In Zhong Gang's restaurant, Qiu Ling had propped his head up on his hands and stared at Bai Mu with pursed lips. This was such a sad story! He fell in love with a woman but then he was imprisoned because of who some ancestor was and even now that he had been freed, he still couldn't be with her! Ah, so sad …
If this was him and Jing He, then he would be desperate! Distraught! It would be a disaster! Ah, without his beloved, he was nothing. He needed Jing He like others needed the air to breathe. How fishes needed water to swim and … Qiu Ling blinked.
Anyway! "We should do something."
Leng Jin Yu put down the teapot and glanced at him. Bai Mu didn't even look up.
Hmph. Qiu Ling raised his chin. Those two might not think much of him but he wasn't the dragon king for nothing! The old geezer wouldn't have left his throne to him if he wasn't sure that he could handle it. He definitely had the qualifications. Solving this small problem for his cousin-in-law was a simple matter!
"Since you can't be together with her here you should go somewhere else with her."
Bai Mu sighed. "It's not that easy. The Chun Feng Sect has a lot of disciples and they're not just on the sect grounds. A lot of them roam the land. If we ever met them …" He shook his head. "And now that I escaped, they will have given my portrait to all of them. As soon as one of them sees me, it'll be over. And who knows if Nie Huang wouldn't be implicated if she's with me at that time? My strength hasn't be restored completely. I can't be sure that I'll be able to protect her. If she was to die because she was involved with me … I couldn't forgive myself. That wouldn't be love. That would be selfishness."
"So you'll live on without her?"
Bai Mu looked out of the window. "What else can I do? In fact, I shouldn't even be here anymore. I should … go back to my mother's realm and let Nie Huang live her life."
Qiu Ling shook his head. "How could you do that! She had to wait for you for so long. You should take responsibility and find a way to spend the rest of your life with her."
"Didn't you listen just now? It's not that easy."
"But … there's not just the human realm!"
"So you want me to take her to the demon realm?" Bai Mu snorted. "That's even worse. The demon realm is a lawless place. There is only one rule that everyone follows: If you're weak, then you have no right to complain. I would need to stay at her side every second to make sure nothing will happen. How could that work? She's human. She'll need to eat and be kept warm. How will I take care of that while protecting her at the same time?"
"At the fringe —"
"Is where the Chun Feng Sect disciples go train. Along with a lot of other 'righteous' sects. We would be hunted down in no time. There is … simply no way for us." He shook his head. "Actually, even if there was, it wouldn't be for long. Nie Huang is human, mortal. Sooner or later she will die while I … will continue to live on if I don't decide to follow her. Our time together would have ended anyway. I never wanted it to be this soon but … Maybe that'll make it easier for her. Maybe she will forget me and marry, have children …"
"She should marry you. And have your children."
Bai Mu turned to look at Leng Jin Yu. He didn't say anything but it was obvious that he wanted help.
Leng Jin Yu sighed. "Longjun —"
"No! You stop it! You're the last person that can say anything about this. Didn't the old geezer also wait for you? If you had known that he was there in the Yun Zou Sect, waiting every day, every month, every year, a hundred years after a hundred years … would you really have walked away? I bet you wouldn't. No, you would have searched for a way to be with him. I know you would. Because I would do the same."
Leng Jin Yu lowered his head. Yes, he was right. Ever since remembering that courtyard, he had searched his mind for more information. He had longed to see Jinde and that even before he ever met him just based on the faint imprint left on his soul from his past life. If they had seen each other before … would he really be able to put it down? No. And Jinde wouldn't have been able to either. This Nie Huang … had to be the same.
Qiu Ling turned back to Bai Mu. "What about the Nine Heavens?"
Bai Mu shook his head. "We would need to ascend for that. It's impossible."
"Why? Didn't you cultivate before?"
"I did and considering my heritage I would be able to do so. But Nie Huang won't."
"But she can try!"
"She doesn't have spirit veins."
"Aren't there pills for that kind of thing?" Qiu Ling got up from his chair and patted his chest. "I know, I know. I got the ingredients for one of them for my own beloved. I know where to find them. I can go and do it again. Since you're my cousin-in-law I'll do it. I won't even ask anything in return."
Bai Mu shook his head. "Even if she had spirit veins, she is already too old. It's harder to cultivate at an older age even if you have heavenly spirit veins. And she would need to reach the third stage before she would stop aging. I'm afraid … she would already be long dead by then."
"Ah? But my beloved barely needed ten years!"
"Then he's a prodigy that is seldom seen in the mortal world. Longjun, thank you very much. It's moving to see someone try so hard but … the time for Nie Huang and me … is long past. No matter how much I or she wish for it, nothing will change about that."