Jing Yi couldn’t help but open his eyes at that voice. He glanced up at Qiu Ling first to ask what was going on but then noticed that he was facing the direction the sound was coming from with rapt attention. It seemed as if he was listening closely to every word that person was saying, positively hanging on his lips.

Jing Yi was startled. Just what was going on? He turned around and his face drained of color as soon as he saw the one speaking.

In the midst of this sea of colors where no person had distinguishable features stood one figure that was presented in such detail that Qiu Ling must have had ingrained everything pertaining to that person into his heart.

The person was young, seemingly only just about twenty years old. He had donned a blue robe that hugged his body and highlighted his slender limbs and graceful movements, the embroidery adding a touch of nobility that belied the seeming simplicity of these clothes.

When he tilted his head the light of the lamps painted tantalizing reflections onto his silky, black hair, giving him an indescribable allure. His face was like that of an immortal fairy, too lovely to be described. His dark eyes shimmered with youthful charm but were also filled with an understanding far beyond his years as if he had seen the world and all of its mysteries but still remained pure at heart.

This was the kind of person that after just seeing them once, you would likely be unable to forget them forever.

Jing Yi bit his lower lip and looked up at Qiu Ling again, hoping to be reassured somehow. He regretted it at once. Qiu Ling was staring at that man with a feverish gaze as if he was transfixed, unable to look away for even a second. It hurt to see but he couldn’t blame him either. After all, that man was really too beautiful. It was expected to look at him like this, wasn’t it? Even he had trouble looking away.

But this wasn’t even the worst. Before Jing Yi could try to cope with how Qiu Ling looked at that person, the man he loved actually parted his lips and whispered a name that was hurtfully familiar: "Jing He."

There was so much emotion in these two syllables that there was no room for interpretation. Not that it really needed Qiu Ling’s voice for that. His gaze alone said everything: He wasn’t merely looking at a beauty. He was deeply in love with that person, more than he had ever been with him.

Jing Yi didn’t even notice when the first tear slid down his cheek. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts, recalling every single instance of Qiu Ling calling him by that name.

He had thought it was just part of his quirky personality, one of the many things about him that were just incredibly unique. He hadn’t thought that there was any deeper meaning. After all, didn’t he also fail to recall the names of other people? Whether it was their martial brothers and sisters, the Sect Master, or even his very own Master, Qiu Ling would forget their names almost as soon as he had heard them with no exceptions at all.

Because of that, Jing Yi had thought that getting his name at least half right was already pretty good. It had seemed to show that he cared about him a lot because he had put in enough effort to at least remember half his name and was just substituting the other half. He had thought that with time, when they got closer, Qiu Ling would learn the rest as well.

But now, it seemed that he had gotten it all wrong. It wasn’t that Qiu Ling had managed to get half his name right because he cared about him so much that he wanted to remember it. No, all this time, he actually hadn’t been thinking about him but about this man in front of him. The name he called wasn’t his own name, it was the name of another person. The name of the person Qiu Ling really loved.

The tears trickled down his cheeks and his lips quivered. Why? Why was he doing this to him? Why was Qiu Ling even with him in the first place? He didn’t even resemble that man in the slightest! There was just no comparison to be made.

Jing Yi didn’t know what to think anymore. Had Qiu Ling ever loved him? Why did he even have to question this? Everything had been going well for them. He had finally understood his own feelings and now …

If he truly loved him, then what was happening here? Why did that man appear in Qiu Ling’s inner self? Why was this the only place in here that was illuminated in the seemingly endless darkness of his inner self? Why … why wasn’t there a place containing him?

Had Jing Yi known that the person he was jealous of right now was actually himself, he probably could have laughed and settled everything with a kiss. But without that knowledge, he was once again assaulted by the feeling of loneliness he had experienced moments before already. More than that, he felt as if there was no future at all for them because he would always pale in comparison to this man. No matter how much he tried, no matter how hard he worked to become immortal as well and stand at his side, he could still never attain the same height as the man in front of them.

It seemed … he couldn’t be with Qiu Ling after all. Why had he only realized that after falling in love?