Chapter 9 009 Peony hisses, Zhiwei, you can press harder...
"You mean, one person alone can build a thousand temples within three months?" Yun Tianjiao suspected that he had misunderstood.
"Exactly."
"The person you're talking about... is probably some kind of god skilled in construction?" Yun Tianjiao said dismissively. "Don't even think about it. Gods can't interfere in the construction of temples."
Zhiwei shook her head: "Not a god."
He paused for a moment before saying with a hint of meaning, "This person... is in the Ghost Realm."
The Ghost Realm?
The entire Yunchi Kingdom reveres and worships gods, but Yun Tianjiao has also heard that there are many people in the world who worship demons and ghosts. Demons and ghosts enjoy the incense offerings of mortals, and many are powerful beings comparable to gods. Legend has it that during the previous dynasty, there was a great war between the realms of gods and ghosts, causing widespread suffering and death.
Yun Tianjiao asked out of sheer curiosity, "Since this person is in the Ghost Realm, how can we contact them?"
Zhiwei smiled faintly, "This person has a slight connection with me. If Your Highness is not afraid, I am willing to take you to the Ghost Realm to meet this person."
Yun Tianjiao was startled, "Living people... can go to the Ghost Realm?"
Could it be that they're never going back...?
"Ordinary people certainly cannot do it, but I have a way to ensure Your Highness's safety when you come and go."
Yun Tianjiao didn't want to go to such great lengths, since she had many people who could help her win the championship if it was just for the Reincarnation Mirror. However, she was filled with curiosity when she thought about how the Ghost Realm was where people went after they died.
“If you dare to take me there, I will go. Even a god isn’t afraid to go to the territory of his mortal enemy, so what do I have to be afraid of?”
When Zhiwei saw the Princess in front of her raise her chin slightly, her drunken eyes arrogant and haughty, she couldn't help but chuckle.
His dark eyes gleamed, like a demon who had successfully lured its prey.
“Alright, then we’ll set off at midnight tonight.” On the way back to the city, Yun Tianjiao found the carriage too slow and decided to abandon the royal caravan and ride back on horseback.
After untying the reins, Zhiwei was already beside her, holding up one hand, indicating that she should step on his hand to ride the horse.
But Yun Tianjiao didn't appreciate it.
"I can ride a horse." The implication was that she didn't need anyone to help her mount the horse.
"I just wanted to provide Your Highness with more options."
Yun Tianjiao froze as he was about to mount his horse, and turned to look at Zhiwei.
His hand, adorned with silver finger cots, was outstretched, appearing long and slender, yet inexplicably giving off a sense of reassuring security.
As if by some strange twist of fate, this time, Yun Tianjiao actually stepped on Zhiwei's hand and mounted the horse.
Having someone lend a hand is indeed easier and less strenuous than doing it yourself.
Zhiwei stood on the ground, straightening the tangled silk ribbons under Yun Tianjiao's skirt, and looked up at her, "This humble goddess hopes that Your Highness will always have a choice."
Yun Tianjiao gazed at that handsome face for a long time, then suddenly used the reins to hook the other's chin and leaned closer.
With an extremely serious expression, she said, "Zhiwei, you're so considerate. Aren't you afraid that I won't be able to bear letting you go, and that I'll deliberately not burn incense and build temples for you, so that you'll be trapped and die by my side forever?"
Zhiwei's eyes were glistening with tears, and her straight eyelashes cast a faint shadow.
"I would be more than happy to be able to stay by Your Highness's side."
Yun Tianjiao put away his whip, sat high on his horse, stared at Zhiwei for a long time, and finally curled his lips in a noncommittal smile before turning around and riding away.
Zhiwei's eyes reflected the figure of the eldest princess riding her horse, and he also leaped onto his horse, his every move exuding a hint of nonchalant confidence.
He caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, turned around coldly, casually flicked his whip, and followed Yun Tianjiao away.
In the direction Zhiwei glanced at, two figures, seemingly real yet ethereal, stood atop a pavilion.
"Immortal Venerable Qingyuan, wasn't that Princess Zhenguo just now? Isn't she the top visitor on your list of worshippers? But the man beside her, behaving intimately, seems to me to be a deity?"
The speaker was none other than Mo Bei, the Divine Lord. He was shading his eyes with his hand and craning his neck to look around, clearly having witnessed everything that Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei had just done.
Qingyuan Immortal Venerable stood beside Mo Bei, bowing slightly with respect, his expression unreadable: "Reporting to Divine Venerable Mo Bei, the Princess Zhenguo is indeed the top of my list of pilgrims."
"Hmm...then shouldn't you go after them and check?" Mo Bei was very worried for Qing Yuan. "Be careful that such a generous pilgrim doesn't run away!"
A hint of hesitation flashed in Qingyuan's eyes, but in the end he still bowed to Mobei and said, "Divine Lord Mobei has not traveled to the mortal realm for a long time. The Heavenly Lord specially instructed me to accompany you. How can I be delayed by such a trivial matter as a mortal?"
Although he said this, what he was really thinking was that the Princess Zhenguo had always been infatuated with him. Even though she had found a new god to accompany her these days and even stopped burning incense in many of his temples, it was probably just because she was angry that he had broken his promise last time. As long as he made time to coax her a little, the Princess would naturally change her mind and continue to burn incense and build temples for him.
His position in the princess's heart was ultimately not something that could be shaken by any random wandering immortal or wild god.
