The two of them didn’t answer all those questions in the end. Even though Jing He had been to the dragon realm during his trial and had lived in Qiu Ling’s set of rooms, that time had been relatively short compared to the time spent in the Nine Heavens or even the mortal realm. It had also been filled with many other worries so there had hardly been any leisurely time to think about what might be missing from his life. Not to mention that he had had very different standards of what was normal when he was Zhong Jing Yi compared to his current identity. Whatever he thought of as important or unimportant at that time, it wouldn’t necessarily apply to the current him.

No, rather than relying on the experiences from his trial, it was better to live there for a while himself and see what he thought about life there as it was. After all, apart from when he had been a young child, he had never lived outside his own palace and never lived with another person. He was used to the way he lived right now but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t cherish a different type of life as well.

In fact, the longer Jing He thought about the questions Qiu Ling had brought up at that time, the more he felt that … he actually didn’t know any of the answers. He didn’t know what he would prefer because, in the past, everything had been kept simple because of the curse. Now, he did not have to worry about that any longer so he could dare to explore what he actually liked and disliked.

Also, this was the life he’d start with Qiu Ling, not just his own. Surely, that should be taken into consideration. He couldn’t imagine that a joined life wouldn’t differ from that of one person alone at all. No, surely, the way they lived and what they needed around them would change a lot after the ceremony.

Qiu Ling naturally didn’t mind not receiving a response immediately. He had only wanted to change the topic so Jing He wouldn’t feel awkward any longer. When his beloved seemed a little lost on how to answer most of them, he simply agreed that they still had time and then dropped this topic as well, instead pulling Jing He to enjoy the remaining time before the ceremony.

Three days weren’t long even if it might feel that way when waiting for something you had been eagerly looking forward to for a long time. After the last ritual was done and the tablets were kept, time seemed to stretch on endlessly as if it was still an eternity until the actual ceremony. With the possibility of Jing He’s father discovering something still hanging over them, the wait was even more difficult to take.

But no matter what, they had no other choice. That was the day everyone had been invited for and after everything else, Qiu Ling never would have agreed to skip any steps or any part of the festive atmosphere they had prepared for. He wanted Jing He to have this and, admittedly, he was also looking forward to this part himself.

Yes, certainly, making things official in whatever way was the most important to him. Just being able to call himself Jing He’s husband for real would be enough. But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t like a big ceremony where everyone would watch as this connection was finalized. In fact, the idea had a fatal appeal after making itself known for the first time. He simply couldn’t resist it.

Waiting anxiously for the day of their wedding to arrive, Qiu Ling clung to Jing He while they were camping out in Bai Fen’s palace throughout the day. Anyway, he felt that they had to make up for the time lost during their long separation before while Jing He was in the High Heavens. Even if they would spend the rest of their lives together, you could never start too early with that.

Jing He naturally obliged but at the same time, he also made sure that the two of them spent more time with his mother. After the wedding, he would directly follow Qiu Ling back to the dragon realm. Even though the distance wasn’t that far and he could come back here in just a few hours, it would still mean being less available than before. That on top of knowing the impact his decision to get married to Qiu Ling and in this way no less could have on his mother’s own marriage made him feel that he had something to make up for.

Keeping her company in these last few days that he was easily available was the least he could do. In the future … he wasn’t sure what would happen. He had talked about the possible consequences of his choice with Qiu Ling and his lover had reassured him that he would support him in whatever came to pass. He didn’t doubt it either. He had never had to doubt Qiu Ling. Whatever happened to his mother and his uncle, Qiu Ling would be there to help. But, of course, he couldn’t ensure his mother’s happiness either and Jing He couldn’t help but feel guilty about that. He couldn’t tell her either so he was left to quietly try to make up for it in whatever way he could think of right now.

Bai Fen had no idea what her son was thinking about. She simply felt that with her husband’s outburst after Jing He returned, it was normal for the children to stay in her palace where they would be safe from his grumpy visage. And anyway, she was indeed happy to spend more time together. After all, as soon as the wedding ceremony was done, she was sure that she wouldn’t see Jing He for a while. Those had simply waited too long for this. Surely, they would run off together as soon as they could and not want to be bothered by anyone for quite a while after. As a mother, while she would miss her son when he wasn’t there, she was also happy to finally see him find his own happiness. This was all that she could wish for.