Qiu Ling, Jing Yi, and the two gods walked out of the store, making their way back to the palace.

When the building could be seen at the end of the street, Lan Ling couldn’t help but pipe up. “So, where is brother Leng?”

Qiu Ling glanced in his direction, not quite sure what to say to that. He was pretty sure that Jinde wouldn’t appreciate it if he told him where he and his husband could be found. Then again, these two were friends of Leng Jin Yu’s so maybe it also wouldn’t be a problem.

Not to mention that they had specifically come here to see Jing Yi and Leng Jin Yu. Also, there was no problem with throwing them out of the palace later on either. Not that he necessarily wanted to get into trouble with the younger generation of the gods. He could never forget that in the future, he might have to deal with them a lot more after he had married Jing He. Keeping their relations pleasant was a must.

Thinking of all of that, he put on a thoughtful expression. “Well, the last time I saw them, they were in the palace’s library. I can’t say for sure whether they are still there by now though. It has been some time since then.”

Lan Ling nodded, apparently not caring that much. In his eyes, this was at least a point where he could start. After all, if they had left from there, they might’ve told somebody where they intended to go. “Then, where’s the library?” He had never been to the dragon king’s palace before so this was a question he still needed answered.

Qiu Ling glanced from Lan Ling to Duan Ming and gave a hum. “Well, this is difficult to explain with how big the palace is. How about I bring you there? In fact, seeing as we all know each other, unless this is something you only want to talk over with Jing Yi, we could all go there together and have a talk.”

Something told him that this would not just concern his lover. While that Lan Ling might still be his usual flippant self who cared more about seeing the person he idolized than anything else, Duan Ming’s expression had been serious from the very beginning and had turned even worse when he had heard him ask for that set of red robes. Clearly, he had some feelings about that and Qiu Ling could imagine just what those feelings were.

Duan Ming caught the gaze of the dragon king and couldn’t help but hurriedly look away. He couldn’t help it. While he had grown up in the palace of a titled goddess and had seen quite a few imposing figures in his life, the dragon king was still of a different caliber.

Usually, he had no problem interacting with him but in the current situation where he was more or less putting blame at his feet, and the dragon king was looking this directly at him, he felt awkward. And he didn’t have a good way to deal with it. He instead turned to Jing Yi, feeling that he was easier to talk to when it came to this matter. “I’m not quite sure if this is something that brother Zhong would want us to mention in front of others.”

Jing Yi had a rough guess what this would be about so he didn’t need to ponder too much. Anyway, … “Whether it is Qiu Ling, Leng Jin Yu, or his husband, all three of them know what I’ve done. So there’s no reason to mince your words in front of them. I would suggest indeed going to the library and see if they are still there.

“Anyway, brother Lan Ling looks like he really wants to see Leng Jin Yu again.” He felt a little awkward calling him ‘brother Lan Ling’ but he didn’t know how to refer to him otherwise. He just didn’t know enough about the culture of the gods to figure out a good way to do it. At least not for himself. If he had been in Jing He’s role with only a few close relatives, no friends, and everyone being far below him in status, it would’ve been easier.

When he thought of that, he sighed and turned back to the front. “Well, let’s just go.” He couldn’t help but reach out, taking Qiu Ling’s hand. He knew he probably shouldn’t. Not in the current situation at least. But this was something that made him feel better and, right now, he could really use that.

Qiu Ling didn’t even think twice about it. Anyway, he had decided to marry Jing Yi. What was the problem with holding his hand? Thus, he squeezed lightly, and then the two of them walked ahead, Duan Ming and Lan Ling trailing behind.

When they arrived at the palace, they were greeted by the guards and let in without questions. Anyway, if the king himself brought somebody, would they still dare to ask questions?

Lan Ling looked around curiously and even Duan Ming at least made sure of his surroundings while the two of them followed the dragon king and Jing Yi.

Soon enough, they stopped in front of a door, and Qiu Ling motioned at it. “This is the library. I’m not sure if somebody else is in there so let’s first make sure of that or find another place to talk.”

Duan Ming nodded while Lan Ling just looked as if he couldn’t wait for him to open the door.

Qiu Ling didn’t bother wasting time and indeed pushed it open, walking right in. Remembering what had happened when he came over before, he called out as soon as he was through the door. “I brought some guests for you.”

Over at the table, Leng Jin Yu and Jinde had indeed still been looking through those scrolls and books. When they heard Qiu Ling’s voice and what he said, they couldn’t help but exchange a glance, both raising their brows at the same time. When they turned around and saw Qiu Ling step around the corner of the shelf, and a person rushing out right after him, they had a very good guess just what had happened.

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