"Qiu—" Jing Yi bit his lower lip before he could utter Qiu Ling’s name. They were in the demonic sect now, he had to be cautious. Who knew if that scary Elder was still out there? If their real identities were exposed …

"He’s gone already." Qiu Ling smiled and bent forward to kiss Jing Yi but at the last moment, he halted. "Wait a moment." He conjured his water mirror up and took a scrutinizing look. Ah, he was still as handsome as ever! No need to be worried.

Jing Yi watched Qiu Ling stare into the mirror for a few minutes. What was he doing? "Qiu … Long Jun."

Qiu Ling’s gaze flickered. That title really evoked too many memories. "My love …" He bent down and hugged Jing Yi closer. Taking a deep breath, he finally smiled. Ah, if they could stay here in this house until Jing He returned to the Nine Heavens, he would be really happy.

Meanwhile, Jing Yi’s lips twitched. "Do you want to continue standing here?"

Qiu Ling had pressed him up against the door as soon as they were inside and now it didn’t seem like he wanted to move away. Jing Yi leaned his head against Qiu Ling’s chest. Actually, he didn’t mind too much. He was really happy to be with him. And he was especially glad that Qiu Ling had been able to follow him here. Even though he had voluntarily accepted this mission, it was still daunting. After all, he had never had a task like this. With Qiu Ling at his side, he felt as if he could overcome all the dangers and problems.

The two of them stood there behind the door without doing or saying anything. They just hugged each other and continued to stand in silence.

Jing Yi was slowly growing tired though. He was still mortal and the last few weeks had been especially taxing. First, he had had to double his effort in cultivating while simultaneously hurrying back to the sect. Then, they had barely arrived when he already got the mission from Sect Master Yuchi and had to come to the Hei Dian Sect. He hadn’t had a good night’s sleep for over a month already.

Now in this environment that should have scared him, the fatigue finally caught up with him. Jing Yi’s head started to grow heavy and he nestled down deeper in Qiu Ling’s arms. He felt like he should sleep for some hours … His eyelids fluttered and finally closed. Despite the fact that they were in enemy territory he could relax since Qiu Ling was there with him. As long as his fiance was by his side Jing Yi knew that he didn’t have to be afraid of anything.

Qiu Ling looked at his peaceful expression, picked him up, and carried him over to the bed. He gently put him down and covered him with a blanket before he laid down next to him. He embraced Jing Yi and closed his eyes too.

He was unable to sleep though. This faint smell … It wasn’t the same as in the Nine Heavens but after all this time, it still felt familiar. Jing He had always smelled of flowers since he spent a lot of time in the garden. It really fit his image of the gentle, perfect beauty. Jing Yi wasn’t the same. He had spent a lot of time outside as well but since he was cultivating the whole time he naturally didn’t have the time for such a time-consuming leisure activity. And, well, as bad as it may sound he also didn’t have the same knowledge as Jing He.

Qiu Ling’s eyes opened and he stared at the face of the youth in his embrace. Jing He … Jing Yi … Even though they were actually the same person, there were a lot of differences. He often missed those little habits of Jing He. If he could, he would like to take him back to the Nine Heavens right now. Then, they wouldn’t need to take on any missions or wait for whatever. They would only need to convince the Heavenly Emperor and then they were ready to get married. Not that that would be an easy task.

Qiu Ling sighed, hugged Jing Yi closer, and shut his eyes again. Even though he wanted to return as soon as possible he knew that Jing He took this trial seriously. And it was nice to see this not so perfect version of him. When Jing He woke up they might be able to shed all the pretenses from before. Mn, it would be nice.

And that wasn’t even the only nice thing … Qiu Ling smiled and his hands silently moved to undo Jing Yi’s belt. They were already engaged. It wouldn’t matter anymore, would it? And wouldn’t it be so much more comfortable for his beloved if he didn’t have to wear all his clothes to sleep?

With a bit of a guilty conscience, Qiu Ling took the black outer robe off Jing Yi’s slender frame. He hesitated, then slipped out of his own outer robe as well. He didn’t take the time to fold them and just threw both of them behind him. Then, he laid down and took Jing Yi into his arms again.

He had gotten the chance to spend time with Jing He like this. He had to make use of it! He started to caress Jing Yi’s back and finally slipped his hands into those silky … well, into his hair. This also couldn’t compare to the hair of Jing He’s immortal form but it was still a good feeling. He also didn’t know why but he just liked touching his hair. Maybe it was because he would have to be close to him for that?

"Qiu Ling …" Jing Yi’s hand weakly slapped his arm. He had nearly been woken up by Qiu Ling’s movement. "Be good. Just sleep for a while. When we wake up … we can talk about everything."

"Talk?" Qiu Ling tilted his head, then he leaned closer with an evil smirk on his lips. "How about doing some other things?"

"Mn. Whatever it is you want. But let’s sleep for now."

"Alright. But you can’t forget your promise! A gentleman should always stay true to his words." He smiled happily and started to ponder how he should take advantage of this. Ah, no, he started to ponder how to make his beloved’s day unforgettable.