Chapter 77: He Lost It
Seeing the children leave for the preparation room, Qiu Ling blinked. They were out of his sight. He should —
He had gotten up halfway when a slender hand grabbed his shoulder. "Daoist master, didn't you promise something just now?"
Qiu Ling coughed. "I did. But I should still take a look!" He had to make sure that nothing bad happened to his beloved!
"Over there is only a room for preparing the tea. There is nobody inside besides the children and our tea master."
"I haven't seen your tea master. Maybe he's a bad person."
Madam Zhong shook her head. "She's a lovely girl."
"She might want you to think that. Who knows who she really is?"
"My husband's cousin hired her himself."
Qiu Ling looked up at her solemnly. "Madam Zhong, are you sure, your husband and his cousin only share their looks?"
"Er …" She suddenly remembered how Zhong Gang always scratched his head when he was at a loss. It was just like her husband. Maybe she should worry after all? Her husband wasn't that good at judging people … Somehow she had began to worry herself, though she had originally wanted to get Qiu Ling to stop worrying.
"You see! I'd better go and take a look. Not that something happens to your son."
He finally got up and wanted to go over, but Madam Zhong grabbed his sleeve this time. "Where do you think you're going? You're a guest and that is a room for the servants working here. If any one goes there that should be me."
Qiu Ling grit his teeth. This was the first time in his life, someone had denied him en— No, wait. This wasn't the first time. His other mother-in-law had once done the same when she felt like he had gone too far.
What was it with these mothers? Shouldn't they be a bit more worried when their sons were in such dangerous situations?! What if that despicable child did something to Jing Yi?
Qiu Ling slumped back onto his chair. He remembered that damn day his other mother-in-law had denied him entry. It had been in the nine heavens so he couldn't just force his way inside. The heavenly emperor was still above him there. And more than that he was afraid of pissing off his mother-in-law. However deep Jing He's love to him was, it would crumble if he didn't have her blessing. Maybe not instantly but with a bit of time. So pleasing his mother-in-law stood nearly as high on his list of priorities as pleasing Jing He himself.
But on that day, he had nearly lost all reasoning. He had thought his beloved was with another man and his imagination had supplied him with all kinds of things the two of them could have been doing. Just imagining how some other man gazed heatedly at his beloved and even dared to touch him! Such impudence! At that point in time he hadn't even held Jing He's hand yet!
Well, at least not with Jing He's consent. He had grabbed his hands once when he was too excited to control his emotions.
Anyway, on that day, his mother-in-law had also claimed that he was imagining things and that nothing was happening, but Qiu Ling didn't want to hear that. He wanted to see his beloved. He wanted to make sure nothing was going on. He just wanted to make sure.
In the end, he had made such a commotion that the guards and the heavenly emperor himself came over. And finally that door opened to reveal two men. Qiu Ling hadn't cared for any of the other people one bit. He had leapt in front of Jing He, conveniently pushing that other man to the side.
Not caring about Jing He's parents behind him or the guards, that were eying him suspiciously, he clasped his hands and smiled. "Jing He, my dear, I was yearning to see you." His voice had turned gentler all on its own.
The anger he felt before, the fear of losing the one whose heart he was just obtaining … Oh? Had there been something like that?
Jing He's clothes were without wrinkles, every hair on his head in its place. Though he still felt miffed, that his beloved had spend time alone with another man, he already knew his worst imaginations hadn't come true.
"Long … Longjun." Jing He had looked a little uncomfortable.
They had just been at the point where Qiu Ling's courting showed effect: Jing He had let his guard down around him, quietly being in his company or sometimes even easing into a conversation. He'd smile every now and then and he didn't shy away anymore when Qiu Ling came close.
But they still weren't at the point where they could be called a couple. This was still Qiu Ling courting the crown prince, slowly seeing the first results. Jing He didn't even call him by his name then but still by his title. And in front of all those people he reverted back to his old way.
He tried taking back his hands with that greeting and his feet slid a little back, wanting to get out of Qiu Ling's reach. But would the dragon king let him have his way so easily? Of course not!
When Jing He moved, he moved, too, following him until he once again stood before him with next to no space separating them. And of course, he held onto Jing He's hands.
Seeing that, the guards had enough. This was their beloved crown prince, that was being pressured here! In their eyes, this was a scene of a beast tyrannizing a gentleman, who was too kind to fight back. How dare that filthy snake touch their son of heaven! They moved as one and the tips of a dozen spears pointed at Qiu Ling's neck.
Did the dragon king care, though? Of course not. He just went ahead with what he was doing. He pulled Jing He's hands a little closer and leaned forward. With their difference in height Jing He had to look up. Their close proximity contributed to turn this into … a slightly more ambiguous sight.
Some of the guards turned red seeing this and the heavenly emperor started hollering at Qiu Ling. "What do you think you are doing with our son, Longjun? Get your hands off him right now! Is the crown prince of the nine heavens someone you can touch so easily?!"
Unfortunately, his roars didn't yield any result and yes, obviously the crown prince was someone he could touch that easily. What could they do? Fighting with him? He was still the king of the dragon race! It would lead to an all-out war if he came to harm in their realm! Especially if nothing had happened to the crown prince.
Qiu Ling knew that, of course, so he didn't bother heeding any of these warnings. He just lowered his voice a bit more and started caressing Jing He's hands. "You know, I sent Fu Min over with a message for you. I don't know what happened. It seems he couldn't find you? So I thought … Why shouldn't I come over myself? I hope you don't mind. The truth is, I just couldn't wait to see you again. You know, your smile is haunting me. Last night —"
Someone grabbed his wrist and forced his hands off his beloved before he could tell the rest of the story. With a crabby mood, Qiu Ling turned around. Upon seeing the man that stood in front of him it got even worse.
It was him. That was the guy Fu Min had seen his beloved with. That was the man that had come together with Jing He.
Alright! You want to challenge me? It's my pleasure! Please, provoke me, so I have a valid reason to rip you apart! The killing intent radiating off of him let Jing He next to him shudder, but he was unable to retract it.
There was one thing about dating a dragon, one should never forget: They were faithful, but jealous people. Extremely jealous people. If a dragon found his partner cheating on him it might happen that they killed him. But with a probability nearing certainty they would have a fight with the one they had been cheated on with. And most of those fights ended with either of the parties dead.
Even though he was sure nothing had happened between Jing He and that man, Qiu Ling was prepared for such a fight. That guy certainly wouldn't have come near his beloved if he didn't have some intentions toward him. But this would end here. He wouldn't give him any chance. Jing He was his. Nobody else could have him.
The man smiled wryly. "Longjun. Care to tell me, what you are trying to do to my nephew?"
"Ha?" Qiu Ling blinked, not understanding anything.
The man snorted. "I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet", he said, even though he could remember a dozen occasions they had seen each other at on the spot. "I'm the god of war, Qiang Yan, the heavenly empress' brother. So, I'm Jing He's uncle."
"Oh. I … I didn't want to do anything. I just came by to say hello. I … actually, I have something really important to do now." He gave a strained smile, turned around and fled.
The important thing he had to do? Of course it was giving that damned Fu Min a good beating. How dare he report strange things back to him? He had made a fool out of himself in front of his beloved!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
yansusustories
yansusustories How mean! Qiang Yan, are you aware that because of you we might never find out just what happened that night?!
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Ranking 
-- Power
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