Back in the Yun Zou Sect, Qiu Ling and Jing Yi had returned to the little bamboo house that had been given to Jing Yi when he became an inner sect disciple. Since the demon king had already left and the danger was over, Qiu Ling let go of Jing Yi and actually sat down at the table, merely looking at him.
Jing Yi couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong. Since when did this person not want to stick to his side as if they were bound by a rope? He had never done that before. Don't tell him something had changed in the time he had spent outside of the Yun Zou Sect? If he remembered correctly, then time flowed differently in different realms, so maybe several years had gone by for Qiu Ling while he was in the demon realm and in the High Heavens. It was entirely possible.
In that amount of time … Could Qiu Ling really have had a change of heart? He wondered about that for a moment but finally shook his head at himself. What was he thinking about? This was the man that had followed him since he was a child. This person had actually lied to him just so he would stay away from other people because he wasn't able to take his own jealousy even when the person he liked had still been a child. How could this man have a change of heart? It was entirely impossible. Maybe he was just … afraid?
Jing Yi went over and sat down next to Qiu Ling, reaching out and taking his hand. "It's alright. I'm already back. You don't have to worry anymore."
Qiu Ling looked at him and tightened his lips. He didn't have to worry anymore … That was such a good thing to say. He really didn't have to worry about Jing Yi anymore. But now, he couldn't help but worry about Jing He. What if Jing Yi really ascended? And even if he didn't … He had reached the third stage. By now, he didn't age anymore. So even if he didn't ascend, it would just mean that he would stay in the mortal realm forever. That also meant that Jing He would never wake up.
Qiu Ling quietly interlaced his fingers with Jing Yi's and looked at the small hand. Jing Yi was already more than twenty years old. That was the time when humans came of age. So in a sense, he was just as old as Jing He in the Nine Heavens even though Jing He had lived a lot longer when counting the years.
So in regard to their age, they were more or less the same. But when he looked at this hand, it seemed completely different from Jing He's. In comparison, it was smaller, it was also a very pretty hand but it lacked the elegance that Jing He's hand exuded. The fingers weren't quite as long, the fingernails not taken quite as good care of, the skin not quite as soft. This was … This was still another hand. It just wasn't the same even if the body this hand was part of held the same soul.
"Qiu Ling?"
Qiu Ling looked up and stared at that face in a daze. Jing Yi …
This face … It wasn't Jing He's face either. His eyes weren't as dark, his eyebrows not as long and not as slender. If you looked very closely, then the nose wasn't as straight, there was a little notch in the middle and it had a more rounded tip. As for his lips … It was actually a very cute pair of lips. It was slightly rounder than Jing He's but in comparison with the rest of his face, it actually looked a little ordinary.
In comparison, Jing He had always had a very stunning face. It was beautiful. Each part taken for itself was beautiful, every part taken together was still as beautiful. Jing He had always been perfect all around.
To think that he would never be able to see said that face again … No, he couldn't imagine that. He wanted to see him again. Actually, he wanted to see him right now. He really wanted to go up to the Nine Heavens and hold his hand. Just hold his hands and look at him for a while. It would be best if Jing He was able to open his eyes while he did so.
Was there really no easy way? Did Jing Yi really need to be killed so Jing He could wake up? He didn't want that!
"Qiu Ling." Jing Yi got up from his chair and took another step to bridge the distance between them. He hugged Qiu Ling's shoulders, pressing his lover's head against his chest. "It's alright. I'm already back. He didn't do anything to me. Actually, this might have been a blessing in disguise. You know, the spiritual energy in the demon realm is very dense. And there was that person that took me to a place called the High Heavens. It's even denser there. I think I might have advanced to the next stage. So I'm one step closer to being able to ascend. Isn't that great? I might be able to go with you to the dragon realm soon."
Qiu Ling pressed his eyes shut and just hugged the person in front of him. No, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Each step that Jing Yi's took on this path was one step condemning Jing He even further.
If he didn't speak up now, his beloved would one day remember that he hadn't done anything to get him back. Then Jing He … Wouldn't his heart break? He didn't want that. He didn't want to hurt him. His beloved was supposed to always smile. He just wanted to make Jing He smile.
He wanted to look up and tell Jing Yi but he didn't know how to. If he did … Wouldn't he hurt Jing Yi then? At this was also his beloved. Even if he was … just his reincarnation, he still carried the same soul. He shouldn't suffer.
But what could he do? Not speaking out would hurt one, speaking out would hurt the other. Was there nothing he could do? He really wanted to ask somebody but there was no way. It was just that nobody had ever been in this situation, was there?