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

148 Not Likely to Comfort Him

In the Nine Heavens, Qiu Ling also got up at this time. The immortal races didn't necessarily need sleep as long as they relied on their spiritual energy so even though only a few hours had passed since he finished his letter and went to bed, he felt ready to greet another day. To be honest, he was even excited to do so.

Knowing that his beloved was awake again and would from now on confront the issue that had tortured him so deeply that his soul finally shattered made him hopeful for the future. Of course, he was also a little torn. Jing He was more or less alone up there. After all, An Xin really couldn't count as a great source of company. While the thing was fluffy enough and definitely warm enough to be huggable and should feel good when petting it, it couldn't even speak. So who was supposed to talk to Jing He and calm him down when his emotions ran high? He couldn't expect Tian to do so, now could he?

Qiu Ling's lips twitched while he put on his robe. Just the idea felt ridiculous. They could count themselves lucky that Tian apparently cherished them a little. And he sure had to. After all, he had saved Jing He's life when he fell, then gave him some sage advice so he wouldn't make things worse for his beloved after he found him, and finally, Tian even facilitated him seeing Jing He last night through the water mirror.

Surely, he was doing this out of consideration for them or he would have made some demand by now. It was probably just due to him having a soft spot for fallen gods but all this care was a lot more than others would ever get. So no matter the reason, he was incredibly grateful to Tian. Still, he couldn't imagine the supreme sovereign taking time out of his ... well, maybe not busy schedule but at least his usual daily routine to comfort Jing He. It just seemed impossible. In fact, it also wasn't pleasant to think about.

Qiu Ling shook himself to get rid of the image that had unwittingly assaulted his mind. No, when it came to comforting his beloved, then the one who should do that was still him. Ah, it really was a pity that he couldn't even let him have the letter he wrote for him to show he cared. But, well, it was safely kept in his transmission stone and when Jing He finally returned, he would hand it over at once. Well, he'd probably first shower him with affection before he did so but he definitely wouldn't wait too long.

Anyway, the main point was the person who would usually comfort his beloved was him and Tian would be an odd choice at best. Although, truth be told, since he couldn't be with him, he'd still be happy with it if Tian took some time to at least reassure Jing He that he would be loved and find happiness no matter what. Or if not that, then maybe he could at least explain the technicalities of being a fallen god and returning to his trueborn self again. This much should be a given, right?

Qiu Ling sighed and closed his eyes. Admittedly, while he felt a lot better knowing that Jing He was awake, he was also even more afraid of what this would mean for his current situation. Jing He probably wouldn't deal well with finding out that he had fallen, right? And with nobody familiar there to talk him through this and reassure him, could he really come to terms with it on his own? It was hard to imagine.

Yes, knowing his beloved, chances were that he would overthink this matter. He'd think himself damaged and unlovable and believe that his being alone in the High Heavens was for the best because nobody left back in the Nine Heavens who had known him would still want to associate with him. And with them not being allowed anywhere near him, that idea might only become more pronounced as time went on. It really was a conundrum.

Qiu Ling shook his head at himself. He couldn't change it so he shouldn't needlessly worry about this. Tian was there and clearly willing to help. Maybe tonight, he would let him have another look at Jing He and how he had done throughout the day. By then, he'd have a better grasp of how Jing He was doing. Until then, he should stop thinking about it and instead focus on what was in reach like the relationship with his future father-in-law. Not that he had made much progress on that front.

Sighing again, Qiu Ling finally left his room. He walked down the corridor and nodded at Shou Quan who was personally guarding this stretch of the way to the throne room.

"Your Majesty!"

"Mn." Qiu Ling only hummed and waved for her to follow. "Another exciting day with my father-in-law is ahead of us. You must be bored out of your mind already." Yes, he had never understood the desire to be any kind of guard. It seemed to be the most frustrating job available out there. Well, maybe it would still be alright if you were guarding the person you loved the most but ... anyone else? That seemed like such a chore.

Shou Quan shook her head. "Not at all, Your Majesty. It's an exciting opportunity!" She pondered for a moment but then sighed deeply. "I do miss my wife though."

Qiu Ling glanced at her and could only sigh along. "Same. With them not at our side, it all seems so pointless, doesn't it? Well, at least I can work on my relationship with my in-laws."

Shou Quan looked back and refrained from commenting. She wasn't always the most socially apt person but ... even she could see at a glance that the relationship between their king and the Heavenly Emperor was bad down to the very core. That did seem like the kind of thing Yu Gan had warned her not to say a single word about while in the Nine Heavens.