Sunlight spilled into the room through a crack in the window, landing on An Hei’s face and waking him from his slumber. He pressed his eyes shut and finally opened them, blinking against the light.

Today was the first day he would start and end as a married man.

That thought put a smile on his lips and he looked at Ling Ling who was still peacefully sleeping in his arms. He didn’t move for fear of waking her and just continued to watch her. In the distance, there were already the sounds of the servants that had woken up before them and were preparing for the day. When they got up, they could probably go to eat breakfast and then …

An Hei wasn’t quite sure what to do with their days now. So far, each and every day in the human realm had been spent preparing for his wedding with Ling Ling whether that was searching for his bride, negotiating with the matchmaker, or preparing the actual ceremony. Now though, he was a rather idle man. There was no work waiting for him, no place to go. He could spend every single second of the day with his wife.

An Hei’s smile became more pronounced when he thought of that. There were many things they could do. First off, he should show her his estate. After all, Ling Ling had only entered it yesterday and hadn’t seen much. After that, there was the city to look at.

Sandin was big and there were many sights to behold. Even though Ling Ling had grown up here, he didn’t know much and maybe there were also things she hadn’t visited yet. It was a question worth asking. He believed that Yuan Hao had also mentioned that there were teahouses that put on plays or invited storytellers. It might be fun to go there as well.

And after all that excitement, they could always return home. Just sitting in the shade of the magnolia tree in the garden, having a few snacks and some tea, and talking about whatever went through their heads sounded lovely.

An Hei sighed. Ah, waking up as a married man … felt really good. He was looking forward to this life they would build together.

He brushed his wife’s hair back over her shoulder and breathed a kiss onto her skin. Ling Ling sighed softly and nestled closer into his arms, her fingertips brushing gently over his forearm. An Hei watched them move up and down, then he extended his hand and caught them.

Ling Ling’s lips curved up in a sweet smile even though her eyes were still closed and her breath even. "Mister An …"

An Hei almost laughed out loud. How often did my wife dream of me in the previous ten years that she murmurs my name before even fully waking up? He lifted his head and bent over her shoulder, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "It’s the wrong name again. Didn’t we agree you’d call me 'husband'?"

This time, Ling Ling was woken up. She blinked her eyes and needed a moment to figure out what was going on. Seeing An Hei looked at her with a smile, her cheeks reddened. She actually hadn’t heard what he said just now but she also became aware that this man was her husband now. Thinking of that, how could she not blush?

Her eyelids lowered and her voice failed her for a moment. She tried again and even though her voice was only a whisper, An Hei still clearly heard her. "Husband."

His heart thumped in return and he pulled her around to face him, resting his head on the pillow again as well. "My wife."

Ling Ling couldn’t help but smile and nodded her head. "Mn."

The two of them continued to snuggle in bed for a while before they finally got up. Since there was nothing much to do, they didn’t hurry and just took their time with everything. Not only this day but also the following were especially leisurely. It really made one feel as if time had come to a standstill where nothing but them was important.

After a few days, Ling Ling couldn’t help but notice that Xu Fu was sticking around but never really seemed to dare to come over. She couldn’t help but wonder and finally asked An Hei about it.

The snake tribe’s king glanced over and chuckled. "Well, I wonder what it is that she wants."

The two of them were currently sitting in the garden just like he had imagined before. There was a warm breeze blowing, making the branches of the magnolia tree move and the leaves rustle while the grass to their feet swayed and the faint ripples of the lake close by accompanied them.

An Hei finally waved for Xu Fu to come over. "What’s the matter?"

The snake woman glanced at him and then at Ling Ling, apparently not sure how to bring up what was going through her mind. An Hei didn’t urge her and just waited.

After a moment, Xu Fu cleared her throat. "Your Majesty, with the time being different in this mortal realm compared to our snake tribe’s territory, there isn’t much to worry about but I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better to have somebody go and see if everything is alright and report to you whenever something happens."

An Hei’s lips curved up a little but he hurriedly pressed it down. "That is indeed a good idea. Considering the situation with the gods, we shouldn’t take any chances." He didn’t say more than that and silence stretched once again.

Xu Fu looked at him, agonizing over how to bring up her real intentions. They had already been here for many days. While her king was happy, to her, that thought was painful. Thinking of that, she finally forced herself to speak up. "Well, should I take care of that?"

An Hei finally showed that smile that he had been holding back. "I was wondering how long it would take you to ask. I gather you miss your wife. Of course, you can go back. Stay there when nothing happens and just come by if something happens. In any case, it will only be a few days over there but a long time here. Why would I separate you for so long?"

Xu Fu heaved a sigh of relief. She hurriedly bowed to him. "Thank you, Your Majesty! Then I will leave at once."

An Hei nodded and watched her leave, shaking his head when she was out of sight. "She has been working for me for so many years. You’d think she wouldn’t have waited this long."

Ling Ling looked at him, a little unsure about her husband’s behavior. "Why didn’t you offer her?" Clearly, he had thought of this before.

An Hei tilted his head and looked out at the small lake. "I guess I could have offered. But I feel it is better for her to ask herself. I want her to make the decision. So in the future, she won’t make one that she will regret."

Contrary to other demons, the snake tribe had a good chance to escape the pursuit of the gods should things come to the worst. At that time, he wouldn’t force anyone. As the king, An Hei would have no chance but to fight. And those who wanted to stand at his side would be welcome to do so. But people like Xu Fu who had a lover or a family at home had a few more things to consider. Why would he not give them the opportunity?

In his eyes, it wasn’t wrong to choose one’s own closest over others. Thus, he wanted to make Xu Fu realize what was more important to her so that she would be prepared when the day arrived and not be casually swayed by the decision of the others. If Yuan Hao, Hu Chen, and Nong Bai all decided to follow him to the battlefield, then he did not want her to feel as if she definitely had to follow along. After all, those three had no other considerations apart from their own life. She was different.

Ling Ling wasn’t sure that she understood but she could see that An Hei had given it some thought and that was enough for her to know. Thus, she merely nodded and the two of them went back to spending a quiet afternoon together, slowly cultivating their feelings.

An Hei and Ling Ling were not the only ones. The day after their wedding, Wu Shi Yu had come to the Yangs’ house, congratulating Madam Yang on her daughter’s marriage again and making sure that she was alright.

This was precisely what Madam Yang had been hoping for. It seemed that there was indeed a chance that Wu Shi Yu would be willing to marry her older daughter. She sat down with him and the two of them talked for a long time. He told her about the time in the border region while she told him about what had been happening in Sandin and the two of them reminisced about the time when General Yang had still been alive.

Upon mentioning the General, Wu Shi Yu could not hold back some feelings. "General Yang is the person I am most grateful to in this life. If not for him, I could never be where I am today. Madam Yang, if there is anything your family needs, please do not hesitate to tell me. In this life, I cannot repay him but I can repay his family in his stead. I believe that the General would not have minded."

Madam Yang smiled, feeling that this was indeed how her husband would have thought. "You do not worry about that. In any case, in this house, only one old woman and one daughter remain. As soon as I manage to marry my Jin Jin to a good husband, I will be free of worry."

Wu Shi Yu nodded but he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward as well. "General Yang hasn’t left behind any sons. The Yang family …" If the husbands of her daughters were unwilling to help her, what would become of Madam Yang? He did not dare to imagine.

Madam Yang sighed at that. "I know. The two of us were unlucky in that regard. Back then, my husband thought of adopting a child. It is just that before he could bring it up with him, it was too late. Now, our family is in this position, I don’t dare bring it up myself. That’d be too embarrassing. That child will be able to do better without having this family to drag them down."

Wu Shi Yu was surprised. "There was actually a specific child?" It had been ten years. That child … they should be a youth at the very least, maybe older depending on when General Yang had thought of this. "Madam Yang, you should still bring it up. In any case, General Yang wouldn’t have chosen a person arbitrarily. I am sure the person would still be flattered to be asked even now."

Madam Yang sighed again. "How could this old woman have that kind of face? It is good enough that that person wants to speak to me."

Wu Shi Yu felt vexed. Adopting a child might be the answer to all of Madam Yang’s problems: Not only would she have somebody in the household to take care of her, she still had an unmarried daughter. If that person was willing and eligible and her daughter as well, they could even marry and the family name and blood would live on! Why wouldn’t she take this risk? But even though he thought so, there was no way to persuade her. Thus, he could only give up for the time being and just reassure her that if she ever needed help, he would be there.

Deep inside, Wu Shi Yu could not let go of his worries though and in the name of repaying General Yang, he finally went to find a solution for Madam Yang in another place.