As An Bai told Shou Quan and her wife about the past of the dragon race’s wedding customs, everyone else slowly let go of the tension they had felt when the two of them arrived. Even though they knew that this meant nothing much in the grand scheme of things, just having two more people on their side — and even two who happened to be full-blooded dragons — made them feel that things weren’t as hopeless as they had thought. With that thought, they slowly continued forward, waiting for everyone else to catch up.

At the same time, Qiu Ling and Jing He made their way to the capital city of the dragon realm, their family members following with a little distance to give the newly wedded couple some space.

When the gate came into view, Jing He couldn’t help but hold Qiu Ling’s hand more tightly. Leaning in more closely, he looked at the people who seemed to have gathered around the path with some worry. “They … they won’t dislike me, will they?”

Qiu Ling immediately shook his head and squeezed Jing He’s hand. “They will love you.” He raised Jing He’s hand and dropped a kiss on its back, trying to quietly encourage him. “They’re probably just eager to meet you and congratulate us. The dragons don’t have much of a … sense of ceremony, I’m afraid. They’ll probably swarm us as soon as we land. It’s alright to stay close to me if you’re afraid. Nobody will think less of you. After all, you are new here and not a dragon either. Plus, being close to your spouse is somewhat expected here.”

Jing He hurriedly nodded and indeed clung tightly to Qiu Ling. He didn’t want to seem as if he was afraid but … well, he was indeed somewhat tense. He still feared being disliked by Qiu Ling’s people because he did something wrong and left them with a bad impression right away. Considering everything he knew about the dragon race, staying close to Qiu Ling seemed like the natural thing to do though.

Qiu Ling waved for the cloud to stop but let it hover in the air for a little longer. “If you want me to, I could carry you in my arms.” He faintly raised his brows, actually somewhat looking forward to it. He doubted he’d get the chance though. His beloved would probably be embarrassed to be carried into the city.

Jing He looked at him with wide eyes and then hastily shook his head. If they did that, wouldn’t the dragons who valued strength look down on him? They might already think he was weak because he was a god and he certainly didn’t have the reputation of a warrior. In fact, if anyone asked him to fight today … he would certainly make a fool of himself and Qiu Ling as well.

Thinking of this, Jing He’s grasp on Qiu Ling’s hand tightened while he shook his head again, more frantic this time around. “No, I definitely can’t do that.”

Qiu Ling clicked his tongue. “What a shame. I’d have loved to carry you all the way through the city. Well, maybe another time. Let’s get down then if you’re ready. If there are any important people, I’ll introduce you. Some might come up to do it themselves though so don’t be afraid when that happens.”

Jing He nodded and took a deep breath to calm down as much as possible.

The cloud slowly descended. When they had almost reached the ground, Qiu Ling jumped down. He still held Jing He’s hand and carefully helped him to step down, happily pulling him into his arms when he did and smiling brightly.

The people around immediately erupted into cheers, their voices loud enough that it seemed they might shake the city walls.

Qiu Ling’s smile brightened even further and he turned to look at his people. At this moment, he didn’t think of what he had done earlier. All his thoughts were on the fact that he had finally brought his beloved home after way too many years and he had even done so with Jing He already being his husband according to the customs of the gods. No matter how he looked at it, he seemed to be insanely lucky to call this his reality. Now … he should definitely show off this good luck.

Pulling Jing He completely into his arms, he tried to rein in his smile somewhat but miserably failed. “Well, I finally got married. Everyone, meet my husband. Jing He, crown prince of the Nine Heavens.” He turned his head and kissed Jing He’s temple, feeling that there was honestly no point in trying to curb his smile. When showing off, he might as well show off all of his happiness.

Jing He felt somewhat embarrassed by this big display of affection but he still made sure to keep a pleasant expression up and inclined his head toward the people that had been waiting, hoping that this would be good enough.

In response, they once again received everyone’s cheers. This time, some people also turned to the side, hurriedly waving and stepping aside to let some others through. In just a moment, someone ran to the front.

Qiu Ling hugged Jing He tightly, staring at the person with some distrust. In theory, he didn’t need to fear anything in his own capital but … he suddenly felt that with so many people around, things were indeed somewhat chaotic. Now that someone suddenly ran at them, he felt the reflex to defend his beloved.

Before he could accidentally strike out, the man in front produced a box from a spatial bracelet and held it out with a smile. “Your Highness … uh, no, Your Majesty, welcome to the dragon realm, and congratulations on your wedding!” He hesitated and then looked from Jing He to Qiu Ling. “Congratulations to you too, Your Majesty! This …” He lifted the box and suddenly didn’t seem to know what to do with it.

A woman rushed up from behind and slapped his back, making him stumble on the spot. “It’s a welcome gift! Some people have also prepared gifts for the wedding celebration itself. Everyone is happy it has finally happened!” Then, she beamed at Jing He just the same.