Qiu Ling sighed faintly. “I remember growing up in the palace for the first years. It was … a special experience and I regret that it didn’t last longer. Those are … the fondest memories of the past that I have and I wouldn’t want to miss that.

“Having people around who aren’t just your family but are similar in how their day-to-day life looks or at least connected in their cause for being there, that can make you feel like part of something bigger and forms closer relationships. I believe it is a good thing for the dragon race as a whole to further that feeling of kinship and it is also good for people on a personal level who have the opportunity to form close bonds they’ll benefit from in many ways.

“So even though it might seem odd to you because it differs so much from how things are in the Nine Heavens, I can at least say that it does have its benefits. You might also come to appreciate it in the future, after experiencing it for a while, but if you don’t, you don’t have to force yourself to pretend otherwise either.”

He turned back to Jing He and lightly shook his hand, giving him a faint smile. “I know there will be a lot of new things you encounter. It might be overwhelming at times so don’t push yourself. If you aren’t comfortable with something, take your time, and let’s talk about it to find a way around it. I can assure you that there will be a solution for everything.”

Jing He nodded but he was sure that with a little bit of time, he would manage to get used to everything. Things were indeed a bit different from what he was used to but he could deal with that. He just needed to observe a little longer and figure out how to behave.

The two of them soon reached the square in front of the palace. There were a lot of people gathered around, clearly having waited for their return from the Nine Heavens.

Jing He felt somewhat intimidated being stared at by so many pairs of eyes but at the same time, he felt a sense of pride well up in his heart. All these people … they were here because they admired Qiu Ling. If not for his husband being such a great king to the dragons, the response wouldn’t be as enthusiastic. These people saw the same thing in his husband as he did which only went to show how inspiring Qiu Ling truly was.

He looked up at his husband, his gaze softening. Even though they were married now, it still felt almost unbelievable that this man had somehow favored him among hundreds of thousands of people he could have picked from. He didn’t know how he deserved this but he knew just how blessed he was to receive his attention and love.

Qiu Ling also turned to Jing He when he perceived his gaze and smiled. Being looked at like this and thinking of how they were now in the dragon realm where every single person wished them well and came here to show them exactly that, instead of in the Nine Heavens where he had to fight so hard to sometimes even be allowed to see Jing He … it filled his heart with gratitude.

This was the future he had imagined for so long and finally, it was in his grasp. He’d hold it carefully in his hands and cherish it forever. Every single day, he’d show Jing He how much he loved him, and just as he had promised he’d help him through the issues he still had and through whatever might happen in the future. Such a life … he was blessed to have received the opportunity to live it.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around Jing He’s waist, pulling him closer. The smile on his lips had never dimmed apart from the few short moments he thought of what had been lost in the past. Now that he was looking forward again, it only brightened further. “Let’s accept everyone’s congratulations and then I’ll show you some more of the city before we return to the palace, alright?”

Jing He nodded, his own lips curving up into a beautiful smile as well. “Yes, that sounds lovely.” To be honest, he was looking forward to hearing more from the people living in the capital city of the dragon realm. While he had come into contact with some people during his trial, his understanding of the dragons was still much too shallow. Not to mention that his identity was now very different. He wanted to see how everyone would behave and listen to what they had to say so he could understand better.

By now, their family members and the advisers trailing behind with the half-bloods, and some of the generals had already arrived and were following them along with the people of the capital city who had been waiting at the gate.

Hearing what Qiu Ling said, Xiang Yong jumped into action and had the servants bring over a seat for the two of them, as well as a small table and a tea set. Looking at the crowd of people around, he simply couldn’t imagine that they would be there for a short amount of time to accept those congratulations and maybe even gifts. The dragons were simply too enthusiastic about this wedding to do so.

Qiu Ling lightly pulled Jing He down, sitting so close to him that he could basically hold him in his arms. His lips curved up further and he glanced at Xiang Yong, feeling appreciative that he had thought of getting them a ta instead of a pair of chairs. This was definitely superior to the way the gods had handled things.

Xiang Yong could only smile back wryly. They had suffered from their king’s odd acting for years but the one thing still stayed the same even now that the secret was out in the open: Whenever the Son of Heaven was concerned, the closer was always the better. Their king definitely couldn’t wait to stick to him every second of the day. As a qualified adviser, how could he not know that and act on it?