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

89 A Long-Awaited Visitor

Inside the palace, Jing He furrowed his brows when he woke up and only slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, it even felt as if his sight was still obstructed by the thick smoke on the battlefield. Seeing a silhouette on the edge of his bed, his heart thumped, his mind only filled with one thought. He hurriedly opened his eyes wide, trying to see the appearance of the person he had waited so long for.

Qiang Yan turned around when he heard Jing He's breathing change. He furrowed his brows as well, still feeling worried even though his nephew had finally woken up. Leaning closer, he took a good look at his face but the wide eyes made Jing He look more fragile, doing nothing to calm the worry in his heart. "You're finally awake again. How do you feel?"

Jing He stared at his uncle in a daze. It felt as if his heart that had just lifted, tumbled down into the abyss. For just a moment, he had thought Qiu Ling was back and that he would finally see the scene he had wanted to experience a week ago already: the man he loved waiting by his side when he woke up, giving him a charming smile, and greeting him warmly. Maybe afterward, he could pull him into his arms, requite the quick kiss to the cheek he had given him before drinking the water of the River of Forgetfulness, and speak of the promises they had made before.

But as it turned out, he had thought too much. His tired mind had only played tricks on him. Qiu Ling still hadn't come to see him. Maybe he never would. Well, at the very least, there was his family. That already made him very lucky, didn't it? At least, he wasn't completely alone in this trying time after his trial. Maybe others weren't even that lucky.

He sat up slowly and lowered his head, trying not to let his disappointment show for fear of snubbing his uncle. "It's alright. I ... I regained the first memory of my trial. I must have lost consciousness when it happened." His fingers rubbed the blanket that somebody had pulled over him, thinking that he was only making trouble. When he smelled the smoke and realized that An Xin hadn't done anything, he should have realized what was going on and gone to lie down. After all, wasn't it obvious? But somehow, it had slipped his mind because he was so focused on worrying about Qiu Ling's continued absence. Now, everyone had likely been worried again.

Qiang Yan could naturally see through his nephew's low mood. He leaned back and glanced in the direction of the door to the garden. Their voices couldn't be heard outside thanks to the array and Qiu Ling and his advisers had stepped far enough away to ensure that Jing He's rest wouldn't be disturbed. Still, he could imagine how anxious the dragon king was.

He turned back to look at Jing He and smiled faintly. "How are you feeling now? Better? Can you get up?" When his nephew heard that Qiu Ling had finally come, his mood should take a turn for the better, no matter how he had originally taken the memory. Thus, he wasn't too worried.

Jing He hurriedly nodded as well to reassure him. "Yes, it shouldn't be a problem. I just didn't realize fast enough what was going on so I didn't react appropriately."

Qiang Yan shook his head. "Don't mention it. It's only important that you're doing well. You didn't hurt yourself when you fell down, did you?"

Jing He shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He looked at his hands and turned his arms but there weren't even a few specks of dust. His robe was slightly crumpled though. He reached out and tried to smooth it but it didn't help much while lying down.

Qiang Yan watched him and then got up with a sigh. "Well, if you're alright, you will probably want to change your clothes and maybe freshen up a bit." Not that he needed it but ... well, he also knew how Jing He was.

Jing He looked at his uncle in a daze. He had indeed just paid attention to the state of his robe but ... did he look this bad?

Qiang Yan saw his nephew's doubt and faintly cleared his throat, the corners of his lips finally rising with some light teasing. "I am afraid you have a visitor outside and even though he patiently waited outside after your mother told him to, he should want to see you as soon as possible."

Jing He's eyes widened and he sat up straight at once, hardly able to pay attention to his image anymore. "Longjun ..."

Qiang Yan inclined his head. "Yes. He came by earlier while the God of Medicine was still checking on you. Your mother didn't let him in, seeing as you were in that kind of state. I guess by now, his two advisers should have gotten him up to date on what has happened. If you're ready, I'll let him in?"

"I ..." Jing He's heart fluttered. Of course, the robe he had picked out this morning had still been chosen in the hope that Qiu Ling would finally come by just like in the last six days but he hadn't taken a look at himself after waking up yet. He definitely couldn't let Qiu Ling see him in a less-than-stellar state! "Please, give me a moment!"

Qiang Yan watched his nephew rush off with a smile and walked over to the table to sit down for the time being. If he went out already to tell Qiu Ling that Jing He was awake now, he wasn't sure if the dragon king could keep himself from barging in. And if he barged in while Jing He was still changing his clothes ... Well, he didn't want to be the one to do damage control in that case.