As the couple reminisced about their past, Tian continued to guide them, moving from the time they fell in love to the day they promised each other to be together, and ending with the days leading up to the wedding and the morning of this very day that had them go through the last stage of preparation. Finally, the end of the meditation had been reached.

“This is the path the two of you have taken and it has led you to this day on which your lives will be joined for eternity. Now, open your eyes to swear your oath to each other.”

Jing He and Qiu Ling opened their eyes at the same time and turned to each other, their gazes filled with unspoken feelings right after they had recalled all those moments that had been special to them.

They had already made an oath when they went to the Tree of Love three days ago. As such, this part of the ceremony was optional and mostly used as a reaffirmation of the earlier promise, one that they made public in front of witnesses. Oftentimes, it was a little less personal but more solemn due to that. For the two of them who were getting married in front of so many people, it had been the obvious choice to include this second oath. Anyway, after the long wait before, why wouldn’t they take the opportunity to do this twice?

Qiu Ling reached out and took Jing He’s other hand as well, interlacing their fingers. “From this moment forth, I will be your husband. As such, I swear to love you until the end of eternity, to stay at your side, to support you through all hardships you and I will have to face and in everything you wish to achieve, to protect you against harm and keep you safe.”

Jing He lowered his gaze for a moment, smiling brightly. The sweetness he felt when hearing Qiu Ling say those words seemed to overflow and he hardly knew what to do. He squeezed his lover’s … no, his husband’s hands before he looked up again. “From this moment forth, I will be your husband. As such, I swear to love you until the end of eternity, to stay at your side, to support you through all hardships we have to face and in everything you wish to achieve, to protect you against harm and keep you safe.”

Qiu Ling smiled as well. Even if these words were more traditional and not something Jing He had come up with for him specifically, he still loved hearing them. After all, they signified that from now on, they were indeed officially married. All the worries before hadn’t been necessary. Nothing had gone wrong and they had finally fulfilled their wish.

Tian gave them a moment before he spoke up again. “The oath has been taken. It shall be accepted with a cup to be shared between the spouses.”

Off the stage, Li Yin grabbed the tray from the servant who was still somewhat tense since the Supreme Sovereign had appeared, and walked up the steps. He quietly knelt down and handed it over to the couple before making his way back down.

Qiu Ling put the tray on the small table that had been prepared ahead of time and took the initiative to prepare the first cup. Usually, this should be wedding wine but … well, he clearly remembered what had happened the last time he had given Jing He something alcoholic to drink. Even though he had admittedly used the wrong wine, he didn’t want to risk it on their wedding day of all times so they switched it out for tea instead.

Anyway, after consulting with the God of Justice, it seemed that it was actually nowhere specified that it had to be wine. If they wanted to, plain water would be just as acceptable. Of course, knowing that Jing He genuinely liked tea, he happily suggested this instead.

The tea he brewed was made from the blossoms of the summer sun tea, a flavor that Jing He cherished. He had thought of using the midnight lotus instead, due to the name but … the taste of the summer sun tree’s petals held a hint of sweetness which was just right for their wedding.

To make a cup of tea took some time and both of them were required to do so. Jing He waited a moment for Qiu Ling to start and then also began to brew a cup for his husband, quietly working alongside him. Finally, all that was left was for both of them to wait until the taste of the petals had seeped into the water.

Kneeling next to each other like this, knowing that they were officially married and that this was simply another formality to show their acceptance of each other’s vow, their hearts beat fast and a sense of excitement filled their bodies that was hard to dispel.

It only took a minute for the tea to be ready but the two of them couldn’t help but turn to look at each other, seeing the same relief and hope in the other’s eyes.

Qiu Ling hesitated for a moment and then reached out again, taking Jing He’s hand. He would have loved to say a few additional words but right now didn’t seem to be the right moment. Even though this was their wedding ceremony, there were so many people around who would hear so he didn’t think Jing He would appreciate it to hear any all-too-intimate things right now. No, those sweet love words would have to wait until later when they stepped off this stage and the banquet would begin.

Finally, the time for the tea to steep was over and he picked up the cup before turning back to his beloved and handing it over with a smile.

Jing He happily accepted it and took a sip before picking up the cup he had brewed, handing it to his husband.

Qiu Ling took a sip as well and then turned to look at Tian. Right now, he just wanted him to announce that the ceremony was done so that he could find some alone time with Jing He. As newly minted spouses, the time they spent alone was the most important part of the day, after all.