Chapter 45 045 The Ghost King has successfully won her hand! Should we...?

The Silver-Masked Ghost King, dressed in a long black robe embroidered with gold, stood tall and elegant. He pulled Yun Tianjiao out of the water, and the ghosts roared with excitement at the sight.

"Wow, wow, wow! I've been dead for most of my life, and this is the first time I've ever seen His Majesty the Ghost King choose a woman to hold hands with in the Night Pool!"

"We've successfully paired up! Are we going to have a ghost queen?"

"There's going to be a ghost prince!"

"Why not the Demon Princess?!"

"But she's a living person, how can she be our ghost queen!"

"I don't care, I've set my sights on this ghost queen. At worst, I'll just kill her!"

The ghosts showed no fear of their Ghost King and soon resumed their singing and dancing, surrounding the two in the center, pushing and shoving each other in a lively scene.

The Ghost King shielded Yun Tianjiao in front of him, yet maintained a very polite distance from her. "Your Highness is an honored guest of my Ghost Realm, but since Your Highness has come to Su Ye Pool alone, to avoid any abruptness from the ghosts, how about we pretend to dance together by the pool to help Your Highness escape?"

His voice was deep and his attitude was sincere, showing none of the haughty airs of a ghost king.

Yun Tianjiao stared at the hand that was outstretched towards her, suspended in mid-air. She felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen this hand somewhere before, but due to her drunkenness and dizziness, she couldn't remember where.

Almost instinctively, she placed her hand in the Ghost King's palm, and, guided by him, danced towards the edge of the Night Pool.

Suddenly, something like snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Upon closer inspection, Yun Tianjiao discovered that it was actually white, ring-shaped paper money.

The ghosts cheered and rushed to pick up the paper money.

The Silver-Masked Ghost King explained, "Gods have worshippers, and ghosts have believers, but we prefer mortal paper money to incense."

Yun Tianjiao was stunned. The paper money, like snowflakes, seemed endless and was about to cover the entire central square.

"Are there really so many people in the mortal realm who worship demons and ghosts?"

She only knew that the people of Yunchi Kingdom worshipped gods, and she had never heard of anyone worshipping ghosts.

Hearing her sigh, a nearby ghost chimed in, "Of course! The gods in heaven only care about the lives of big worshippers; they don't care about poor people who can't afford incense money. It's much better to worship our Ghost King; it's much more cost-effective!"

"Yes, yes, and our Ghost King doesn't help whoever burns the most paper money!"

Yun Tianjiao asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

"Of course, we should judge fairly!"

"That's right! Look at the fairness! That's why more and more people are making offerings to our Ghost King! Look at this year's paper money, wow, it looks like it's more than double what it was last year!"

At this moment, the eerie blue-purple sky of the ghost realm suddenly revealed enormous images of all living beings, countless believers who had prayed to the Ghost King and come to fulfill their vows.

Yun Tianjiao's attention was drawn to the face that was closest to her in mid-air.

She was an old woman with white hair, her face wrinkled like the earth with furrows, weathered and dark, completely different from the well-maintained aristocratic old ladies that Yun Tianjiao usually saw.

What immediately caught her attention was the pious expression on the old woman's face.

Her eyes were tightly closed, her back hunched over as she prostrated herself on the ground, her palms clasped together before her chapped lips, praying repeatedly: "Thank you, Lord Ghost King, for curing my little Ge'er from his serious illness. I hope you will continue to bless him, and protect him from all misfortune throughout his life. This old woman is willing to offer everything to Your Majesty the Ghost King, and in my next life, I will serve you as your servant..."

Seeing Yun Tianjiao looking at the old woman, the Silver-Masked Ghost King casually unleashed a golden beam of light at her.

The small fragment that showed the old woman's image lit up, but the old woman was completely unaware of anything and continued to silently pray.

Yun Tianjiao turned to look at the Ghost King.

The Ghost King didn't look at her, but stared calmly at the old woman: "This old woman has done many good deeds. She and her grandson depend on each other for survival. If her grandson dies, I'm afraid she won't be able to live either."

Yun Tianjiao belatedly realized that the light that had just shot from the Ghost King's fingertip was actually a blessing from him. This meant that the old woman's wish had been fulfilled, and her grandson, Xiao Ge'er, would surely be blessed with good fortune in this life. And the Ghost King was actually explaining to her why he had done this.

I'm truly flattered...

Yun Tianjiao's gaze unconsciously shifted downwards, landing on the Ghost King's hand adorned with a silver finger guard.

