Jing He had felt anxious as soon as he heard Fu Heng say that everything had been calm in the dragon realm. Of course, he didn’t want there to be trouble. Not even mentioning how the common people would suffer, Qiu Ling himself might also be in danger if there was an attack. After all, he often got involved in those fights himself.

The problem was that if there was no issue in the dragon realm, then Qiu Ling had really stayed away not because of his duties but because of something he had done. In that case, maybe his worst fears were coming true and he would never see him again.

Qiang Yan also felt troubled. Jing He might seldom express his feelings but as his family member who had watched him grow up, he could still see some hints from his expression even on calm days. Right now, it was hard to overlook the worry in his gaze. He had thought he’d be able to calm him down by contacting the dragon realm and finding out more but it seemed like this had backfired.

He cleared his throat and put away the transmission stone, wondering what to say. “This … it doesn’t have to mean much. This Fu Heng, I know him a bit. He doesn’t talk much and also doesn’t get involved in anything but training the soldiers on a normal day. Maybe there is something else happening in the dragon realm that he isn’t even aware of.”

Jing He nodded but he felt like his uncle was simply placating him. Surely, there was nothing special happening, and Qiu Ling was avoiding him. He had managed to end what had been going well for ten years through his reaction. This was a fact he needed to face. Yes, maybe the other day had been the last time he’d ever see Qiu Ling.

Or, no, he would probably see him again. After all, he was still the crown prince of the Nine Heavens and Qiu Ling was still the king of the dragon race. Naturally, there would be official events they would both attend. It was just … at that time, they would be nothing but strangers, acquaintances at most who would nod at each other and chat for a minute or two before each going their own way. They would never be again like they had been, with Qiu Ling fiercely professing his love every chance he got or showing him his warmth.

Jing He took a shaky breath to try and calm himself but it didn’t help much. “I … I should probably leave uncle to your work.” Jing He got to his feet, his fingers clenching around the hem of his sleeve so his hands wouldn’t shake. He didn’t wait for his uncle to respond and instead turned around, wanting to flee.

“Jing He!” Qiang Yan shot to his feet and followed him. One look was enough to see that he couldn’t leave his nephew alone right now. Heaven knew what would happen if he did.

He grabbed him before he could reach the door and tightly held onto his shoulders, looking at him intently. “Whatever happened, we can solve it. Don’t worry about it. Qiu Ling loves you so much, he wouldn’t just up and abandon you.”

Jing He nodded but didn’t say a word. Right now, he didn’t trust his voice and he didn’t want to break down in front of his uncle. This whole situation of him running over because he was worried about Qiu Ling was embarrassing enough. Especially with his uncle accurately catching on.

Qiang Yan could see that his words had absolutely no effect. He clicked his tongue and tried to think of something else to say that might be able to convince Jing He. “Look …” He rubbed his forehead and finally sighed. “Didn’t this already happen once? At that time, Qiu Ling also suddenly didn’t turn up again. You worried yourself sick because you didn’t understand and, in the end, it turned out to be completely harmless. I’m sure it won’t be any different this time as well. Maybe he just forgot to tell you.”

Jing He nodded again but deep down, he didn’t believe it. After that time, Qiu Ling had been very careful with him. Even if he would only be late, he would usually tell him. How could he forget to mention it if he wasn’t able to come by for several days? And what about the last time they saw each other? Clearly, it had been out of the ordinary. It just couldn’t be that Qiu Ling’s absence was as simple as that.

Qiang Yan really felt like shaking his nephew. How come nothing he said was having an effect?! “That … let’s talk to your mother about it? Qiu Ling sometimes confided in her, didn’t he? So maybe he’s just … preparing some romantic surprise you’re not supposed to know about yet and got carried away? That totally sounds like him!”

Jing He finally couldn’t help it. The tears he had been holding back slid down his cheeks and he hurriedly covered his face with his hands.

“It’s alright.” Qiang Yan pulled him into his arms, his brows furrowing. Seriously, what the fuck was Qiu Ling doing? Didn’t he know how Jing He was? How could he leave without a word and not even get into contact?

He hesitated for a moment and then gently rubbed Jing He’s back. “Maybe he’ll come by later today after hearing that I contacted that adviser Fu Heng.” Actually, he doubted it. Just as he had said, Fu Heng wasn’t a talkative person. He also didn’t seem like the type to get involved in other people’s relationships.

No, if he wanted somebody to meddle, he’d probably need to contact that Adviser Fu Min instead. Judging from everything he had heard, that guy was a big gossip. If he was given even a hint about what was going on with Qiu Ling and Jing He, he’d definitely run to the next best person to talk about it. Maybe he would even go directly to Qiu Ling himself to have a chat. Then, Qiu Ling should realize what was going on.

Qiang Yan made up his mind to get in touch with Fu Min as soon as possible. For now, he first had to somehow calm down his nephew though. He couldn’t leave him in this state. “Seriously, it’s probably nothing. Don’t think too much. We can just talk it through slowly and find a solution. Don’t worry.”

Jing He tried to tell himself the same but after he started to panic, it was even more difficult than usual to do so. His heart wouldn’t calm down and his tears wouldn’t stop falling. As long as he didn’t hear from Qiu Ling, he wasn’t sure if he could even return to a peaceful state.

Qiang Yan continued to stroke his back but he really felt out of his depths. This kind of thing … he had never needed to do it. After all, his nephew was really easy to take care of under normal circumstances. To suddenly have him break down in tears was a new experience and one he’d rather not have had. He really … really needed some help.