Bai Fen glanced at her son and barely held back a chuckle. “I suppose they have some time until then but we’ll keep it in mind.”

“Mn. I guess they do. Looking at your son makes me wonder whether or not I should beat up Qiu Ling.”

Qiu Ling’s lips twitched. It was just like Jinde to say something like this but couldn’t he take his beloved into consideration? Surely, with Jing He’s current state, it wasn’t the moment for jokes!

Jinde didn’t care about his expression and turned to Jing He instead. “You know, if he ever bothers you or tries to talk you into something you don’t want, you can come to me to hide out. He wouldn’t dare to confront me.”

“Ah?” Jing He stared at him with wide eyes and then glanced at Qiu Ling before shaking his head. “No, no, he would never.”

Jinde simply smiled. He didn’t think Qiu Ling would either but with Jing He’s personality, having somebody he knew he could come to if in doubt couldn’t hurt. “Well, he’d better not.” He dropped the topic at that and turned back to Bai Fen and Qiang Yan. “Anyway, I hope you’ll be able to make good use of it.”

“I am sure we will.” Bai Fen accepted the box, closed it carefully, and turned to her brother.

Qiang Yan had the gift they prepared stored in his spatial ring. Taking it out and putting it on the table, he opened the lid for the others. “I know a little about Qiu Ling and his family and what stood out to me from the beginning was how his father was always praised as a very talented swordsman, something that Qiu Ling had clearly inherited.

“These years, he has done his best to protect Jing He and I believe all of us are clear that the two of them will live in the dragon realm after the wedding so Bai Fen and I hope that he will continue to do so in the future. As our token of appreciation, we had a weapon forged that I hope will suit him.”

While this might sound as if it was entirely for Jing He’s benefit, this was about their families uniting as one. They had watched Jing He grow up and struggle through every single year. Thus, to them, nothing held more importance than his safety, something which Qiu Ling was obviously in agreement with. As the couple would never part ways in this life, it was meant as a blessing to both of them. They wanted them to be safe, to be protected, and to be free from harm. Regarding that, both their families should be in agreement.

Jinde inclined his head. “We will all protect him, I assure you of that.” He looked at Jing He, his gaze softening. He understood this wish to protect one’s family, one’s own child, very well. Naturally, he would do whatever he could to keep both of them safe.

Qiang Yan and Bai Fen had expected as much. Qiu Ling was dependable enough and with more people in his family, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Bai Fen turned to her son as well and smiled before facing Jinde and his husband again. “This is odd to say under these circumstances but it’s only a few more days. So far, my husband hasn’t caught on and I sure hope it stays that way or this will turn into a spectacle I’d rather avoid.”

Jinde inclined his head. “I suppose our chances aren’t too bad. Anyway, few people know the real purpose of the upcoming celebration yet, and those who do are trustworthy from what I’ve seen. Now, I believe there is one more custom to take care of today?”

Bai Fen nodded and got to her feet, putting away the box she had just received. On the wedding day, this gift would be displayed but until then, she naturally couldn’t leave it out in the open where her husband might see. “Yes, the visit to the Tree of Love. In my husband’s family, we’d do these things on different days but I feel that with his current stance and also with your identity, it is better to make everything a little … less ostentatious.”

Jinde wasn’t surprised. “I saw Cheng Dong get married. It was indeed quite pompous. Just as much as the day he acceded to the throne, to be honest.” Cheng Dong was the previous Heavenly Emperor or — to put it in more personal terms — Jing He’s grandfather. He wasn’t alive any longer now but he had been when Jinde was king of the dragon realm. In fact, Cheng Dong had acceded to the throne of the Nine Heavens a few thousand years after Jinde did so in the dragon realm. As a result, he was naturally invited to the occasion and also to his wedding. Thus, while he wasn’t that familiar with the customs of the gods, he at least had a rough understanding prior to speaking with Jing He’s mother in the past months.

Bai Fen herself hadn’t been born back then but she remembered her own wedding well enough and that had been one that Cheng Dong only begrudgingly allowed to happen because it required Rong Su to renege on his promise to marry Yin Lin Lin. Surely, his own would have only been more splendid, just like the Heavenly Family probably liked it. From what she remembered … “The Heavenly Family likes to make the pre-wedding customs a week-long affair, with one custom per day and all of it being … well, rather grand. Back when I married Rong Su, I felt it was a lot, even though I was told that it had already been toned down because my father-in-law wasn’t quite happy with our union in the first place.”

