The first thing Qiu Ling saw when he neared the place where he felt the dragon mark was a black-robed man who was trying to shamelessly take advantage of his beloved. Qiu Ling frowned, hurried over and picked the guy up by the collar before throwing him aside.
"My love!" He sat down next to Jing Yi and gripped his hand, pulling him in for a kiss. "Mn, I missed you!"
Jing Yi wanted to take a look at Niu Hai but Qiu Ling gripped his chin and turned his head back. Jing Yi sighed. "It hasn't been that long, has it? Only a few hours."
"Ah, just one hour without you is like an eternity in the darkest depth of hell. I feel terrible just thinking about it. Ah, my love, you have to heal me!"
Jing Yi leaned forward and circled his neck. "And how would you have me do that?" He smiled indulgently. It wasn't that hard to imagine what his fiance would ask of him.
"With a kiss." Qiu Ling pressed Jing Yi's hand against his chest and embraced his waist. "How about it?"
Jing Yi cupped his cheek and lightly pecked his lips. "Better?"
"A little. How about another one?"
Jing Yi looked up into those dark eyes. "You won't be satisfied even after another kiss, will you?"
"You know me too well." Qiu Ling pulled him closer and this time, he didn't let him pull back after just a peck. He held him gently and their lips met in a lingering kiss until both of them were short of breath.
"You can't complain now, can you?"
"Mn. Aiya, let's just make sure I'm alright." Qiu Ling bent forward but just then a blade was thrust in his direction. He spun around, lifted a hand and caught the weapon. It turned out the idiot he had thrown away had come back. "What, you still haven't gotten enough?"
"Who are you and what are you doing with Junior Martial Brother Jing?" Niu Hai frowned. This bastard! How dare he make a move on the cute junior in front of him!
"Why do you care? It's none of your business." Qiu Ling twisted his hand and the blade broke in half. "Hmph." Qiu Ling ignored him. He might pay a little attention to someone like that Grandmaster Shen but a human such as this wasn't worth it. "Mn, my love, why didn't you wait for me? Did I take too long?"
Jing Yi sighed and turned to Niu Hai. "I'm sorry. This is … Long Jun. My fiance. He's a little short-tempered sometimes."
Qiu Ling's eyes glittered. Ah, his beloved had actually introduced him as his fiance! Well, it was right that he did so since he was indeed his fiance but still! He felt so lucky right now!
"Your … your fiance?!" Niu Hai's expression derailed. The cute Junior Martial Brother actually had a fiance? This couldn't be! "Since when?"
"Uh … Last year?"
Niu Hai staggered back. How was this possible? He had just fallen in love and now this happened! No, he couldn't accept this!
Niu Hai lifted his chin and tried to stare down at Qiu Ling. "You! I'm challenging you to a duel!"
"On account of what?"
"I don't think you're a match for Junior Martial Brother Jing. He'd be way happier with me. So I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you'll leave him!"
Qiu Ling blinked. Ah? He was being challenged to a duel over his beloved? He turned toward Jing Yi and silently observed his face. This was too strange. Even in the nine heavens, nobody had challenged him to a duel over Jing He. Why was it happening now?
The gods would have stood a slight chance of winning against him at least, though he doubted that anyone other than Jing He's uncle Qiang Yan, the god of war, would have been able to even manage a draw. And now a human actually had the guts to try something like this? This was too peculiar!
Qiu Ling slowly turned around. He felt like smacking the guy to death just on account of the fact that he had delusions about his beloved but then again it might be more worthwhile to leverage this situation.
"Alright. But … You see we just arrived here yesterday. I don't know much about how duels are done here but I feel like we shouldn't do it half-heartedly. If I duel you, I want the whole sect to watch!" That would teach all those idiots who thought they might be a match to his beloved a valuable lesson. Nobody would dare to think of his Jing He inappropriately after they saw his strength.
"That's alright with me!" Niu Hai smirked triumphantly and turned to Jing Yi. After he thoroughly humiliated this idiot this cute Junior would certainly leave that guy and choose him instead. "Don't worry, Junior Martial Brother Jing, you'll soon be freed of this bastard!"
"Tch." Qiu Ling didn't even give Jing Yi time to respond. "You're taking the words right out of my mouth! My love!" He gripped Jing Yi's hands again. "Don't you worry. Whether it's this idiot or anybody else I'll make sure they won't dare to bother you anymore in the future!"
"Hmph! You just wait!" Niu Hai looked at their interlocked hands and frowned, then he turned around and stalked away, his fists clenched. He wouldn't let that shameless bastard succeed. Those two still weren't married. It wasn't too late to open Jing He's eyes to what type of person this so-called fiance of his was.
He hurried back to the division of blades and recounted the whole story to his Martial Brothers.
"So, you just have to wait for me to defeat that guy in the duel. Then I'll bring back a cute Junior Martial Brother." He smiled smugly but the others just exchanged some doubtful glances.
One of them unsheathed his sword and held it in front of Niu Hai. "Brother, grip onto this."
"Huh? Why?"
"Just do it."
Niu Hai gripped the blade and looked at him questioningly.
"Now, break it in two."
Niu Hai glowered at him and let go. "What are you talking about? How would I be able to just break it in two?"
"Exactly." The other sheathed his sword again and patted his shoulder with a sigh. "It was nice knowing you."
The others nodded. "Yeah, it was."
"Maybe you should train a bit more. If you're lucky, he'll just break your arms and legs and lets you live."
"Heh, you!" Niu Hai slapped the hands patting him in consolation away. "What are you talking about? Who says he'll win?"
The first of his brothers sighed again. "Isn't it obvious? That guy just casually broke your blade while you yourself know that you can't do it. He's obviously at a much higher stage than you. Unfortunately, it's too late to take it back now. You'll have to compete and I doubt he'll let you off lightly after you dared to go after his fiance and then challenged him in front of the boy. If it was me, I'd definitely mop the floor with you when it's time for the duel."
The others nodded again. "Yeah. I'd totally make an example out of you to warn all those other idiots out there."
"Woah, Brother Niu, you're going to be famous soon."
Another round of shoulder patting started but this time Niu Hai didn't have the strength to slap them away. Shit. He had actually thought he could flatten that guy since he was new. Who would have thought it would actually be the other way around? It seemed this time he had really brought trouble upon himself.