That night, Zhiwei came to her bedside for the first time and was seen wearing a silver metal finger guard on her right index finger.

"What is this?" she asked him.

"The injury I sustained before my ascension was so severe that it damaged my soul and could not be repaired. It was too ugly to be covered up with a finger cot. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

For some unknown reason, upon thinking of this scene, Yun Tianjiao suddenly reached out and tore off the finger guard on the Ghost King's right hand.

The cold, intricate silver metal ornaments fell into the water of the Nightfall Pool, splashing up droplets. The five fingers of the Ghost King's right hand were fully exposed, long, slender, white, and with beautifully defined knuckles.

"I'm sorry, I..."

Yun Tianjiao thought she must have lost her mind; how could she possibly suspect that Zhiwei was the Ghost King?

This wine from the ghost realm is indeed potent...

Amidst the jeers and whistles of the ghosts, the Silver-Masked Ghost King promptly scooped up the unconscious mortal princess and carried her out of the Night Pool, disappearing from everyone's sight.

The fairy maiden, who was also watching the commotion from a short distance away, suddenly kicked the dumbfounded man next to her.

"Hey, what are you looking at!"

Liang Yue then came to his senses, looked at his lover with wide, almond-shaped eyes, and smiled apologetically, "I don't know why, but I feel that the eldest princess of Yunchi Kingdom looks very familiar."

The fairy crossed her arms and said impatiently, "Didn't you tell me that she and a celestial being performed a ritual for you in Huaicheng, so that you would know that I am still waiting for you in the ghost realm?"

To everyone's surprise, Liang Yue shook his head. "It shouldn't have been that time. I think I saw her a long, long time ago..."

...

When Yun Tianjiao opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the Water House Inn in the Sea of ​​Oblivion.

The alluring boss reappeared, swaying her head back and forth in front of Yun Tianjiao.

"Oh my, sir, you've finally woken up! You've been asleep for two days and two nights!"

Yun Tianjiao was startled. When he got up, he was still a little dizzy. "How did I sleep for so long?"

"Even we ghosts dare not soak in the Su Ye Pool for too long, and we dare not drink too much wine. You are just a mortal, yet you only slept for two days, which is quite remarkable!" The innkeeper spoke exaggeratedly and loudly, but he did not hesitate to prepare the necessary things. He used his delicate fingers to direct a group of maids to run around in circles, serving them to wash and prepare hangover soup.

Only after Yun Tianjiao had been properly served did she sway her slender waist and lead the group out in single file.

The water house finally returned to quiet. Just then, there was another knock on the door. It was Zhiwei.

"Feel sorry."

"Feel sorry."

The two spoke almost simultaneously, both momentarily stunned, before bursting into laughter.

Yun Tianjiao said, "I'm sorry, I didn't listen to you and went out to run around, which exposed my identity. I don't know if I've caused you any trouble?"

Zhiwei said, "How could it be Your Highness's fault? It was clearly my oversight that caused Your Highness to be in this predicament." He knelt down beside Yun Tianjiao, gently lifted one of her feet, and took off her shoes and socks.

The red peony that was originally drawn on Yun Tianjiao's ankle has been completely washed away by the water.

Zhiwei took out a sheep's hair brush dipped in red paint and began to repaint her.

"The pigment used to cover Your Highness's living aura is called 'Rebirth.' During the Shangsi Festival, the ghosts add a kind of mugwort to the Suye Pond. When 'Rebirth' encounters it, it will automatically dissolve. Since I knew that Your Highness was brought to the ghost realm during the Shangsi Festival, I should have thought of this earlier and added some paper money water to the pigment in advance."

"If you add paper money to the water, will the deceased's body not dissolve?"

"Um."

Yun Tianjiao felt the ticklish sensation of the sheep hair brush gently scraping against his skin. He subconsciously tried to pull his foot back, but Zhiwei grabbed it again.

"Isn't it enough to just draw some patterns on my body with this paint to cover up my human presence? Why does it have to be peonies?" She frowned slightly, clearly not liking this experience.

Zhiwei explained: "'Rebirth' is just paint, and the peony is the protective seal pattern I painted for Your Highness."

Yun Tianjiao said, "But mugwort isn't for warding off evil. How could a mark drawn by a deity be so easily washed away by mugwort?"

Zhiwei paused his painting at that moment. He lowered his eyes and stared at the half-finished red peony on Yun Tianjiao's ankle. After a long while, he said, "It's probably because... the little god's cultivation is not enough, and he has evil thoughts and cannot control himself."

