Jinde’s expectations for Qiu Ling’s continued stay in the Nine Heavens weren’t high either. “He is a problem with you on principle, not for anything practical. No matter how you try and how you change, it won’t make a difference. What he wants is to choose his son-in-law himself. He might let his wife and son have some input but overall, he wants it to be his decision. The gods are entitled like that.”

Qiu Ling raised his brows in surprise. That was the first time he heard Jinde say something like this. “Wasn’t your relationship with the gods pretty good during your reign?”

Jinde couldn’t help but laugh. “Well … that might have sounded a little harsh just now. I just mean that they differ from us a lot in some ways and this is one of them. They are so much stricter when it comes to relationships. You’d never find a dragon who would care about their parents’ opinion about their lover to this degree. You’d never find parents who try to make their child break up with a lover either.”

Qiu Ling nodded. That much was a given but that was also due to the curse on their people. For the gods with their delicate souls, maybe some more caution was actually advisable. “You’re not wrong, although I’m not sure if you’re right that it’s because he is a god either. I feel like if anything, it has more to do with his position.”

Yes, just like Jinde had said, he himself was admired by his people for his actions. Having the necessary skills was the only way to successfully become king of the dragon race in the first place so there had pretty much never been a monarch who didn’t have their full support even if some were more beloved than others.

The same was not true for the gods. They inherited their position and while for some people like Jing He, this was a burden that made them take every step carefully to ensure they didn’t tarnish their reputation and didn’t do anything that would negatively influence their people, it could also go the other way. If there was no alternative, then who could ensure you wouldn’t become a tyrant only interested in your own benefits? Even if it wasn’t that bad, some habits might develop that weren’t all that healthy to have. The incumbent Heavenly Emperor clearly fell into this latter category.

Jing He’s father was used to having control. Maybe this need had once been born out of the same helplessness Jing He had felt while growing up. After all, he too, had once been burdened by Tian’s curse on his family. But while Jing He became overly obedient, maybe his father had developed a need to control everything that happened around him. And this was why he was unable to take it when his son wanted to go another way.

Qiu Ling didn’t know for sure but after hearing more about the Heavenly Family from Bai Fen and Qiang Yan, he started to feel that this was the most likely explanation. Of course, just because he could explain it now, that didn’t mean that his opinion of his father-in-law was suddenly any better. No, on the contrary, he felt that Rong Su should have worked on that before he burdened somebody else with it. Although … did he have any right to judge?

Qiu Ling was well aware that he himself had his issues. When he met Jing He and fell in love, he definitely hadn’t been ready yet to confront everything that had happened in his life and he certainly hadn’t been in a state that would allow for a healthy relationship. The way he had clung to Jing Yi during the trial and freaked out at the mere prospect that he might fall for somebody else had vividly shown that.

In a way, it was the trial that gave him the opportunity to better himself and only now was he ready to truly face married life with a spouse and weather the storms that would certainly greet them along the way. He was grateful for that opportunity and also ashamed that it had come at the cost of his lover. He had apologized during the trial and also afterward but it couldn’t make up for what Jing He had lost due to his behavior.

Qiu Ling sighed deeply and shook his head. “Well, I can’t change his thoughts. I can only make sure that my behavior is what it should be.” So even though he’d have liked to give his father-in-law a piece of his mind, he’d keep quiet for Jing He’s sake and continue to try and win him over. No matter how slim the chance was, he owed it to Jing He to give it his best shot. Even if they never made it to a point where they could be considered to be on good terms, simply being amicable and polite would be nice. Jing He would certainly appreciate it.

Jinde nodded. “You can do it. And if you need somebody to vent, you know how to contact me. Also, I am sure your future mother-in-law would also be willing to listen.”

Qiu Ling smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m sure she would. I certainly don’t feel like I’m alone with this. In that regard, I am much more worried about Jing He.” Yes, his beloved … was alone in the High Heavens apart from Tian. Now, that man who clearly had his own agenda was the only one who could give him any advice and lead him through the process of recovering from his soul shattering. That … didn’t sound all that great. He could only hope that Jing He would manage to get better despite that.