The couple didn’t notice his misery at all. Jing He was somewhat embarrassed by their own situation while Qiu Ling was still immersed in the feeling of hearing sweet love words from his beloved. Where would they have the time to care for someone else’s negative feelings?

Qiu Ling didn’t try to force the issue when Jing He didn’t repeat his words. He simply gave another hum and pulled him over to their table. Anyway, while hearing his beloved tell him how much he loved him was the best feeling in the world, having people come up and congratulate them on their successful wedding was a close second. After all, it still meant the same thing in the end: They were in love and now happily married as they should be.

After sitting down, Qiu Ling took a moment to pick up the pot of tea that had been prepared and poured a cup for Jing He. After the ceremony, he suddenly understood the beauty of making tea for others. In the future, he should do this more often. Wasn’t this basically an expression of his love?

While he did so, one person made the start and walked up to their table.

When Jing He looked up, his eyes widened. He had expected the first person to be someone they were familiar with but … well, not like this. The person in front of them was none other than the incumbent demon king, Ye Yang. The other two demons had remained seated but were looking over, watching closely. It made him feel on edge and he subconsciously reached to the side, taking Qiu Ling’s hand.

Qiu Ling wasn’t paying attention to the newcomer and focused completely on steeping the tea. When he felt Jing He’s touch, he immediately lost interest in the cup though and turned to look at him. Right after the ceremony, he had still been in a solemn mood, fitting the occasion and how seriously it would affect their lives. Now, the feeling of bliss at finally being married was getting stronger and stronger, overtaking the seriousness of it all. He just wanted to pull his beloved into his arms and hold him for the rest of their lives, showering him with affection.

Jing He wasn’t sure what to say when Qiu Ling looked at him that way and simply gave the demon king a concerned look. This was his wedding as well so he should probably say something if Qiu Ling wouldn’t but … he had thought he’d defer to his husband when it came to handling these matters now. To suddenly have to do it himself came as a surprise.

He hesitated but finally still spoke up. “Mojun … we are glad that you found the time to come by.”

Ye Yang inclined his head. He ignored the person who wasn’t even glancing in his direction and simply focused on the one who was awkwardly trying to make conversation, helping him out. “Things are indeed busy in the demon realm but today is a special occasion for both the Nine Heavens and the dragon realm so naturally, we made it possible. My congratulations on your wedding. I hope that the two of you will have a long and blissful life together. As a … sign of our appreciation, we brought a small gift from the demon realm.”

He didn’t wait for Jing He to speak and instead pulled out the painting he had managed to snatch from Zan Yin. “This painting was entered into a competition we held recently in the capital city. While it didn’t win in the end, it is my personal favorite among the entries. To me, it represents beauty that blossoms despite struggles which I find fitting as a description of a relationship as well. I want to gift this to the two of you for your wedding to say that no matter what difficulties might present themselves, there is always a way to see beauty in the worst of situations and always a way out of the dark. Of course, I do hope that the big struggles are behind you and no new ones will follow but in life, not everything goes as planned.”

He looked at the painting and then handed it over to Jing He. “Of course, apart from the wedding, what the gods celebrate today is Your Highness’ safe return. We aren’t very familiar so I am afraid my gift might be a little lacking. I heard that Your Highness was fond of the more … scholarly pastimes so I decided on a set of stationery. I hope that you will find a use for it.” He handed this gift over as well and took a quick glance at the dragon king but the person was still busy making doe eyes at his husband so he retracted his gaze just as fast.

Jing He hastily nodded. “Thank you very much. These gifts are very much appreciated, just as is your presence today. Please make yourself comfortable.” Even though the relationship with the demons wasn’t that great in general, he couldn’t deny that the demon king himself had played a big part in letting him return home safely after he got lost. Naturally, he should show his gratitude. Either way, this person wasn’t the one who had waged war against them or the dragons before and had instead helped Qiu Ling by warning him ahead of time before the last battle. Clearly, his intentions were different.

Ye Yang inclined his head in thanks. “We will, although we might have to leave ahead of time due to the situation in our realm. I hope Your Highness and Longjun won’t misunderstand. We are honored to be here today but it hasn’t been that long since I acceded to the throne and the current situation still leaves much to be desired. I believe everyone will benefit from it if I rectify these issues as soon as possible.”

At this, Ye Yang finally received a certain someone’s attention as well. Not that he was surprised. After all, the war between their races concerned all of them and he had at least hinted at his own stance just now which was opening the door to further discussions in the future. Of course, someone who had reigned for as long as the dragon king wouldn’t miss that cue.