An Bai was preoccupied with his conversation with Xiang Yong and didn’t notice the demons leaving.

Qiu Ling who had a good view of the inner part of the square immediately saw when the group of three got up though. He paid some attention as they made their way over to one of the guards and then glanced at their backs when they were escorted away. He also saw Ye Yang turn around one last time but he couldn’t have said what exactly he was looking at. He did feel that this new king of the demon race was interesting though. Even though nothing could be said for certain yet, it did seem like some changes were imminent. Well, that wasn’t something to worry about today though.

He retracted his gaze and focused his attention on the guests who were still coming up to congratulate them again. The demon king had said that they’d have to leave early and he obviously hadn’t been wrong. By now, a good part of the people from the dragon realm hadn’t come up yet and not even half of the gods had made their speech. It seemed like they’d be here for a few more hours at least.

He hummed faintly and turned to look at Jing He. His beloved was smiling at the guests, saying a few words every now and then when one of the gods came up. Apart from when Yu Gan had made her appearance, he never spoke to the dragons though. Well, it was to be expected. He’d need some time to get to know everyone.

Qiu Ling turned back to the front. Admittedly, he felt somewhat impatient. When could they leave for the dragon realm? It wasn’t that he didn’t like the Nine Heavens or something but … well, simply sitting here didn’t quite make all of this feel real. No, only when he took his beloved home would he feel that this was forever now.

Or, well, at least he hoped that would drive the point home. Maybe tomorrow morning, he’d still wake up and feel like he was in a dream. It was entirely possible. After all, having waited so long, it seemed surreal that things had suddenly gone so fast in the end. One day, his beloved was still gone, the next, he had returned and they were speeding up their wedding preparations, going through the appropriate rites, and finally holding the ceremony. All of that had gone down in a mere week. Wasn’t that crazy?

He glanced at Jing He again, feeling that he really was too lucky. He’d better hold onto him well in the future. Speaking of which … Qiu Ling picked up the teapot and poured Jing He another cup, using the action to sneakily reach out beneath the table and entangle their fingers.

Jing He turned to look at him in surprise but then, his smile brightened and he squeezed his hand back.

Qiu Ling beamed but only wished more that he could pick up Jing He from his seat and speed to the dragon realm. Being alone to say a few love words sounded great. Having to wait for everyone to take their turn was killing him!

Jing He had already turned back to the front, exchanging a few pleasantries with the trueborn god who had just walked up. Feeling Qiu Ling’s fingers move, he couldn’t help but glance at him again though. In the past, they had only taken part in one official occasion together but the customs that day hadn’t taken long and the rest of the time had been spent privately. Seeing him like this now … his husband seemed a bit impatient. He probably didn’t like dealing with such occasions, did he?

Jing He lowered his gaze, not sure how to feel. This was their wedding. Did he feel that it was too much?

The trueborn god in front bid his farewell and left while the next person already approached.

To be honest, looking at how there was one person after another but not even half of the guests had made an appearance yet, it was understandable why Qiu Ling wouldn’t be happy. He just would have hoped it would be different. He wanted him to like this day with all it had to offer.

Qiu Ling glanced at the person who was currently walking toward them and leaned closer to Jing He, feeling that he had to at least say a few words if he didn’t want to go crazy. “How come it’s our wedding day but I have to share your attention with so many people? We have said less to each other than we have to our guests. If they weren’t saying such nice things, I’d have to shoo them away.”

Jing He was pulled out of his thoughts at once and looked up again, his cheeks flushing red. That was to say … Qiu Ling wasn’t impatient because he was dissatisfied with this in general but because he wanted to spend time with him alone?

His uncle’s words suddenly came back to him and he didn’t know how to react. He hastily turned back to the front and simply greeted the next person, trying not to think about it. Anyway, while he knew that what was to come would come, there was still some time. By then, he would indeed be ready. Until that time, he’d just focus on the task at hand.

In this way, with one person longing for the banquet to finish and the other’s thoughts drifting between their current task and what was to come in the evening, the banquet slowly drew to a close. The remainder of the visitors from the dragon realm had made their appearance and so had the multitude of trueborn gods and ascended deities who were in attendance.

By the end of it all, it was tough to recall which person had gifted what or what they had said to them. All of it seemed to be a blur. But overall, the impression remained that everyone was happy for this step they had finally taken and in this regard, the couple truly was thankful after all the troubles they had gone through.