Qiu Ling naturally expected the Heavenly Emperor’s reaction. Just as he had promised before he moved into the palace, he usually stayed close by so Jing He’s father could make sure that he wasn’t secretly rendezvousing with his son and keeping the whole matter from him. The Heavenly Emperor wasn’t very happy about that but he would also become suspicious immediately if he left his sight and would make one of his guards follow him to keep an eye on him.

Well, he didn’t care. His father-in-law could check however much he wanted. It wasn’t like he would find anything. Not to mention that he couldn’t see Jing He without going to the High Heavens, even connecting a transmission was difficult. After all, he didn’t want to disturb him and Jing He … well, he should be busy. Otherwise, it would be odd that he hadn’t heard from him in so long.

As they stepped out of the Heavenly Emperor’s palace, Qiu Ling raised his head to look at the sky. How many days had it been now since he last saw Jing He and was told that he would go to that mysterious Spring of Fate? It seemed to have been several weeks again but the exact number of days was uncertain. Everything seemed to be a blur.

Qiu Ling retracted his gaze and sighed to himself. He also wanted to see him again. He wanted to know whether he had made it to the Spring of Fate under Tian’s guidance, what he had finally given up as a sacrifice, and what this had enabled him to see. He wanted to hear whether it had helped him make a decision or at least get closer to doing so and how he felt about the whole experience.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he wished for all of this, it was impossible. Unless Jing He reached out to him, he couldn’t bother him. Otherwise, if he interrupted something important and caused Jing He to not get the information he wanted and needed … he’d never forgive himself. Since things were like that, he could only deal with not knowing anything for the time being and try to wait patiently. In that regard, it was nice having something else to do.

Come to think of it, he seemed to have never been as on top of his duties as he currently was. Well, maybe with the exception of the first few years. Even though he hadn’t had wanted to become king of the dragon race, after being somewhat forcefully pushed into that role by Xin Lan, he also did his best, basically keeping busy the whole day because he was afraid that if he gave himself even a single moment to relax, he’d expose himself. Of course, compared to then, he was doing a much better job by now. That kind of came with the experience of reigning for several hundreds of years.

Yes, thinking back, at the very beginning, he had done a lot of things but it had admittedly been easy to do so as well. After the war ended, there was a lot to do. All the tasks that needed to be undertaken were fairly obvious and even if he couldn’t see them himself, they would for sure be pointed out to him intentionally or coincidentally by others. Everyone needed something done, after all, or was lacking in something. In a way, that time had been easier than the years after that.

Qiu Ling lowered his gaze, lost in his memories for a moment. So much had happened since he became king. When it happened, he had been scared at first but looking back now, none of it seemed all that frightening any longer. This was probably what a lot of distance to an event would do to you. Well, that, and the fact that there were now several people who knew about his heritage and didn’t judge him for it. Being honest the first time and receiving a good response had definitely helped his mind settle down.

He truly wasn’t as afraid of being discovered any longer because now, he knew that even if it happened and even if people did not want him to be king any longer, not much else would change in his life. Jing He would still love him despite that. Jinde and Leng Jin Yu would still stand on his side. His advisers would also support him. Even Jing He’s mother did not mind.

In short, those who cared for him before still cared for him after the fact. Those who had not liked him like Jing He’s father would likely try to use it as an opportunity to get him out of their lives but it wasn’t like he’d lose much because of that. His presence hadn’t been welcomed by them before either. This would have just been the first chance they had gotten at making actual trouble for him. As for neutral people … he could understand their hesitance to trust a person who had demon blood. Since they didn’t know him, wouldn’t it be strange if they just took his word for everything?

Even though he was in this type of situation now where he knew that things wouldn’t turn out that badly, the memories stayed. This was why he understood the worries of the half-bloods and their lingering fears that after all of this, things would once again not look great. This was the result of them growing up feeling the suspicions of others, oftentimes without the support they should have had.

In the specific case of the group that had come to the Nine Heavens, there was even more to it though: They had finally received some recognition and they were afraid to lose that. Rather than facing that kind of loss, they might have preferred not experiencing a change in the first place. Losing something you treasured was difficult, after all.

Well, it was in his hands how things would play out and he definitely wouldn’t disappoint them. No matter how everything else worked out, he’d ensure that the half-bloods prospered.