Chapter 44 044 The Ghost King of Lantang! It's the Ghost King...
"This is the Sea of Oblivion, the place where the River of Oblivion converges," Zhiwei explained to Yun Tianjiao.
"Forget love?" Yun Tianjiao instantly thought of many tales he had read in the mortal world. "Could it be that drinking the water here will make one forget love and affection?"
Before Zhiwei could speak, the waiter leading the way laughed first: "This customer is quite the joker. People from the Ghost Realm are always heartless and carefree, they don't have so much love and affection. The word 'forget love' here means to forget oneself and enjoy pleasure, to indulge in the pleasures of love."
The Ghost Realm is known for its open-mindedness, but Yun Tianjiao hadn't expected it to be this open. She glanced sideways at Zhiwei, as if asking: "Is this the excellent inn you promised, the one that wouldn't disappoint me?"
Zhiwei covered her mouth with her hand and coughed lightly, then said to the waiter, "We already know which room it is, you can leave now."
The waiter, with an "I understand, I understand" look on his face, said with a beaming smile, "Then I won't bother you any longer. Please enjoy yourselves here. If you need anything, just let me know."
The two had booked adjacent water villas, and Zhiwei chose one with a better sea view for Yun Tianjiao. As always, she personally took care of her and made sure everything was settled.
"I'm going somewhere tomorrow to prepare some special materials. It's inconvenient for Your Highness to come with me. Please rest here and I'll be back later."
Yun Tianjiao, being a living, breathing person, knew that not all places in this ghost realm were convenient to visit, so he nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
Having received permission, Zhiwei prepared to leave for her room.
Yun Tianjiao watched his retreating figure and suddenly said, "You used to dare to lie on my phoenix bed, why don't you dare to stay in a room now?"
As she said this, she felt all the blood rush to her cheeks, burning hot, but she raised her head and stared straight at Zhiwei, ready to meet his gaze with a defiant look when he turned around.
Unexpectedly, Zhiwei stood frozen in place, not turning to look at her. After a moment, she sighed softly and said, "Your Highness, this is the Ghost Realm, an abyss of desire and a den of infatuation. If I were to sleep in the same room as Your Highness here, I'm afraid... I wouldn't be able to resist."
The bamboo door opened and closed gently. Yun Tianjiao lay back on the soft, cloud-like bed and pulled the brocade quilt over his face.
Opposite the bed was a large, open wooden window. Outside the window, the Sea of Oblivion stretched out like a flowing ribbon, filling the view with its beauty and swaying alluringly under the starlight.
This was a beautiful sight rarely seen in either the mortal realm or the celestial realm, but Yun Tianjiao was currently shrouded in her blankets, showing no interest in admiring it. Her heart was pounding, and as she listened to the waves, her mind was filled with the image of a certain person.
Thousands of magnificent scenes, so enchanting, cannot compare to you.
...
Yun Tianjiao slept soundly that night, but the next day he was not awakened by the sound of waves, but by the sound of cheerful drums coming from afar.
"Sir, you're awake?"
Hearing her get up, the waiter waiting at the door immediately brought in a sumptuous breakfast, saying solicitously, "This was prepared at the request of the young master who accompanied you. I wonder if it suits your taste?"
Yun Tianjiao glanced at the food and saw that although the food in the Ghost Realm was different from that in the Mortal Realm, it all looked like something she would like to eat. She randomly picked a pastry and put it in her mouth, and it was indeed fragrant and delicious.
Why is there music playing outside?
The waiter chuckled, "On the third day of the third lunar month, the Shangsi Festival, a purification ritual using orchid-infused water is being held at the Suye Pond in the central square of the Ghost Realm!"
Yun Tianjiao suddenly realized that it was already the Shangsi Festival. The Shangsi Festival involves purification rituals with fragrant water. Yunchi Kingdom also has this custom, which aims to cleanse the body of impurities and ward off evil spirits by soaking in hot water. However, the ghost realm is inhabited by filth and evil spirits, so he didn't know what exactly their fragrant water purification ritual was trying to exorcise.
