The Yang family was struggling in the mortal realm while things were going well in the immortal realm. Over there, another two days had gone by. The snake king An Hei was doing well. His injuries were almost completely healed and there hadn’t been any news from the gods which was good news in this case.
The only worrisome thing were Hu Chen and the other three from the snake tribe. They had refused to return home but all the time in the demon king’s palace had been spent putting their heads together and whispering under their breath. Obviously, they were planning some kind of mischief and didn’t want him to know.
Well, he could imagine a few reasons for that. Either this nosy bunch was trying to figure out the story regarding his upcoming wedding but didn’t want to admit it or this had something to do with the matter with the gods. If it was the former, then he would let them investigate happily. He didn’t mind if they found out before the time that he was marrying a mortal after all. If it was the latter though …
An Hei sighed and paced up and down in the room. Unfortunately, he could imagine that these guys would do something stupid because they felt the need to avenge his grievances.
The longer he thought about it, the more worried he became. He wanted to tell them not to do anything they’d regret later on but then again, he might just give them ideas. After thinking it through, he finally asked the servant that had been tending to him in the beginning to meet the demon king.
Originally, he had been asked to do so anyway and now that he was healed, he wouldn’t be an embarrassment to his people. It was about time and maybe the king would be able to have somebody keep an eye on his people as well for the time that they were here.
Being brought into the spacious hall from where the demon king was ruling, An Hei took a deep breath. He had met the demon king before but it still wasn’t something that happened every day. He wasn’t too worried though. After all, the demon king had sent people to save him. That meant that he wasn’t going to forsake them. Instead, it could be that the different demon tribes would stand closer together if the gods severed all ties with them.
It was an end but also a new beginning and it was one that he would not need to go through alone. And who knew who would come out on top if things really came to a head? He believed that under the rule of the demon king, they would have the strength to resist. At the very least, they would not go down without a real fight this time.
The demon king, Yaarak, opened his eyes when the door opened. His gaze traveled over An Hei’s body. Seeing that he was waking without any difficulties and seemed to be breathing evenly, he showed a small smile. "It seems that the snake king has made a full recovery."
An Hei lightly bowed his head. "Your Majesty is right about that. Thank you for letting me rest here and even giving my people a place to stay."
Yaarak lightly shook his head. "That is a given. You and your people are part of my race. It is my responsibility to ensure that you will do well. If something were to happen to you, what would become of the snake tribe? If the people closest to you were injured, I would have the same worried. Especially in the situation we are currently in, something like that cannot be allowed to happen." The demon king got up from his throne and walked down the stairs, motioning to the door on the other side. "Follow me. I’m afraid there are a few things we will have to discuss."
An Hei nodded and followed him silently. So far, the demon king had not minced his words. Thus, he could imagine what kind of thing he would have to say. Well, he was ready for it.
The room they entered was the demon king’s study. The usual servant had hurried to go and light up some incense, filling the room with a calming scent. The last bit of An Hei’s tense nerves relaxed.
The study bordered on a small courtyard that could be seen when sitting at the writing desk. It could be presumed the demon king would often look at the lake out there or the clusters of bright flowers when in thought. Even now when they went to sit down, the demon king glanced over there, keeping quiet for a moment longer.
An Hei did not try to hurry him and just waited, even looking out there for some time himself. Just like the study, that courtyard was a peaceful place. When looking at it, you could even forget about the troubles out there for a while.
Eventually, the demon king sighed and turned back to him, folding his hands on top of the table. "You were there so I do not need to tell you but there is no way to salvage the situation between us and the gods. There has been no official declaration of war yet but all of us have felt that it is coming for a long time now. This banquet was just the last straw.
"I don’t doubt that very soon, there will be the first large-scale attack and it won’t be the last. We need to be prepared for an all-out war or we won’t be able to survive this."
An Hei nodded. "The snake tribe will stand at your side."
Yaarak smiled at that. "I had no doubt about that. I already talked with your people the other day and they were of the same opinion. I am sure they will already be preparing."
An Hei raised his brows. "Oh? Your Majesty already told them? No wonder they were acting so sneakily these days …"
The demon king lightly shook his head. "You should not blame them. Anyway, I told them they should first let you recuperate before making you deal with such matters so as to let you get back to full health. I am sure they were worried that you weren’t well enough yet." He gave An Hei a side-ways glance and sighed. "In fact, you’re still hurt even now despite the fact that your wounds have healed well. You should take a longer rest to get back to your peak strength. Should the fight with the gods start unexpectedly, you would be at a disadvantage otherwise.
"In fact, please promise me that you will not get involved before you have recovered completely. I do not mind others of your race fighting but you should put your own safety first. Over these years, you have proven to be a good king. I wouldn’t want the snake tribe to lose somebody like you."
An Hei smiled, feeling gratified for these words of praise. Who could pride themselves in ever receiving such honor from their king? "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. But if anybody holds back, then that might be the reason we lose. And if the snake tribe is defeated, then what will be the use of having a good king? I should stand at their side when the time comes. I believe that that also makes me a good king."
Yaarak fell quiet for a moment but finally nodded. "I guess you are right with that. I should not have expected any other response. Well, I won’t force you. Just make sure that you take some precautions. It wouldn’t do for you to die. No matter whether we win or we lose the war, there will be losses on both sides. At that time, having dependable leaders will be one of the most important things to make sure our race can regain its strength with time. If it is not you …" He shook his head. "It would be good if you had a successor but I guess there is no way for that to happen anytime soon."
An Hei smiled and shook his head, feeling it to be a little funny that the lack of a wife at his side and a child was brought up in such quick succession, now that he actually intended to get married. Well, it was a good thing as well. "Your Majesty should not worry about that. The attack of the gods might be years or even decades away. Just like us, they will want to prepare, after all. Maybe by then, I will have a successor."
Yaarak just turned to look at him, his gaze slightly doubtful. Whether it was An Hei or himself, they were both without a partner. In fact, he even worried about his own throne since there was nobody to take over anytime soon.
An Hei’s smile deepened at the demon king’s gaze. "To be honest, I have decided that I will be getting married soon. Maybe a child won’t be far at that time. And — to put your other worried to rest as well — since I will have a family of my own in addition to my people, I will naturally pay close attention to my own well-being. I do not intend to make my wife a widow so soon."
Yaarak raised his brows, genuinely surprised. He had heard from the people of the snake tribe that their king had asked the goddess Mei Huang to marry him but, obviously, she had rejected him. He did wonder just who it was that the snake king had suddenly gotten engaged with. But … that was none of his business so he did not ask and merely turned back to the garden, giving a sigh.
"If you will have somebody else besides the snake tribe that is worth living for, then that does put my mind at ease. I hope the two of you will have a great marriage. If you need any help with the preparations …"
An Hei shook his head. "I do not think so but thank you for your offer nonetheless. I think it was about time for me and I do look forward to it." In fact, this was not a lie. The more time went by, the more he felt that he had made the right decision. If this Ling Ling turned into a bright young lady in these years that were passing in the mortal realm, then he would not regret his choice that day. Maybe the reason why he had never gotten involved with any of the women of his race had been because he was destined to be with one of the mortal race. It was unexpected but it might be true nonetheless.
Seeing his expression, Yaarak nodded and smiled lightly, glad that this person had made his peace with what had happened at the banquet the other day and was even looking into the future with such hope. "Keep holding onto these feelings.
"As for the battle, I will call upon the other kings, and then we can make plans together. We won’t lose and even if we have to lose, we won’t go down without a fight. That much, I can promise."
