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

225 The Negative Consequences That Might Ensue

While Tian imagined the possible future he would share with his lover, Jing He was also pondering what his future might hold. He still didn't know how to make his decision so he could only try to think about the possible outcomes. After all, as Tian had pointed out, he would have to live with the consequences so maybe this was what he should think about first.

When it came to the choices he could make, he felt that neither would allow for a good outcome. But if there was something he couldn't bear at all, then that should be the choice he decided against. It seemed marginally easier than deciding on something.

He would prefer to be with Qiu Ling so that was what he considered first. The obvious consequence was that his father would be angry. He would try to forbid him from getting married and might threaten him in some way but he'd have to push through. If he did ... his father might not be able to get over this disrespect. He might cease all contact with him.

Was this a consequence he was willing to live with? Probably yes. It would break his heart but at least there would be Qiu Ling to comfort him. Not to mention that there was the faint chance that his father would calm down after some time and accept things for what they were. This wasn't a given but it might happen. He shouldn't give up hope.

Of course, this likely wouldn't stay the only consequence of this decision. With his father raging at him and drawing his own consequences due to the actions he couldn't condone, his mother wouldn't just stay out of this. He had faintly felt it when she told Qiu Ling and him about the curse on the Heavenly Emperor's bloodline after they told her that they had gotten engaged, but it seemed like she wasn't very happy with his father. If he gave her just one more reason, wouldn't she leave him?

At that point, what would become of his father? With his son gone and his wife as well ... wouldn't he be lonely? And also, wouldn't he be even more furious, thinking that all of this was Qiu Ling's fault? Truth be told, this seemed to be the most likely scenario. Yes, his father would definitely think that everything had been well before and that it was only because of Qiu Ling that his life had turned this way.

With two heavy blows to his pride and with him thinking that the king of the dragon race was the source of all of it ... chances were that the alliance between the gods and the dragons would break down. Something that had been established many generations ago — even before the curse was placed upon the three immortal races — and which had been carefully kept alive through the actions of many people, would be destroyed at his hands.

Jing He furrowed his brows, feeling hopeless. He wouldn't mind not being the crown prince of the Nine Heavens or never inheriting the title of Heavenly Emperor. He wouldn't mind being skipped over in acceding to the throne. But he had always felt the responsibility of his station and keeping the alliance alive was something he would never question.

This alliance had allowed their race to fend off the demons in trying times and had protected many people's lives and livelihoods. If it were to collapse, then what? When the demons attacked the next time ... who could say if they would still be able to successfully defend against them without a strong partner by their side?

Of course, this didn't only concern the gods. As the crown prince of the Nine Heavens, he felt compelled to consider them. But as Qiu Ling's spouse, wouldn't he also have to take the dragons' situation into consideration? Even though he wouldn't have any political power as Qiu Ling's husband, that didn't mean that he didn't at least have a representative function. He couldn't simply watch their people be troubled by this. So no matter which side he thought of, he had a duty to try and do what was best for them.

Jing He furrowed his brows. This possible future had many problems waiting for him. Of course, he still wanted to be with Qiu Ling but if he decided on this, then he would not just offend his father but negatively affect his whole family and even his whole race. Potentially, he might even cause issues for the dragons. How was this an outcome he wanted to see?

Unfortunately, it didn't seem much better if he tried to imagine a future where he chose differently. The only plus side seemed to be that his father would be satisfied and that this might save his parents' marriage. Everything else ... seemed like it wouldn't be that good.

His father would sooner or later require him to marry somebody else. As a result, he would be unhappy every day. His future husband might not escape that same unhappiness either. After all, who wanted to be with somebody who didn't love them? As long as that man had even the slightest interest apart from becoming part of the Heavenly Family, such a marriage was a disaster waiting to happen.

The most important though was Qiu Ling. Due to the curse on the dragon race, he wouldn't be able to move on. He could never find another spouse to love and marry. Chances were that he would never get the family he longed for. Sure, he now had his father's reincarnation at his side and the previous dragon king but ... could that really be a consolation for losing his own partner? It seemed unlikely.

And frankly, having to see him with another man might make Qiu Ling pull back. His advisers and the people of the dragon race would never stand for someone disrespecting their king this way either which would also fracture the alliance.

In the end, it seemed that no matter which way he chose, the end result was the same: His decision would break the ages-old alliance between gods and dragons and he would break at least one person's heart in the process of it.