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

307 Reunited at Last

The guards opened the gate and Jing He and Ye Yang stepped inside. At once, another pair of guards joined them to make sure that nothing else would happen now that their crown prince had finally returned. Another three rushed ahead, likely going to inform everyone who should know about this change.

Ye Yang noticed but kept quiet, only thinking how he should go about his own agenda. Most likely ... he ought to accompany the crown prince until he saw his lover and his family and then bid farewell, slipping away while everyone was busy to go and steal a few glances at An Bai? Yes, that seemed like the best way to do this.

Jing He's thoughts were also on the future. During the time he was walking down the mountain and finally wandering around the border of the demon realm in the hopes of finding his way home, he had calmed down somewhat compared to the time at the Spring of Fate. When he finally flew toward the capital city, he had thought a lot about how he and Qiu Ling would reunite but because he had gone wrong before and had no way to judge how long it would really take to see him again, it hadn't felt as urgent. Now, it was only a few more minutes.

If he could have, Jing He would have loved to run over but this was the Nine Heavens and the capital where many people knew him no less. How could he simply rush ahead without any regard for how that would look? Although he really, really wanted to see him.

Jing He longingly looked down the street toward his father's palace where Qiu Ling should currently be staying. He knew it was unseemly but ... he had to see him as soon as possible. Originally, he had panicked and only later realized that he was making too much of a fuss. Admittedly though, he couldn't be sure how Qiu Ling was doing.

He had only seen him intermittently and hiding the truth from him if he was actually doing badly would be very much like Qiu Ling. After all, when had this man ever worried him? No, if something had happened, he would instead hide it so that he wouldn't have to think too much about it. Especially in the current situation, he'd want him to focus on his own issues so he wouldn't breathe a single word about it if his condition deteriorated.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious Jing He became once again. He petted An Xin's furry head but this time, even that couldn't calm him down. In his mind, he saw the image of Qiu Ling lying on that bed again, his face pale and all the usual strength faded from his body. He just ... couldn't allow for that to happen.

Jing He pressed his lips together and his steps unwittingly sped up. He couldn't be said to be running but it was obvious at a glance that he was in a hurry. His expression which had turned into one of worry didn't help this impression.

Ye Yang and the guard glanced at him and adjusted their steps, thinking that the Son of Heaven had to be eager to return after such a long time. Who knew what had happened during these months? Surely, it hadn't been easy. Wanting to be surrounded by familiar people was only natural.

The people on the streets of the capital city also noticed the group walking past them. Jing He hadn't left his palace much before but the few times that he did, it had been on important occasions where most of the capital's citizens and even some people from outside would join in so his face was actually well known. With the portraits hanging everywhere having refreshed people's memory, there was no way not to recognize him.

At once, the fact that the Son of Heaven had been found and was being escorted back into the city spread like wildfire. Of course, the guards who rushed ahead weren't any slower: All three of them arrived at their respective destinations almost at the same time, informing the God of War, the Heavenly Empress, and the Heavenly Emperor that Jing He was back.

Of course, with the latter being told, Qiu Ling also heard the news. He jumped to his feet before he even managed to put down the brush and rushed out of the building, only stopping when he reached the top of the staircase in front. Staring ahead with wide eyes, his gaze slowly roamed over the different streets. He couldn't be sure which way Jing He would come from but it should be one of these ...

Rong Su finally managed to catch up and hurried past Qiu Ling, not wanting to be outdone. His precious son was finally back. Of course, he should be the first to welcome him! Ah, his poor child must have suffered so much out there. He had to slowly comfort him and then exhort him to be more careful in the future. Obviously, even though he had already come of age, it still wasn't safe for someone as beautiful as him to be out there alone.

Behind him, Qiu Ling rose into the air to look for Jing He from a vantage point. He simply couldn't wait. If Jing He had come back, it had to mean he had recovered. He wouldn't be a fallen god any longer and he had certainly made his decision.

Thinking of this, he gulped, suddenly a little fearful. He didn't know what Jing He had seen at the Spring of Fate and he didn't know for sure how he would decide. It could be that in a few moments, they would finally reunite and then face the rest of their lives together but it was just as much possible that he would have his heart broken and return to the dragon realm alone, slowly waiting for death.

As Qiu Ling's mind wandered, the person he was looking for already appeared at the end of the street. Seeing the people on the staircase, his eyes widened and then, he suddenly rushed ahead, not caring about his image any longer. He ran ahead, his hair and sleeves flowing wildly behind him.

"My son!" Rong Su took the last few steps down the staircase to receive him while Qiu Ling stood above, completely frozen now that he saw him.

Jing He ... rushed past his father as if he hadn't seen him at all and threw himself into Qiu Ling's arms, breaking out in heart-wrenching sobs as soon as he finally felt his heartbeat at his cheek.