Romancing the Son of Heaven

Stratagem 29: Take Care of Your Beloved Well (2)

The God of Medicine had indeed included instructions in the package. Even though Qiu Ling wasn't that knowledgeable about herbs and refinement, he was still able to read and follow them to take care of Jing He.

There actually wasn't that much in the package, just some herbs that could be brewed as a tea and were easy to digest while being able to give back some energy. Jing He probably wouldn't be able to drink much of it in his current state but a little was better than nothing. He needed to be slowly nursed back to health.

Having finished sorting through everything, Qiu Ling turned back to Jing He, once again grasping his hand as gently as he could to reassure him. "Alright, I've had a look. I just need to boil this real quick. Wait just a moment. I'll be back before you even notice that I'm gone." His voice was lower than usual, especially soothing.

Hearing it, Jing He actually felt taken care of already. At that thought, he couldn't help but nod. The attention he was currently getting ... it really was a balm for his heart, lulling him into false security.

Qiu Ling smiled faintly and got up, lightly squeezing his hand again before he took the herbs that he needed and went over to the teapot. He used his magic to fill it with water and then hesitated.

Usually, Jing He would be doing this. In any case, the gods were able to use magic of all six elements. As for the dragons ... well ... In any case, he had never shown that he was able to heat up the water himself just fine. But currently, Jing He was in no condition to do this. He wouldn't have the energy for it and shouldn't be bothered with something like this either.

Qiu Ling found himself in a dilemma. He could probably go and ask one of those guards from the door. He didn't want to call them in again though and he also didn't want to go out for fear of something happening to Jing He. Well, most likely, Jing He was currently not well enough to really care about that or think about it.

Qiu Ling turned his back to him and then held his hand around the teapot, heating up the water with a quick motion before he threw in the herbs. He gave it a moment and then made sure to take some of the heat away again before he picked up a cup and went back.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed again, his limbs were a little stiff from the worry of being discovered. He still poured him a cup and then wanted to hand it to him.

Jing He looked at him, almost reaching out, but then, a thought shot through his mind: Right now, he wasn't doing well. He was weak and he could pretend to be even weaker than he was. Who knew if he was able to drink a cup of tea just like that?

He still reached out and but his fingers trembled, clearly not able to hold onto that cup too well. Certainly, he was exaggerating his troubles a little. He just ... just wanted the dragon king to hold him again, no matter how low he had to sink for that.

Qiu Ling also saw that Jing He wouldn't be able to do it and put the cup down before pulling him into his arms again just like before. "Excuse me. I hope you don't mind but for the time being, I'm afraid you'll have to live with this."

Jing He felt like this was pure bliss but he naturally couldn't show that. He just lowered his head a little, not wanting to show him his expression. "I don't mind but I hope that I'm not making Longjun feel uncomfortable."

Qiu Ling chuckled lightly. "After all these years, you still don't know me that well. If not for the fact that you were sick right now, I would love to take advantage of you like this. I'd rather you be in good health though." He picked up the cup and then gently supported the back of Jing He's head, putting the cup to his lips and letting him drink the tea.

Their gaze met over the rim of the cup and the atmosphere around them seemed to become a little ambiguous.

Qiu Ling looked away, feeling that he really had to be a beast to have any kind of other thoughts right now. But the fact was that this was probably one of those few, more than rare moments where he was actually able to get close to Jing He. Really close. Not just in a physical way but also in a way where their hearts seemed to be closer. He really couldn't help himself from his heart pounding heavily.

Jing He who was lying directly on his chest naturally noticed this time. Feeling the dragon king's reaction, he was stunned. The dragon king had always said that he admired him and that he wanted to marry him but Jing He had still always had doubts. Now, it seemed that those doubts had been without any merit. Clearly, there was truth to those words the dragon king had spoken about his feelings.

He really wanted to smile but he could only bury his head at the dragon king's chest, reveling in that unknown feeling.

Qiu Ling put down the cup and then just rubbed Jing He's back. "You can't have too much at once I guess so this should be enough for now. Do you feel like you can sleep a little longer?"

Jing He wasn't sure what to say to that. To be honest, since he hadn't slept much in the last weeks, he still was incredibly tired and without any strength in his limbs, he felt like if he closed his eyes for just a moment longer, he would drift off into sleep immediately.

But he didn't want to accept it. Just like before, he wanted to stay awake to be able to spend a bit more time with the dragon king. Especially since ... soon enough, he would probably not be here anymore, right?

Jing He's hands tensed when he thought of that. "Longjun, what about your coronation's anniversary? Shouldn't it be soon?"

Qiu Ling was startled. The preparation for that anniversary was what he had used as an excuse but now, Jing He actually brought it up at such a moment. He wasn't quite sure what to say for a moment but finally shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Not right now. Right now, only you are important."

Jing He raised his head again, looking at him a little wistfully. "I was supposed to pay my respects to Longjun on that day. Even if I couldn't have come over, a person should have been sent. I'm not sure if my uncle will organize everything in the meantime."

"Don't think about it. The best gift you could give me at the moment is getting back to health anyway." He rubbed his cheek, a little concerned when he saw just how pale Jing He still was. Unfortunately, nothing he did seemed to be able to help.

Ah, he should take care of him well but he felt like he sucked at it. There was nothing he could do. He had given him some of that tea but was that really enough? Probably not. No, right now, he should especially work on putting his mind at ease. But he felt like no matter what he said, it couldn't change what Jing He was currently thinking.

Qiu Ling really wasn't sure what to do but he knew that he had to be more direct. "To be honest, that anniversary would be in a few days indeed. But everything has been prepared. I will stay with you until that day for sure. So don't worry. I'll be here the whole day."

Jing He gave a hum that could have meant anything, really driving Qiu Ling insane. But still, he didn't dare to say anything. He just stayed quiet and continued to hold him.

Even though Jing He was trying to stay awake, while lying in the dragon king's arms, he couldn't help but be overcome with tiredness. And in the end, his frail health won over him. He quietly drifted off into sleep, still enveloped in Qiu Ling's warmth and scent.

When Qiu Ling was sure that Jing He had fallen asleep again, it was already several minutes later. He heaved a sigh of relief and then gently continued to hold him, not intending to go back anytime soon. No, today, he would really stay with his beloved until it wouldn't be acceptable anymore.

Yes, when night fell, he couldn't stay any longer. Even though he would love to, he knew that that was impossible. After all, he still had a sense of decorum. So he knew that if somebody realized that he had spent the night at Jing He's palace, it would cause quite a lot of gossip, and then his beloved would worry even more. He couldn't let that happen.