Having thought it through, Qiu Ling cleared his throat and immediately changed his explanation to include another part of the truth. Hopefully, that would help with calming his beloved down. "Actually, it’s not that difficult to explain either. There is just something that you don’t know yet. I mean I didn’t know either in the beginning so that’s not strange.

"Anyway, you see, at first, I wanted to just take the Grandmaster’s wife with me but she didn’t take it that well and injured me. After that, her younger sister somehow ended up in the fray, and, well, I noticed that I already know her. What a surprise! It’s been some years since I met her and she doesn’t even remember but that was actually in our favor.

"The thing is, she … somehow lost her memory and the part that she lost happened to be the one where she had met me among other things. When that came out, the Grandmaster and his wife were quite interested in finding out more. They wanted me to tell them what I knew so the fight naturally stopped.

"I used the opportunity and told them what they wanted to know but also mentioned our story at the side. That way, they would be more likely to believe me. And even if they don’t: Enough of that story is true to hold fast if they choose to investigate. I didn’t lie about meeting her and any of the circumstances regarding that. The only lie I fed them was the one about our connection with the Yun Zou Sect and even that was half-true. I actually think that was the right decision.

"Think about it: I am the Grandmaster’s disciple and while you are just an outer sect disciple right now, I also proposed to you in a high-profile way. It’s actually quite likely that they would find out sooner or later that we came from the Yun Zou Sect.

"Now, I’ve already admitted to that but gave a reason so they don’t need to be as suspicious. And I mean how are they going to verify that I’m lying about what my Master said? The only other two people who know about that are him and that Sect Master and I don’t think they’d tell anyone the truth about sending us here as spies. So this should actually be quite safe. Don’t worry about it. It’s all working in our favor."

"Something like that can actually happen?" Jing Yi still found it hard to believe but it made a bit more sense now that Qiu Ling had explained the ins and outs and given his reasoning.

He didn’t have any siblings but if he had, he would probably care as much about them as he cared about Qiu Ling. And if Qiu Ling lost his memory … even if the one who had information was from his enemy, he would still do whatever they asked for just to help his fiance. And Qiu Ling would certainly do the same for him. Why should the Grandmaster and his wife be any different? They were all human, in the end.

"So we don’t have to fear that they’ll find out about it anymore?"

"No. We’re safe now. You can even continue calling me Qiu Ling if you want since I preemptively confessed to that as well."

Jing Yi smiled but shook his head. He had probably done that unconsciously again anyway since he was too agitated after he saw Qiu Ling’s injury. "No, I should get used to it and call you Long Jun. There’s still the matter of returning. Considering your talent you might make a name for yourself in the Hei Dian Sect even without trying. What then?"

"Have you ever considered … not returning?"

Jing Yi tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Qiu Ling cleared his throat. He knew that this wasn’t something that could be casually brought up but he really thought it might be a good idea. "Look at it like this: You’ve been part of the Yun Zou Sect for six years already.

"In the first five years, they didn’t help you at all. You were on your own and had no opportunity to become a cultivator. In the last year, you became a cultivator but that was thanks to your own effort and a bit of my help. Even now, they don’t want to reward you for that hard work. No, quite the contrary, they still hinder our marriage. Is that how a sect should be?"

Jing Yi was taken aback. "You … It couldn’t be you want to propose to stay here."

"I don’t want to propose anything. I’ll go wherever you go and stay where you stay. I’m just saying that the Yun Zou Sect might not deserve having you. And if we stayed here, we wouldn’t have to wait for our marriage either. Just think about it for a while."

Jing Yi would have liked to disagree immediately but Qiu Ling’s gaze was too earnest to do so. In the end, he only sighed. He couldn’t imagine turning his back on the Yun Zou Sect. Even though it wasn’t completely wrong what Qiu Ling said he still felt like he should be grateful to the sect.

They might not have helped him in the first years but they never helped those with low aptitude. It wasn’t something they had done to him personally. Then, he had lived there for five years and even met Qiu Ling so the sect carried a lot of sentimental value.

And finally, Sect Master Yuchi had given him a chance by sending him here. He couldn’t disappoint that trust. It wouldn’t be right. Even if that meant that Qiu Ling would have to wait a bit longer for the wedding he looked forward to so much.