Yun Tianjiao was curious. Since Zhiwei wasn't there, she was bored waiting alone, so she decided to go and see what was going on.
Upon arriving at the inn's lobby, the innkeeper, who had been standing at the counter with a captivating figure, was nowhere to be seen. The inn was also deserted, with not a single guest in sight.
Only two waiters peered longingly out the window, muttering under their breath, "I heard that His Majesty the Ghost King will be coming for the Orchid Bath Purification Ritual this time!"
"Yes, otherwise, given how greedy our boss is, how could he possibly abandon his business and go to Suye Pond to watch the excitement!"
"Hey, what if we sneak out..."
"Are you out of your mind? If the boss finds out, you're dead!"
Hearing the two waiters' conversation, Yun Tianjiao became even more interested. He left the inn and followed the sound of music, soon hearing a cacophony of voices.
The central square of the Ghost Realm was bustling with activity, almost to the point of being shoulder to shoulder. Yun Tianjiao caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the crowd, and upon closer inspection, realized it was General You Wei.
General Youwei braced himself against the crook of his arm, carefully protecting a gentle and graceful woman in his arms, as if afraid that she would be squeezed. This must be the legendary wife of General Youwei.
Yun Tianjiao noticed the purple iris pattern on the sleeve of General Youwei's wife, and suddenly remembered something. He pushed his way through the crowd of ghosts.
"General You Wei! General's wife!"
"So it's Her Highness the Eldest Princess." General You Wei seemed somewhat surprised to see Yun Tianjiao, but immediately introduced her to his wife.
Yun Tianjiao took something out of his pocket and handed it to General You Wei's wife, "This is the gift we agreed on before, for you. I went to visit you at your residence the other day, but you were not there."
General Youwei's wife took the item and discovered that it was a personal letter of blessing from the Divine Lord Mobei. She said happily, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your trouble."
The lady spoke with a gentle smile, her eyebrows and eyes curved like crescent moons, and her voice was soft and gentle, giving people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze. She cherished the letter of blessing personally written by the Divine Lord Mo Bei very much, gently stroking it a few times before carefully tucking it into her sleeve.
Yun Tianjiao had a very good impression of this lady whom General You Wei cherished, and flattered her, saying, "I have always heard General You Wei mention you before, and now that I have the honor of meeting you in person, I finally understand why General You Wei is so fond of you."
Lady Youwei smiled with her eyes lowered, like a shy little girl, "Your Highness is a distinguished guest of the mortal world, I dare not accept your honorific title, just call me Xiyue."
General You Wei chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness, there's no need to be so polite. Our Xi Yue really likes you and wants to get closer to you."
Xi Yue became even more shy and secretly nudged General You Wei with her elbow, signaling him not to be so overly familiar and shameless in trying to get close to people.
The three of them talked as they walked with the flow of people, and soon they could see the Su Ye Pond in the central square.
Some ghosts were noisily pouring a kind of fragrant blue mugwort into the Suye Pond, causing the originally clear water of the Suye Pond to be tinged with a light blue color.
The ghosts who were singing and dancing around the Su Ye Pond suddenly became excited and entered the pond, splashing water on each other, which sparked another round of laughter and cheers.
As Yun Tianjiao watched this scene, he thought to himself that the purification rituals in the Ghost Realm seemed no different from those in the mortal world, and were even more lively and enjoyable.
You Wei suggested to Xi Yue, "Madam, shall we also go into the Su Ye Pool to wash up?"
Xi Yue's face flushed red, and she whispered, "This is something for young people to do, we, we'll pass."
You Wei teased, "Hey, we're young too!" Although he said that, seeing that the lady had no intention of entering the Su Ye Pool, he didn't mention it again.
Yun Tianjiao was puzzled. What did entering the Su Ye Pool for cleansing and warding off evil have to do with age? Until she saw a familiar face again, the proprietress Xianniang, whom she had met in the theater the first time she came.
