No matter how slow time seemed to be moving, it would inevitably move forward. Thus, soon enough, the evening of the second day arrived. After just one more night, it would be their wedding day.

Qiu Ling and Jing He bid farewell to Bai Fen and stepped out of her palace, making their way back to Jing He’s palace. They didn’t speak at first and simply walked next to each other in silence, looking at the familiar surroundings and the sky above that had already turned a deep gray.

“It feels odd to think that tomorrow, I will leave this place.” Jing He finally spoke up, his gaze fixed on the stars above their heads. “I mean … I am looking forward to living with you in the dragon realm but the Nine Heavens … the capital city, that is all I ever knew. After two millennia, it is the first time I ever really leave.”

Of course, he had left for the High Heavens but Tian had recreated his palace for him and the city up there had only looked marginally different from the one down here. For the most part, he had still felt as if he was at home. The only times he didn’t feel that way were the short trip to the Spring of Fate which had mostly been occupied by the visions though and then the way down the Tian Shan and back to the capital city. Overall though, that hardly made up any time. Not compared to the rest of his life anyway.

Qiu Ling naturally wouldn’t misunderstand Jing He. He knew how he had lived before, now even more so than before. After all, Bai Fen and Qiang Yan had told him quite a bit about the past while Jing He was gone. It had really helped put some things into perspective. The fear of the unknown that lay ahead of him was to be expected with the experiences he had had. In a way, they could probably count themselves lucky that Jing He had managed to venture out of the capital city just a little during his trial.

“It must feel scary, knowing that everything will be new. But … I’ll be there, Jinde and Leng Jin Yu will be there, and An Bai and my other advisers will be as well. Your cousin and his wife will also move back to the dragon realm from what I know. So you won’t be alone. There will be a lot of people there who care about you and who will try to make things easier for you.”

Jing He nodded. Of course, part of his uneasiness was due to not actually knowing any of these people. If he was honest, Adviser An Bai might be the one among them he was most familiar with and from what he knew, An Bai would stay in the Nine Heavens for a few additional weeks at the very least. He couldn’t expect any help from him until then which really was a pity.

He had asked An Bai about things regarding the dragons he didn’t understand in the past. Since he was a scholar, he didn’t feel self-conscious asking him about almost anything. With others, it would be different. Most likely, it would be the worst when it came to someone like Jinde whom he wanted to leave with a good impression. He certainly didn’t want to seem clueless and as if he couldn’t do anything on his own in front of them.

Qiu Ling turned to look at him and smiled wryly. “That doesn’t sound all that reassuring to you, does it?”

Jing He also retracted his gaze and turned to his lover, feeling that he had done something wrong. He shouldn’t feel like this, he knew. He just … couldn’t help himself.

Qiu Ling reached over and rubbed his cheek, his smile easing. “It’s alright. We’ll use the first few days so you can get acquainted with the palace and the city. Not just from your memories but as you are now. I’ll slowly introduce you to all the people you ought to know and whenever you don’t understand something, you can directly ask me.

“You know I won’t judge you, right? You’ve never judged me for not understanding something that is normal for the gods but maybe not for the dragons either. I certainly don’t expect more of you than I expect of myself. I’ve had more time to learn and despite that, I still don’t know even half the things I probably should. That’s just life. Let’s not get hung up on it.”

Jing He nodded again and then stepped closer, gingerly reaching out to grab Qiu Ling’s arm and hold onto him. “I know. I know all of that. I just … feel a bit anxious. I want the people around you to like me. If I do things wrong, I am afraid they won’t. They … might not but it’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t want to cause trouble to you. I want you to be happy.”

Qiu Ling’s smile brightened and he leaned in, kissing Jing He on the lips. “I’ll be your husband at that time. No matter what anyone does, my happiness can hardly be reduced anymore by then, can it?”

Jing He immediately relaxed when he heard this. He would never tire of hearing Qiu Ling say sweet words to him. It was as if just by being reassured of his feelings, everything else was only half as bad. Of course, it couldn’t change the circumstances and when he was in the situation, he knew he would still worry but at least in this very moment, he felt at peace.

He leaned closer, letting go of Qiu Ling’s arm and hugging his waist instead. Tomorrow … tomorrow, he would leave with him and moments like these would not be the exception any longer but their daily life. Needless to say, he anticipated that moment eagerly.