Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 2)

260 Fate Had Toyed With Him

Jing He still held the transmission stone in his hand in case Qiu Ling found the time to reach out to him instead. Keeping An Xin in the crook of his arm and rubbing its head to make sure the little flame heart wouldn't be worried, he finally walked up to the portal Tian had left open for him and stepped through.

Just as Tian had said, it immediately closed behind him, cutting off the path to the Spring of Fate. When Jing He looked back, he only saw the familiar study in the palace. He had returned to where he had started this journey. Not just this trip to the Spring of Fate but even his life as a fallen god had begun here. Now, this part of his life was over and with it, the part of his life that contained Qiu Ling was coming to an end too. He could still hardly believe it.

Jing He lowered his head and stood in the spot, unable to move forward for a moment. The decision had been made so he shouldn't feel like this. He should feel ... relieved that all of this was finally over. Why did his heart squeeze in pain instead?

Before he knew it, his eyes had teared up again. He closed them and took a few deep breaths before walking over to the table in the main room. He put An Xin down, as well as the transmission stone, and went to the side to brew a pot of tea. Right now, he was in no condition to return home. Even though it would take time, he couldn't be sure that there wouldn't be people who recognized him out there. How could he face them like this?

He carried the tea set over to the table, sat down, and then poured a cup. While the steam wafted up into the air, Jing He only stared vacantly though, not moving to pick up the tea.

He ... he had returned to being a trueborn god, hadn't he?

This question suddenly occurred to him and he realized that he hadn't actually checked. He had thought that as soon as he made his decision, it should be done but ... with how reluctant he still felt, maybe it hadn't been successful? Then he couldn't return to the Nine Heavens yet and he wouldn't have to tell Qiu Ling either. He could wait for some time longer and could —

Before Jing He could finish this thought, the transmission stone he had put down pulsed.

He flinched and looked over, his hands trembling.

An Xin who had grabbed the stone when Jing He put it down next to it tilted its head, stared at the stone oddly, and finally let go, making it clatter to the ground.

The sound pulled Jing He out of his daze and he picked up the stone, still shivering. There was only one person who could contact him through this stone and that was Qiu Ling. But right now, he couldn't face him. He hadn't yet had time to check whether he truly was a trueborn god again or still a fallen god. If it was the former ... he'd have to tell him the truth. How should that be done?

He didn't feel ready but his conscience told him that he shouldn't let this go on any longer. Before he finally asked the Spring of Fate to show him his future, hadn't he realized that he was wasting everyone's time, making things even worse for them? Since he had finally gotten his wish of seeing the future and being able to decide, he couldn't go on like this. For his own sake and for that of Qiu Ling, he had to be honest about this and he had to do so now.

Jing He finally imbued his spiritual energy but he still felt apprehensive. He didn't know how to say what he had to say and he dreaded the moment he had to do it. He had felt ready earlier but now ... the more time passed since he made his decision, the less he seemed able to open up about it.

No matter whether Jing He was ready or not, Qiu Ling's projection appeared above the transmission stone, his eyes sparkling.

"My love, you're finally contacting me again! I'm sorry it took so long to answer, I —" He suddenly stopped speaking, his eyes widening before his expression lit up even further. "You made it!"

Jing He stared at him, taking in Qiu Ling's joyous mood. Part of it was elation upon seeing him since he did not yet know what was about to happen and the rest ... should be happiness because he noticed something good. Most likely ...

He reached up and touched the spot between his brows. He couldn't see whether the Mark of Wisdom had disappeared or not but Qiu Ling could. Surely, he was ecstatic because he believed that this meant that he had returned to his identity as a trueborn god and would return to his side as well to continue their relationship where they had left off. It was a pity ...

Jing He lowered his gaze and Qiu Ling who had just been congratulating him excitedly, telling him that he would rush to his side immediately, also fell silent. He kept quiet for a moment and Jing He saw his brows furrowed.

"That ... You don't seem happy that you have become a trueborn god again. Did you ... did you see something bad in the Spring of Fate?"

Jing He lowered his head even further, the hand holding the transmission stone tightening. He had to say it. He knew he did. He just ... felt pained having to do so. He hadn't wanted things to turn out this way, after all. But even though he hated every second of this, he still knew that he couldn't push it off any longer.

He finally raised his head, taking another good look at the man he loved, trying to engrave every line of his face into his mind so he would never forget a single detail. He hated that this was only a projection and not his real self. He would have given a lot to stand in front of him one last time, to hear his voice directly, and maybe hold his hands for just one moment. But fate truly toyed with him and, in the end, even such a small wish could not be granted.

Jing He exhaled faintly and shook his head even though the answer to Qiu Ling's question should clearly be a resounding yes. "I am afraid ... we can't be together any longer." Even though he said so, tears were already streaming down his cheeks again and this time, he seemed unable to stop them.