"Honestly, what happened out there?" Jing Yi hurriedly bandaged Qiu Ling's wound. He really felt that it was a pity that he hadn't been able to learn anything about alchemy yet. Maybe he could have done more for him?
"Don't worry about that."
Jing Yi sighed and gripped Qiu Ling's uninjured hand. "Long Jun. I'm your fiance. Don't you feel that that is someone you should share your troubles with? And don't say there isn't anything troubling you. I can see it. It looks a bit ..." He lowered his head and gazed at Qiu Ling's hand in his instead. "It looks like back then, in your inner self. You have that same expression right now."
Qiu Ling closed his eyes. Damn. He really couldn't pretend in front of this version of Jing He. Was he really more observant than Jing He's immortal self? Or could it be that Jing He had just pretended not to notice because he himself had things he didn't want to talk about?
Ah, Jing He, I'd like to go up and ask you about it. Maybe I'd be surprised by your answer.
"It's not that bad. It's just ... There was somebody hiding over there who shouldn't have been here in the Hei Dian Sect and I'm afraid ... this might have something to do with me."
Jing Yi pondered and finally looked up at Qiu Ling's face again. "Is it ... about your mother's family?"
Qiu Ling took back his hand, stood up and paced through the room. He really wanted to run away from this conversation but he had told himself that he should tell Jing He's mortal reincarnation as much as he could. As his fiance, he was entitled to that knowledge just like Jing He's immortal self was. He had missed talking about it in the Nine Heavens so he couldn't ignore it now.
"You could probably say that. It's more complicated than that, though. I guess the simplest way to explain it would probably be to compare it to the sects or maybe even better this country. You know I'm not from here, don't you?" He turned back around and looked at Jing Yi questioningly.
"I figured as much."
"Mn. Well, as I've told you back then, I originally grew up in the capital of our kingdom. You could even say I spent half my childhood at the royal court. My father was the king's right-hand man, after all. The man my mother had fallen in love with was from another kingdom. In fact, he was that other kingdom's sovereign and one who felt like he had the right to our kingdom's throne."
"So all of what happened to your family back then was because he wanted to take over the kingdom. It didn't work, though, or did it?"
"No, you're right. It didn't. They managed to ... kill the old king, though." Qiu Ling turned away before his guilty conscience could give him away.
The old geezer probably had his reasons for fleeing the dragon realm. He certainly needed the rest here in the mortal realm to heal the injury the soul-devouring dagger had caused him. It was a miracle anyway that he was still alive after being injured with that thing. As far as Qiu Ling knew nobody else had ever managed to live through that. He really was curious how he had done it ...
Anyway, he couldn't tell Jing He. The fewer people knew the better. In fact, it would be for the best if the only ones who knew of that would be the old geezer, that human Grandmaster from the Yun Zou Sect and he himself. Like that nobody would be able to inadvertently give the information away.
Qiu Ling stared at the window and tried to convince himself of this noble reason. In the end, he closed his eyes and cursed inwardly. Alright. He was just afraid that he would have an even harder time to marry Jing He when that old geezer took back his throne. What type of status would he have then? What would he use to convince that Heavenly Emperor to take him in as his son-in-law? 'I'm the best warrior in the dragon race' probably wouldn't be enough even if the Heavenly Emperor would certainly love to have someone capable guard his son.
"And this person today had something to do with that other kingdom?"
Qiu Ling emerged from his thoughts and nodded. "Yes, he was. Knowing them they have some sort of plan and it won't be anything good. I'm afraid they'll try to hurt you."
"Why would they? I'm not important at all to your kingdom."
Qiu Ling pressed his lips together. Alright, here it was. Lies soon catch up with one. "You ... You're important to me."
"But you just said the old king is already dead and so is your father, as well as your mother. Why would they still pay attention to you?"
"Uh ... I guess ..." Qiu Ling pondered on a good excuse but came up empty-handed. He should probably say at least half of the truth. "Well, you could say I do have some connection to the new royal court."
"Hah?" Jing Yi stood up and went over to him. "What do you mean?"
"Well, after the old king died they naturally needed a new one. His old retainers kind of ... retired or had died in the war already so with the new king came new followers, too."
"So you're tied to the current king."
"You could say that, yes." Actually, I'm the king myself but most likely you wouldn't take that so well.
Jing Yi turned around and sat down once more. He folded his palms in his lap and stared at them. His fiance ... was actually tied to the royal court.
"Jing'er ..." Qiu Ling slowly went over and took his hands. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I just ... need a bit of time to process this."
"Oh. Alright." Qiu Ling sat down next to him and waited. He could only congratulate himself that he had been intelligent enough to hide the fact that he himself was the king.
In the end, Jing Yi sighed. The longer he had thought about it, the less he felt that it was surprising. Qiu Ling had seen his father work closely together with the king. Even though their relationship had deteriorated, he certainly understood after what had happened with his mother that it hadn't been the king's fault and that he had, in fact, just tried to save his follower and friend.
Following in the footsteps of his father through building a relationship with the new king was probably to be expected. "You've been here for a long time already. That one year traveling with me, the five years in the Yun Zou Sect before ... Won't the king need you at his side?"
Qiu Ling shook his head. "It'll be alright without me for a while." After all, time was running differently in the immortal realms. The six years Jing Yi was worried about weren't even a week back in the dragon realm. And, honestly, he had been notably absent even before following Jing He down to the mortal world. His subjects probably expected this from him.
"You don't have to worry." Jing Yi gently touched Qiu Ling's arm. "I've nearly broken through to the root stage so I'm not totally helpless anymore. And hasn't your Master given me that cultivation manual? I'll certainly become stronger with that! So, you don't have to worry about me."
"I know." Qiu Ling lightly pecked Jing Yi's cheek. "Right. That book, I still have it." Then, he took out the manual the Grandmaster had given Jing Yi and handed it over. Ah, his beloved wouldn't need this thing anyway. From now on he wouldn't leave his side for even a moment.
Jing Yi opened the manual and smiled wryly before giving it back.
"What is it?" Qiu Ling was a little taken aback. Even if his beloved trusted in him and his ability to protect him, shouldn't he still show at least a bit enthusiasm for this? He had always wanted to become a hero, after all!
Jing Yi sighed. "It's probably nice. It's just that ... I still don't know how to read."
"Oh." Qiu Ling looked at the book in his hands. He couldn't decide immediately if this thing was an eyesore that dared to dampen his beloved's mood or a heaven-sent tool to further their relationship.
Mn, probably the latter.