Chapter 1226 - Take Fate Into His Own Hands

Qiu Ling flew toward the dragon realm. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach and he almost wanted to turn around several times but he forced himself to continue forward.

He could not run away any longer. He should have realized this the moment he told Jing Yi about his past back in his inner self. But even then, he still tried to push it off, always hoping that somehow, he would get around it. But the truth was, he couldn't. There had never been a chance for this not to come to light. Because no matter what he did, his circ.u.mstances wouldn't change. He was the child of a woman who was part of the demon race and had worked for one of the previous demon kings. That could not be changed. His blood could never be changed. Even though he had always wanted that, it was impossible. But what he could change was how he lived with this going forward.

So far, he had never been aboveboard. In fact, he had made some of the worst decisions because of his own fear. But now, he couldn't be like that anymore. He had to come to terms with this, he had to find a way to live without trying to hide anymore.

There was no need to admit to it but he needed to have some kind of plan. Because soon enough, it wouldn't only be him anymore. Jing He had already agreed to marry him. When that happened, he could not be indecisive anymore. He needed to be there for him, strong for him, dependable. Because that was the kind of person that Jing He needed at his side to get over what was bothering him. And that was what he wanted, wasn't it? That Jing He was able to live his best life. So before his beloved woke up, he had to make sure that everything else was taken care of.

Qiu Ling reached the capital city. Usually, he would sneak his way inside but this time, he just stood outside for a while, watching the people at the entrance.

These were his people. The ones he was responsible for. He had always lied to them or, at the very least, he had never told them the full truth. Not even his own advisers that had been with him for so many years.

Thinking of what his father had said, he hadn't been that bad of a king. He probably wasn't as good as his father had made him out to be but for the most part, he had tried his best.

Yes, he had shirked some of his responsibilities after gaining those advisers because he felt that they were more than capable enough of doing it on their own. But when it really mattered, he had been there. When the demons attacked, he had always fought on the front lines. He had been the one who killed the last demon king. He had been the one who saved quite a few of the people in the border region in all those battles.

And going forward, he would also have to be the one who actually led them in their day-to-day life. He couldn't just rely on others anymore. Yes, they were there to advise him. But they were not there to do everything in his stead. It was time that he took his responsibilities to heart again and truly filled the position of the dragon king. It was what he owed to his people, to his father, to Jing He … and even to himself.

Qiu Ling took a deep breath and then slowly made his way over, his gaze continuing to wander over these people. If he wanted to be a responsible king going forward, then he had to learn to deal with this. He could not shy away from his own people. He had to be able to face them and speak to them. Only that way would he be able to make things work. Because if they couldn't come to him with what was bothering them, then where were they supposed to go? Why had he never seen that before?

Qiu Ling actually stepped into the line of people, continuing to think about this problem. Only when he was at the front, was he finally noticed.

The guard's eyes went wide and he hurriedly bowed. "Your Majesty!"

Immediately, all eyes fell onto him.

Qiu Ling tensed slightly and almost wanted to make one of his quirky quips that he had always used to detract from whatever else might be noticed. He held back though. He couldn't do this going forward. He had to make sure that he did not try to hide any further. Anyway, when he just walked among them, nobody had noticed, right? Yes, there was no reason to worry.

Forcing himself to calm down, he just gave the guard a glance. "Oh, don't bother about it. I'm just taking a look around, checking some things."

The guard started to tremble, wondering just what the king was here to check. Had somebody complained about his work? Was it that he personally had done something wrong to the degree where the king himself would come and see? He hastily tried to think of something but couldn't come up with anything.

He hastily nodded and then stepped to the side, letting Qiu Ling pass. Only then did he remember that he was supposed to check the identity of the person in front of him. Not doing so for the king … this was what was to be expected, right? It wasn't that he would get angry because he hadn't done his job right, was it?

He almost wanted to ask but at that time, Qiu Ling had already strolled down the street, leaving the guard to wonder by himself.

Qiu Ling had no idea what his sudden appearance had caused. He just continued to stroll through the streets. By the time he finally arrived at the gates of the palace, had calmed down a little. Yes, he was still worried but at least felt that this wasn't as bad anymore.

When seeing him, even if he behaved normally, nobody was pointing fingers at him. They didn't even seem to be able to imagine that he was anything but one of them. So it was unlikely that it would ever even come out that there was such a secret about his blood.

In any case, it was still better to prepare. After all, he was not the only person that knew about this. Since Jin Ling was still around, there was a chance that that guy would one day blurt out the truth just to hurt him. At that time, he needed to be able to explain everything away or be ready to stand out and admit to it. He didn't know what it would be but at least he knew that he had to prepare now.

He stopped for a moment in front of the staircase and took a deep breath. Then, he went up one step at a time, faintly nodding at the two guards before he went inside. When the doors fell shut behind him, he exhaled.

It was time to take his fate back into his own hands.