Qiang Yan naturally didn't have any objections. This was about his nephew's well-being, after all. In fact, as soon as he heard Qiang Wei's explanation, he felt incredibly worried.

Qiu Ling's advisers might not be that clear on this but he knew how fragile Jing He actually was. The mere idea that Qiu Ling might have stopped caring about him had brought him to the brink of collapse once. Now, he had just returned from his trial but the person he likely wanted to see the most was nowhere to be found. What type of scenarios would he make up in his mind? Qiang Yan couldn't even begin to imagine.

He gave the command for his guards to finish up what they were doing and then motioned for them to follow him back to the Nine Heavens, leaving the rest to the dragons.

As soon as they reached the capital, the guards went back to the Palace of War while he made his way over to the Heavenly Emperor's palace, hoping that his brother-in-law wouldn't make too much of a fuss.

Walking up the steps of the palace, he could already see him pacing up and down in front of his throne. Qiang Yan's lips twitched and he sighed to himself. So much for that. And naturally, his sister was nowhere to be seen either. Well, on the bright side, Jing He was still at the Tower of Wisdom so even if his brother-in-law ran straight over to his palace, he wouldn't find him.

"Your Majesty!" Qiang Yan called out with a serious expression, trying to hold up appearances for the guards and servants outside.

Rong Su stopped mid-motion and turned around, eagerly looking at Qiang Yan. "Have matters been solved satisfactorily?"

Qiang Yan gave a hum that sounded neither like a yes nor like a no, driving Rong Su nuts.

"You speak clearly!"

Qiang Yan sighed. "Well, the battle has ended. In this case though, the demons retreated of their own volition. We will have to see how this turns out in the end. It is possible that they will attack again after regrouping." From what he had heard in the dragon realm, the identity of the demon king had changed twice in a day. Who knew what the new king really planned? He wouldn't dare to bet on anything.

As for the matter of Qiu Ling, he didn't mention it. Knowing his brother-in-law, he'd just be happy that Qiu Ling wasn't going to 'bother' Jing He any longer and might even blab in front of his son. How could he allow that? Contrary to Rong Su, he wasn't purposefully staying blind to the boy's feelings. So, of course, he knew what would happen if Jing He knew the truth.

The Heavenly Emperor gave a hum that sounded very much like the one Qiang Yan had just responded with. "At least for now, the matter is solved though, isn't it?"

Qiang Yan inclined his head. "It seems that way."

Rong Su sat down on his throne and heaved a long sigh of relief. "That's good. Jing He's trial has also finally ended. As soon as he regains his memories, that chapter will hopefully be done with."

His lips pursed as soon as the words were out. Actually, that wasn't a given. He hadn't asked the Fate's Scribe for a long time what kind of trials Jing He had actually accomplished. If it was enough, he might not have to go on even a single more trial. That would be perfect. If not though ... he didn't dare to imagine.

Rong Su cleared his throat and then called for a servant. "You go and get the Fate's Scribe for me. Tell him to bring that scroll with him."

Qiang Yan watched as the servant left and then cleared his throat. "I guess you're going to ask about Jing He's trials?"

"Mn. I sure hope he won't have to descend again. This whole matter ..." He shook his head.

"Indeed. Well, you won't need me for this, right? There are still some matters to take care of on my side so ..."

"Yes, yes, you go!" Rong Su waved. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to hurry to his son's side and see how he was doing. It was just that he also wanted some reassurance. Also, he could tell Jing He about this already if he knew. Wouldn't that be great? Surely, his son would be happy to know that he wouldn't have to leave them again in the future as well. Yes, this was naturally the case.

Qiang Yan didn't linger when he had the chance to leave. He bid his farewell and left the palace, going straight to the Tower of Wisdom. Actually, there indeed were a few things he had to take care of but nothing was as important as Jing He. He'd first take care of that and then, he could see about everything else.

From afar, he could already see Qiang Wei's sorry figure lingering outside. Clearly, the dragon hadn't dared to go back inside after contacting Xiang Yong. He probably wasn't sure how to face Jing He.

Qiang Yan smiled to himself and walked over, nodding at him. "Adviser Qiang Wei, thank you for informing us about what is going on with Jing He. You haven't been back inside?"

Qiang Wei hastily shook his head. "No, I didn't dare. If there is any chance to screw this up, I'd rather not even try. I'm sorry for making His Highness wait for so long though."

In the dragon realm, everyone knew just how much Qiu Ling loved Jing He. Even though they weren't officially together yet, to the dragons, the Son of Heaven absolutely was their king's future consort. There were no questions about it. As a result, they naturally wouldn't want to leave him with a bad impression. In this regard, Qiang Wei had really felt torn.

Qiang Yan sighed. "It's not been easy on you. Well, do you want to come inside with me? You can just say that you were waiting for me. Jing He won't mind. He's understanding."

Qiang Wei heaved a sigh of relief. "Very well, then let's go. It's better not to let him wait any longer."

With that, the two of them entered the Tower of Wisdom again, finding Jing He precisely where Qiang Wei had left him.