Xiang Yong’s lips twitched. “Your Majesty … could we dial these kinds of comments back down a little as well?” He was indeed proud of the progress their king had made in being normal again but … this was one of the remnants he’d still like to see gone. It was still alright if he did it with them but if he said the wrong thing in front of the wrong person, he might just sabotage important relationships.

Qiu Ling coughed. That was apparently a no. As for what Xiang Yong had asked … “I really didn’t have any bad intentions but yes, I’ll try.” At the same time, he couldn’t help but think back to last night. He had even accused Tian of creeping on Jing He so … this might be hopeless. His thoughts sometimes simply didn’t catch up to his actions in time. Whether that was because he hadn’t even tried to hold those thoughts back in the past or if he truly wasn’t capable of doing so … he wasn’t even sure himself.

It was worth paying attention to though. Even though he was the dragon king, there were still people he’d better not antagonize. Tian was definitely one of them but the same went for his father-in-law. Of course, he also didn’t want to continuously offend others so while these two were especially important, he should try even if he didn’t have to do with them.

Xiang Yong didn’t insist further when Qiu Ling said this. It sounded a little half-hearted but so far, Qiu Ling had really changed for the better and he knew what he had been able to do all on his own in the past. As his adviser, it was impossible not to be somewhat aware of that. So, he naturally trusted that this would work out.

“I will get in touch with Zheng Yin and see what he thinks. When I have a definitive answer, I will report back. Is there anything else I may do for you?” Right now, he was the one who had to deal with everything in the dragon realm as it popped up. Even though they currently weren’t in a crisis, in a realm as big as this, there would still be many issues to take care of. He really didn’t need anything else on his plate. Talking to Zheng Yin was nothing but if there was anything else …

Qiu Ling thought for a moment but shook his head. “If Zheng Yin agrees, we can slowly come up with a plan. Finding somebody willing to help on their side is simply the first step I want to take. If he doesn’t agree, there is still Wu Ya though.” He narrowed his eyes, feeling that he should probably think a little further ahead. “Actually, have Fu Min be on the lookout for news of him. Last I heard, he was in the Ye Zhong Order in the mortal realm because he fell in love with that Hong Bao. Maybe he is still there.”

Xiang Yong nodded. “I will let him know.” With a clear direction to investigate, Fu Min should have no trouble finishing that task fast.

Qiu Ling gave a hum and finally didn’t know what else to say. He glanced up but there still wasn’t anybody else around. “Well … there is nothing else on my side. Have any issues cropped up that you’d like to talk about?”

Xiang Yong’s expression turned a little softer as soon as he heard the question. He had wanted to be Qiu Ling’s adviser since the man saved him when he was a child. Later, he had been disillusioned a lot when lots of work was heaped onto him with hardly a thanks and he didn’t even get to see the person he had worshiped as his hero. Now, he finally saw the one he had been looking forward to working with in front of him. It truly was a gratifying feeling.

Xiang Yong actually hadn’t started to work today and had only just gotten up when Qiu Ling contacted him. Now, he went over to his study, looking through the documents waiting for him there. Sorting through them at a glance, he finally shook his head. “No, there shouldn’t be anything urgent. The children left over from the war have finally been settled according to Your Majesty’s instructions.

“Mn … General Xun Ru reported back from the border yesterday. Things are looking surprisingly good on the side of the demons. I’m still not sure if I trust that new king of theirs but there are no suspicious movements. On the contrary, she mentioned that they even seemed to want to reduce suspicion.”

Qiu Ling gave a low hum, pondering. He had never had a good impression of Jin Ling since finding out that he was Jian Heng’s son and how his own mother had been related to Jian Heng. The fact that Jin Ling knew about his heritage always made him feel that the guy was a threat. The truth was that compared to demon king Huo Yan or demon king Jian Heng, Jin Ling had been a breeze to deal with.

The guy didn’t really want to attack the dragon realm and subjugate their people. He simply wasn’t happy with who was currently king so he incited a battle here and there to cause issues for him. But that was really it. He never set out to destroy anything or murder wantonly.

Qiu Ling hadn’t understood in the past but now knowing that Jin Ling had been Jinde’s son, all of this naturally made sense. The dragon realm was actually the place where Jin Ling had grown up. He probably felt better about it compared to the demon realm. Even a demon could appreciate good things since love was not the only emotion telling you what made life worth living.

Those circumstances had been special though and he didn’t think they’d have such kind of luck again. So that begged the question: Now that Ye Yang was sitting on the throne of the demon realm … how would this neighborhood play out?