Chapter 73 073 If the old friends were truly siblings, how could they have reconnected...?
"Little sister Ameng."
The atmosphere at the banquet was perfect, but A-Meng felt it had nothing to do with her. In the past, she would accompany her father to such occasions and hide in a corner, but now she was the Ghost King, with nowhere to hide and unable to blend into the laughter and joy around her, so she could only bury her head and drink in silence.
Maybe if I get drunk, I won't feel so bad.
It was at this moment that she heard someone calling her from above.
Ah Meng... little sister?
She had no brothers or sisters since childhood, but she didn't know who was so audacious as to call her that.
A-Meng raised her hazy, drunken eyes and looked at the person standing in front of the table.
Tall and slender, with a handsome appearance.
They truly live up to their reputation as beings from the celestial realm.
“Your Highness Lin Shen… I am the King of the Ghost Realm. It is probably inappropriate for you to address me like that.” Because A Meng had drunk too much, she spoke slowly and lazily, and poured herself more wine, seemingly not wanting to talk to anyone.
Lin Shen smiled faintly, then sat down beside her table and raised his cup in a toast: "Although A Meng is the ruler of the Ghost Realm, I am also the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm and an envoy representing my father's entourage. Therefore, our statuses are equal, and in terms of age, I am much older than you and will be your future husband. Can't I call you Sister A Meng?"
"If you say it's possible, then it's possible," A-Meng replied casually, unwilling to waste any more words with him.
Crown Prince Lin Shen seemed to find it amusing, and his smile became even gentler, his eyes filled with pity. "I know that Sister Meng has been having a hard time lately. We never had the chance to meet before, and I was unable to take care of you."
A Meng scoffed and glanced at Lin Shen, "It's not like you'd take care of me just because we had the chance to meet."
The celestial realm and the underworld have been irreconcilable enemies for thousands of years. If they had met earlier, they would probably have been on the battlefield, where it would have been a fight to the death.
These words were quite sarcastic, but Crown Prince Lin Shen showed no displeasure whatsoever. He simply stared at the drunken Ghost King for a moment, momentarily stunned.
It was from her eyes and brows, from the tone of her voice and her movements that I sensed a subtle sense of familiarity.
But he had never seen her before.
Lin Shen frowned almost imperceptibly, scrutinized A Meng more closely, and suppressed his doubts.
He quieted down, and then A-Meng spoke up.
"Your Highness, you've heard those rumors too, haven't you?"
Lin Shen naturally knew what A Meng was referring to, and laughed, "Since it's called a rumor, why bother with it? Besides, the curse left behind by the ghost has already taught those who dare to spread rumors a lesson and cleared A Meng's name."
Ah Meng, already quite drunk, shook her head and patted Lin Shen's shoulder with an air of experience, saying, "I can tell you've never been misled by rumors. People are just honest on the surface; what they really think is hard to say."
Crown Prince Lin Shen slightly turned his head and glanced at the fair hand patting his shoulder: "Sister Meng, there is no need to worry. Our marriage will be announced to the Three Realms, and the rumors will be dispelled on their own."
“That’s true. If they were really siblings, why would they be forced into marriage…” A-Meng was drowsy and slumped over the table.
The Crown Prince instinctively reached out to help her as he approached, but someone beat him to it.
General Meng took Ah Meng in his arms, summoned several palace maids, and instructed them to help His Majesty back to his bedchamber.
Crown Prince Lin Shen calmly withdrew his hand. "General Meng, there's no need to be so wary of me. The marriage alliance between the Heavenly Realm and the Ghost Realm is sincere. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, would I possibly harm His Majesty the Ghost King?"
General Meng lowered his head slightly, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. Although you and my lord are engaged, the wedding ceremony has not yet been held. The separation of men and women must be observed. For the sake of my lord's reputation, I hope Your Highness will understand."
The Crown Prince looked up with a half-smile and asked, "If we must abide by the rules of propriety between men and women, then what was General Meng doing just now?"
