A few more of the titled gods made their way up front before the people from the spirit beast tribe took an opportunity to make an appearance. As soon as they were done, the three people from the demon realm quietly made their way off the square.

Ye Yang felt that they had stayed long enough to make their presence known and show their attitude toward the gods and dragons going forward. Waiting for both sides to send a few representatives was definitely the right choice here and the spirit beasts were technically counted as part of the dragon race so he hadn’t wanted to leave before they hadn’t presented their gift. Now that that was done, they could go back to the demon realm without issue.

He quietly led Lin Shi and Xia Wei past the rows of tables, glancing in An Bai’s direction as he did. The white-haired dragon wasn’t paying any attention to him at all. Instead, he had his head lowered and was whispering with Xiang Yong.

Ye Yang felt his heart squeeze in pain. He knew that there was nothing between those two. He had worried about that before but it hadn’t seemed like it after observing for a while. They clearly were close though and … he really felt jealous. Having this type of close relationship with An Bai, he’d also like to have it. He knew it was a pipe dream but that didn’t make him long for it any less.

He hastily retracted his gaze before he showed too much of his emotional fluctuations and walked up to one of the guards from the Palace of War, putting on the most pleasant-but-distant smile he could muster. “It’s time for us to leave. I suppose everyone will feel a lot better if we aren’t left to our own devices on the way out so I’d be grateful if you or one of the others could escort us out of the city just in case.”

Of course, apart from people worrying about what they might do, there was also another reason for him to ask for this: What if something unrelated happened? Being escorted would mean that someone could vouch that they had never been alone in the capital city from the time they stepped foot in it to the time they finally left. So if anyone committed a crime … well, it certainly couldn’t have been them.

This meant that if someone brought it up, he could refer to that fact, express his regret that something like that had happened, offer to have them speak to Lin Shi and Xia Wei to ask whether they had seen anyone suspicious during the celebration or on the way out, and then wash his hands off this. It was a simple matter but very effective.

Plus, at the same time, he could show his goodwill by making this move. So why wouldn’t he do it? He wasn’t that obsessed with face so while others might think it shameful to be led outside as if they had to be guarded against, he just focused on the overall picture. Anyway, he and his people were being guarded against, so why pretend otherwise?

The guards weren’t as rigidly assigned to their posts as usual for today’s celebration, mostly because a lot more of them were on active duty and the people from the Court of Justice had also joined in and were keeping an eye on things. Thus, leaving their position for a while wasn’t an issue, especially when the reason was to make sure that the demons were on the move.

He inclined his head, his gaze brushing over the three people as he thought he’d better take someone else along. “Certainly, Mojun. Please give me a moment to report.”

Ye Yang simply nodded and didn’t even bother saying anything. He could imagine what there was to report but since it coincided with what he wanted anyway, why should he make an issue out of it? He simply stood aside and turned back, his gaze brushing over the rows upon rows of guests attending this royal wedding.

One day in the future, the demons would also make up a bigger number of people in attendance. At that time, their standing — while maybe not equal to the gods and dragons — would be a lot better than it was today. They and their motives wouldn’t be constantly questioned and even if they were seen as … too competitive and proud, they’d at least be included and somewhat trusted not to betray everyone around them the very next moment.

Maybe at such a time, some relationships could flourish. At the very least, they should be able to cultivate friendships, right? No matter what they were based on, that should be a possibility. Yes, they could work together, discuss the present and future together, and process the things that had happened in the past. It couldn’t make up for everything they had done but it could be the basis for a better future for everyone. He was working toward that and he would make it possible.

Just then, the guard returned, another two trailing behind. One of them nodded at them and took over the spot the other guard had just left while the other greeted them quickly and then motioned toward the gate.

Ye Yang inclined his head and took a last look at the crowd that had gathered, his gaze lingering on that special person for just a heartbeat, before he finally turned around and left. This time, they really wouldn’t see each other again for a long time. At the very least, he didn’t think that anyone else would deliver an excuse like today’s celebration to him.

But then, it hardly mattered, did it? After all, they were far from being the somewhat trustworthy race he wanted them to be seen as so why would An Bai trust him? No, he first had to work hard. Then later … maybe there would still be a chance.