Tian continued to watch Jing He. Even though the crown prince of the Nine Heavens was looking where he had told him to look, it didn’t seem like he had realized what he wanted him to notice. It was as if he was selectively ignoring the Mark of Wisdom between Xing’s brows.

Tian frowned, not happy with this situation. He had never let anyone enter this place, not even Xiang Yu who he had taken care of a lot more than others due to his young age. Of course, Jing He was different but that didn’t mean that he liked to disturb Xing’s rest. If possible, he’d like to get over with this part and be out of here.

He silently waited but Jing He still seemed to be in a daze. Tian could only sigh. This behavior wasn’t that odd for a fallen god. It made things more difficult though. If Jing He could see these things by himself, it would naturally be easier to deal with this.

Finally, he could only be even more direct. “The mark between his brows, is this not the same as yours?”

Jing He was pulled out of his thoughts. He glanced at Tian first and then, the words finally registered. Yes, Xing had fallen as well. He should have one.

He turned to look at him again and indeed: Between Xing’s brows rested a black mark as well, although his was not the crescent-shape of his own or the half-square he had seen on Xiang Yu’s forehead. This Mark of Wisdom was small. It seemed round at first glance but if you looked more closely, it was oval-shaped instead, just that a piece was missing from both ends.

Tian watched to make sure that Jing He had really seen and understood this time before he followed up his first question with another. “Do you think his existence is shameful as well?”

Jing He froze and turned to look at Tian, mechanically shaking his head. To say that the existence of the supreme sovereign’s lover was shameful, where would he take the courage?

Tian didn’t seem satisfied with merely that shake of his head though and continued to question him further. “Then is him being a fallen god shameful?”

Jing He once again shook his head. Seeing as Tian seemed as if his previous response had been lacking, he forced himself to add a few words. “No, how could that be?”

“Then why isn’t it?”

Jing He stared at Tian in a daze. This was his lover they were talking about, the one he had loved enough to curse the three immortal races for. Tian should never even think of such a thing. So why would he continue to ask?

In his state, he didn’t manage to make the connection between his earlier words about his own situation and Xing’s that was so similar to his. In his mind, they were naturally different.

He had always thought of Xing as a noble person who was treated unfairly and finally found his earned solace in Tian. Even though their story had not had a known happy end, he liked to think that there should be one because, after all, one was the supreme sovereign and the other was a person who had proven through their purity that they deserved it.

On the other hand, the same couldn’t be said about himself. From early on, he had been punished because he was part of a cursed bloodline. He grew up knowing that the sin of his ancestors was being repaid through the cruelty he faced in this world. In this world of theirs where everyone was cursed, two spells had been put on him which was simply a sign of the evil lurking within him. Now, his fall was yet again proving this to be the case.

How could somebody like him compare to Xing? He might delude himself that he had the better looks but anywhere else, he fell short of him. This was a fact he couldn’t change. No matter how hard he tried, he would never measure up to Xing.

Jing He thought about all these things but he kept quiet, not uttering a single one of them out loud.

Tian waited for his answer but when he didn’t get any, he finally reached out and grabbed his chin, pulling his head back around. “Why is his situation different from yours?”

Jing He’s eyes widened and he stared at him in shock. He didn’t know what to do or say. Wasn’t it obvious what the difference was? But Tian looked at him so intently that he knew he expected a response and wouldn’t accept his silence.

His gaze darted about until finally, he managed to condense all his lack of confidence into a question. “How could I compare to Xing?”

Tian stared back at him. Well, in his mind, there indeed wasn’t anybody who could compare to Xing but … that really wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “What is different about your situation compared to his? What makes you think your fall should be a source of shame if his isn’t?”

Jing He furrowed his brows. “But his … his was the result of so many bad things happening.”

Of course, this was very much true. Xing had lived through a lot. Tian hadn’t even seen half of it first-hand but what he had seen had been bad enough. Even their child had been killed so how could this description not fit? But … “So you believe that the same isn’t true for yourself?”

Jing He immediately shook his head. No, it didn’t seem like this was even remotely true. His parents loved him dearly and paid more than enough attention to him. Then there was a man who loved him and was planning a future with him. It didn’t seem … like there was anything worth complaining about.

Tian huffed and waved his left hand, making a water mirror appear next to them. He let go of Jing He’s chin and motioned with his right that he should watch. Maybe when he let him see for himself, he would understand better. Sometimes, looking at things from an outsider’s perspective made them a lot clearer than if you had been in the middle of it.