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

165 No Hope Left

Tian ignored the person on the ground and simply raised his hand, calling up a water mirror. The surface didn't reflect his own image though. Instead, it showed the scenes in the dragon realm, specifically the situation at the dragon king's palace.

There was Xiang Yu's figure crouching next to the shell with that child, his expression even more brooding than Tian was used to from the time Xiang Yu stayed in the High Heavens. He continued to look at him for a moment but then checked the situation inside instead.

He roughly knew already what was going on because he paid attention to Jing He and, by extension, to Qiu Ling. Naturally, that included the things that happened around them. Much to Tian's dismay, Qiu Ling had spent most of his time around Jinde while the Heavenly Emperor was trying to keep him apart from Jing He. Thus, he was aware of the situation in some detail.

Right now, Qiu Ling's figure couldn't be seen and a quick check revealed that he was currently at Jing He's side again. Tian hummed to himself and focused on Jinde's side again.

His husband was sitting next to him, his head bowed while he was silently holding his hand. It was obvious that he was at the end of his rope and didn't know how to continue. And a look at Jinde's still figure showed that there really wasn't much he could try.

The water mirror vanished and Tian lowered his hand before glancing at Xin Lan's figure on the ground. Well, he certainly wouldn't have come to make this kind of deal if there had been nothing.

This could probably be called being willing to give up one life for another. After all, don't even mention that child, even that golden-haired dragon might not survive if things went on like this.

The soul of a dragon was more stable than that of a god but that didn't mean that they couldn't be hit hard by what happened. This person, he had suffered too much. A lot of it had never been dealt with and only pushed off to deal with later. Now, with one more blow to his heart, how could he simply continue to live his life? It should be said that he had reached his limit.

Tian didn't rush to the dragon realm immediately and instead returned to his own palace, staring at the jade coffin in the middle of the main hall with a numb expression. The time he had lost Xing ... it seemed to have been ages ago even though it wasn't all that long ago compared to his own lifespan. Still, no matter how much time passed, he would always remember all of it in excruciating detail.

Thinking back now, he couldn't call himself surprised at the final result. Xing had suffered a lot throughout his life. The disinterest of his father, the Heavenly Empress' hatred, his sister's jealousy ... Just these alone were enough to break his heart over and over again. Despite that, he had persevered, simply hoping for somebody to appear who would genuinely care for him.

It had been this desolation that originally attracted him. It felt ... familiar, to say the least. After watching him from afar, witnessing again and again how the few chances at a better life were destroyed by those who loathed him, the thought to change his blessings had been born.

At first, he didn't intend to do so himself. Not in the way it had finally happened. No, between him and anyone among the immortal races, it shouldn't be possible. Even trying ... he had thought it might be an ill omen and in the end, he might have been right about that.

Tian sighed and reached out, touching the translucent lid of the coffin. He didn't speak but he silently apologized to Xing in his heart. If not for the way he finally chose to act, maybe all of this could have turned out differently. Maybe his suffering would have ended when he found the right person, somebody who loved him and who he could love but who wouldn't be so dazzling as to stab the Heavenly Empress and her daughter in the eye, making them want to take revenge for this perceived slight all the more.

If there had been such a person, maybe Xing would have been safer. Maybe the child he wanted to have with that person would not have been doomed to die before they could even be born. Maybe his heart and soul wouldn't have been broken.

Tian took a deep breath when he thought of that time and finally pulled himself out of the miserable memories with difficulty. Yes, this kind of person who suffered again and again with no way out was pitiful. And it was even more pitiful that their ability to withstand these blows got less after they finally saw some light.

As long as they were shrouded in darkness, it was all just more of the same. But when there was someone or something to light up that gloom, they would gain hope. When that hope was dashed, all that remained were the shambles of their life. Xing had experienced it and so did the previous king of the dragon race.

Tian's gaze turned even more solemn than usual. He hadn't been able to save Xing even though he had been that light to illuminate his path in the dark. Saving this person though ... he doubted it would be too difficult. The only thing this person needed was a wake-up call. And as for how to do it ... as somebody who had gone through and watched similar happen, Tian didn't need to think twice.

He closed his eyes and his body moved from his palace without a trace, reappearing in the dragon king's palace. Before anyone could notice his arrival, time seemed to have stopped, the two people alongside him in the room both frozen as they had been before.