It wasn’t like he had never held Jing He in his arms. It also wasn’t like he had never taken advantage of Jing He being slightly stunned by his boldness and taking some liberties. There had also been that time when they talked about their future wedding ceremony and he touched his beloved for the sake of making him understand what was to come. Still, none of those moments could compare to what was happening on this day.

Jing He still sat on his lap, not in stunned silence, confusion, or anxiety but instead in a manner that might be called calm and collected if you ignored his heartbeat that had obviously accelerated as soon as his husband’s hands started their journey.

He gingerly held onto those broad shoulders and slowly but surely, one of his hands moved to Qiu Ling’s back while he leaned further in, facilitating the gentle touch roaming his own body.

They continued to kiss but Qiu Ling still held back, afraid of scaring Jing He off if he deepened the kiss too much at this point. His mind constantly echoed reminders to himself to take it slow … slow …

It felt agonizing to hold the beauty he desired in his arms but not be able to proceed as he would have normally. And yet, when the tension left Jing He’s body bit by bit and he not only accepted his kiss but even embraced him back as if he was seeking his touch, that sense of urgency faded away.

So what if he had to slow down? So what if he could not proceed to the next part early but had to wait for a while longer? It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. The only important thing was his beloved being happy and satisfied. And going slow also meant spending more time together and exploring all of this together. What was so bad about that? He should cherish the opportunity and make the most of it.

His fingers brushed over Jing He’s back, trailing the length of his spine hidden beneath his hair. This was a place he seldom got to see as Jing He had always preferred wearing his hair open. Still, his beloved was beautiful no matter which way you looked at him and even if he couldn’t see, this was a beauty he could feel from his heart. A beauty that should be cherished inch by inch until no doubt was left that he was loved.

Reaching the small of his back, Qiu Ling moved his hand back up, slowly diverging from the previously taken path and brushing over Jing He’s shoulder blades instead. He felt the soft skin beneath the fabric of the wedding robe and the protrusion of the bones as his beloved faintly arched his body, a new kind of tension seeming to arise.

He cracked open his eyes which had fallen shut at some point and peered at Jing He’s face, noticing the deep flush on his cheeks. He interrupted their kiss and tilted his head, kissing the corner of his mouth and then his cheek. “How are you so beautiful, my love?” He left a trail of kisses up to his cheekbone but didn’t feel quite satisfied in his heart.

He suddenly understood how Jing He had felt earlier: Whether it was his words or his touch, neither seemed able to express how beautiful he truly thought him to be. He wanted him to know. Thinking that he could not express this felt almost agonizing.

Qiu Ling furrowed his brows but his kisses never stopped, his lips trailing even more slowly over Jing He’s face as his hand still moved around his back, caressing his shoulders one moment and then stroking his waist the next. “Too beautiful …” His lips reached his temple and lingered for a heartbeat before his arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him even closer.

His hand found its way up to his neck and Jing He slowly lowered his head toward him. Qiu Ling took this as his sign and his lips moved further along his forehead, leaving his mark everywhere. Even if it wasn’t visible, they would both remember these moments in their hearts and think back on them fondly, forever tied together by this experience, just as they had been by the ceremony in the morning.

When he reached the middle of his forehead, Qiu Ling had a rare moment of hesitation before he lowered his head, kissing the spot between Jing He’s brows and lingering there. This was the place where the Mark of Wisdom had been. A mark that Jing He had certainly considered his shame but that had also brought about the biggest change in his life, allowing him to break out of the cycle he had been trapped in for too many years.

Neither of them had been certain at first whether this mark vanishing was due to the sacrifice Jing He had made or because he had solved the issue that made him fall and thus managed to completely step away from the identity of a fallen god and become a trueborn god again. Now, after Tian had appeared and not mentioned anything, it seemed certain that the issue had indeed been completely solved.

But no matter what the truth was, it wouldn’t change a thing. He would be with Jing He regardless of what he was and would accompany him through everything he might face. He wanted him to know this so this place that should remind him of what he had gone through had to be specially considered.

It was his way of telling him that in his eyes, he was perfect no matter what. In his eyes, the changes he might experience throughout his life had no bearing on the love he felt for him. In his eyes, even a fallen existence was acceptable as long as that existence was him because he was the one he loved, no matter the circumstances or their identities.