Qiang Yan smiled wryly. He had worried about his sister back then but had still thought that since she and Rong Su loved each other, all would be well. Now, he couldn’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t have spared his sister a lot of heartache if she had listened to the previous Heavenly Emperor and not married her husband.

Bai Fen might have agreed with him at other times but today, she was completely focused on her son and what her experiences meant for him. “So there is a precedent of simplifying things. In fact, even the wedding customs of the common folk are that way, including all the same steps but with less pomp around them and taking care of them in a shorter time frame. Usually, they do most of it the day before the actual wedding ceremony. I believe that in our case, a mixture of both is the best so today, I want to do the gift exchange, the ceremony at the Tree of Love, and then go to worship Tian and our ancestors. This will also give the children time to rest the next two days so they’ll have the energy for the ceremony.”

Jinde nodded. They had talked about this before and he was still in agreement. The original plan was the best way forward unless anything unforeseen happened. “I’m happy with that. So let’s go.” He turned to his husband, reaching out to get back the veiled hat. Unfortunately, until the actual ceremony happened, he had to continue to cover his face.

As ridiculous as it was to imagine, the Heavenly Empress, the God of War, the crown prince of the Nine Heavens, the incumbent king of the dragon race, and the previous king of the dragon race along with his husband all left the Heavenly Empress’ palace … to sneakily make their way to the Palace of Love, walking through several side streets and scanning their surroundings with each step they took to make sure they weren’t caught by Jing He’s father. When they finally got close to the building, they even separated, the two couples and the pair of brother and sister each entering the palace on their own instead of as one party.

Qiang Yan closed the gate behind them, taking a last look outside to ensure nobody was there.

Bai Fen sighed as soon as he did, her brows tightly furrowing. “I can’t believe my husband is making me act this ridiculously. This is supposed to be a joyous occasion but we have to sneak around like this. It’s unbelievable!”

Qiang Yan smiled wryly. Rong Su’s unreasonable behavior was nothing new but with the stark difference in their stances on this wedding, they finally had to do such a thing. There was no way around it. He was the Heavenly Emperor, after all. If he actually caught them and realized what was going on, who knew what the consequences would be?

After the wedding had already happened, while there would likely still be hell to pay, at least Qiu Ling could grab Jing He and rush to the dragon realm, getting him out of the center of the storm. As for him and Bai Fen … they had known Rong Su for so long and they weren’t the type to cling to glory. They could deal with whatever happened and wouldn’t look back to regret it for even a moment, not if it could ensure Jing He’s happiness.

Looking at the person in question, his expression was downcast as he gazed at his mother and uncle. He also knew what was at stake and he felt somewhat guilty toward the two of them for causing issues but … he had decided on Qiu Ling and he wasn’t willing to go back on that.

He turned to his fiance, leaned into his arms, and closed his eyes. Somehow, he would make it up to the two of them in the future.

Qiu Ling hugged him back, also glancing at his in-laws. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was souring Jing He’s mood despite this being a celebratory occasion but even though he knew, he couldn’t change it. He sighed helplessly and placed a tender kiss on top of Jing He’s head. “Don’t think about it. Soon, we’ll be married. Even if it isn’t happening exactly the way we dreamed it would, at least the result is still the same: We’ll be together for the rest of our lives, with nobody able to separate us any longer.”

Jing He nodded, wrapped his arms around Qiu Ling’s waist, and opened his eyes again, looking at his lover. Thinking of how they were together — officially so, soon enough — and how Qiu Ling would be there to help him through everything else that followed, he slowly calmed down.

At this time, Bai Fen came over and patted his shoulder. “Let’s go. It’s not getting any earlier.”

Jing He nodded but didn’t move and instead looked at his fiance.

Qiu Ling gazed at him as well and leaned in, lightly kissing him on the lips. “Yes, let’s follow your mother.”

Jing He flushed but when he looked around, nobody seemed to be paying attention. He sighed in relief and let go of Qiu Ling’s waist, following his mother.

Qiu Ling reached out to grab his hand with a smile. Together, they slowly walked further into the palace.

At this time, everyone seemed busy, leaving the corridors and courtyards empty. This was yet another precaution Bai Fen and Qiang Yan had taken so as not to leave any clues or even cause a rumor to spread.

When they reached the innermost courtyard of the Palace of Love, Jing He turned to look at the Tree of Love with its silver leaves where the ceremony would be held.

At that time, Yang Zan, the God of Love, arrived as well, closing the door behind him to shut out any prying eyes, and then came to greet everyone.