Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 11, Part 1)

11 To Take Revenge

The person who had gotten that beast for Jing He all those years ago was at this moment still wrapped up in his grief over in the dragon realm. He still clutched Jing Yi's body but his tears had long since dried. At this point, he simply felt empty.

His beloved ... he had been taken from him. From one moment to the other, he had been gone and would never return.

The thought pained him but he didn't know what to do about it. He could only continue to hold him, hoping for some kind of sign from Heaven or ... anyone, really, that could tell him what he was supposed to do.

He stared at Jing Yi's pale face blankly, his gaze completely focused and everything around them seeming far, far away. Was the battle still ongoing? He didn't know. He didn't see anything but that face and whatever sounds there were, they had dulled to the point where he could no longer hear them.

Jing'er, his Jing'er ... how could this have happened?

He pulled him closer until Jing Yi's face came to rest upon his shoulder, his own eyes widening and staring at the bloodied ground beneath with horror. How much of that was Jing Yi's? How much was somebody else's? His beloved ... had he suffered in those last moments? Then why ... had he not managed to prevent this?

Qiu Ling reached up, his fingers brushing through Jing Yi's hair just like they had thousands of times when he was still alive. The familiar sensation only made Qiu Ling shudder with dread.

He shook his head, refusing to believe that all of this was really happening. No, it couldn't be. Something had to be wrong. Maybe this was simply a dream he had had. A nightmare on the night before their wedding because too much had happened recently and he was overtaxed. Yes, as long as he closed his eyes and then opened them again and turned to the side, he would find Jing Yi next to him, unharmed as he should be.

He pressed his eyes shut, his fingers tightly curling into Jing Yi's hair. He kept his eyes shut for a long time, not daring to open them again. Finally, he turned his head, and then slowly cracked them open.

What he saw was not Jing Yi's unharmed figure. What he saw was not Jing Yi at all but it struck him almost as harshly: Jinde was clutching a body just like him. His golden hair had dropped over his shoulders and was blocking much of the person's figure from sight.

Qiu Ling's lips quivered. The environment he had previously tuned out forced its way back into his perception. He smelled smoke and he saw those figures flash by in the distance. But most of all, he finally heard those heart-wrenching sobs from a few steps away.

Qiu Ling stared and his heart squeezed tightly. He did not dare to examine just whom Jinde would clutch like that but deep in his mind, he had a terrible guess. He closed his eyes again and took a shaky breath.

Gone.

All of it was gone.

From one moment to the other, the life he had finally regained had dissolved once again. The one he had fallen in love with, the one who had returned, the family that had been formed, they were all no longer there or would soon leave as well.

Qiu Ling opened his eyes and got to his feet, pulling Jing Yi's body up as well. He carefully carried it over to where Jinde knelt and placed it down beside him. Somebody would take care of them. As for him ... with the time that was left for him, he would do what he should have done long ago: take revenge for what had been done to him.

He turned away, not paying much attention to those around him. Instead, he took out his father's sword, staring at the blade for what seemed like an eternity.

With him, it had started. Once upon a time, the love he should have had, had been taken away, exchanged for something vile and twisted. The child that had been born from that, it naturally couldn't have a good life. Maybe that was the whole truth behind it.

He didn't bother to think about it further. He simply walked forward, swinging the blade at the first demon he saw in front of him. He didn't register the face and didn't hear whatever he said last. He simply pulled back the weapon and walked further ahead, repeating what he had just done.

Step by step, he walked farther away from where he had been, from where he had lost the love of his life, from where he had lost his family. The action that had originally been stiff became smooth and soon, he found himself fighting as usual.

At the very least, while killing demons, he would not want to think. He could focus on the attacks that were incoming and on each one he gave back. Sooner or later, maybe the thoughts would stop completely and the memories would fade with them. Then at that time, his heart would not hurt as much either.

Behind him, Leng Jin Yu and Qiu Ling's advisers exchanged a glance. He hadn't looked at any of them and had simply walked past. Clearly, he wasn't in a good state.

Leng Jin Yu looked at Jinde who was still holding Jin Ling's body and then at Jing Yi's body next to him on the ground. He finally rushed to the side of An Bai who had given up the array he had drawn and now seemed to decide whether he should put it back up for Jinde or join the fight instead. "An Bai, I think it would be best to bring them away. Somebody has to follow Qiu Ling though." And yes, he really wanted to do that himself. After all, Qiu Ling was his family and he really didn't think that they could stomach another loss today.