Yun Tianjiao: "..."

Mingming Zhiwei didn't seem to have said anything particularly remarkable, but Yun Tianjiao's heart suddenly raced, and he dared not look up at her again.

Her gaze lingered on Zhiwei's hands as he continued painting peonies, noticing the silver finger guard on his right index finger. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "How did I get back?"

Zhiwei said without changing her expression, "When I returned, His Highness was already fast asleep in the water room. No one saw who brought His Highness back, but according to the innkeeper at Suye Pond at the time, it was His Majesty the Ghost King who saw him off."

"His Majesty the Ghost King... is actually a very nice person," Yun Tianjiao said thoughtfully.

"Your Highness is, after all, a distinguished guest of the mortal realm. Since the Ghost King knows you are here, he will not allow anything to happen to you."

Zhiwei seemed reluctant to discuss the Ghost King further. After finishing her painting of peonies, she rearranged Yun Tianjiao's shoes and socks, then took out something and placed it in her palm.

"This is a talisman I made for Your Highness. With it on your person, Your Highness can freely enter and leave the Pagoda of Sorrow."

Upon closer inspection, Yun Tianjiao discovered that it was actually a small vajra necklace pendant.

"This isn't...your magical artifact?"

She had seen Zhiwei use this item in the illusion of the Puppet Bride. However, compared to the vajra that Zhiwei used at that time, the one in her palm was many times smaller. But judging from the pattern and structure, Yun Tianjiao was confident that she would not mistake it for Zhiwei's.

Zhiwei did not deny that this was her magic weapon, but said, "I have re-tempered this pestle. It can usually shrink to this size for Your Highness to wear. If Your Highness is in danger, it will naturally grow larger and exert its due magic power to protect Your Highness's safety."

Upon hearing this, Yun Tianjiao hurriedly pushed the Vajra Pestle back to Zhiwei: "No, this is your natal magic weapon, it's too precious, I can't accept it."

Zhiwei insisted, "My life was given to me by Your Highness, so what is there that I cannot give to Your Highness? If Your Highness is unwilling to suffer, you can return this item to me after you find Shen Qiongzhi."

Since Zhiwei had already said so, it would seem a bit pretentious for Yun Tianjiao to continue refusing, so he took the vajra pendant and hung it around his neck.

The moment she looked up, she saw Zhiwei gazing intently at her, his dark eyes seemingly brimming with a multitude of emotions. But upon closer inspection, she realized it was simply the usual expression of his amorous, captivating eyes—the legendary gaze that was even affectionate towards a dog.

"Thank you, Zhiwei," Yun Tianjiao said solemnly.

"This is what I should do." Zhiwei smiled, her peach blossom eyes curving upwards.

The two prepared to leave the Ghost Realm and head to the Tower of Sorrow.

When they checked out, the innkeeper was still very unwilling, feeling that it was a great disgrace to his inn that they hadn't been able to stay in the same room.

"Please come again sometime, gentlemen!" He waved his handkerchief and called out to their departing figures with reluctance.

"Boss, why do I feel like that male customer's aura is similar to that of His Majesty the Ghost King? I saw His Majesty the Ghost King at Suye Pond on the Shangsi Festival the other day. I was so close, and his scent really was... oh dear!"

"Are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you spouting?" The innkeeper smacked the waiter on the head, then gave him a knowing look. "Don't you understand the principle of 'seeing through things but not saying them outright'?!" Then he realized something, "Oh, so you all skipped work that day to go watch the show at Su Ye Pool, didn't you!"

A cacophony of howls and wailing erupted from the inn's lobby, but Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei could no longer hear it.

The two arrived at the crossroads of the underworld, but unlike the quiet and deserted road they had come from, it was now unusually crowded. A large number of newly deceased souls were being guided by ghost messengers from the mortal realm to the ghost realm, as numerous and bewildered as carp crossing a river.

Yun Tianjiao overheard the two ghost guards at the city gate muttering complaints.

"What's going on? There seem to be a lot of people dying lately!"

“Take a closer look, this batch all died from burning! They’re different from those who starved to death a few days ago.”

"Hiss, I heard there's a huge wildfire in the mortal realm. It's been burning for years and it still hasn't been put out?"

"Who says otherwise? I wonder what those gods in heaven are doing..."

"Sigh, what do the gods care about the lives of ordinary people? I even appeared in my descendants' dreams a couple of days ago, telling them to worship the gods less and burn more paper money for me instead."