Jing He did not dare to think further. He only knew a little and only because Tian himself had deigned to tell him. If not because he was supposed to bear the reincarnation of his child, he would not have told him either and this knowledge might have been lost forever.

He wasn’t sure what to think of this. Right now, he only felt that he faintly understood how little they actually knew about the world they lived in. Some of what they believed in was even blatantly wrong.

Just then, the God of Love finally arrived, hurriedly closing the door he stepped out from behind him before he came over and greeted everyone.

Looking at the six people that had gathered, the God of Love’s gaze rested upon Jinde’s figure for a moment which was still shrouded in the veil. It seemed odd to come here like this but … this ceremony was more so for the couple itself than anyone else and clearly, this person had come from the dragon realm so their view on things might be different anyway. In short, it didn’t seem to matter.

Yang Zan turned to Jing He and Qiu Ling, smiling faintly. It had been a long time ago that the latter started trying to woo the former and even though much of it had happened away from prying eyes, this was still something most people in the capital city knew. Of course, he was no exception.

Maybe as the God of Love, he had even paid more attention than others. Seeing a couple fall in love one after the other and face the adversities of life together, no matter how big they were, that was a beautiful thing to watch and due to seeing them every day, he naturally looked at such romances in a special way, maybe feeling more connected to it than most would.

In this specific case, he felt even more deeply connected because he had played a small part in it as well. He still remembered how Jing He had come to him, asking him not to tie a red thread to anyone else during his trial. It showed just how much he loved the dragon king so seeing this relationship finally succeed made him happy enough.

The God of Love turned to Qiu Ling, his gaze questioning. “Is Longjun familiar with this custom?”

Qiu Ling inclined his head. “Yes, my mother-in-law explained already.”

“Then I won’t waste any time talking. I am sure you are eager to go ahead so I won’t be in the way.” He stepped aside, leaving the spot in front of the tree to the couple.

While the previous gift exchange was to strengthen the connection between the families, this part was an oath between the lovers themselves. In fact, their families didn’t necessarily need to be there and the God of Love or anyone from his palace didn’t have to be present either. The couple walking up to the tree, confessing their feelings, and agreeing to be together was enough. Outside of the capital city, many would even go up to a random tree that stood as a substitute for the Tree of Love.

The important part was to verbalize what was in your heart and your wishes for the future. Anyone else being there was just to reinforce that their family was satisfied with their choice and to make the matter more festive. In this specific case, the God of Love could also pick a leaf from the Tree of Love for them which would then symbolize the oath they had taken.

Qiu Ling happily grasped his beloved’s hands, holding them up and interlacing their fingers. “You know that I am not one to hold back from expressing my feelings. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I will let you know. I always have and I always will. So I have told you more than once: I love you.

“I have since I saw you for the first time, stepping onto the square in front of your father’s palace on that evening a millennium ago. I have since your voice cut through the chatter and noise, calming my restless heart and turning it restless again for a whole different reason.

“At that moment, I knew that you were the one for me, my fated other half. I have not doubted it even once in all of these years, even though I did sometimes doubt whether I could make this fate come true and one day call you mine.

“During these years … much has happened. Some of it was to be expected but a lot of it surpassed my imagination by far. I suppose with me being older by so many years, I should have been there for you as a quiet reassurance, as someone who could help you learn and grow and become a better version of yourself. But the truth is that, from the very beginning, it has been the other way around.

“You helped me regain the people I thought I had lost and you also helped me form a new understanding of those already by my side, letting me trust them in a way I never could before and helping them to connect with me in a way that was impossible before. You have allowed me to trust myself, something I … could not do for a long time.”

He looked at him deeply, his otherwise solemn expression lit up by a smile. “Getting to know you and following you on this trial you had to take on made me learn many new things and I believe that I have become a better person on the way. This change … I will use it to help you in the days to come so that we can grow together, both as people and as a couple.

“I want us to never stop striving for a better tomorrow because I know that … even though I am happy with you in a way I hardly thought I’d ever achieve … we can be even more than this and the joy of seeing you go further will be even greater than looking back and seeing how far I myself have come.”