Jing Yi who had just been thinking of the dirty girl remembered how her mother had scolded her when he heard the word 'disaster'. It couldn't be that he would get scolded if he saw such a monster, could it?!
He anxiously looked at the old man but his counterpart took his own sweet time and didn't seem all that rushed to talk about that disaster anymore. He even seemed to observe their surroundings. Was the monster already coming their way? Would his mother hate him then?
Jing Yi crept closer to Qiu Ling again. Now, just the length of an arm separated them. Qiu Ling's fingers itched to grab him and take him into his arms but he held back. Not only would he thwart his own plan like that, but he might also make Jing Yi afraid of strangers. How would he approach him in the future then? No, no, he couldn't risk anything! He had to work at this slowly!
First, he'd chose those girls off. Then he'd work on his own relationship with Jing He's mortal reincarnation. And finally, they would marry here in the mortal world before returning to the Nine Heavens to get married again! Ah, life was beautiful!
Jing Yi extended his small hand, bent forward and tugged at Qiu Ling's sleeve, before recoiling. He didn't ask anything but at least he managed to pull a certain dragon king out of his thoughts.
Qiu Ling pretended to be surprised. "What is it?"
"What ... What disaster?", Jing Yi asked and blinked his doe eyes.
"Mn." Qiu Ling tried to look serious while he just felt like pinching the boy's cheeks. Ah, now he really wanted to know how his Jing He had looked as a child back in the Nine Heavens! So cute! Wasn't there some mystic artifact he could use?
He coughed and got back to the topic at hand. "That ... I told you they are really fast. If you can't outrun them, they'll latch onto you and make you muddy, too!"
The boy sat there, thunderstruck. "They'll make me muddy, too?!" Tears gathered in his eyes again, glistening like crystals.
Qiu Ling gulped. Uh, he had made his beloved cry! He was such a bad fiance! But he had to do this for their future together! "Ah, there, there." Qiu Ling only held onto his bad conscience for a second, then his heart thumped in happiness. Finally, he didn't have to hide anymore! He could openly placate him, so of course, he'd use the opportunity!
He reached out, wanting to pull Jing Yi into a hug. At the last moment, he reconsidered and patted Jing Yi's head instead. He couldn't be too direct or he would still scare the child. Especially now that he was already terrified of those monsters. "You're such an obedient child, I'd be a bad man if I didn't help you. I'll let you in on a secret if you stop crying!"
Jing Yi tried to hold back his tears but still sniffled. "Will ... will I not get caught by the mud monsters if I know the secret?"
"Mn!" Qiu Ling nodded earnestly. "At least the possibility of being caught will be extremely low."
"Then ... then what is it?"
Qiu Ling slowly raised a finger into the air. "It's about ... girls!"
"Girls?"
"Mn!" Qiu Ling nodded again, slower this time. Lying to a four-year-old wasn't that hard but he still wanted to make certain that Jing Yi wouldn't notice anything. "You don't know this but ... in fact, all girls are transformed mud monsters!"
Jing Yi thought of the girl from the day before and ... found quite plausible what the old man said.
Qiu Ling clasped a hand over his mouth but his shoulders shook at the sight of Jing Yi's expression that seemed to say he had just gained enlightenment. My beloved ... how can you be so gullible? At least ask for proof!
Qiu Ling coughed again. "Well, now that you know you probably know what to do."
Jing Yi shook his head. He really didn't understand!
"You ... should stay away from girls! They are ... such disgusting creatures!" Latching onto his beloved, vying for his attention and acting all cute while he could only stand in the shadow and watch over him from afar. No! He wouldn't accept it! If he couldn't do that, then they couldn't either! "If you ever see one approaching you, it would be best to run as far away as you can!"
Jing Yi nodded. Yes! Run away! He didn't want to get muddy! "Should I scream for help?"
"Er ... No, better not." What would the boy say if anyone asked why he was running away? No, he couldn't let him do that or his plan would be exposed! "You have to know only mud monsters can recognize each other if they are hiding in the form of a girl. If you scream for help, they'll immediately understand that you know their secret and they'll try to turn you muddy to shut you up."
Jing Yi shivered. How mean!
"So, it's better to just run away. And don't tell anyone else about that! You know if they aren't careful enough and the mud monsters find out through them that you exposed their secret ..." He shook his head and tightened his lips.
Jing Yi sat in front of him, stunned. That would be bad! No, he really couldn't tell anyone!
"Good boy." Qiu Ling patted his head again. "Just stay away from girls! Then nothing can happen to you."
"What about my mommy?"
Qiu Ling blinked. "Your mommy?"
"Can I tell her?"
"No!" Qiu Ling panicked. It would be all over if Madam Zhong found out! "You see ... mud monsters only go after children. So ... your mommy doesn't need to fear them. But if you told her and the mud monsters find out they'd certainly be out to get revenge on you!"
"Oh."
"Mn." Qiu Ling nodded, satisfied. Jing Yi would certainly stay away from girls from now on. And since he was an obedient child he wouldn't talk about it so there was no way his ploy could be revealed.
Deceiving a four-year-old child was really ... too easy.
YOU ARE READING
Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume #1)
RomanceJing He, crown prince of the nine heavens, has to descend into the mortal realm to weather a human life full of vicissitudes. Each event carefully crafted by fate's scribe, Shun Tao, nothing should go wrong. Just that Qiu Ling, king of the dragon ra...