Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 11, Part 1)

81 A Pair of Star-Crossed Lovers

Just as expected, Qiu Ling indeed traveled further east. He had no destination in mind so he simply went wherever he thought of at that moment. Since he had come from the south and gone to the northwest, he now slowly circled back to the southeast.

Later, maybe he would move toward the center of the demon realm. It sure looked like the areas close to the borders were abandoned. He wasn't sure when he had seen the last demon. Although then again, he couldn't remember for how long he had been rushing about. It seemed as if it had been a long time.

From the distance, the sound of the waves hitting the shore traveled over. Qiu Ling stared in that direction and slightly turned to the right, not wanting to get any closer. Recently, this was how he had decided on the path he took. Later ... he didn't know. But then, he knew nothing about what the future was supposed to hold from now on. In his mind, only those last few moments with Jing Yi were left.

When he turned south, Xiang Yong narrowed his eyes. "Seems like he won't approach the Shan Dian Trench." His thoughts churned and his expression smoothed out a moment later. "We can try when we reach the mountains." Anyway, what better reminder of the one he loved than seeing the Heaven mountain? If they brought it up at that time ... it might really work. At the very least, he hoped so.

Xiang Yong slightly hastened his pace, wanting to make sure that he would be fast enough to catch Qiu Ling before he could turn in the other direction later on. Yes, it wouldn't matter for a while but it was best to be prepared.

Lei Jiang kept up with him, not saying a word. His gaze brushed over their surroundings. Not a single demon could be seen. Most likely, they had all taken refuge, afraid to actually cross their king's path. But even though that was the case, Lei Jiang didn't dare to not be vigilant.

The relationship between the demon and the dragon realm had long been bad. Now, the king of the other side had just changed. It was hard or maybe even impossible to say what course of action they would pursue in the future.

If they were hostile and knew that the dragon king was in their realm with only two people to protect him while his own strength was slowly being exhausted after traveling without rest for seven days, they might come out with great force to try and kill him. Thus, as soon as there was the smallest hint of the demons making a move, they had to react.

Xiang Yong glanced at Yi Zan's brother-in-law, feeling how tense he was. He could imagine what was going through his mind but he didn't say anything. No, this matter ... it could only be solved by moving His Majesty.

Right now, the situation didn't seem right for that. If simply mentioning His Highness would be enough, they wouldn't be here. Knowing Fu Min, that would be the first thing he would have tried when he started to get exhausted. He was the type of person who had about a million ideas of how to get out of work, after all. Such a simple thing, he could naturally think of it.

But obviously, it hadn't worked. Their king was still here, trying to hunt the demons that had gone into hiding. Unless there was more of an impulse from outside to break through his current state of loss, he'd never be able to just turn around and rush to the Nine Heavens. Thus, they could only wait until the conditions were better for them to succeed. Trying too often before that would only result in their chances lowering.

The mountain range surrounding the Heaven Mountain began where the Shan Dian Trench ended. Even though the mountains to both sides weren't as high in this spot, you still couldn't see the water behind them when approaching from the east or west.

Qiu Ling didn't bother to keep too much of a distance this time around even though he could still hear the sound of the waves crashing against the stone. No, his mind was elsewhere: Just where had all the demons gone? It was as if the whole race had suddenly ceased to exist when he had just started to try and avenge his beloved. It couldn't be though. Some had gotten away earlier. There should be more. He couldn't give up now.

He slightly slowed down when the mountains appeared before him, wondering if maybe the demons had gone to hide in there. The terrain was certainly suitable and as a race that controlled the fire and earth, it was a good spot to hide, the best they could find, even. He pondered whether he should follow them when a voice sounded behind him.

"Your Majesty?"

Qiu Ling turned to look over his shoulder. He had naturally been aware that somebody was following but he hadn't minded. They were his own people anyway.

Xiang Yong smiled faintly, trying not to do anything that would set Qiu Ling off. "Have you seen? That's the Heaven mountain over there." He motioned in the direction, keeping his hand in the air, and pointing straight at the majestic peak that vanished in the clouds far above their heads. Even with all the other mountains surrounding it, you could still see it clearly.

Qiu Ling didn't turn to look. He stared at Xiang Yong, his expression lost. "Tian ... Shan?" The latter didn't mean much to him but the former reminded him of something.

Aren't you afraid ... that we'll be like Tian and Xing? A pair of star-crossed lovers that will just bring misfortune to each other?

Once upon a time, his beloved had asked him this question. At that time, he had refused to acknowledge such a possibility and had simply joked about how his beloved might have started to see him as a possible lover. Now ... it seemed that it had come true.

In a daze, Qiu Ling turned to the mountain after all, looking up at the peak to where it seemed to vanish between the clouds. He wasn't sure what to do. He simply felt ... that he couldn't just continue as he had. Avenging his beloved ... at the end of the day, what was it for? It also couldn't bring him back.