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

317 A Practical Gift

Jing He's eyes widened. Meeting Jinde ... that meant meeting Qiu Ling's family. Of course, this had to be done before the wedding but he had to admit that he was scared. When he originally fell in love with Qiu Ling, things had seemed a little easier because only his father stood between them. Back then, he had thought that things would be a lot more difficult if there was also someone on Qiu Ling's side of the family who opposed them. Now, Jinde who Qiu Ling considered to be his family was still alive. Naturally, he would have an opinion as well.

Jing He reached out to take Qiu Ling's hand again, the anxiety in his eyes even more obvious. "Do you think ... he will like me?"

Qiu Ling smiled as if without a care in the world. "I love you so he'll do too."

Jinde definitely wasn't the unreasonable type. He could get along with all sorts of people. Not to mention that in the dragon realm, due to the curse weighing on all of them, a dragon's partner would always be accepted by their family. There were no questions about that. In his case, as someone who had already bound his soul to the one he loved, that was even more so the case. Still, he naturally knew Jing He's tendency to worry about everything and anything.

"You really don't need to worry. I have told Jinde about you in the past and he has liked you from everything I've said so far. Not to mention that he met you during the trial. Doesn't that count for something?"

Jing He slightly furrowed his brows. Maybe that did count for something but ... the one during his trial wasn't the true him, only a part of it. He also feared that his behavior might not have been up to par and ... frankly, Jinde had seemed a little distant during that time. But maybe this was just his worry speaking.

He took back his hand and slowly turned the jade bracelet over. At first glance, it looked simple but this was the style he preferred so he was happy with it. At a closer look, the surface of the bracelet had been faintly carved, not only creating a beautiful pattern but also two indentions that looked as if something could be inserted in them.

Jing He looked up at his lover, not sure what to make of this. Surely, this gift wasn't as simple as it looked.

Qiu Ling smiled and reached up, running his fingers through Jing He's hair. "When he heard that you only recently held a transmission stone in your hands for the first time, he said it'd be more convenient to have something like this. You can either inlay two of them or maybe one transmission stone and one spatial stone. Whatever is more convenient for you."

Speaking of transmission stones ... His movement slowed a little and he looked at Jing He questioningly. "I was worried when I didn't hear from you but figured you needed more time. Since you were coming back, why not contact me? I would have rushed over at once." He didn't mean to admonish him but knowing that Jing He had been brought back by the demon king ... he felt a certain way about that.

Ye Yang seemed alright but his short-lived predecessor was the one who had killed Jing Yi. Even these two matters shouldn't be considered together, he couldn't help it. If anything had gone wrong ... he might have lost him forever. How could he take that thought?

Qiu Ling forcefully suppressed the trembling in his hands, not wanting Jing He to find out how panicked this idea actually made him. No, his beloved had just returned and even though he seemed somewhat firmer in this big decision, he was still as worried as ever about the smaller things. He couldn't add to those troubles.

Jing He sheepishly lowered his head. "I ... I dropped it at the Spring of Fate. Before I could take it out, it already dissolved. Otherwise, I naturally would have done that."

"Oh." Qiu Ling had no idea what else to say. He hadn't seen the Spring of Fate for himself and he didn't know what it was like to see the future there in exchange for a sacrifice. In fact, maybe this part was what he should worry about the most.

He hesitated for a moment but since Jing He had already brought it up, he also couldn't just ignore it. "How ... was it? At the Spring of Fate? Did it ... hurt?" Stripping a person of an ability they naturally possessed, that might not be easy. On the contrary, he feared that it was a slow and painful process.

Jing He wanted to shake his head but then hesitated. Had it been painful? Not if you simply looked at the physical aspect. But emotionally ... He gulped when he unwittingly thought of his second vision again. Tightly holding onto the bracelet, he looked up at Qiu Ling, his eyes filling with tears. "If I had chosen my father ... what would have happened to you?"

Qiu Ling immediately felt flustered when Jing He teared up again. He had barely made him calm down before and wasn't even sure how he had managed to do so. But now, he was once again in this situation. He hastily cupped his cheeks, his thumbs trying to wipe away those tears but new ones would always spill over. "My love, just what's the matter with you?"

Jing He didn't respond though. He had already asked. If Qiu Ling did not want to tell him, what could he do? When it came to his trial, he also hadn't shared much but if Qiu Ling had asked, he was sure that he would have told him. Why wouldn't he let him know if the curse did something this serious? And surely, that could be the only reason Qiu Ling would suffer so much. So why ... not tell him? Maybe he could have made his choice much sooner if he did.