An Bai and Xiang Yong looked at each other, a hint of horror in their eyes. It had been a shock to find out that Qiu Ling might have some demon blood. But that was still something that could be dealt with as long as they found a logical explanation for all the differences he exhibited. With that, they could make sure that it wouldn't have any lasting effects on their king's reign. This though … they were both afraid that there was nothing they could do.
An Bai gulped and then tried to go about this logically. "Your Majesty … That person, he wouldn't be interested in the throne, would he?"
Qiu Ling put on what he deemed to be a neutral expression. "I don't know for sure. I haven't asked him."
The worry in An Bai's gaze intensified. "We should make sure of that as fast as we can then." He drew his brows together, trying to think about what they could do. He raked a hand through his white hair, untypically stressed-out by what was happening. He definitely hadn't been able to predict such a situation and now, he was kind of lost on how to proceed.
Qiu Ling followed every movement of his with his gaze, trying to figure out what was going on in An Bai's mind.
Xiang Yong kept quiet for a moment and then spoke up himself. "Your Majesty, can you talk about this with him and make sure that he makes it apparent that he is not interested in retaking the throne should he ever be recognized by others and a situation arises where there might be some voices asking him to reclaim it?"
Qiu Ling raised his brows and looked from Xiang Yong to An Bai. "Do you also think I should do that?"
An Bai didn't hesitate at all. "Of course! Your Majesty, I understand that this is his wedding but as soon as it is over, it would be good to have a talk with him. The current situation is dangerous. Originally, it was assumed that Longjun Jinde died. But now, it turns out that this isn't the case. He has never abdicated though. If somebody wanted to make trouble, they could use this as a way to do so quite easily. He was pretty much as beloved as you are, after all, and without his death or his abdication, it is hard to say whose claim to the throne weighs more heavily. So it could be that two camps would form, one in favor of each of you. That is, unless he clarifies. If he does that, then we wouldn't have to worry. After all, his word would clarify things immediately and not give others ammunition. In the worst case, we could make his abdication final now."
Qiu Ling nodded slowly. "I see." He really saw now. He had been worrying too much. Whether it was him being a demon or Jinde still being alive and thus the better candidate for the throne, these two wouldn't change their opinion. They really wanted him to be king. He probably shouldn't have doubted it in the first place.
"I can have a talk with him after the wedding has been over for a bit. You shouldn't stress about it too much though. While it would be a possibility, I don't think he really wants the throne back. He's been here for so long already and has never said anything about that so it is quite unlikely. Also, he is currently getting married. Why would he want to sit on the throne? He'd probably think it's a bother."
An Bai still looked pretty alarmed. He wasn't sure if their king wasn't taking this too lightly. Maybe he couldn't see at all how dangerous this was.
For a moment, he considered whether he should go up to that person and ask about it himself just to give them some peace of mind. But then again, he also felt that it would be an impolite thing to do. This was his wedding after all and that person was still the late king. Ah, no, he wasn't dead. So he was their previous king instead. But no matter what, that person needed to be respected as well. While their king would surely come first, it didn't mean that he had to disrespect the other.
Xiang Yong sighed, similar thoughts going through his mind. "Well, there's nothing we can do right now. We should head over to the venue for the wedding. Afterward, we can still come up with something better depending on how things turn out."
Qiu Ling nodded and turned around, leading the way outside.
Behind him, Xiang Yong couldn't help but furrow his brows. Originally, he had felt that that Leng Jin Yu spelled trouble. Now, it turned out that he had actually been right. Where had that guy found the previous king? And did he really have to marry him in such a high-profile way? Wouldn't the demons find out? This whole thing was so troublesome.
After they exited the array, Qiu Ling couldn't help but glance in the direction of the bamboo hut. For a moment, he considered whether he should go over and get Jing Yi to accompany him to the wedding ceremony but he couldn't bring himself to do so.
He knew that it was stupid but after talking with his father, he just had a hard time even thinking of Jing Yi. He felt guilty when he did so. Seeing Chun Yin again made him feel like at the times when he more or less got along with Leng Jin Yu, he had betrayed him. And now, he realized that it was pretty much the same with Jing Yi.
Getting along with him, protecting him, sharing the bed with him, even talking about holding a wedding … all these things should've been done only with Jing He. Even if this was his reincarnation, it still wasn't the same. His soul might be but it was still a different person. He realized that now. And that … was really a harsh realization. He didn't know how to deal with it.