Compared to the first time they met, the fairy's beautiful eyes and brows now possessed a touch of charm and gentleness. She was wearing a rose-red gauze dress and was happily dancing and twirling in the Su Ye Pool, while her gaze was fixed affectionately on the opposite side.
The tall and imposing man stood with his arms crossed in the Su Ye Pool, gazing at the fairy maiden. Soon, he was pulled into a dance with her. The two grew closer and closer until they embraced and kissed each other without restraint.
They were not out of the ordinary; many couples in the Su Ye Pool were dancing and kissing passionately, and the people around them were used to it and danced happily.
Yun Tianjiao's face grew increasingly hot. He muttered to himself, "If the court officials of Yunchi Kingdom saw this, they would be furious. They would be beating their chests and stamping their feet, lamenting the decline of morality."
Thinking of Prime Minister Shen's stern face and his aloof demeanor, Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Just then, she suddenly heard General Youwei beside her sigh, "They really are young people. It's good to be young."
She turned to look at You Wei strangely, then suddenly remembered something.
Given Liang Yue and Xian Niang's "advanced age," You Wei still marvels at how "youth is wonderful." How old are You Wei and Xi Yue?
The general and his wife, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, suddenly became kind and gentle in Yun Tianjiao's eyes.
As the ghosts' emotions rose higher and their intimate behavior became increasingly daring, Yun Tianjiao felt that this place was not safe to stay in for long and it would be better to leave as soon as possible. But just then, someone shouted, "His Majesty the Ghost King has arrived! His Majesty the Ghost King has arrived!"
call!
Flames shot up high from the pillars of fire surrounding Ghost Realm Square, instantly pushing the atmosphere to a climax.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted in a commotion. A mermaid excitedly conjured a huge golden tail, and Yun Tianjiao, by sheer coincidence, happened to be standing not far from her. He was slapped into the Su Ye Pool by her tail.
"Where is His Majesty the Ghost King? Wasn't it said that His Majesty the Ghost King had arrived? Where is he?!"
"No, I didn't see it!"
"Yes, there is no Ghost King. I don't know who shouted that."
"His Majesty the Ghost King hasn't participated in the Orchid Bath Purification Ritual for many years. I heard that he went to the Heavenly Realm to become an immortal long ago!"
"Nonsense! Being a god is nothing compared to the carefree life of us Ghost Kings!"
"That's right, don't spread rumors and don't believe rumors!"
After the initial excitement subsided, the ghosts realized it was a false alarm. They discussed it amongst themselves for a while, then happily started dancing and singing again, splashing waves in the Night Pool.
Yun Tianjiao was like a bird that had fallen into the water. He had just struggled to get out when he was pushed back into the water by some unknown demon. He finally managed to get to a less crowded place and stand up, already soaked to the bone.
She rubbed her face with her hand and tried to push aside the ghosts as she walked out of the Night Pool. Two little demons with dog noses who passed by her suddenly sniffed and made a "hmm" sound.
"Strange, why do I smell the scent of living people? Am I hallucinating?"
"No, no, you're not hallucinating. I smelled it too! Hmm, it's nearby!"
Like two little demon dogs, they sniffed around among the ghosts, eventually locking onto Yun Tianjiao.
"It's her! She smells like a living person!!"
Their voices attracted more and more ghosts, and before Yun Tianjiao could even leave the Su Ye Pool, he had already become the target of everyone's anger.
"Ah, I recognize her! Isn't this Her Highness the Eldest Princess of Yunchi Kingdom!"
"What? The princess who slept with eight male concubines every day is dead?"
"Bah! If it weren't for Her Highness the Eldest Princess overruling everyone's objections and raising the military pension, my family would still be starving and freezing! Her Highness the Eldest Princess is such a good person! May she live to be a hundred!"
Some of the recently deceased souls of Yunchi Kingdom quickly recognized Yun Tianjiao. The ghosts loved to watch the excitement, and more and more demons and ghosts gathered around.
