Back in the Long kingdom’s capital city, Madam Zhong was sitting next to the bed where her son and son-in-law were lying. She had tried her best to stay collected but by now, a week had already gone by since Jing Yi had joined Qiu Ling.

At that time, he had said that he might not live through this but since he had also said that there was a chance everything would go well she had thought that he would definitely be able to overcome this. It might have been stupid to think like this but she still vividly remembered how at the time when she came to the capital city with her husband, Qiu Ling had confessed to her that Jing Yi would have to face many difficulties but would ultimately lead a good life. She had always believed in that. After all, he seemed to know many things that were far beyond what she had seen in her life.

But now, things didn’t look like that. Qiu Ling hadn’t woken up for a long time which had worried her more than just a little but at least he was an immortal and would likely be able to somehow come back. Her son though … Jing Yi might have gone to the Yun Zou Sect but he was still just a human. How could he achieve something that even Qiu Ling couldn’t?

Madam Zhong squeezed his hand and took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She couldn’t give up hope. She had to believe that Jing Yi would be able to make it, that they both would be able to make it. Even if it took even longer, she couldn’t give up.

Taking another shaky breath, she continued to hold onto Jing Yi’s hand. Other than to hope, there was nothing else she could do. Only time could tell if these two would make it back and ever open their eyes again.

She sighed and turned to the window, looking at the darkening sky. Another day was already ending. Tomorrow, the second week of her son being in a coma would start. With each day, her fear would become worse.

She didn’t dare to go back to her own room or join her husband’s family for dinner. She didn’t want to miss even a single moment at her son’s bedside just in case this day would be the one he would finally open his eyes again. No matter how unlikely, she wanted to be there when he did. Thus, she never left his bedside save for a few hours every night to go and sleep.

Just then, Qiu Ling’s eyelids fluttered. His brows twitched slightly and he cracked his eyes open, feeling a little disoriented at first. His thoughts were still with Jing He and the confession he had just made. Only slowly did it sink in that it had already ended and that he wasn’t there anymore.

He closed his eyes again for a moment, focusing again on the here and now. The first thing he heard was the sound of a woman sobbing quietly. He frowned and listened more closely only to notice the steady breathing of his beloved next to him. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He opened his eyes and turned his head, observing Jing Yi’s profile.

He heaved a relieved sigh when he saw him and already wanted to reach out when the sobbing pulled his attention away again. Qiu Ling glanced in the direction it came from and noticed Madam Zhong sitting there, clinging to her son’s hand. Naturally, he couldn’t ignore that. That was his mother-in-law, after all, his beloved’s mother! How could he let her suffer?

Qiu Ling propped his upper body up on his elbow and looked at Madam Zhong curiously. "Mother-in-law, why are you crying? Did something bad happen? You just tell me,y our son-in-law will take care of it for you!"

Madam Zhong’s breath caught in her throat. She slowly turned her head to look at the person that had spoken before she leaped to her feet. "Qiu Ling!" She leaned over Jing Yi’s body and grabbed Qiu Ling’s hand, her tears flowing even more freely. "Qiu Ling! You’re awake!"

"Mn." Qiu Ling nodded, finally realizing what was going on. She had been worried. Both about him and her son. Speaking of which … He turned to look at Jing Yi and gently brushed a strand of his hair aside, smiling at him. "Don’t worry. He’ll wake up soon as well. It just takes a little longer for a human compared to a dragon."

Madam Zhong nodded. If Qiu Ling said so, then she believed it. "I’m glad you’re awake. When you were brought here like that …" She shook her had and patted his hand. She had felt powerless and distraught. But thankfully, Qiu Ling had managed to come back. He was strong enough. She probably shouldn’t have doubted it.

Qiu Ling looked up at her in surprise. Maybe it was because of the fact that he had finally dared to tell somebody about his past but now, after spilling everything and still not being rejected, he suddenly realized that Jing He wasn’t the only person who had been there for him. His two mothers-in-law were there as well. The Heavenly Empress Bai Fen, as well as Madam Zhong, cared for him deeply. Maybe they did so just as much as Jing He did.

He smiled. "Thank you, mother-in-law."

"No need to thank me. You’re part of our family."

"Mn." The two of them turned to look at Jing Yi’s face, neither of them willing to miss the moment when he woke up by even a second.