — no wonder she hadn't let him accompany her to the Dragon Tomb back then. She had planned the deception from the start, and all this while he had been completely fooled.
Fu Zhun regarded him warily: "What are you planning to do?"
Zhu Yan opened his mouth: "What do you think I could do?"
"You are not to put Lin'er in the Dragon Tomb!" Fu Zhun said through gritted teeth.
Zhu Yan replied, exasperated: "Even now, you're still going to cling to this? Lin'er… there is no hope for him anymore. Why must you keep him elsewhere? The Dragon Tomb is the eternal resting place of our Dragon Clan."
A cold smile curved the corner of Fu Zhun's lips: "I knew I shouldn't have told you." With that, she turned to leave.
Zhu Yan seized her arm.
"Let go!" Fu Zhun turned back, her gaze piercing and frigid.
A chill ran through Zhu Yan's heart. He realized the woman was truly enraged — if he tried to force the issue, she might very well fly into a fury. He had no choice but to release her and say: "Calm down first."
"I am perfectly calm!"
Zhu Yan's mouth twitched. After a moment's consideration, he said: "If you've been keeping this from me all these years, why have you suddenly decided to tell me today?" This was precisely what struck Zhu Yan as strange. The two of them knew each other inside and out — she should have known what his reaction would be, and yet she had come to him of her own accord to confess. It didn't quite add up.
Fu Zhun pressed her thin lips together, hesitated, and then said: "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Zhu Yan was speechless.
Fu Zhun drew a long breath: "I don't know why, but lately my heart has been restless. I keep feeling that something is about to happen."
"Something to do with Lin'er?" Zhu Yan frowned.
"That's right." Fu Zhun gave a faint nod. "So I want you to come with me to see Lin'er."
"Of course!" Zhu Yan agreed readily.
But Fu Zhun said: "However, judging by your attitude just now, I've changed my mind."
Zhu Yan smiled bitterly: "Rest assured — Lin'er's matter is yours to decide. If you're unwilling, I won't force you to place him in the Dragon Tomb." It was the only thing he could say. If he didn't make this concession, the woman would never take him to see Lin'er. For now, the priority was to confirm where Lin'er was — everything else could be dealt with later.
"Truly?" A spark of joy blazed in Fu Zhun's eyes, the coldness melting away as a rare trace of softness surfaced on her face.
"Truly." Zhu Yan nodded with a solemn expression.