Jinde nodded. Even though he didn’t believe that this was a possible issue, at least they were getting somewhere with this talk. As long as Jing He was willing to speak up, this wasn’t hopeless. He considered for a moment, knowing that he had to be careful with his words. “Well … that feeling is understandable. You see that he is king of the dragon race and that he has to be busy. Especially now that he is promoting change in the dragon realm.”

Jing He nodded. Yes, this was a very big part of it. “Yes, also … I don’t want to affect his image in people’s minds. If I behave wrong, then maybe they’ll think less of him.” He lowered his head, his brows furrowing slightly. This might be his biggest worry: That his actions would negatively affect Qiu Ling.

Jinde hurriedly shook his head. “No, don’t worry about this. I know that the gods are …” He hummed, trying to find a word that wasn’t offensive to Jing He who was part of them. “Well, they can be a bit … stiff from our perspective. In the Nine Heavens, there are certainly more rules which is something that has grown over time. On the other hand, the dragon realm has a very different history so we always valued being able to express ourselves freely.

“I won’t lie and say that people won’t notice if your behavior differs from what they’d usually do. They definitely will. It’s only normal because there are differences, after all. But they won’t think less of you or Qiu Ling for it.

“Everyone knows you are a trueborn god. It’s expected for you to have a few more …” The word ‘hang-ups’ was on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it, his mind turning to find an alternative. “Considerations when it comes to what you say or do. At most, people here might worry that they are being too much with their own behavior.”

Jing He nodded but he didn’t look very convinced.

Jinde watched his expression closely and sighed. “I know you have trouble believing it. But look at it this way: Would you think less of the people from the dragon realm for the way they behave? I’m sure you wouldn’t. And neither would they think less of you. So you really don’t have to worry.”

“I know.” Jing He said so and he indeed understood. But understanding this logically and actually feeling reassured were two different things altogether.

Jinde also saw that things weren’t as easy as saying a few words. Well, if it was, then he wouldn’t need to have this conversation with Jing He. Qiu Ling would have done it long ago and helped him straighten out his tangled thoughts on life in the dragon realm.

He lowered his gaze, wondering how else he could help. This matter probably needed time to be solved and sooner or later, he’d understand. In the meantime … “Qiu Ling will be there to help and so will my husband and I. In fact, Leng Jin Yu might have the most valuable experience in this regard so after you have gotten used to this place a little you might want to talk to him.”

His husband remembered his life as a dragon but he had grown up in the mortal world in this life and had then lived in the Nine Heavens for a short time at least. He could probably highlight a few things to take note of which might feel more valuable to Jing He than generic advice about being himself and not worrying too much.

Jing He nodded. He wanted to have a good relationship with who Qiu Ling considered his family so talking more to Jinde and Leng Jin Yu was good anyway. Speaking of which … “Your child is about to be born, isn’t it?” He knew from Qiu Ling that Jinde cared about this very much so it felt right to bring it up even though they weren’t that familiar with each other yet.

Jinde indeed smiled brightly when the topic changed to the little one. “Well, it is still a few months but it’s indeed not that long anymore.”

“You must be looking forward to it very much. Qiu Ling mentioned that … you are very good with children.”

Jinde’s eyes curved up further. “I suppose so. Although the first few years can be difficult. They’re a lot cuter when they grow out of the worst.”

Jing He’s eyes widened. He had no idea how to react to that.

Jinde simply laughed and shook his head. He was only partly joking. With Qiu Ling, since he wasn’t his biological child, he had never had to deal with him when he was just born. With Jin Ling, things had been much different and since he didn’t trust Jian Heng and didn’t want him involved, he had taken care of everything himself. To pretend like there hadn’t been difficult moments would be wrong. Overall though … “I’m still looking forward to it though. Even those years. Experiencing that with my husband … it’s special.”

Yes, they had both missed out on that with their first two children but now, with Xiang Ling, things would be different. They were together and this was the child they had brought into the world together. Raising him would be a completely new experience.

Jing He nodded and couldn’t help but think of Qiu Ling who had always wished for a big family. He probably shouldn’t make him wait too long for that. It would be best to watch closely how Jinde and his husband raised their child so he’d be ready whenever Qiu Ling intended to start their own family.

Jinde had been musing about the near future when Xiang Ling was born but finally pulled himself out of his thoughts and noticed Jing He’s expression. His thoughts turned around for a few moments and his lips twitched. “You and Qiu Ling are very much invited to come over and play. Can’t hurt to get in a bit of experience first.” Although he really hoped these two would take their time before making any decisions in this regard. At least Jing He seemed much too young for a child.