Jinde and his husband arrived shortly after Qiu Ling and Jing He, not giving them too much time to talk to Bai Fen and Qiang Yan.

Even though all three people had tried to calm Jing He down, he still felt nervous when they walked up to the gate to receive them. He tightly held Qiu Ling’s hand, afraid that he would be disliked and their relationship would be put through yet another test.

When he looked up at the two people who had come, most of Jinde’s figure was covered by a long veil. Even though he was indeed alive and back in the dragon realm, only a select few people knew about this for certain. Others who had caught a glimpse of him certainly had their guesses but didn’t know for sure. As for the Nine Heavens … naturally, nobody but the few people closest to Jing He knew about it. Thus, for the time being, this person could only appear with his face and hair covered. Meanwhile, his husband quietly stood next to him, a wooden box in hand and a calm smile on his face.

Jing He’s attention was on Jinde for the most part though and seeing that dark veil, the panic in his heart that had never settled down surged up further. Without seeing his face, he couldn’t see any reaction from the person opposite. Maybe right now, he was already being disliked …

Qiu Ling felt him stiffen and rubbed his hand to try and calm him down. At the same time, he signaled Jinde with his eyes to get in already and take off that veiled hat. Standing here really wasn’t helping at all!

Jinde smiled at his urgency but with a glance at Jing He, he also understood. He didn’t waste any time and turned to Bai Fen, inclining his head. “We had to organize someone to look after the child at home so we’re running a little late. I’m sorry about that.”

Bai Fen shook her head and motioned inside. “Don’t mention it. We’re all going to be a family soon. Why be so unfamiliar? Let’s go in first.”

Jinde gave a hum and followed her inside, his husband trailing behind while the young couple followed after the three of them. Qiang Yan closed the door after they had entered, making sure no prying eyes could see anything that was happening inside.

As soon as it shut completely, Jinde took off the veiled hat and handed it to his husband before turning to Jing He. “I’m glad that we finally get to meet. When I … reconnected with Qiu Ling, it was early in your trial. He brought me to see you once but just seeing can’t compare to actually meeting.”

Jing He looked at him with wide eyes. Jinde spoke kindly but hearing him say that he had seen him before made his worry surge further. He just … felt afraid.

Jinde continued to look at him. It was a long time since he had seen this kind of cute child. His smile brightened and he reached out, tapping Jing He’s forehead as his eyes curved into crescents. “Child, I don’t bite. Even if I wanted to, I’d bite my husband.”

The man in question gave him a look. While this was true … was that something he should say out loud in this situation?

Qiu Ling also barely held back from facepalming. What a way to display the easy-going nature of the dragon race! Had Jinde forgotten what he said about Jing He and his love for rules and propriety? Even if he was old, he shouldn’t be old enough to forget this kind of thing!

As expected, while these words finally shocked Jing He out of his stunned silence, his reaction wasn’t any more positive than before. He hung his head, looking more than a little concerned. “I’m sorry.”

Jinde who had only wanted to make a joke to ease the atmosphere had no idea what to do. Usually, he considered himself to be a very approachable and kind person who was easy to get along with. So what was with this expression full of shame? It seemed Qiu Ling had still undersold just how timid this child was! Thinking of that, he turned to the person in question, silently asking for help.

Unfortunately for him, Qiu Ling also didn’t know what to do. Apart from telling Jing He not to take Jinde’s inappropriate behavior seriously, there didn’t seem to be anything else. And doing that … would likely only cause more issues.

Jinde clicked his tongue when he didn’t get the help he wanted. He expressed his dissatisfaction by glaring at Qiu Ling and then turned to Jing He again, feeling that he still had to solve this on his own. “There is nothing to apologize for. Don’t take what I just said seriously.” Hesitating for a moment, he finally reached over and cupped Jing He’s cheeks, tilting his head up so he could look into his eyes. “I know it’s scary.

“After I figured out that I was in love with Qiu Ling’s father, I was afraid when I went to see his mothers the next time and I knew those people beforehand. It just felt very different to suddenly see them after knowing that maybe they could be my in-laws one day, instead of simply the parents of a friend.

