Jing He had barely made his way down the stairs in front of his father’s palace when he saw Mu Kun waiting at the side. He stopped in his tracks but then realized that it was likely Mu Kun who had come to send the message over since he had told him and Huang Lan to inform Qiu Ling where he was.

Most likely, Qiu Ling hadn’t wanted to go to his father’s palace considering his father’s attitude toward him and thus, he had sent Mu Kun over here with a message for him instead. Mu Kun had then had the servant go in to report and was now waiting to accompany him back.

Thinking of how he would see Qiu Ling again soon, he hurried over to Mu Kun. “Longjun came back? Then we should go!”

Mu Kun inclined his head. “Yes, he said he would wait at ‘the bridge leading over the small subsidiary of the River of Forgetfulness in the west of the city’ which has a meadow around it. Do you want me to accompany you there?”

Jing He blinked his eyes, puzzled that Qiu Ling hadn’t waited at his palace. Right now, he didn’t dare to think too much though. He just wanted to see him again and as fast as possible at that.

He shook his head and gave Mu Kun a smile. “No need. I know where it is and it isn’t that far. You may return to the palace.”

Mu Kun inclined his head but waited for the crown prince to leave before he indeed left. Not to mention the distance and knowing the location … he was afraid they simply didn’t want to have extraneous people around. And he wasn’t as blind as the Heavenly Emperor in this regard so he knew that he definitely would count as an extraneous person at such a time. Thinking of that, he simply sighed and then went back.

Meanwhile, Jing He rushed to where Qiu Ling was waiting. His mind was filled with expectation and echoed with all the thoughts of what he wanted to tell Qiu Ling: How he was sorry for not being more decisive, how he had loved his gift the other day and understood the message, how he indeed requited his feelings and did not want him to stay away, how he was simply anxious because he knew his father might never give them his blessing.

He was so preoccupied with all of this that he hardly noticed he was running and he certainly didn’t waste any thought on what any of the other gods must think if they saw him like this. No, at this moment, all of his attention was on Qiu Ling’s return.

He soon reached the western part of the city. He didn’t slow down and continued to rush to the meadow Mu Kun had mentioned. He could hear the water before he saw the river and then, he saw the bridge where Qiu Ling was waiting with his hands folded behind his back, looking just as regal and handsome as he usually did as if nothing had changed at all in the past week.

Jing He finally stopped some distance from the bridge. Only now did he realize that he had been running and he quietly hoped Qiu Ling hadn’t seen him like that and thought badly of it. But anyway, even if he did, at the very least, he had returned once and hadn’t abandoned him without a single word.

He breathed a sigh of relief and then walked over, one step after the other as if he hadn’t just been an anxious mess and hadn’t been worried out of his mind for the past week.

He couldn’t help it. For one, his nerves had finally calmed down but his heart was racing and he was afraid he’d fall if he didn’t pay more attention. And two … he wanted to look his best in front of Qiu Ling.

Right now, he could only hope that his hair hadn’t been blown into disarray and that his face didn’t show his hurry either. Otherwise, he really would be embarrassed. If he could still deal with slight imperfections in front of others, then he never wanted to let Qiu Ling see because, after all, he loved him.

Yes, he really loved him. He just … had been too afraid to express it even though he had known for a long time. But things had changed in the past week. He had finally realized that he couldn’t hesitate forever. If he never gave voice to his feelings and let Qiu Ling assume just based on the rare hint he gave his worst fears would come true. Thus, he had to be daring today and ensure that Qiu Ling knew where he stood with him.

He stepped onto the first plank of the wooden bridge and then walked further until he stood only an arm’s length from Qiu Ling. He looked at him deeply as if he wanted to imprint this image into his mind. If Qiu Ling truly could not forgive his hesitance these years and wanted to draw a clear line even if he was willing to commit to him now, then he wanted at least this.

While Jing He looked at him, Qiu Ling requited his gaze. A full week had gone by since they last saw each other. He had traced this figure and face in his mind countless times while away and had thought back to the many conversations they had had over the years. Now, he finally saw him again.

As he looked at him, he couldn’t help but notice that something was different about him. It wasn’t his appearance but his gaze was less cautious than usual. Instead, it looked as if he had made an important decision and was willing to see it through.

Qiu Ling couldn’t be sure whether his plan had worked but he sure hoped so. Without a word, he reached out and grabbed Jing He by the shoulder. He pulled him into his arms, his fingers sliding into the silky strands of his hair, gently tilting Jing He’s head. Then he kissed him.