Qiu Ling stared at Jing Yi, his heart beating wildly. Jing Yi's eyes right now were especially earnest as if he needed this answer right now to go on living. Qiu Ling wanted to throw the fruits away, reach out and cup his cheek and then tell him: 'Yes, you're right. There is fate between people and what happened in your past life will affect your current one. Jing Yi, no, Jing He, I know you've remembered part of your previous life. But you've misunderstood. There is no Tian. There is only me. Only us. Only Jing He and Qiu Ling. If you need me to, I'll prove it to you.'
Unfortunately, he couldn't be that direct. It might have solved his problem but it could also bring him back to square one if Jing Yi didn't believe him. He definitely couldn't risk that now that Jin Ling somehow knew about their problems. He needed to make him waver some more first.
He cleared his throat and carefully put the fruits aside before turning back to Jing Yi. "Past lives? Fate? It couldn't be that you've remembered something from your past life, could it?" He looked intently at him, hoping that Jing Yi would pick up on the hint.
Jing Yi's gaze indeed flickered but he didn't say anything. He just shook his head. He didn't want to have to explain to Qiu Ling that that was the reason why he had broken up with him. Especially not if he'd need to tell him that his past lover had been a demon.
Qiu Ling smiled wryly. Just why didn't his beloved want to tell him about it? Well, even if he didn't want to talk about it, he had still asked the question. This was an opportunity he could use.
He picked up one of the fruits, took a cloth out of his spatial ring and dried it off before handing it to Jing Yi.
"Oh. Thank you."
Qiu Ling continued to smile. "You're welcome. As for your question …" He looked at the pond in front of them and sighed. "Do you remember back when we had just met and left the Yun Zou Sect so you could learn how to cultivate?"
Jing Yi nodded. "Yes. Of course. We were gone for almost a year."
"Mn. In the beginning, I didn't pay attention and that whirlwind was rushing toward the capital. I went after it to stop it but things had already gone too far and I had some trouble with it. In the end, I was trapped in my own inner self and only found out of there because of you."
"Of course, I remember. I was there. But why —"
"You've seen Jing He, haven't you?"
Jing Yi jolted and almost dropped the fruit. Jing He. There it was again, that name. Back then he had been incredibly jealous when he saw that person. Now, he knew that he had shared his name with him in his past life. It was strange thinking about it now.
Qiu Ling curiously observed Jing Yi's reaction. Ah, it seemed his beloved knew his name? Then did he know about the rest of his identity? How great!
He hurriedly schooled his expression and looked away so as to not give himself away. He cleared his throat to get his voice under control and continued. "What you've seen there was the day I met Jing He. I … don't remember that much of it. Just that I didn't want to be there and that everything was getting on my nerves. Actually, I was just searching for a way to leave as soon as possible."
Jing Yi laughed. "That sounds a lot like you."
Qiu Ling couldn't help but turn back to him and smile. "I've always loved it when you laugh."
Jing Yi paused at Qiu Ling's earnest gaze and looked away. Right. They weren't a couple any longer even if he wavered. So what was he getting so comfortable for?
Qiu Ling didn't mind this small setback. Overall, he felt like he was making progress. After all, Jing Yi certainly wouldn't have laughed a few days ago when they were together. Thus he happily continued even though he brought his smile down a notch.
"Jing He never laughed while I was around."
Jing Yi glanced over again, his heart squeezing. This sounded sad and … familiar. Just like the person he had been in his past life.
"He was … of pretty high status among the gods. I guess he felt it wasn't appropriate for him to do so. Even if he just caught himself smiling a little brighter, he would immediately turn serious again. It was a pity. Jing He had a very beautiful smile."
Jing Yi tightened his lips. The longer Qiu Ling talked, the tighter his own chest seemed. This sounded so much like the him in his previous life. Was this really just a coincidence? Could it be that … he had misunderstood something?"
Qiu Ling sighed. "Anyway, the day we met was actually some kind of banquet for his father. Uh … When I said Jing He was of high status, then I meant he had a really high status. His father … was actually the Heavenly Emperor."
Jing Yi shook. He had remembered his parents from his past life and even though nobody had used any titles he still knew that they had been royalty. The Emperor … sounded like he would fit very well with that description. "The Heavenly Emperor … Who exactly would he be in the immortal realms?"
Qiu Ling smiled. "The one ruling the Nine Heavens. He's on par with the dragon and the demon king."
Jing Yi gulped. The ruler of the Nine Heavens. Then his son … would be the next ruler. And his status … would be on par with the demon king. A perfect match considering just their status.
It fit well. Too well. How could it be that what Qiu Ling said conformed with his memories of his past life? Could it really be … that the Jing He he had been and the Jing He that Qiu Ling had been in love with … were one and the same person? But how did Tian factor into this then?