While Sect Master Yuchi Bing Xia started to help the Grandmaster to look for Jinde his lost disciple was facing his very own crisis. He had lived for a long time considering that he had already cultivated and ascended as a deity once. This return to the mortal realm to help the crown prince of the Nine Heavens could only be considered a short trip. But in all these years he had lived Leng Jin Yu had never been faced with a person crying in front of him.
He had grown up among cultivators, lived with the elites of his sect and finally ascended after a long time of seclusion. Not one of the people at his side would have shown such weakness in front of others.
The boy in front of him was different though. Had he still been the Son of Heaven then this certainly wouldn't have happened but right now he was just a mortal boy who had lived a simple life until recently. And now this kind of person had lost one of the people closest to him or at least he wasn't sure if they'd ever see each other again. Naturally, he was worried. Who could fault him? Especially since the person he lost was such a difficult one.
Leng Jin Yu could only sigh. Had he been in his stead he would probably worry about the dragon king, too. Looking at this couple he felt quite glad that he had never fallen in love. It really made things so troublesome.
Well, he still couldn't just look the other way. He had to at least try to calm him down.
"Jing Yi, I know this is hard to accept. But there is nothing we can do right now. I'm sure your fiance understands that as well. He will wait for you."
"But he has already waited for so long." Jing Yi looked up at Yu Jin, his eyes brimming with tears.
He hadn't accepted Qiu Ling's proposal at first since they didn't know each other and then when he had accepted he still hadn't gone through with it and married him. Even when he himself didn't mind anymore, there was always one thing or the other that prevented their wedding from happening.
So since the day Qiu Ling proposed to him in front of all those people at the Gathering of Practitioners, Qiu Ling had waited. And he had obviously hated it every second. The only thing making it acceptable for him was obviously that he could wait at his side. It had given him peace of mind. But now he wasn't there anymore.
"I should have married him right after he asked me to back then."
Leng Jin Yu tensed. He had honestly no idea why they were talking about marrying now. But considering these words he felt that making the crown prince stay in this secret realm for the longest possible time was really what he should do.
Just look at what the dragon king had done until now. Wouldn't it get even worse when they were married? He didn't know much about the dragons since the different races mostly kept to themselves but Longjun was obviously someone who guarded those close to him. He wouldn't allow for even one hair on the crown prince's head to be out of place. It was to be expected that this would get even worse when he took him as his spouse.
That definitely couldn't be allowed until the Son of Heaven had accomplished his trial.
So … should he make sure that the boy stayed in the secret realm until his death? That would definitely be a harsh trial. Living without the love of your life, unknowing whether the other person was dead or alive, unsure if that person still loved you or had already moved on, unable to tell them that you were alright, that they shouldn't worry for your safety, and ultimately dying with the regret of never having seen them again.
If he did that, then the crown prince would definitely have accomplished his trials and could return to the Nine Heavens with peace of mind.
It was just … never mind that it was cruel, why had nobody ever thought of the other implications? Just look at this mortal boy. He hadn't known the dragon king for even two years but he obviously loved him very much. Even though Leng Jin Yu didn't know the crown prince considering what he had heard and that he had spent a longer time with the dragon king it was to be expected that he loved him even more than Jing Yi did.
In that case … would the Son of Heaven be able to take this trial? The god that had descended, after returning to the Nine Heavens, he would remember everything. Not even a little detail would be forgotten.
Bringing such worry to the man he loved … if it could already make Zhong Jing Yi react like this, then wouldn't the crown prince's reaction be even worse? What if … he was unable to take it?
Leng Jin Yu couldn't help but furrow his brow. What now? If this really happened … But then again this was exactly what the trial was for. It was supposed to let the gods experience something they wouldn't encounter in their life in the Nine Heavens. The crown prince would have to live with it. If it wasn't easy, then the trial would probably have succeeded in what it was supposed to accomplish.
Leng Jin Yu gently grabbed Jing Yi's shoulder. "Alright, come on. We should check the rest of the secret realm. Maybe we'll even find a hint on how we can get out of here. Just because we can't see a way right now that doesn't mean that there isn't one. Maybe we'll find an opportunity to get back soon then Qiu Ling won't have to worry anymore either."
"Really?"
Leng Jin Yu gulped but nodded. Never mind. This boy had to go through all this. It wasn't fair but it had to be done. "Really," he claimed and pulled him to his feet. Then he took him to explore the secret realm.