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

138 Marrying his Murderer?

Jing He looked at Qiu Ling in a daze. He had believed that his trial couldn't sound any more adventurous than it had before. But now, he was once again taught a lesson in what he should and shouldn't expect.

His mortal reincarnation found out about him, ascended, and tried to murder his true self. That was ... well, after everything else, he wasn't even sure how to describe it. Could this be called more unbelievable than meeting the supreme ruler?

For a moment, he was so confused about how all of this could have happened during his trial that he barely registered that he almost died while his soul was outside his body. He just ... didn't even know how to begin thinking about all of this. Maybe after truly remembering, he'd have different feelings but for now, there was only confusion.

Qiu Ling watched him and faintly cleared his throat. "I know, it must be confusing and also ... frightening. To be honest, I was frightened as well. At that time, I was discussing something with your parents. We only figured out that he was up to something halfway through because he managed to dismiss the two advisers I left behind, with one of them coming over and inadvertently alerting us.

"When we rushed over, it had almost been too late. He was originally repelled by an array I had set as a precaution and then subdued by one of the heavenly guards but he still managed to throw a last attack. It almost hit you but then An Xin jumped out at the last moment."

Qiu Ling closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. There was still a faint layer of Jinde's spiritual energy remaining around his memories of that day and he was now in Jing He's presence, seeing him alive and well, so it didn't make him too anxious. Still, just thinking back to that day, his heart filled with fear.

He took a deep breath and gently squeezed Jing He's hand. "I've never been so afraid in my life. For a moment, I truly thought I had lost you." He looked back at him, his gaze shining with a trace of the panic he had felt back then.

Yes, the sight back then was still etched into his mind and he might never be able to forget it. Most likely, even in a few years, he might wake up at night in a panic because those images had somehow found their way into his dreams, turning them into a nightmare.

Jing He could see Qiu Ling's mood. He didn't think about anything else and simply reached out with his other hand as well, grasping Qiu Ling's bigger one. "I am here. Nothing has happened. He isn't a danger to me any longer either."

Yes, he wasn't all that worried. This should have been a while ago and he had woken up without issues. Whatever his mortal reincarnation had done, he shouldn't have suffered the slightest harm. Qiu Ling had been hit by it much more heavily. Not physically maybe but it had left a shadow on his soul. Knowing this made him feel some heartache.

Qiu Ling looked at the fair hands holding his and gave a hum. "I know. I just ... I felt like I failed you. I promised to guard you and I made it sound like I'd guard your body. Instead, I only left two people with you and followed your soul. But it was my actions that finally led to him ascending and trying to kill the body I hadn't protected well enough. If anything had happened to you, it would have felt like my fault. Moreover ... I still married that person. You must think badly of me."

Jing He's lips parted but no words came out. He had only heard bits and pieces about his trial. They were disjointed so he didn't quite understand what had happened when or how much time had passed between either of these things. So far, the only real memories he had were those of his death. But supposedly, the wedding had been held early that morning, right? So Qiu Ling had indeed married the person who tried to kill him.

He hadn't thought of it before because it all felt so far away but now that Qiu Ling directly pointed it out to him, he indeed felt a bit strange about it. Qiu Ling marrying his mortal reincarnation in general didn't seem odd. That person's body held his soul at the same so he would one day remember that wedding as his own with Qiu Ling. Marrying him even seemed like the natural choice.

But all of this changed when you looked at that person as the one who attempted to kill him, right? Somebody who wanted to harm him, to take his life, was still recognized by Qiu Ling in such a way. If not for his sudden death, he would have even been intimate with Qiu Ling.

As soon as the thought hit him, Jing He's face paled. To be honest, he was torn about the experiences in his mortal life anyway. Whatever he did would reflect back on him. Having a wedding ceremony with Qiu Ling was alright but anything past that ... he would be mortified to remember so he was quite happy that he had been spared such a memory.

But no matter whether it had happened or not and how he would feel about it, the fact remained that somehow, Qiu Ling had been alright with doing such things with the person that would have been his murderer if not stopped in time. That thought ... was quite sobering.

Qiu Ling watched his expression and sighed. Sooner or later, Jing He would remember everything so it was best to just tell him. Still, letting him know his own shortcomings during his trial ... it wasn't easy. But then, this was only a short taste of what was to come, wasn't it? After all, the biggest disappointment was yet to come.