"Is that so..." Mo Bei looked over with a smile, seemingly having already seen through everything, "As expected of someone praised by the Heavenly Venerable, you are indeed very steady and responsible! Then today, I will trouble you to take me to enjoy this mortal delicacy!"
Mo Bei rubbed his stomach, stretched his waist, and leaped down from the top of the pavilion, concealing his divine form and transforming into a mortal boy in hemp clothing, blending into the crowd.
Qingyuan followed behind him, disguised as a mortal man. They passed by a Qingyuan Temple, its incense burning brightly and filled with worshippers. Seeing this, Qingyuan felt somewhat relieved; the unease he had felt when he saw the princess ride away finally dissipated.
...
"Hiss, Zhiwei, you can press harder, this is making me very uncomfortable."
"Yes, Your Highness."
It was a quarter to midnight.
On the phoenix couch, inside the gauze curtains, Yun Tianjiao lay on his side amidst a pile of brocade, one hand supporting his head. He looked down at his feet, his brows furrowed, and a hint of impatience appeared on his face.
The layers of her skirt were lifted up, revealing a section of her snow-white, jade-like ankle.
In the dim candlelight, a celestial being holding a brush was bending down, sleeves rolled up, to gently paint on the princess's fair ankles.
Because he had been too gentle with his brush, the tip of the sheep hair brush tickled Yun Tianjiao, making her instinctively want to pull her foot back. However, he was stopped in time, thus preventing the bright red peony blooming on her smooth skin from being disturbed.
After Yun Tianjiao protested, Zhiwei indeed wrote much harder, but he did not let go of her ankle.
This time, the area I was painting no longer itched; the delicate, almost imperceptible touch of the sheep's hair brush seemed to have scratched the very tip of my heart.
"Your Highness, it's finished."
Finally, the painting session, which was almost like torture, came to an end. Yun Tianjiao's face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her eyes were red. She got up and leaned closer to take a closer look. She saw a bright and beautiful red peony on her ankle, blooming wildly, just like a real flower.
"Are you sure this way the ghost realm won't discover I'm alive?" Yun Tianjiao asked skeptically.
"One step away."
Zhiwei put down her pen, leaned closer, and gently blew on the peony.
Like a breeze brushing the water's surface, creating ripples.
Yun Tianjiao felt a chill run down his spine and turned his gaze away from Zhiwei.
"The paint is dry, that's how it will be, Your Highness."
The deity returned to his upright posture, revealing a kind and harmless smile, but his final "Your Highness" was tinged with a thousand and one twists.
Yun Tianjiao coughed lightly, quickly straightened her skirt, and was about to put on her shoes barefoot when Zhiwei knelt on one knee in front of her, lifted one of her feet with her hand, placed it on her knee, and personally put on her stockings.
He picked up a pair of deerskin boots that he didn't wear often.
Yun Tianjiao frowned in disdain. "I don't want to wear these. The soles are too hard." Then he curled his toes and pointed to the gold-threaded shoes by the couch. "Wear those."
Zhiwei patiently explained, "Your Highness, the Ghost Realm is a desolate place, unlike the Imperial City where the roads are paved with bluestone. Wearing silk shoes there can easily hurt your feet."
"Alright then." Yun Tianjiao reluctantly agreed, his gaze falling on the sword rack beside him, and then asked, "Can I bring the 'True Word'?"
She asked casually, not expecting a definite answer, since carrying a demon-slaying sword to the ghost realm was rather arrogant.
Unexpectedly, Zhiwei said, "That's fine. The ghosts are warlike. Your Highness should carry it with you for self-defense."
He stood up, fetched the knife for Yun Tianjiao, and with a gentle wave of his hand, cut a piece of cloth from the hem of his Taoist robe, slowly wrapping it around the scabbard of the "True Word" knife.
"In this way, the demons will not sense the hostility of this sword. Your Highness need not draw this sword unless absolutely necessary."
"Okay." Yun Tianjiao went behind the screen to change into a dark red, narrow-sleeved casual dress, and took the "True Words" and hung it on his waist.
Many people have witnessed divine manifestations, but few have ventured into the ghost realm. Yun Tianjiao was somewhat excited.
She had everything prepared and was about to ask Zhiwei how she planned to go to the Ghost Realm when she saw a red silk ribbon appear in Zhiwei's hand.
"Your Highness, is that alright?"
After obtaining Yun Tianjiao's consent, Zhiwei gently covered her eyes with the red silk, tied it behind her head to make sure it wouldn't fall off, and then took her hand.
"Why won't you let me see?" Yun Tianjiao asked.
"Where humans and ghosts meet, many hideous evil spirits roam, and I fear they might offend Your Highness."
Yun Tianjiao didn't take it to heart, "Do I look that timid?"
“It’s not that I’m worried Your Highness is afraid,” Zhiwei’s voice came from beside her. “I’m just afraid that if Your Highness sees evil spirits, you will feel disgusted and associate those ugly faces with me in the future.”
Whether she was imagining things or not, she seemed to detect a faint sense of melancholy in his tone.
She couldn't help but recall what he had said to her under the umbrella that day: "I hope that all the memories Your Highness has of me will please you."
He looked down at her, his long, raven-feather-like eyelashes obscuring the glint in his eyes—the most beautiful eyes Yun Tianjiao had ever seen.
How could such a handsome man worry about being associated with evil spirits?
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