Surrounded, Yun Tianjiao could no longer escape silently. She looked down and noticed that the red peony that Zhiwei had painted on her ankle to conceal the presence of a stranger had been washed away. So she simply stopped trying to hide it.
"What's wrong with living people? Which of you here wasn't alive when you were alive?"
Perhaps because Yun Tianjiao's attitude was too calm and composed, the ghosts actually thought her words made a lot of sense and joined in the commotion.
"Yeah, if they're alive, they're alive!"
"What's the big deal? We're not gods, what's there to be afraid of!"
"Exactly, they look like they've never seen the world before. What's so great about being alive!"
"Hey, since she's here, she should dance with us, right? Look, she won't dance!"
"Yes, yes! Dance! Dance! Your Highness, dance!"
The ghosts' peculiar thought processes somehow shifted; their focus changed from Yun Tianjiao being a living person to her being able to fit in and dance with everyone.
Yun Tianjiao wasn't coy, but she was used to sitting in the high seat watching others dance, so how could she know such skills to please others? After thinking for a moment, she took the Demon-Slaying Blade Mantra from her waist, twirled it, and immediately drew cheers.
The blade of Zhenyan was still wrapped in a cloth strip that Zhiwei had used to seal it, so it wouldn't really pose a threat to the ghosts. However, perhaps out of instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, wherever the blade passed, all the demons and ghosts retreated, and soon a wide space for Yun Tianjiao to practice his swordplay was cleared for him.
Yun Tianjiao's robes were soaked, outlining her exquisite curves. Because it was a sword dance rather than a simple dance, she was both charming and heroic. The splashes of water from the Su Ye Pool as she stepped forward were illuminated by the surrounding firelight and shone like broken gold, falling gently onto her hair.
The ghosts were so engrossed in watching that they gradually stopped being afraid. The merman who had accidentally pushed Yun Tianjiao into the Su Ye Pool began to dance for her, her eyes full of seductive charm and her large, beautiful eyes gazing at her with delight, occasionally teasing and rubbing against her with her pretty golden merman tail.
Suddenly, the fountains on all four sides of the Night Pool started up, but instead of water, they sprayed out sweet and refreshing wine. The ghosts were excited again, raising their faces to catch the rain of wine.
Yun Tianjiao also got interested and followed suit, tilting his head back to drink with the ghosts. Since learning of Shen Qiongzhi's death, his depression has been relieved, and he has a sense of liberation that makes him indifferent to life and death.
At this moment, a demon brought over some pastries and invited Yun Tianjiao to taste them, asking him if he dared to eat them.
Yun Tianjiao asked curiously, "What's there to be afraid of or not afraid of?"
The ghosts nearby jeered, "This is tribute from above!"
Yun Tianjiao was puzzled, "Were they tributes?"
"It's something the living burn for the dead!! Hahahaha!" The ghosts roared with laughter, as if they had succeeded in their prank, yet there was also a strange sense of expectation, as if they were seeking some kind of recognition.
Yun Tianjiao raised an eyebrow, picked up the pastries from the plate, and stuffed them into his mouth to eat.
The little imp holding the pastry tentatively asked, "Isn't Your Highness afraid of getting sick from eating this?"
Yun Tianjiao sipped a snack and a glass of wine, asking nonchalantly, "What problem could there be?"
"People of the living eat food from the underworld..."
Perhaps due to the effects of the alcohol, Yun Tianjiao said without thinking, "The worst that can happen is death, and I can become a ghost with everyone!"
Upon hearing this, the ghosts were overjoyed and echoed, "Being a ghost is good! Being a ghost is good!" Clearly, they had grown quite fond of this princess from the mortal realm.
Yun Tianjiao and the ghosts were having a blast when he gradually felt his legs go weak and his body get hot. He was about to fall back into the pool when a large hand wearing silver finger guards scooped him up.
She groggily looked up and saw a tall man wearing a silver mask.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a thunderous roar of cheers.
"Your Majesty the Ghost King! It's His Majesty the Ghost King!!"
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