Qiu Ling finally sat up but didn't forget to rearrange Jing He's robe. "Uncle-in-law, don't worry about it. I already have a plan for how we can free Jing He."
"Who are you calling your uncle-in-law?!" The Heavenly Emperor erupted once again but the God of War just raised his brows.
"You really have one?"
"Mn." Qiu Ling nodded and smoothed out Jing He's sleeves. Ah, his beloved was still wearing the same robe as on the day he had left for his trial. This couldn't be good. He should help him change it … Qiu Ling blanked. Eh … If he helped him change his robe, then wouldn't he …
The Heavenly Emperor once again gnashed his teeth. "What is this guy looking at? He wouldn't be thinking about doing something shameless to Jing He, would he?!"
Bai Fen smiled wryly. "You're thinking too much." There was no way it was anything else. Not with the way Qiu Ling looked right now. She cleared her throat to get his attention again. "Longjun, care to let us in on your great plan?"
"Of course!" Qiu Ling pushed the idea of stripping Jing He to the back of his mind for the moment and turned back to his mother-in-law. "It's really easy. I'll go and divert his attention and at the same time, I'll send Xin Lan to free Jing He."
The other people stared at him, waiting for the rest of the plan. It couldn't be that this was all the dragon king had come up with, right?
Qiang Yan finally lost hope that Qiu Ling would explain on his own accord. "That … is a good idea. With Senior Xin Lan's help, things will be easier. I'm wondering though how you want to make sure that the same thing as today won't happen again. After all, Senior Xin Lan can save Jing He only when he isn't with the demon king."
"Which is why I'll divert his attention."
The God of War sighed. "But if you go to the demon realm, then won't the demon king assume that you've come to save Jing He? In that case, it would only be logical for him to keep Jing He at his side to make sure nothing can happen."
Qiu Ling pursed his lips. It wasn't that he didn't have an idea but he couldn't tell them. After all, the fewer people knew that the old geezer was still alive the better. And not talking about the plan out loud was better anyway. After all, who knew if there wasn't one of Jin Ling's spies around? For all he knew, the two Heavenly Guards could be demons in disguise! As long as they didn't transform the spiritual energy into dark energy, there was simply no way to tell for sure. Even their magic wasn't a clear indicator. After all, they didn't need to be full-blooded demons. If there was a human ancestor somewhere down the line …
Qiu Ling shook his head. No, he couldn't risk it! The fewer people knew the better. Mn, but his uncle-in-law did remind him of something: Jin Ling would be especially vigilant in the beginning. It would be for the best if he feigned a few attempts. Sooner or later, he would let down his guard. And then he would be able to save Jing He in one try.
"That … That's just something you think might happen. I'll go and try." He stood up and wanted to leave when he looked on the lines crisscrossing the ground. "Uh, what do we do with the arrays now that father-in-law destroyed them? They were intended for Jin Ling."
"You —"
Bai Fen pulled at her husband's arm to make him shut up and gave Qiu Ling a smile. "Don't worry about that. We'll stay here while we discuss some further measures so nothing will happen to him. You can just go and play."
"Mn. Then I'll do that, mother-in-law." Qiu Ling smiled happily and ran outside. His smile collapsed as soon as he was through the door though. Ah, this really was irksome! He actually had such a good plan but he couldn't tell anyone about it! This would have been a great chance to make his father-in-law finally acknowledge him! Mn, well, maybe that could still happen if he just brought Jing He back. His father-in-law probably wouldn't care about his means too much as long as it meant that his son was safe.
Qiu Ling nodded to himself and pushed off the ground, making his way to the demon realm. For now, he would test the situation. If he could find out where Jing Yi was and how tight Jin Ling's security around him was, then that would be for the best. If not … As long as it helped to push the time when he could implement his actual plan forward, it would be enough for him.
He flew at the fastest speed he could manage without taking on his other form. This time, he didn't enter the demon realm in a high-profile way though and instead snuck in secretly.
His gaze flitted about. There couldn't be any demons seen here even though the battle hadn't been long ago. It seemed they had already gone back to their everyday activities.
Qiu Ling tsked. Jin Ling wasn't taking him seriously, was he? As if he would give up just because of one little setback! His beloved was way too important for that! Well, it was also good this way. That meant it would be much easier to get into the palace. Maybe … The corners of the mouth curled up. If Jin Ling was really this unprepared, then he wouldn't mind taking his beloved back right now.