Qiu Ling closed his eyes and suppressed the feelings that bubbled up when he spoke about this topic. While he had been lonely and scared, that was already in the past. Now, look how his life had turned around!

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before looking at Min Jun again. “A lot has changed for me in the past years. I have met the one I love, I found Jinde again who was so important to me, and I even met the reincarnation of my father who does remember his past life, giving me the chance to make my peace with what happened before.”

He lowered his eyelids and took a moment to gather himself. Only when he was sure that he had his emotions back under control did he look up. “I know you feel betrayed. Not just because I happen to be a half-blood but also because you feel that if I were trustworthy and if I trusted you, I would have let you know about this much sooner.”

Min Jun pursed his lips. This wasn’t wrong but … “My reaction is proof that it was wise not to tell me. I … can’t easily overlook the demon blood in someone’s veins. Not even if it is you.”

Qiu Ling inclined his head. “I know that and I always feared that. But more than that, I hated myself for what I was, and by not admitting to it, I … kind of hoped it would go away.” He smiled wryly. Of course, he knew this couldn’t happen but as a child, what other avenue did he have? And later, his circumstances forced him to go on while many of the things he heard urged him to keep this secret till the day he entered the next life.

“I can’t change it even though I always wished I could. Now though … I have indeed made my peace with it. Not just with my past but also with my heritage. I am not defined by my mother’s blood or betrayal. Neither am I defined by my father’s path and people. I … am the person I shaped through the experiences I made over the years. And I believe this person doesn’t need to be hidden.

“My blood … I can’t say it has no influence but it doesn’t control me, not my thoughts anyway. Rather than that, it has guided me on a special path that others can’t see. It simply took me a long time to recognize that. Now, going forward, I intend to follow this path not just quietly and secretly as I did before but while admitting to it. I believe … that this will be better not just for me and my family but for the dragon realm as a whole.”

Min Jun furrowed his brows again. He understood everything his king said and his admiration for this man hadn’t diminished. Even now, he felt moved by his words but his reaction to the demons was so far engraved into his mind that it was hard to ignore.

He clenched his hands into fists and looked at Qiu Ling, trying to press down his inner turmoil. “Do you truly believe the realm will benefit from this? Looking at even just your generals, Your Majesty can certainly see how much chaos this can bring. Is it truly worth it to risk this?”

Qiu Ling inclined his head. “For the other half-bloods who are part of our people it is. The same goes for those full-blooded dragons who have fallen in love with someone outside of our race whether that be a god, a spirit beast, or even a demon. Then, if the Heavenly Emperor gets over his hang-ups regarding my marriage to Jing He, I believe it will also benefit our alliance with the Nine Heavens and thus strengthen us in the war. The latter reason should be one you can get behind for sure.”

Min Jun nodded slowly. Yes, even if the other reasons were something he didn’t think much of, the alliance was indeed important in his eyes. Although then, he couldn’t pretend that the first two reasons weren’t also important. After all, you couldn’t choose who you fell in love with, and the dragons who found that love outside of their race shouldn’t be forced to leave just to find fulfillment and have a family.

It was true that the situation of the half-bloods had been contentious at best over the years. Not just for them but for their families as well, this had to be difficult to bear. Many should indeed have left and where had that led them? Had they truly found happiness out there?

He thought of the dragons who had fallen in love with a demon and followed the person to the demon realm because they weren’t welcome in the dragon realm or at least didn’t feel that way, no matter how those close to them might think. Over there … who knew how they were doing? Either way, it shouldn’t be good. No, with nobody else around who could help, they might be in an even worse situation.

Min Jun reached up and rubbed his forehead, feeling that all of this was too much. They couldn’t even keep their own people safe. The war might have slowed down but it had never fully stopped. How could they take on such a big project? Especially if there were demons involved in this as well?

He looked at Qiu Ling, the doubts still lingering. “Aren’t you afraid? You want to help and you believe that you can do it. I get this. But this gives the demons a prime opportunity to infiltrate the realm and cause issues. Does that not worry you, Your Majesty?”

Qiu Ling smiled. “Believe me, I do have doubts. But that is precisely why I am not working on this alone, isn’t it? I want to create a better future for everyone but, of course, that also means taking such aspects into consideration. In fact … if you are worried, why not join and help make sure that nothing like this can happen? I also believe you might benefit from meeting more of the half-bloods.” After all, all theory was gray. Only by getting to know the real people could someone like Min Jun be completely convinced that this was the right choice.