“I would tell you that there is no need to be worried but you won’t stop just because of that. It’s the situation that makes you feel that way and I know it’ll take time for us to get to know each other and get familiar so you can be comfortable around me.

“I do want you to know that I will never get between you and Qiu Ling though. Not just because it would be a stupid idea with him being a dragon and already having joined his soul with yours but also because I know how much he loves you and I can also see that you love him just as much. Having experienced what I did throughout my life, I would never stand in the way of that.”

Jing He stared at him, unable to respond. Jinde indeed wasn’t scary but yes, the current situation made him feel ill at ease. In the end, he simply nodded gingerly.

Seeing Jing He calm down slightly, Jinde smiled and motioned to the table. “Then let’s go and sit down. I believe we have some gifts to exchange and discuss a few more things for your wedding.” He let go and reached out to his husband instead.

Qiu Ling used the opportunity to steer Jing He toward the table as well.

Soon, everyone had sat down, with Qiang Yan and Bai Fen on one side while Jinde and his husband were seated on the other one, the young couple between the two families. This gathering was the first custom in a long line of many that preceded the actual wedding ceremony of the gods. Its purpose was an exchange of gifts between the families, meant to signify the parents’ acceptance of their child’s future spouse and also the good relationship both sides hoped to forge with each other.

Jinde’s husband put down the wooden box he had been carrying before turning to look at the God of War who he was more familiar with than the Heavenly Empress. In this case, as Jing He’s father wasn’t in favor of the union between Qiu Ling and Jing He, Qiang Yan had taken over as another member of Jing He’s family. While it wasn’t quite traditional, it was the best they could do under the current circumstances. The fact that they were a little more familiar was quite helpful as well.

Jinde also turned to the two gods opposite and inclined his head. “This is not a custom we have in the dragon realm so I hope that what we chose will be appropriate for the occasion. We’re happy to have Jing He join the family. And even though Qiu Ling certainly would have wished that this upcoming wedding had been held years ago, I am especially glad that my husband and I are able to be here to witness it.

“We never thought we’d get this chance but we have managed to get the family back together which wouldn’t have been possible without Jing He’s trial. Wedding aside, we are grateful to be given this chance.” He turned to Jing He and smiled faintly. “Maybe all of this is indeed fate. Not just the relationship between the two of you but also this family coming together in precisely this way, with you in the middle of it. I hope … that with time, you will feel just as much a part of it as you feel that you are part of your mother’s family.”

Qiu Ling looked at Jinde. Don’t think he hadn’t noticed how he specifically spoke of his mother’s family, ignoring the other side completely as if it didn’t exist at all. Well, currently, it might as well be that way. At the very least, the Heavenly Emperor wouldn’t attend any of these customs so … was there really any difference?

Also, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like hearing this. After all, obviously, he was doing this because Jinde disliked the Heavenly Emperor and the only reason for that was that the guy had constantly antagonized him since he met Jing He for the first time and asked him to get married. In a way, this was Jinde helping him to vent his frustrations, no matter how small the impact might be. This feeling of being spoiled by a parent … he hadn’t felt it in too long so he’d gladly take even such a small chance.

Jing He also noticed this detail. Maybe surprisingly, his feelings on it weren’t any more complicated than those of his future husband. His father indeed wasn’t here and, admittedly, his relationship with his mother and uncle was closer than that with his father. To say that he wanted him to feel as much part of Qiu Ling’s family as he did with his mother’s … that actually meant more than if Jinde had spoken of the Heavenly Family that he felt a lot more difficult about. In the end, Jing He simply inclined his head in gratitude. “I am honored to be given the chance.”

Jinde nodded and reached out to open the box. “It’s a small token of our appreciation. We … wanted it to be tied to the dragon realm, considering the identities of both Qiu Ling and me, but also be something that might lend itself to practical use so we chose a few resources of our realm like the pearls from the Qishi Sea and gems from the mountains in the western regions.

“These make for beautiful jewelry or decorations but can also be ground down as ingredients for refinement or to make special weapons. We figured that this way, you could get the perfect use out of them that suits your needs and may also take future additions to the family into consideration.”

Hearing the last part, Jing He’s face flushed bright red. Even though he was about to marry Qiu Ling, he hadn’t expected this topic to be brought up today as well.