Jing Yi didn't notice anything strange when he ate the fruit. It was sweet and the taste lingered in his mouth for a while but everything else seemed to stay the same.
A few minutes later, that changed, though. Jing Yi frowned and grabbed onto the edge of the table. His head felt funny. It was as if the room spun around him but he couldn't see it, he just felt it. He blinked to make it go and away and it actually seemed to work. The spinning stopped but with it, the sounds around him came to a halt, too. He felt like he could still hear the echo of Hong Bao's chatter but it wasn't more than that. He couldn't even make out the words.
Jing Yi gulped. He had no idea what was happening and he didn't even think that this could be the result of eating the fruit Shen An De had offered him. He was just scared. He wanted to reach for Qiu Ling to calm himself down but he actually couldn't move. It was as if his whole body was frozen stiff. He could only stare straight ahead at the bowl in front of him and hope that it would pass.
It didn't. Instead, his vision blurred and finally completely receded. With the final bit of his senses gone, his body slid to the side, falling right into Qiu Ling's arms.
Qiu Ling stared foolishly. This … What was going on? "Jing'er?" He gripped his shoulder and shook him but there was no reaction. Qiu Ling instantly grew frantic. "Jing He!" He pulled him closer to his chest and bent down to listen for his breath. It was still there so he was alive. Qiu Ling gave a relieved sigh and felt for his pulse next. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with that either. In fact, he seemed really well.
Qiu Ling frowned. He had no idea what this was supposed to tell him! What to do? For a human … Right! One would go and see a physician!
He wanted to pick his beloved up and carry him to wherever he could find one when Shen An De coughed.
"There's no need to worry. It's normal."
"What are you talking about? How is it normal for him to collapse just like that?!" Qiu Ling snapped at him. He really wasn't in the mood for jokes!
The Grandmaster nodded at the now empty bowl of fruits. "Those are fruits from the Beguiling Night Tree. He only just attained the root stage. It's normal that his body will have some trouble to process the spiritual energy inside. He'll wake up soon."
"You knew and you still gave it to him?!" Qiu Ling wanted to leap to his feet and unsheathe his weapon but he was still holding his beloved.
Hong Ai sighed and shook her head at her husband. "How can you say it like that? He'll naturally misunderstand." Then, she leaned forward and smiled at Qiu Ling. "You really don't have to worry. He's a cultivator. Even though he'll need a bit of time to process the energy he'll be able to do so. In fact, it will even be beneficial for him. He might break through to the next level with it."
Qiu Ling perked up. "Really?"
"Mn. That is one of the reasons why spiritual fruits are so popular. If our disciples could they'd probably eat all of them. It's a great opportunity for him to get one. He'll just need a bit of time to make use of it." She glared at her husband again. "You shouldn't have taken them out now. Wouldn't it have been better to do so after we've eaten?"
"I didn't think of it." Shen An De kept a straight face but his wife just narrowed her eyes at him. He still didn't admit to it, though.
Hong Ai sighed again and turned back to Qiu Ling. "He might only wake up in a few days. Do you want to stay in one of our guest rooms or take him back to your house?"
Qiu Ling looked at Jing Yi worriedly. "Will it have any impact on him?"
Shen An De smiled. "It might not be good to move him too much."
Hong Ai frowned at her husband. She had no idea what he was planning but she didn't like it. Hadn't he promised her not to do this kind of thing anymore? Why was he suddenly like this? Could it be that this had indeed something to do with his uncle?
Qiu Ling frowned. Right now, he was so worried that he would have believed everything. "Then … Is there anything else I should take note of?"
Shen An De shook his head. "No. You just have to wait. If you feel like something is strange, you can come and ask me. I'm half-human, after all." He gave a smile and just continued to eat as if nothing had happened.
Qiu Ling looked into the pale face of his beloved and then up at Hong Ai, clearly asking for help.
She sighed. "Alright. Come with me." She shot her husband another angry look and led Qiu Ling deeper into the estate. She was tempted to tell him the truth but finally kept silent. Her husband would have his reasons. She should at least speak with him before she did anything that brought him problems.
"Thank you." Qiu Ling nodded at her when they arrived at the room and put Jing Yi down on the bed. His heart was still beating wildly. How could this have happened? He had tasted that fruit himself! He should have noticed that it contained spiritual energy that might be too much for his beloved! He had followed his beloved's reincarnation for so long but he clearly didn't know enough about the humans. If this had been something his beloved couldn't handle …
Hong Ai continued to stand behind him and finally patted his shoulder. "You don't have to feel guilty. It really isn't anything dangerous for him. The most that could happen is that he might see some things."
"See things?" Qiu Ling frowned. "Like what?"
"Well, it probably depends on the person. But in general, it is said that the fruits of the Beguiling Night Tree can show you things that … are deeply hidden inside yourself like … a dream you always had but never dared to admit or something you desperately tried to forget. Such things."
"So, if you don't have something like that, you wouldn't see anything?" Qiu Ling really couldn't imagine that Jing He's mortal reincarnation could have something like that. He was only sixteen, after all. What kind of thing could be deeply hidden inside his soul?
Hong Ai shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. That could be possible. You should ask him when he wakes up." She smiled again and patted his arm. "I'll leave you alone. Just come over if you need something."
"Mn." Qiu Ling nodded and sat down next to Jing Yi. Ah, he really hoped his beloved would wake up soon. Having to wait like this without the possibility of doing something was really torture.