Outside at the edge of the lake, Qiu Ling took his leave from Jing Yi with a heavy heart. "My love, don't worry, I won't be gone for long. I'll definitely come back soon with good news for you. You'll see, I'll be back before you can even start to miss me." He clung to Jing Yi's hands and looked at him as if the world was going to end the very next minute.
Jing Yi smiled wryly. He wasn't bothered about not seeing him for a while, though? "It's alright. I'm not —"
"You don't have to pretend, my love. I understand your heart. Don't you worry! Nothing will happen to me. You can be completely at ease." He looked at Jing Yi's face for a bit, then he reached out and circled his shoulders. "Ah, I'm already missing you before I've even gone." He pulled him into a hug and slid his fingers into his hair.
Mn … Jing He's hair … Well, not really, but it was better than nothing.
Jing Yi froze. He felt creeped out being hugged by somebody else and those fingers in his hair … For heaven's sake, what was this guy doing?!
He pushed him away and frowned.
Qiu Ling stood there as if struck by lightning. His beloved … had cruelly pushed him away when he tried to say his farewells. His smile faltered and his shoulders drooped. He looked pitifully at Jing Yi. "My love …"
Jing Yi closed his eyes. As much as he didn't like what Qiu Ling did, he somehow couldn't stomach that hurt look in his eyes. What was going on with him? He didn't even know the guy! "You don't have to do anything for me. I'm perfectly well on my own. So if you want to go, then just do so."
"My love —"
"And don't call me that! We don't even know each other." Jing Yi turned away. He really couldn't take it any longer. "I'll take my leave now, Senior martial brother Qiu." He didn't wait for his answer and just ran away.
Qiu Ling gulped and watched him leave. He slowly patted his chest. It really hurt, being rejected like that.
"Never mind, it's just because you can't remember me right now. But I'll make you fall in love with me again. I definitely will."
He turned toward the highest peak of the sect. That cheap master of his had left while the gathering of practitioners was still underway and seemed to have completely forgotten to tell him where his palace was. Qiu Ling could sense him, though, but hadn't gone over and instead stayed in front of the building where Jing Yi lived for the whole night. He just wanted to feel a little closer to him. Just a little. Because with each passing day, he had missed Jing He a little bit more.
Those five years in the special dimension had been the worst time he had had in a while. Being all alone … he wasn't used to that anymore. He had already become accustomed to being around Jing He and having his mother-in-law help him out whenever something happened. This sense of belonging … He really missed it.
Qiu Ling sighed. This wasn't the time to become all sentimental. It wouldn't be long before he got his family back. He flew toward the palace and took a quick glance at it but didn't stop to admire it any longer. He hurried inside and started to call out: "Master! Help!"
Zhangsun Xun Yi opened his eyes and stared at the door opposite him. He had been meditating in the innermost room of his palace and Qiu Ling had obviously been at the main entrance just a moment ago but not even a minute later the door was pushed open and his disciple barged right in.
"Master, I need your help!"
Zhangsun Xun Yi motioned to the place opposite him and Qiu Ling took a seat at once, an expectant look in his eyes. "What happened?"
"It's Jing He!"
Zhangsun Xun Yi had never heard that name but looking at the pitiful look his disciple sported now he could guess who he was talking about. He waited for further information.
"You see, I asked him yesterday if he wanted to marry me and I promised to give him seven days time but it doesn't seem like he'll say yes."
Zhangsun Xun Yi still kept quiet.
"Uh, shouldn't you try to reassure me now?"
"Would that change anything?"
"Maybe I'd feel better?"
He didn't get an answer again. Qiu Ling sighed. "The problem is that he has somehow decided that he wants to become a hero. But now he feels like I would hinder him because he'd be too secure if he was with me." Qiu Ling looked down at his hands. He had always felt that it was good to be strong. Then at least he could protect the ones he loved. But now … How come being strong was now his biggest problem?
Qiu Ling still hadn't understood that rather than his power his behavior was what had put out Jing Yi.
"Then what do you intend to do? Cap your powers?"
"No! How could I do that? I think I should help him achieve his dream. So, how does one become a good cultivator? Jing He said he needed not too many spirit veins for that but he has six."
"Full spirit veins?" Zhangsun Xun Yi lifted his brows. His disciple had found a difficult goal to obtain if he wanted to make his beloved into a powerful cultivator.
"Yes! He said that. Is there any way to … make him lose some?"
"Rather than losing you should probably better speak of remodeling. In fact, everyone has six spirit veins. The question is how many of the elements are compatible with them. In the case of your Jing He, his spirit veins are able to channel the six basic types of energy."
"Six basic types?" Qiu Ling tilted his head. What was that?
Zhangsun Xun Yi sighed. If he didn't know that his disciple wasn't human, he would probably wonder how he had lived for so long without knowing about something as simple as that. "The basic types of spirit veins are fire, water, air, earth, metal, and wood. There are also some mutated types like ice spirit veins or lightning spirit veins. But someone with full spirit veins will normally not have those."
"Oh, so it's like that. Then what can I do to help him get rid— er, remodel them?"
"There are some pills that can achieve that."
"Then I'll get one of those for him! Where do I go for that?" Qiu Ling leaped to his feet and got a sigh from his master in return.
"Not so fast. Those pills aren't something you can just get. They are something that can only be refined by high-ranking alchemists."
"So? Can't I just ask a high-ranking alchemist?"
"They will also require many valuable ingredients. Nobody will do that for free. Furthermore: Do you know any high-ranking alchemists? The Yun Zou sect definitely doesn't have them."
"Oh." Qiu Ling pondered. "Well, in fact … I might know one."
Zhangsun Xun Yi lifted his brows but his disciple clearly evaded his gaze. "Mn. That's good then. Then you're only lacking the ingredients now."
"That shouldn't be too difficult. Those pills, aren't they just made out of some herbs? I'll just go and gather them."
Grandmaster Zhangsun repressed a sigh. His disciple really thought it was so easy. Well, he was part of that race so it might be alright. "Very well. I'll write down what you need." He stood up and went over to his study.
Qiu Ling watched him write down a list of ingredients in neat characters. Ah, as expected of his master! His handwriting looked just as serious as he himself!
"So, that is all I need?" Qiu Ling looked at the twenty ingredients. This didn't seem like much. He probably wouldn't even need a day to gather twenty herbs. Tch, even an hour might be enough!
Seeing his disciple's overconfident expression, Zhangsun Xun Yi shook his head. "Do you know what those things are and where to find them?"
"Mn …" Qiu Ling looked at the names. Well, if he asked like that … "So, what are they?" He looked up at his master and raised his brows.
"Go to the Grand Elder. He will certainly have information on the ingredients that will help you."
"Uh … alright? Then … where do I find him?"
Grandmaster Zhangsun sighed once again. "His palace is on the peak on the other side of the Sect master's peak. The herb gardens are located on that mountain, too, so you can't really miss it."
"Alright. Thanks, master! Then I'll head over there!" Qiu Ling smiled, ran out of the palace and flew over to the Grand Elder's dwelling.
Grandmaster Zhangsun watched his leaving figure and sighed. "He is really excited about this. I hope this won't end in another tragedy."