Jing Yi looked at Niu Hai's leaving figure and sighed. "Did you really have to accept that challenge?"
"Why not? You don't have to be afraid. I'll definitely win!" Qiu Ling conveniently picked up Jing Yi and pulled him onto his lap.
Jing Yi wanted to chastise him but decided against it in the end. This guy, he wouldn't stop doing these things just because he asked. "That's not it." He looked around but nobody could be seen. It should be safe talking here, shouldn't it? Just in case, he leaned a little closer until his lips were right next to Qiu Ling's ear. "You haven't forgotten why we're here, have you?"
Qiu Ling stared ahead. Don't ask him what his beloved had just said. He only knew that Jing He was really, really close to him right now and that he had initiated this by himself. So … Was his beloved giving him some signs? Did he want to continue what they had been doing this morning?
He seriously pondered this question and finally decided that it was most probably the case. "I love you, too!" He hugged his waist and wanted to kiss him but the familiar feeling of a palm on his face stopped him. "Ugh. Why are you doing this to me?"
"Did you even listen to me?" Jing Yi tried to wriggle out of Qiu Ling's grasp but his fiance naturally held him tightly.
"I did! You … You were saying you wanted to continue where we left off this morning!"
Jing Yi sighed and leaned his head against Qiu Ling's shoulder. "What am I going to do with you? You're … you're doing whatever you want. Don't you feel ashamed at all?"
"No. Why should I?" Qiu Ling tilted his head and tried to look into his face.
"You're shameless."
"Mn." Qiu Ling pursed his lips. He didn't think that he was shameless at all. Well, maybe a bit … "You know, my love, as long as I can get you that way, I don't mind being shameless at all."
"So now you're a flirt, too."
Qiu Ling stopped talking. He felt like he wouldn't give a good impression if he continued.
"I was asking you if you had forgotten why we've come here."
"I came here because you weren't at the house anymore."
"I mean why we came to the Hei Dian Sect. We have a mission. If you duel someone in front of the whole sect, that isn't exactly low-profile. Even if it doesn't impede the mission, what would you do after returning home? If you make yourself known as a disciple of the Hei Dian Sect, it'll be hard to shake that impression."
Qiu Ling looked up at the sky. His beloved wasn't completely wrong with that. He couldn't ruin his image. After all, it would ruin the image of his fiance, too.
"Then what do we do? It's not like I can just opt out of the duel." He frowned. Damn, he should have thought about that earlier.
"I also don't know. Ah, right, I already found out from Niu Hai that one of the missing disciples is the wife of Grandmaster Shen. You were just called to him. Were you able to find out anything?"
Qiu Ling looked away. "Not really." He certainly couldn't tell his beloved that he had run away twice because of him and fought with the Grandmaster in the meantime. Wouldn't Jing He get angry at him?
Jing Yi naturally would. But even though Qiu Ling didn't tell him, he sighed. "I'm afraid I've already given us away this morning. I called you by your name while that Elder Shan was standing outside. What if they figure it out?"
Qiu Ling slowly stroked his back. "Don't worry about that." He narrowed his eyes and stared at one of the buildings opposite them. He hadn't been the dragon king all this time for nothing. If he wanted to, he could be pretty shrewd. And paired with the shamelessness he had developed to pursue Jing He … Hmph. Such a small problem wouldn't stump him.
"Just leave it to me. I'll find a satisfactory explanation. For the time being, just try to get used to calling me Long Jun. If you slip up a few times, it won't be a problem. In fact, it'll probably make it more believable."
"Just what are you planning?"
Qiu Ling smiled, bent down and gave him a smack on the lips. "Don't you worry about that. I'll take care of it. You'll be impressed!" Qiu Ling's smile grew even wider. "My love … when you're impressed, how about rewarding me then?"
"Remind me when it's time."
"Mn. I will."
Jing Yi sighed and patted his fiance's chest. "Alright. We should have a look around now. Niu Hai showed me most things already but I haven't seen what it's inside of the different divisions. Ah, right, you don't know yet. I let him enlist me for the Alchemy division. If you really find an explanation for that thing about your name, then I'll be able to learn a lot. So, if you get hurt in the future I'll be able to help you."
"Mn. I'll try to get hurt more often."
Jing Yi closed his eyes and repressed another sigh. Honestly, what was Qiu Ling thinking? "You don't have to. Actually, I'd be especially happy if I never had to use the things I learn here."
"Alright. Then I won't get hurt." Qiu Ling was actually a bit relieved. After all, it wasn't that easy for a dragon to be hurt. Fulfilling that wish of his beloved would have been a problem. "So, how about we take a look at that … division together? You can tell me what it's all about while we're at it."
"Mn. Then come on." Jing Yi got down from Qiu Ling's lap and they started to circle the estate of the Alchemy division while he slowly recounted everything he had found out from Niu Hai.
By the time they got back to the entrance, he felt like they had made a lot of progress considering that this was their first day. They had managed to find their place in the Hei Dian Sect and actually found the first clue for their mission. They only needed to follow up on it and this mission would probably be accomplished soon. The only thing he still worried about was that upcoming duel. Well, at least it was still a few days until then. They could make preparations.
Jing Yi probably would have been more worried if he knew that they weren't the only ones making preparations. Even more so if he knew that these preparations might be able to separate him and Qiu Ling for a long, long time.