Jing He blinked his eyes and then pulled out an envelope that had a line of ink on its front. “Is it this one?”

Qiu Ling looked at him oddly and took the envelope, pulling out the letter inside. It was … well, it was precisely the one he had written before that had somehow vanished by the next day. He had freaked out when it happened and looked all over the room but couldn’t find it anywhere.

In the end, he told himself that he might have put it into his spatial ring and just couldn’t find it at the moment but that it would certainly turn up again. After all, he really hadn’t noticed anyone entering his room that night. Now, it seemed that there had been a good reason for that.

“Did you come here before? How did I not notice?” He felt that he was rather vigilant. Even if the other person was Jing He, he’d probably wake up if there was suddenly light or any noise. Even the simple presence of someone he didn’t expect should be able to awaken him. It was odd that he hadn’t realized anything at all.

Jing He shook his head. “No, it was lying beside my bed when I woke up in the morning. I suppose Tian came here to take it and then left it with me so I would feel better about the … situation.” At that time, he hadn’t even realized yet that he was now a fallen god and had instead been grappling with Qiu Ling’s heritage. This letter had really come at a timely moment.

Qiu Ling nodded slowly. He felt a bit odd about it still but … it made sense not to notice Tian. There definitely weren’t many people who could trick his senses to the point where he wouldn’t notice them at all but the supreme sovereign was definitely one of them. “Well, it’s good that it’s with you and not with someone I can’t trust.”

He put the letter back into the envelope and handed it to Jing He before kissing his forehead. “Now, you already know that one so shall we start with the second one?”

Jing He nodded and opened the other envelope, taking out the letter. He didn’t know what to expect but he would have happily listened to anything Qiu Ling was willing to read to him. His own letters were even better, of course, so he was looking forward to it.

Qiu Ling smiled when Jing He snuggled into his arms. He shifted his position a little, propped himself up on one arm, and looked past Jing He at the letter while his other hand moved to caress his beloved’s shoulder.

“My beloved Jing He.” He paused for a moment and leaned down to kiss Jing He’s cheek. Reading these letters to him was all about reassuring him so he should put as much effort into it as possible. Part of that was showing him that he hadn’t only thought of him at the moment but that he was also close to him right now and happy to see him.

“Not even a day has gone by since I wrote my last letter to you. In fact, it has only been a few hours since I put it in an envelope and stored it in the spatial ring you have given me.” He paused again and brushed back Jing He’s hair, giving him a questioning look while stretching out his hand. “Do you remember that one? You picked it out for the anniversary of my coronation that year.”

Jing He looked at it and reached out to hold Qiu Ling’s hand. “I do. It was passed down in my family and has quite a symbolic meaning. I felt … that it was very fitting to give it to you.”

Qiu Ling’s smile brightened. “I was very happy to receive it. I remember that I hadn’t seen you much at the time so receiving something from you was a welcome sign that I hadn’t been forgotten.”

Jing He turned his head to look at him. Seeing Qiu Ling’s handsome face so close, he couldn’t help but reach out, his fingertips trailing the lines of his jaw and cheeks. He loved this man so much … he never wanted to be separated again but … it seemed this moment right now was only temporary. Soon, they would have to separate again.

Qiu Ling watched his expression and faintly shook his head. “I don’t know what you are thinking about right now, but you shouldn’t do it. Everything is going to be alright. Just like we finally became engaged even though it often didn’t seem like it would happen in the ten years I spent wooing you, we will also solve whatever obstacles still remain. If it takes another decade, then so what? We are both immortal. As long as it is something we want, we have the time to slowly pursue it.”

Jing He nodded but his thoughts weren’t completely there. Instead, they were on the face in front of him. He had often admired Qiu Ling’s looks but … they seemed even more outstanding tonight. He couldn’t find a single thing he disliked about them. He also loved Qiu Ling’s voice. When he had started to read just now, it had become even more obvious how soothing it was. How could he not be in love with this man?

Qiu Ling slowly raised his brows. He was naturally happy to receive his beloved’s admiration but … Jing He currently looked completely mesmerized which really didn’t seem to be a normal reaction for only looking at his face.

He hesitated but finally nudged him a little. “My love, what’s the matter?”

Jing He continued to stare, unable to extricate himself. He hardly even realized what he was doing.

Qiu Ling cleared his throat and finally reached up, covering Jing He’s eyes with his hand. “Alright, don’t look at me like this. I’ll get bad ideas if you do.” Especially since the two of them were already lying in bed and he was only wearing his inner robe. Really, he shouldn’t tempt him like this.