Jing He watched the smoke, his thoughts drifting. In the past, he had sometimes worried. The gods were cursed and his family even more so. He had always looked forward to or at least hoped that he would find a good man and get married one day. But at the same time, he had also been terribly afraid of it.

Countless times, when imagining the future, he imagined how he would kneel at the bank of the River of Forgetfulness and light the incense. The smoke would curl and rise up but before it could dissipate with the wind, the incense sticks would break because, of course, Tian would never bless the relationship of anyone of the Heavenly Emperor’s bloodline.

He had never actually heard that this was the case with any of the previous generations. Even his mother had mentioned nothing of the like so he probably should have trusted that the same would be true for him and all of the customs would happen in an uneventful manner. But he had felt sinful all of his life, feeling that his very existence was wrong. Otherwise, why was he being so heavily punished?

Now, the time he had longed for but also dreaded finally arrived. He … did not know how to feel when he realized it. There was no reason to fear. After all, Tian clearly didn’t care about whatever the gods did. He cared about nothing much apart from Xing, the one he loved. In their case, he should even be in favor of their relationship since this was what would allow his child to be reborn and his lover to wake up. Of course, he wouldn’t try to indicate any negative feelings and break the offered incense sticks.

So much had changed over the years. The things he once helplessly yearned for, with no power to achieve them on his own, were now in the grasp of his hand. The fears he had, had quietly become nothingness as truths were revealed to him one after another. Now, all that was left was this love that was about to be recognized through the customs passed down through the millennia and each of those customs only held the beautiful meaning it was supposed to have, instead of the fearful outcomes he had once imagined.

Jing He smiled to himself and turned to the side, looking at his soon-to-be husband. All of this … he owed it to this man. Yes, Tian’s help had been vital and so had his mother’s and his uncle’s but without Qiu Ling, none of this could have happened. It was his love and his insistence that made all of this possible.

Qiu Ling felt his lover’s gaze on him and turned to the side as well, requiting his smile. He didn’t speak, not wanting to disturb what ought to be a solemn moment. He still reached over though and grasped Jing He’s hand, holding it tightly. Anyway, Tian wouldn’t mind. On the contrary, the Supreme Sovereign should be happy that they had finally gotten back together and were headed for their wedding. His own marital bliss relied on it, after all.

Qiu Ling’s smile turned wry as he turned back to the front and looked at the smoke rising up from the tip of the incense stick. Thankfully, the Supreme Sovereign couldn’t read thoughts or he was afraid he’d be in trouble. After all, even if it was true, something told him that Tian had little humor but a very well-developed sense of wanting to avenge even the most minuscule of slights. It was definitely best not to aggravate the man.

The incense stick burned for half an hour and the two of them knelt there the whole time. This was a sign of their respect for the Supreme Sovereign and also their sincerity in asking for this blessing. Only when the last wisp of smoke had been carried off by the breeze did they move.

Qiu Ling got to his feet and gently pulled up Jing He, smiling faintly. “It feels a bit like we are already in the process of getting married.”

Offering your respect to some … deity or something was also part of the mortals’ customs so he had also done that when getting married to Jing Yi at the time. They had also bowed in the direction of the Tian Shan at that time because it seemed to be the most fitting.

Compared to the gods’ customs, it seemed rather casual but maybe that was just because that wedding had not been to Jing He himself and had never been meant for eternity, unlike the one he had asked to be blessed just now. Or maybe it was simply that he understood the humans even less than he understood the gods and had nobody handy who could explain the ins and outs to him.

He sighed and looked up at the sky. By now, midday had passed but the customs weren’t even done yet. They still had to pay respects to their ancestors as well before they would be done for today. But most likely, that should not take as long, right? Not that he minded the time itself. It was just …

He turned to look at Jing He and stepped closer, taking a look at his expression. “Are you alright or is it too tiring? We could take a break first.” No matter what, his beloved himself came first. Those ancestors were gone so they could wait.

Jing He immediately shook his head. “Don’t worry. It’s not that bad. I … I am happy we are doing this.” Yes, he didn’t want to miss a minute of it. If not for his father’s continued refusal to accept his choice, he even would have liked one of the grand ceremonies his ancestors had had that took several days to finish. But, well, a short process also had its advantages and as long as Qiu Ling was at his side, all was good. “Anyway, we can do that at my mother’s palace so we can rest right after.”

Qiu Ling nodded and didn’t say anything more. He simply held Jing He’s hand tightly and led him back to the others, indicating that they could leave to start on the last part of today’s pre-wedding customs.