Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 12, Part 1)

92 It Doesn't Matter

Qiu Ling smiled faintly. He could imagine how much of a shock seeing Jinde had to have been. If not for what had happened afterward, she certainly would have brought it up much earlier. The fact that she was able to focus on it now ... it probably showed that she had gained some hope after receiving news about where Jing He was and that there was still a way for him to return to who he had been before.

Realizing this, Qiu Ling was naturally happy. He shared her worry about Jing He's condition and future so he understood very well how difficult the current times were for her. If he could help distract her a little, he would do it at once. "What exactly do you want to know? Why he is still alive?"

Bai Fen raised a hand in a half-shrug. "That would be a good place to start, I presume. I am also really interested in the connection between you too though."

Qiu Ling sighed. "In that case, I might have to start a little earlier." Although, thinking of how exactly that connection had come about ... Ah, it was a bit tough to say.

He kept quiet for a moment, wondering how much he should tell her. When the question popped up in his mind, he felt reminded of how he had spoken to his advisers before and also how he had missed the opportunity to tell Jing He several times. Come to think of it now ... Jing He's situation was already this precarious before he had dropped this little nugget of information on him. If he had been aware ... would things have been even worse?

Bai Fen watched his expression and finally reached out, lightly touching his arm. "If it is too hard to speak about, you don't have to tell me. I just thought ... it might be nice to distract each other from what is going on. I could tell you other things though. Do you want to know more about my life before I came to the capital city? There are a few interesting stories to tell there, I assure you."

Qiu Ling smiled. He naturally realized that she was trying to help him out because she realized he felt awkward talking about this. Seeing her concern though ... he thought of Jing He again and how he hadn't told him the truth. When his beloved returned and if he decided that he wanted to be with him despite his family, then he owed him this part of the truth as well. He couldn't keep it hidden.

This didn't mean that he had to tell Bai Fen but ... looking at her now, and seeing how both of them loved Jing He more than their own life, he felt that maybe he should. Anyway, no matter whether he could get her to accept him or not, he would at least know what he was up for. He would never have to worry about a point in the future again when the truth came out because he would know for sure what her stance was even if it was a negative one.

Qiu Ling put his hands on the window sill, his expression a little distant. "You've probably heard that I am trying to establish a better situation for the half-bloods in my realm, haven't you?"

Bai Fen nodded slowly. She had offered to talk about something else so if Qiu Ling brought this up, it couldn't be simply for a change of topic. "I did hear about that. Many of them are currently working with Adviser An Bai, aren't they?"

Qiu Ling hummed. "They are. This matter ... what do you think about it? Or ... what do you think about the half-bloods in general?"

Bai Fen slowly raised her brows. Somehow, she had a feeling that she knew where this was going. It was unexpected but then, she didn't really care either way. "Remember how I told you earlier that I wasn't born as the daughter of a titled god? I believe that this shouldn't define what I can make out of my life. I could have stayed in the North-Eastern Heaven, I could have become a warrior myself just like my brother, or I could have aspired to become a titled goddess and take over one of the palaces. In the end, I became the Heavenly Empress.

"Many found it surprising because of where I came from. But what does my place of birth really tell anyone about me? Whether I am a good person, whether I will make a decent Heavenly Empress or not, it all depends on myself. My personality, my strengths and weaknesses, how much work I put in ... all of these things come together and decide whether or not I have what it takes."

She fell silent for a moment and looked back up at the palace outside, her thoughts slipping to that time right after she had agreed to marry Rong Su and people were constantly whispering about her because she had supposedly ruined his engagement and had caused her brother to be in a difficult situation because the other woman was his late Master's daughter, after all.

She had known it wasn't her fault and she had tried not to let it get to her but it was difficult. She would never deny that. At the same time, she was filled with some anger because clearly, the people who talked about her this way didn't mention even a word about Rong Su. And was he any better than her? It was his engagement but because he was the Heavenly Emperor's son, the crown prince of the Nine Heavens, he could simply do as he wanted to do and didn't have to fear any backlash. How was this fair?

Bai Fen lowered her gaze, folding her hands on the window sill just like Qiu Ling had done before. "What I want to say is that ... it doesn't matter where you come from or what type of blood you have. What counts is what type of person you choose to be. So as for the half-bloods, as long as they are a good person, then that is the only thing that counts."

Qiu Ling nodded but he didn't dare to allow himself to feel any relief just yet. After all, there was still one more, even more pressing question left: "Does that still count if the other part of their blood is demon blood?"