In the Heavenly Emperor’s palace, Qiu Ling cleaned up the brush, put everything aside, and then got up. He had nothing left to do and it was already the middle of the night anyway so he took off his outer robe and went to lie down.

Sleeping a few hours would at least not make him notice how time was passing which … honestly, that made a big difference. In fact, he had considered once or twice these days whether he should just double his sleep time to make it seem like Jing He was returning sooner. It was a pity that he was afraid he’d miss something. Whether it was Jing He’s return or Tian doing him the favor of showing him just a short glimpse of Jing He’s current life in the High Heavens, he didn’t dare to miss any of it by even a moment.

The person he thought about had turned away when Qiu Ling reached for his belt, stopping to pet An Xin for a moment as he covered his eyes. They weren’t married yet so this seemed like something he shouldn’t watch. As a result, when he turned back, he found the room plunged in darkness and was unable to make out Qiu Ling’s silhouette any longer.

Jing He immediately panicked. He had barely found the courage to take this one peek at what Qiu Ling was doing. He certainly wouldn’t dare to do it again. How could the image already be gone? It had only been such a short amount of time …

He stared at the water mirror that now only showed the dark room, his expression downcast as his soul seemed to ache. He wanted to see him for a while longer. Just a while … It really didn’t have to be long. A few more minutes would have been enough for sure. Anyway, he hadn’t even seen when Qiu Ling extinguished the light. How could he be satisfied with that? But then, it wasn’t like he could do anything about it …

Jing He intently stared at the water mirror but the memory of the fallen god he had met during his trial came up unasked for. Yes, he remembered how that person had opened a portal through which he could pull or push people at will or even use it himself to go to a place he wanted to see in an instant.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had already raised his hand and opened a portal to the Nine Heavens. Seeing the dark room on the other side that he had just observed and knowing that the person he wanted to see was in there, he stepped through without hesitation.

On the streets of the lone city in the High Heavens, Tian raised his head, naturally noticing the shift in space. He didn’t do anything about it though and simply returned to his own palace, not bothering with Jing He any longer. Anyway, it had only been a question of time until his desire to see Qiu Ling would spike, and giving in to that might even help him untangle his feelings. Why would he try to prevent that?

Meanwhile, Qiu Ling who had barely started to fall asleep, was naturally startled awake by the light that suddenly shone into the room. It might have seemed faint in the High Heavens when one source of light was supposed to light up a whole palace but when this kind of indirect light fell into a completely dark room, it was still able to penetrate the night easily.

Qiu Ling raised his head and noticed the figure that had stepped out of the light. He recognized him immediately and his eyes widened in turn. He didn’t bother to think about whether Jing He was healed or not. He simply jumped to his feet, bridged the gap between them, and pulled him into his arms. “My love …” He couldn’t say anything else. He simply held him, hugging him tightly while rubbing his back, almost unable to believe that he could have this kind of luck.

Jing He also didn’t think about what consequences there might be due to his actions. He simply held onto his fiance, his fingers sinking into the thin fabric of his inner robe while he pressed his cheek against his chest, wishing to become one with this person so they could never be separated again.

Feeling Jing He stick to him like this, Qiu Ling tightened his hold further. Reaching up with one hand, he trailed his fingers through his lover’s hair. He felt agitated even though he should have been calm now that he finally held his beloved in his arms again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and find his bearings but his heart beat even faster.

“I missed you so much …” He turned his head and kissed Jing He’s temple, his lips lingering on his skin. “I don’t know how I even made it so far without seeing you. Every day …” He shook his head and kissed him again, unable to hold back.

He had always pretended to be strong in front of Jing He but, at this time, he couldn’t do it any longer. Heaven alone may know how much he had suffered these days. He couldn’t rest at all and could only try to fill his time with whatever tasks he could find for himself. Otherwise, he would torture himself every waking moment with fears about Jing He’s current state and their future.

Jing He nodded faintly. He hadn’t noticed as much how time moved forward but even just the time after his mind cleared up had been too long. With his current volatile state, his thoughts would naturally turn to Qiu Ling at the slightest hint.

Now, it was alright though. They were reunited. He was finally lying in his arms again just as he had imagined and, to be honest, there seemed to be no difference from before as if all the things he had experienced in the last few days were only a figment of his imagination.