By the time Shun Tao adjusted Jing He's scroll of fate once again, Qiu Ling had already tossed everything the heavenly emperor said far out of his head. Instead, he had done exactly what the heavenly emperor wanted to prevent and returned to the mortal realm. He was now standing in front of the teahouse, looking at the entrance with indescribable happiness.
Ah, I'll see him again soon. Mn … Qiu Ling closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He had to calm down. He didn't want to storm right in, sweep his beloved off his feet and hug him. Well, he did want to do that, but no, he couldn't. It would make a bad impression on his mother-in-law. And as his other mother-in-law had said: Repairing his relationship with Jing He's mortal mother was one of his highest priorities now!
Thus, Qiu Ling stormed right in, grabbed Madam Zhong's hands and showed her a brilliant smile. "Mother-in-law, I'm back!"
Madam Zhong was stunned. She had just bid her son farewell and now this man had returned. And he was extremely excited it seemed. "You …"
"Did you miss me?" He only smiled wider, not at all noticing that Madam Zhong was feeling a little out of sorts. Neither did he notice the three dragons sitting at a table and watching his antics.
Fu Min nibbled some of the snacks Madam Zhong had brought them a while back, clearly enjoying the show in front of him. Ai Hua sipped her tea as if all of that didn't pertain to her. Xiao Dong, who had never before actually seen their king, stared at him wide-eyed and slack-jawed. That man was … the awesome and mighty king his uncle and father were always talking about? Why did it seem as if he was sweet-talking a human woman?
When Qiu Ling didn't get an answer his face fell and he started to look as pitiful as he had in front of the heavenly empress Bai Fen. Mn, this was a deeply practiced move that would be able to melt every woman's heart. Who told him to have such expressive eyes?
"Mother-in-law, don't blame me any longer. I know I did wrong." He grabbed her sleeve and looked at the ground at his feet. "You were right all along. I shouldn't have gotten so jealous. It's just … I love him so much. It hurts me when I see him getting along so well with somebody else while I can only watch from the sidelines. So, I thought that when all others would only be able to watch from the sidelines, too, it wouldn't be as bad. I didn't really think … Well, I did think of what it would mean for him but I just couldn't help myself." He looked up at her again, his eyes seeming as if he feared she would blame him but still hoped otherwise.
Madam Zhong indeed couldn't help being moved by these words and this gaze. She sighed and patted his hand, meanwhile using the opportunity to pluck it off just how Bai Fen always did. Qiu Ling marveled at that similarity. Jing He had really reincarnated into a family not that different from the one in the nine heavens. Well, his mortal father didn't have such an irascible temper as his immortal one but he was just as reliant on his wife.
"It's alright. I know you meant no harm. Just hold back a little in the future." She smiled slightly. It seemed like the worries she had had about him trying to force her son into something he himself didn't want were ungrounded.
Qiu Ling smiled brightly at her again. Then, his gaze flitted around. "So … Where is he?"
Madam Zhong patted his hand again. "He isn't here anymore. Jing'er left the capital. Some days ago, a few disciples of the Yun Zou sect came by. They tested Jing'er and found out that he had the aptitude to become a cultivator. I thought … Well, things kept happening. Maybe he'll be safer when he goes there and becomes a daoist immortal, too." She looked at Qiu Ling, hesitating a bit, but finally, she still told him. "You probably don't know but my husband died some weeks ago."
Qiu Ling furrowed his brow. Madam Zhong didn't know but he had already heard about that in the nine heavens. Qiu Ling gripped her hands again and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, mother-in-law. I should have been here. I … I wouldn't have been able to help in that case but … I should still have been here to help you. All of this … it's probably my fault."
Though, hadn't he helped in the beginning then she herself wouldn't be there anymore and considering the attack of the bandits the same would probably be true for her husband. Jing He's mortal parents, they would have both died and left him all alone long ago. What was it with these shitty trials? Was it that heaven had something against the gods?
"Heaven … isn't fair. To actually torment such good people … None of you deserve this."
Madam Zhong closed her eyes. It seemed she had been right. All of this really had to do with her son's fate. "Daoist master, please, tell me: Will my Jing'er be alright in the future? Will he … will he continue to suffer like that?"
Qiu Ling sighed. This was the moment he had dreaded. But he had to come clean. Though, he didn't have to tell her everything. "He's destined to have many trials to pass but … in the end, he'll have a life brighter than many could imagine."
Indeed. After the mortal Zhong Jing Yi passed all these damned trials and finally died, he would wake up as the crown prince of the nine heavens, Jing He, again. Wasn't that a life many would envy him for? He would still have two loving parents and a lover completely devoted only to him, not to speak of the countless loyal subjects that were looking up at him, prepared to give their lives for him at any moment. That counted as a good end for Madam Zhong's son, didn't it?
Madam Zhong sighed in relief. "Thank you for telling me. I'm relieved knowing that whatever happens to him will lead to a good end. You …" Madam Zhong stopped. She had wavered again and again if she should really depend on this man regarding her son's safety. After doubting him so much, had she still the right to ask anything of him?
"What is it? Just tell me." Qiu Ling smiled, not guessing what she was thinking about.
"I'm thinking about Jing'er. As long as he hasn't started cultivating … will you still watch over him?"
Qiu Ling nodded. "Even when he becomes a daoist immortal, I'll still watch over him." After all, what was a human cultivator in comparison to a dragon? He wouldn't be at ease if he didn't watch over Jing He personally. His beloved nearly would have died when he wasn't there. How could he be so careless again?
Madam Zhong patted his cheek. "You're a good person."
"Mn. So, you don't have a problem with me marrying your son, right?" Qiu Ling smiled.
Madam Zhong, too, smiled. It was hard not to, being faced with Qiu Ling's unwavering attitude. "We'll see about that. If he likes you, you'll have my blessing. Come, sit down. I'll get you a cup of tea. These people over there should be waiting for you."
She motioned to the dragons Qiu Ling still hadn't noticed. He turned around and lifted his brows. Fu Min? With a woman and a child? Wasn't he into Fu Heng? No, wait, that woman … He examined her dark brown hair. That looked kind of familiar. She was … Yi Zan's sister? Then that child next to her should be her son? Oh, he had called those two over …