Chapter 1315: Clinging to Life
Qiu Ling cleared his throat when he saw that Jing Yi's expression had gotten tangled again. "Anyway, if you want to, I can try to explain to you. The formations used in the immortal realms and those of the mortal realm are different though. I don't know too much about the ones from the mortal realm but I could teach you those that we use in the dragon realm. I don't know too many either to be honest since I didn't really have that kind of formal education either but I have at least learned a little over the years."
Jing Yi was startled when Qiu Ling mentioned that he hadn't had that kind of education but then he remembered what Qiu Ling had told him about his family. Right. Despite having lived in the dragon king's palace at first, Qiu Ling had also not grown up that differently from a normal person. Everything he had right now had not been given to him because of who his father was but because of his own hard work. In that regard, the two of them were actually quite similar.
Just thinking about that, Jing Yi's troubled mood calmed down and he nodded. "I would be really happy if you did that. The one regret that I have about ascending already is that I wasn't really able to learn things well. Even my knowledge of alchemy isn't that deep. At most, I can probably be considered to be of an intermediate level.
"As a cultivator, if I hadn't had quite a few lucky encounters, I also wouldn't have been able to ascend in just slightly over a millennium with my own aptitude. So I can't be called talented there either. Most likely, compared to other ascended deities, I'm actually quite weak." He really didn't have any doubts about that. When he had been confronted with the God of Justice of the God of War, as well as all those soldiers, at the ascension platform he had realized for the first time just how helpless he actually was.
He really didn't know how to fight. Who to attack first, and whom to leave for later, how to evade the attacks and how to counterattack … he had never learned any of that. He didn't have any experience either. How could he be able to defend himself?
Sometimes, just standing there and erecting a wall around you, hoping that those attacks wouldn't hit you just wasn't enough. So even though Qiu Ling had had good intentions back then, it also hadn't really helped anything. If he wanted him to be kept safe, then he should have taught him how to fight for real.
But that was really crying over spilled milk. Since he hadn't learned yet, and Qiu Ling probably still wasn't willing to teach him that, he could only try to make up for it in another way. Maybe it was stupid to try and learn about formations when he hadn't even managed to master alchemy yet but he felt that this was the best thing he could do right now. Sometimes, second-best was just the best option one had because everything else was above what you were able to do and your circumstances didn't allow anything else.
In terms of teaching Jing Yi about formations, Qiu Ling didn't have any opinion. If he wanted to learn, then he didn't have a problem with it. "Then I'd say let's start with that tomorrow morning. I can teach you the basics first and after that, we can go and explore the city a little more. Then after that, we can see how much time is left."
Jing Yi nodded and then snuggled up against Qiu Ling's chest. "Let's do that. In any case, now, let's sleep first. It was a long day. A lot has happened. I really think that I need some rest."
Qiu Ling nodded and reached out, hugging him. "Yes, you probably should."
The two of them fell silent and Jing Yi did indeed deed fall asleep soon. On the other hand, Qiu Ling stared into the darkness, his thoughts spinning. Learning about formations … Jing Yi still hadn't given up, had he? This kind of knowledge would be unimportant as soon as the gods found a way to solve the situation. When it was exploring the city, he could still understand. But this was going beyond that. This was Jing Yi actively clinging to life. Well, he couldn't fault him for that. Who didn't want to live?
Qiu Ling looked at the youth in his arms that still looked pretty much like he had back in the mortal realm when they had just gotten to know each other for real. He was different from Jing He in a lot of ways but there were probably also some similarities.
In any case, his own heart would cry out for him in pretty much the same way that it did for Jing He. He wasn't able to express that with words but it was something that he felt deep inside. He didn't know if his feelings for Jing He were really stronger. The attachment was clearly different but it had a lot to do with the timeline of their meetings.
Well, pondering that over and over again also wouldn't get them anywhere. It was best to just let these matters rest and focus on other things. In any case, right now, Jing Yi was the one who was here. He was the one he should protect and love. One day, after Jing Yi had really left this world, he would make it up to Jing He. It might cause some confusion at the beginning but just like with Jing Yi today, he would be able to clear things up with Jing He as well.
This was just how things worked. Sometimes, things couldn't be changed. The circumstances were already there and you could only do your best to deal with them. If he could do so with Jing Yi, then he could do so with Jing He. While the two of them hadn't had a millennium to hash out how to talk about such things, they would be getting married after Jing He returned. Then, they would have all the time in the world to get to know this side of their relationship as well. There was no reason to think too much about it right now.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone