Jinde glanced at his husband and his lips curved into a charming smile. "So? Which one do you think we should choose, my dear?"

Leng Jin Yu’s lips twitched. Looking at the star map in front of him, he could barely remember why he had agreed to visit one of the lower realms to 'have fun' as Jinde had put it. Most likely, somebody had fluttered their beautiful eyelashes at him and pretended to be pitiful for having to stay in this human realm all the time?

Leng Jin Yu sighed. "There are three thousand lower realms. I’ve hardly been to a handful. How do you want me to choose?"

Jinde slipped closer and wrapped his arms around his lover’s shoulders. "Let’s go to one where you haven’t been yet. We can explore together!" He craned his neck and pecked his cheek. "So?"

Leng Jin Yu glanced at his lover and then pointed at one of the realms at random. "Let’s go there then."

Jinde’s smile brightened. "What a good choice, my dear! Let me reward you!" He inched even closer, their lips meeting halfway.

"Mn …" Leng Jin Yu’s gaze softened. "When do you want to leave?"

"What’s the hurry? The realm will still be there after we’ve prepared everything."

"Oh? What do you want to prepare?"

"Myself, naturally. Visiting a foreign place …" Jinde’s hand slipped from Leng Jin Yu’s shoulder and brushed over his chest, his nails tracing the embroidery of the robe. "I’m scared thinking about it."

Leng Jin Yu gave an indulgent smile. "So my husband is scared after he proposed it himself? It sounds logical if you say it like this. I wonder what can be done about it."

Jinde took a deep breath and snuggled up against his chest. "I think I would feel much more secure if I was held in a pair of strong arms."

Leng Jin Yu chuckled and wrapped his arms around him. "Is it better like this?"

"Mn, very much so. You know what?"

"What?"

"I think it’d make me feel even safer if that pair of strong arms was naked. How about it?"

Leng Jin Yu kept quiet for a moment. He could already see where this was going. "Do you actually want to go to that lower realm? Or were you just looking for an excuse to seduce me?"

Jinde looked up and raised his brows. "Do I need an excuse to seduce you?"

"Well …" Leng Jin Yu requited his gaze with a complicated expression. "Ah, never mind." Whether they left now or later, it wasn’t important. He only wanted Jinde to be happy. He deserved it after everything they had gone through.

He leaned down and gently cupped Jinde’s cheeks before bridging the last gap between them. Their lips brushed against each other, their warmth lingering longer than the touch.

"Better?"

"Mn." Jinde smiled and then motioned back at the star map. "I think if you give me another one, I’ll feel safe enough to give it a try right now. How about it?"

Leng Jin Yu laughed but still leaned over again and kissed him once more. This time, his lips remained pressed against his husband’s longer and he gently pulled him closer against his chest.

Jinde hummed, his arms encircling his neck. "I think they say that third times the charm. Why don’t we make sure?"

Leng Jin Yu’s eyes narrowed but the gentleness in his gaze was still visible. "I’m afraid you’ll come up with another explanation as to why we should continue afterward."

"Why? Are you that eager to go to that lower realm? Then how about we go there first and then you calm me down?" Jinde hugged his lover’s neck tighter and shifted onto his lap. "Carry me, dear!"

Leng Jin Yu shook his head but still wrapped him up in his arms before he got up. "Happy?"

"Mn." Jinde glanced down. "I’d still appreciate it if you took off your robe."

Leng Jin Yu laughed and shook his head again. Why had he expected anything else? "Alright, let’s go then." He raised his hand, opened his spatial ring and took out some crystals, arranging them on the star map. He imbued his spiritual energy and they glowed with a silvery light. A swirl of energy erupted between them and finally, the gate into the star map opened.

Leng Jin Yu glanced at his lover and then nodded over. "Let’s go then?"

Jinde happily clung to him. "Let’s go! I’d like to see what that lower realm is like!"

Leng Jin Yu stepped through the gate and their figures vanished from the room, leaving only the star map and a couple of dull crystals behind. Meanwhile, they themselves landed in a dark space. A few spots lit up after a spell like stars in the night sky. Leng Jin Yu didn’t hesitate and walked some steps as if he had been there a hundred times prior. Finally, they reached one of the lights and Leng Jin Yu stepped into it, their bodies once again disappearing.

The place that greeted them … Both Leng Jin Yu and Jinde raised their brows. This lower realm, it really looked too foreign! Why wasn’t there any spiritual energy around them? What were these big blocks of stone? Why were there crystals embedded in their sides? And … what were these people wearing? Why had they lost half their hair?!

Jinde and Leng Jin Yu exchanged a glance. Thankfully, they had used their spiritual energy to hide their figures. Otherwise, the inhabitants of this world would have found out that they were from another world at one glance. It seemed they’d have to go and investigate for a while before they could mingle among them.