Chapter 53 053 How about becoming her apprentice and marrying her...?
Ghost King Yan Lie has gained a powerful general, a young hero with extraordinary skills. He always appears in public with a silver mask, and his true appearance is unknown. Everyone in the Ghost Realm calls him "General Meng".
After several hard-fought battles, the Heavenly Army soldiers and generals were terrified of this "Dream General." Whenever the two armies clashed, the mere mention of him as the commander of the Ghost Realm's army would dampen their spirits before the battle even began, and they would prepare for defeat early on.
This day marked another great victory, and Ghost King Yan Lie personally hosted a celebratory banquet for General Meng.
"Brother Meng, thanks to you, my Ghost Realm has won one victory after another and reclaimed a lot of lost territory. Here, this cup of wine is a toast to you by myself!"
General Meng hurriedly got up to accept the wine, repeatedly saying he dared not accept it, remaining as humble and respectful as ever.
Not boasting about his military achievements, he surpasses countless others. Yan Lie's admiration was undisguised. He waved his hand, and a continuous stream of rewards was brought up, arousing envy in many. However, the young general wearing a silver mask remained calm and composed, unmoved by praise or criticism.
"I see you don't have a suitable weapon these days. Today you use a sword, tomorrow a pestle, and the day after a staff, all of them ordinary, unknown items. As one of the four great generals of my Ghost Realm, what kind of behavior is this? Since you don't care about gold and silver, why don't you come with me to the inner treasury later, and I'll give you any magic treasure you want!"
Upon hearing this, not only some generals who were not on good terms with General Meng, but even those who had a fairly good relationship with him, became somewhat jealous.
The inner treasury of the Ghost King Yan Lie is a legendary temple where the most precious treasures of the Ghost Realm are gathered! Anything you choose from there is a rare and precious item. Healing medicines can bring the dead back to life, protective artifacts can give you an extra life, and the various weapons are even more extraordinary, capable of boosting your combat power several times over!
Since Yan Lie became the Lord of the Ghost Realm, there has never been any news of him being willing to bestow treasures from the inner treasury upon others, let alone take people to select them at will.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, I am a self-taught general and am used to using any weapon I can find and discarding it after use. I dare not waste the treasure bestowed upon me by Your Majesty."
This is a rejection?!
They really don't know what's good for them!
The ghost generals whispered among themselves, and Yan Lie looked somewhat disappointed, but he quickly put on a smile again: "Well, weapons should be used as you please, however you want."
At this moment, General Guang Si said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you offered General Meng treasures, but he didn't want them; you offered him divine weapons, but he still didn't want them. I'm afraid you didn't win him over!"
As the leader of the Four Ghost Generals, Guang Si's limelight has been stolen since General Meng appeared. His speaking out now is clearly ill-intentioned.
Yan Lie raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Is that so? Then what does Brother Meng like?"
Guang Si's trusted subordinates chimed in, "Of course! It's women! Your Majesty should give General Meng more beauties to enjoy!"
Yan Lie was clearly in high spirits today, not only bringing his many palace ladies but also his beloved daughter.
The little princess was too young to sit still. She paid no attention to the civil and military officials, their scheming and intrigue. Her bright, grape-like eyes looked around aimlessly, finding it rather boring. But when she saw the man wearing a silver mask talking to her father, she tilted her head, got up from her seat, and walked over with her short legs.
At that delicate moment, the little girl with two buns sidled up to the silver-masked general, tripped over something, and fell forward with a yelp.
"Ah Meng!"
The Ghost Queen Zhumiao, who had been intently watching the song and dance performance, suddenly stood up from her seat and called out with concern.
Fortunately, the silver-masked general reached out and supported the little princess in time, preventing her from bumping into anything.
The young general lowered his eyes and met those big, round, dark eyes. He was slightly taken aback and recognized her as the little girl who had accidentally broken the barrier that day and helped him escape from the cage.
The little girl seemed to recognize him too, and grinned to reveal her white baby teeth, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
Yan Lie was surprised, then suddenly realized something and burst into laughter, "I almost forgot, my youngest daughter's nickname is Ameng, which is the same character as yours. And now she seems to like you so much, it seems you two are destined for each other!"
Upon hearing this, everyone at the banquet was shocked. The ghost generals, led by Guang Si, exchanged glances privately, each harboring their own thoughts.
Although Lord Yan Lie appears to be a free spirit, he never speaks without reason or restraint. For him to say in front of so many people that General Meng and the little princess are destined for each other... could it be...?
Sure enough, Yan Lie said next, "How about we betroth A-Meng to you when she grows up a bit, and you can be her husband?"
