As much as Rong Su wanted, as the Heavenly Emperor, he naturally couldn’t stay at his son’s palace for the whole day. After a few hours, he glanced at the door to the garden, silently cursing to himself how time was flying by so fast when he spent it with his son.

By now, they had switched to playing weiqi since he really couldn’t muster up any more enthusiasm for either the Jiyi festival or Duan Ming. Everything that had to be said had already been said so now, he was just spending some leisurely time with his son. He really didn’t want to end it either but there were still matters to take care of.

His mind churned as he watched Jing He put away the board and he finally cleared his throat when his son turned around. “Well, seeing as you’ll be busy with the preparations for the festival soon, it’s better to spend some more time together. Why don’t you come back to my palace with me? Just watch a bit on the side. There is still a lot you need to learn so just use it as an opportunity.”

Jing He glanced at his father’s expression which seemed mostly excited but also a bit guarded. He clearly wouldn’t let him stay here even if he wanted to. Realizing this, he could only nod. Either way, at least his father would be busy over there so he could quietly sit at the side. He wouldn’t have to listen to whatever love advice his father wanted to give.

Rong Su felt satisfied with his son’s response, although he had to admit that Jing He was even quieter than usual. This did seem to be a bit worrisome but then, it didn’t seem too big of an issue. He happily got to his feet and made his way to his palace, his son trailing behind.

Jing He glanced up at the sky, wondering what Qiu Ling might be doing now. He had seemed to know about everything happening to him in the Nine Heavens when he came by yesterday so it was safe to say that he was either paying attention himself or had somebody keep an eye on things. Maybe right now, he was doing the same and already knew that his father was keeping him occupied. Maybe he felt reluctant to accept it but also didn’t know what to do to get him out of this situation.

Jing He suppressed a sigh, not wanting to give his father another opportunity to question him. He wouldn’t have an excuse, after all, so it was better to stay quiet.

Jing He’s palace wasn’t that far away from the Heavenly Emperor’s so they soon reached the steps leading up to the gate. Jing He still silently trailed behind his father, not even lifting his head when they finally stepped over the threshold.

Rong Su glanced at his son but didn’t find anything wrong with him. Instead, he simply felt that his son was always well-behaved so this wasn’t unexpected. Save for that issue with the dragon king, he really never made trouble for him and even that matter could be excused, considering that bastard had likely driven him so far by his constant pestering.

Thinking about it this way, Rong Su felt that his son was really too pitiful. He looked at him apologetically, feeling that he had really failed as his father by not protecting him better. The day that bastard approached his son for the first time was the day he should have ensured this couldn’t proceed any further, the relationship between their races be damned.

Anyway, the demons were mostly contending with the dragons. Why did they need to get involved in it? Look at where it had gotten them! During his trial, his son’s soul had been threatened by the demon king. Even though the guy was dead now and nothing had happened to Jing He in the end, wasn’t this proof enough that it wasn’t good for him that the dragon king was constantly hanging around him?

Rong Su really felt aggrieved for his son but what could he do? Keeping them apart until Jing He came to his senses was the only possibility. He sighed to himself and finally patted Jing He’s shoulder. “Well, you go and wait in the study while I take care of a few things.”

Jing He inclined his head and slowly made his way over to the study. He really wasn’t happy with the current situation but he couldn’t do anything. He simply sat down at the table and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. At the very least, he was alone over here and would probably be for several hours until his father dealt with the most pressing affairs of the Nine Heavens. That wasn’t the worst.

Opening his eyes again, Jing He brewed a pot of tea first. He was absent-minded but the motions were already so familiar that he was able to go through them without consciously thinking about them. In fact, much of his life seemed like that: Just going through the motions even if his thoughts were somewhere else. After all, his true thoughts could rarely be uttered.

He lowered his head as he thought of how he had promised Qiu Ling to marry him. The first time, they had been alone, with nobody watching them. He had still been somewhat afraid of what the future would bring but just being able to finally say yes had felt good. Then, after his trial, when he reaffirmed his decision and even admitted to it in front of his mother and uncle, he had really been happy.

It was a pity … even though he had told his father as well, it hadn’t changed a thing. And now, he didn’t dare to bring it up again for fear of what his father would do. Knowing him … he might indeed force him to marry somebody else and quick at that if he didn’t drop the issue with Qiu Ling.