Qiu Ling stared at Jing He as well and whatever thoughts he had before, they crashed to a halt. Actually, had he been thinking about anything before? He really couldn’t remember. If he had, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered any longer. Nothing but him.

He stared for a whole minute without his thoughts catching up to him. His beloved … oh, he had always been beautiful. He was still just as beautiful today. He simply happened to also wear what Bai Fen had explained to him as traditional wedding attire which was just too neat because he really longed to marry him.

Qiang Yan had followed behind Jing He and coughed lightly when the young couple looked at each other quietly without saying a word or moving. They still had a few minutes but if they missed the auspicious time because those two had gotten lost in each other’s eyes.

The faint sound pulled Qiu Ling out of his reverie. He still couldn’t think quite clearly but he strode forward and pulled Jing He into his arms by instinct. Anyway, this was his person. He ought to hold him in his arms. In fact, when it came to what he ought to do …

He reached up, gently held Jing He’s neck, and then leaned in, kissing him slowly.

Jing He’s eyes widened but then, he relaxed, melting into Qiu Ling’s arms. This was his fiance, his soon-to-be husband. Not even an hour remained until the ceremony would begin. Yes, soon, he would be his spouse and this would be a common occurrence. Nothing would hold them back from expressing their thoughts and feelings, being as close as they desired.

Qiu Ling felt further encouraged when Jing He didn’t pull back in the slightest. He would have loved to use the opportunity and go further but, for one, the auspicious time had almost arrived and he didn’t want them to miss their wedding ceremony, and two, his beloved’s uncle was standing only two steps away. Even kissing Jing He like this seemed to be pushing it. Not that he regretted doing it. No, he simply couldn’t see his beloved this way and hold back from even this. That was asking too much.

He held onto him for a moment longer, his lips only leaving Jing He’s after lingering for a while. Cracking his eyes open, he gazed at him and finally sighed. “Somehow … I want to skip the ceremony and directly carry you back to my realm.”

Jing He’s face flushed in response, the deep red color spreading not just over his cheeks but even tinting his ears. Originally, he might not have thought too much but … his uncle had just reminded him of what was to come after their return to the dragon realm. Now, Qiu Ling had rushed over to him and wildly kissed him before saying such words. How could he not think of his uncle’s words and understand this as Qiu Ling wanting to do even more than this?

He took a deep breath, unsure how to react. He naturally wanted this ceremony to happen but … this was his husband-to-be and what he desired was the ceremony of the dragons. It didn’t seem wrong to give in to this. He hesitated but then leaned further into Qiu Ling’s arms, pressing up against his body to show that he was willing to do anything for him.

Qiu Ling’s brows shot up. Even though the thought had indeed come up, he wouldn’t have expected this reaction in the least. Usually, shouldn’t his beloved shyly lower his head and tell him that he was behaving inappropriately? Ah, getting married was really different!

He sighed and tilted his head, kissing Jing He’s cheek. “Well, I’ve waited for so long, I suppose I can do the responsible thing and wait a little longer. Anyway, it’s both getting married.” To be honest, the ceremony of the gods meant just as much to him as that of the dragons. Even if he was more familiar with one of them, at the end of the day, their meaning was the same and that was what he cared about. Plus, this intricate ceremony was incredibly important to Jing He. How could he take that from him?

He pulled back a little and looked at Jing He deeply. “My love, you are always beautiful but today … today, this beauty is really eclipsing heaven and earth.” He gently cupped his face and smiled, his eyes curving up. “Come, let’s go and get married. The auspicious time should be almost here.”

Jing He felt slightly lost when Qiu Ling originally pulled back but being sweet-talked right after, whatever anxiety wanted to grip his heart was naturally wiped away. Anyway, it was just a question of time and he could still show Qiu Ling that he was ready for everything later today. Now, he simply nodded and let Qiu Ling take his hand to lead him outside.

Meanwhile, Qiang Yan watched those two and sighed deeply. Qiu Ling’s eagerness was expected but his nephew’s reaction to it was a little concerning. He could only hope that he hadn’t made matters worse when he brought those things up earlier. Well, there was still some time until this would become relevant. Until then, he should just keep his eyes open and maybe give a word of warning to Qiu Ling when Jing He wasn’t right next to him. For now, getting to the ceremony on time was the important part.

He stepped out of the building after them, nodded at Mu Kun and Huang Lan who were waiting, and then took the lead to bring the two people over to the square while the guards brought up the rear. In just a few minutes, they would find out whether or not everything could go smoothly. For his nephew’s sake and also for that of his sister, he really hoped that that was the case but … he knew that the chance of not even hearing a few bad words was rather slim.