The young general, who was usually unfazed even by the collapse of Mount Tai, finally showed a hint of surprise, knelt down, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's kindness is too great for this humble general! I dare not accept the task of marrying the princess!"
To refuse the Lord's grace three times in a row is unheard of.
Yan Lie finally lost face, his eyes turned cold, and he flicked his sleeve and snorted.
Although the sound was not loud, it suddenly silenced the originally lively banquet to the point that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath and dared not make a sound.
"What, is it that even the princess is not worthy of General Meng?"
These words were quite harsh. No one could have imagined that the invincible General Meng would fall today.
Many people, led by Guang Si, showed expressions of schadenfreude.
Fortunately, the silver-masked general quickly regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I was once favored by a woman in my previous life, and I have long loved her and dare not betray her. The little princess is of noble birth and is still young. She may have her own sweetheart in the future. Why should she give herself to me so early and ruin her happiness?"
Yan Lie heard that General Meng's anger dissipated because he was thinking of his old friend. What he valued most about this young man was his gratitude. If he were to abandon his past relationship for wealth and glory and agree to marry the princess, he would be despicable.
"Hey, Brother Meng, what are you doing? I was just mentioning it casually. Get up and talk."
General Meng had been by the side of Ghost King Yan Lie for a long time and had a general understanding of his master's temperament. He knew that his test was definitely not just a casual remark.
With his outstanding military achievements and early fame, Yan Lie intends to use marriage to completely bind him to the royal family and demonstrate his loyalty.
Then he said, "Your Majesty wishes to reward me. May I ask you for a favor?"
The usually aloof boy, whose preferences could never be pried out, actually took the initiative to ask for a reward.
Yan Lie became interested. "Oh? What do you want? Tell me."
General Meng bent down, picked up the little dumpling who was watching the commotion on the ground, and weighed it in his hands, causing the little dumpling's topknot of fur to tremble.
"This humble general and the little princess have indeed hit it off immediately. I wonder if Your Majesty would allow this humble general to become the little princess's teacher? This humble general is willing to impart all the knowledge he has learned in his life to the little princess, teach her with care, serve her, and protect her for a peaceful and happy life."
Yan Lie was taken aback, then burst into laughter, turning back to look at Ghost Queen Zhu Miao, "This isn't up to the main body to decide; we'll have to ask A Meng's mother. She's been looking for a teacher for A Meng lately."
When Ghost Queen Zhu Miao heard Yan Lie say that he was going to marry off A Meng, she was so frightened that her face turned pale. Now she finally calmed down and showed a gentle smile.
"General Meng is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and adept at commanding troops. He is an invaluable pillar of our Ghost Realm. With him in charge of Ah Meng, I can rest assured."
"Alright, alright, it's decided then! Come on, Meng, hurry up and perform the apprenticeship ceremony!" Yan Lielong was overjoyed and reached out to pinch his daughter's little cheek.
The innocent and young child had no idea what was happening. Only under his father's command did he reluctantly release the Silver-Masked General's neck, get off him, kneel on the ground obediently, kowtow to him three times, and softly call out, "Lion Tiger!"
General Meng's lips, visible beneath his mask, curled slightly as he accepted the apprenticeship tea from the little dumpling.
According to the ghosts present at the time, it seemed to be one of the few times General Meng smiled.
People rarely saw him smile; the deep, dark eyes beneath the mask always seemed to carry a faint chill, as if he were indifferent to everything around him. Only when facing the celestial soldiers did he reveal his terrifying killing intent.
To demonstrate fairness, Yan Lie also bestowed titles upon other meritorious officials and generals. After the banquet, both hosts and guests were delighted.
However, after the banquet ended, Queen Zhumiao called out to General Meng, who was preparing to leave the palace.
"I am extremely grateful to the general for today's events."
Seeing that the silver-masked general did not react for a moment, Zhu Miao explained, "If it were not you, I'm afraid anyone else at today's banquet would not have refused His Majesty's bestowal of marriage."
General Meng understood and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. It is I who am of humble birth and unworthy of Your Highness."
Zhu Miao smiled faintly and shook her head. Beneath her beautiful and delicate face, there seemed to be an unspeakable sadness. "My daughter with Yan Lie, I don't expect her to escape the fate of becoming a political tool in the future. I just hope that day will come a little later."
"Mother...Mother Empress!"
As they were talking, the wobbly little dumpling came over and happily hugged her mother's leg.
Zhu Miao picked up her daughter and kissed her, her eyes full of love. She then said to the silver-masked general, "A Meng has just started to speak. I don't want her to be confined to her room like I was. I hope the general will take good care of her so that she can be like you and one day be able to gallop on the battlefield. Perhaps... perhaps she can really have a different way of life."
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