Jing He felt anxious inside but he knew he had to keep as calm as possible. If he made a mistake now because he was in a rush, he would regret it forever. He was close to the answer, he was sure of that. Everything he had guessed made sense so it was now only a question of finding the right words. He would never forgive himself if he got that part wrong because he was careless in his hurry.

He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the possibilities he himself could see. What did they have in common? What made them different? If he followed that thought, then he should find out what his exact question should be.

For example … he wanted to know if he and Qiu Ling found happiness in the end, despite his initial decision being against his lover and their relationship. But at the same time, he still wanted to know even if that wasn’t the case. So rather than saying that he wanted to know what happened to them, he wanted to find out what happened to Qiu Ling.

In a sense, it seemed to be the same: If there was indeed a relationship between them, then he would see that when he checked Qiu Ling’s future. If there wasn’t … he would still become aware thanks to the lack of his own presence around Qiu Ling. So really, it all came back to how Qiu Ling’s life would turn out in the end.

Jing He opened his eyes again and stared into the distance once more. It … truly made sense. Everything was tied to Qiu Ling. It kind of felt like it had already been that way for years. Yes, no matter what experience he made or what he anguished about, it was always somehow related to that person. He just … cared about him that much. Wasn’t that also why he had made another deal with Tian in his first vision?

Jing He slowly got to his feet, feeling that he had found his answer. Yes, he had wanted to ensure that Qiu Ling still had a satisfactory future ahead of himself even when his own looked bleak due to his choice. More than anything else, he wanted to ensure his lover’s happiness. Whether that was with him or with somebody else was secondary. The important part was that he needed to make sure that this happiness existed after his choice. Otherwise, he couldn’t go forward with it.

He approached the Spring of Fate again, his steps still slow. He actually hadn’t found the right words yet, just the direction he needed to think in. But that should be enough. Anyway, even if he was a little off, it would be alright since he would see Qiu Ling’s outcome either way. Whether or not his future included him, that shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out no matter what exactly the Spring of Fate presented to him in his next vision.

Jing He felt a lot more confident when he imagined asking about this compared to when he had asked about his own future or when he imagined asking about just their relationship. Qiu Ling’s happiness … yes, that was what he truly cared about, what he truly needed to see. Everything else wasn’t as important.

Having made up his mind, Jing He silently walked the last few steps to the edge of the Spring of Fate. Stopping next to the shimmering golden surface, he wondered if he had failed to take anything into consideration. He didn’t want to rush but … he also wanted to return as soon as possible so as to take the first step on the path toward this future.

He felt vaguely excited thinking about it. If what he saw was indeed a future between the two of them, then there was nothing to worry about regarding his initial choice. And even if he didn’t, as long as he saw that Qiu Ling would find happiness, it would still be worth it to trade everyone else’s happiness for his own.

As for the possibility of Qiu Ling not finding that happiness … Jing He’s gaze flickered as he thought of that but he didn’t dare to think further. There … certainly wouldn’t be such a thing. No, surely, Qiu Ling would be well. One way or another, he would make the best of the situation and find his own path forward. Even if that path didn’t include him, Qiu Ling would still reach a place at its end that would make him feel that all of this was worth it. He believed that. He had to.

Jing He closed his eyes, brushing that thought aside. There wouldn’t be any bad outcome. Certainly not. No, Qiu Ling would do well and he’d see so for himself in just a moment. When he did … he could finally make his choice with peace of mind.

He took another deep breath and opened his eyes again. Just like before, he put An Xin down next to his feet and exhorted the little flame heart to wait patiently. Then, he stayed crouched down and scooped up some of the watery substance in the Spring of Fate before straightening up again.

Staring at the golden surface, his heart raced. “I … want to sacrifice as much of my magical abilities of the metal element as necessary to see whether Qiu Ling … my lover, will find happiness if I choose to follow my father’s wishes.”

As soon as his words ended, the water in his hands flashed just like the last time before evaporating into a glimmering, golden mist that rose into the air. It brushed past his face and continued further up into the sky, seeming to obscure his mind and vision as it went and showing him another possible future. It was just that this time, the feeling it gave him was very different.