General Meng said frankly, “I am the Imperial Tutor appointed by the late King. His Majesty has been taught by me since childhood. If I may presume to say that a teacher for a day is a father for life, His Majesty is young and has now lost the protection of his parents. As his teacher, I should naturally assume the role of a father and protect His Majesty from any harm.”
After saying this, General Meng left without waiting for Crown Prince Lin Shen's reaction, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Lin Shen understood that the silver-masked general was now the true ruler of the ghost realm, and he had no intention of making enemies with him at this juncture, so he returned the greeting with his hands clasped together.
But as his gaze followed Ah Meng as she left, an absurd thought suddenly popped into his head: he felt as if he were with an old friend for a moment just now.
However, Crown Prince Lin Shen quickly shook his head and dismissed the idea.
Back then, he and the gods of the heavens witnessed the Desire Dream God being bound to the God-Slaying Lotus Platform, his divine essence dissipated by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, and his demise between heaven and earth.
If she were still alive, or reincarnated with her remaining divine essence, even if her appearance had completely changed, with his cultivation level, it would be impossible for him not to recognize her face to face.
Moreover, in the years immediately following Yu Meng's demise, he went to great lengths to search for her divine essence throughout the Three Realms.
Lin Shen was quite certain that this new king of the Ghost Realm had absolutely no connection with Yu Meng, so he quickly put the matter aside.
The engagement delegation stayed in the Ghost Realm for several days, set a wedding date, held the ceremony at the end of the following year, and then returned home, leaving behind only one teacher responsible for teaching Ameng the magic of the Heavenly Realm.
The wedding date was very tight, leaving Ah Meng with little time, because she needed to cultivate her divine essence using celestial magic before the wedding, so as to circumvent the rule that gods and ghosts could not marry.
In fact, the ministers of the Ghost Realm had differing opinions on the idea of having A Meng cultivate the divine path, as they felt it would make the Ghost Realm appear too humble.
"Why isn't it the Crown Prince who is demoted to a mortal and then becomes a ghost, instead of having our Ghost King cultivate the path of gods?"
"Yes, isn't that how she married into our ghost realm?"
“That’s right! We in the Ghost Realm don’t follow the patriarchal system of the Heavenly Realm! Your Majesty is the ruler of the Ghost Realm, while the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm is merely the heir apparent. Therefore, he should marry into our Ghost Realm!”
To everyone's surprise, General Meng, who had always opposed the marriage alliance, was now extremely supportive of having A Meng cultivate the divine path.
He often instructed A-Meng: "Celestial magic is very different from ghost magic. Your Majesty must proceed step by step and must not take shortcuts."
A-Meng felt a lot of pressure. "But what if I can't cultivate my divine essence before the wedding?"
General Meng said meaningfully, "We can always choose another wedding date then."
A-Meng understood instantly.
The master meant for her to stall.
After studying magic for half a year, A-Meng's divine abilities made no progress. The Heavenly Court, citing inadequate teaching, recalled the magic teacher and sent a new one.
Several more months passed, and although A-Meng diligently practiced celestial magic every day, she made no progress and almost drove her teaching god mad.
So the Heavenly Court changed her teacher again, but it still didn't work. They changed teachers again, but she still didn't improve. The Ghost Realm began to stir and sent a message to the Heavenly Court: "Your Majesty the Ghost King has no talent for the Heavenly Court's magic. Perhaps you could consider sending the Crown Prince to delve deeper into the Ghost Realm?"
The Heavenly Court's response was that they had sent a new teacher.
That day, A-Meng went to the martial arts arena and saw the new celestial teacher wearing a hooded long cloak, his face hidden under the wide brim of the hood.
She immediately became vigilant, wondering if the Heavenly Court had sent that Fu Luo again.
Upon hearing that the Ghost King was coming, the deity turned around, raised his hands, removed his hood, and revealed the face of an unfamiliar middle-aged man.
The man had striking features and was very handsome. He possessed a broad and dignified air about him, but he looked somewhat haggard and sickly.
"May I ask what this deity is called?" Ameng asked.
The man's gentle gaze swept over her, and he smiled. "Your Majesty, there is no need for me to know your divine title. I am only here to teach Your Majesty magic."
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