After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

Zhou Yan: "..."

Fine, I can't beat you, so keep talking.

The nine-colored deer hopped over, and the little girl asked sweetly.

"Sister Long, did you lose something? Sister Long, what did you lose?"

The mirage dragon emitted a low "gurgling" sound that was completely out of proportion to its size. After gurgling for half a minute, the mirage dragon hesitated.

"I've lost me..."

The Nine-Colored Deer completely failed to understand the Mirage Dragon's meaning.

Zhou Yan inquired.

"Is it your soul? Arona, have you lost your memories and your soul?"

The mirage dragon's eyes lit up, and this light made the white-haired dragon's large eyes shine brightly, like all the stars in the Milky Way exploding at once, a breathtaking sight.

"Yes, yes, yes, I, I've lost myself... I've come to Penglai... I beg... I beg which patriarch..."

The mirage dragon lowered its head and roared at Zhou Yan in an old-fashioned manner.

"I can't remember. Bai Ze, go and retrieve my memories and soul!"

Zhou Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"no problem."

Take responsibility for this matter first, whether it's important or not. If it's too much, you can always ask Little Yama or the Four Divine Beasts for reimbursement later.

The mirage dragon nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright then..."

The mirage dragon lowered its claws, powerful enough to crush a mountain, towards Zhou Yan.

"Pinky promise!"

Zhou Yan: "..."

No, don't you see how big your claws are?

But the Caslan mirage dragon with its big eyes looked on expectantly, its head bowed as it gazed at Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan couldn't quite bring himself to say, "Your claws are too big, and my hands are too small."

Zhou Yan stepped into the air, found the smallest dragon finger, and placed his hand on it.

"I, Zhou Yan, swear that after leaving Penglai Island, I will search for Arona's soul memories and help Arona regain her self. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."

The mirage dragon retracted its claws.

"Um……"

The mirage dragon spewed out white mist.

"Alright, Bai Ze, you're my friend now. Tell me, who are you going to fight?"

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Wedding

Dawu Mountain, Dawu Palace.

Wenquxing stood in front of a palace, directing more than 60 awakened individuals to clean up garbage, rubble, weeds, and wash the ground, the palace, handmade lanterns, and other items.

Unlike the frail bodies of normal people, the awakened ones present were mostly dozens or even hundreds of times stronger than normal people, making the cleanup very easy. In just ten hours, the area where Wenquxing planned to build the wedding hall was cleaned up, the dust was removed, and with the addition of handmade lanterns, a festive atmosphere was slightly revealed.

Of course, it was only a little bit, because there weren't that many tools, so this was the best that could be done in the wedding hall.

Wenquxing walked through the wedding hall area and then came to He Taotao, who was tearing clothes to make a red ribbon. He Taotao asked without looking up.

"Old Master Ye, what is His Majesty thinking? Why did he suddenly want to get married, and of all people, why did he have to marry a child who hasn't even grown a beard yet?"

Xu Hanyao, who was writing couplets next to He Taotao, chimed in.

"What else could it be? His Majesty likes young puppies, of course."

Xu Hanyao had a stubble beard and looked rough, but he had beautiful handwriting.

Xu Hanyao began to shake his head.

"Several women I know really like cute, cuddly guys, but they only liked them at first. After a while, they started to like muscular men instead."

Wenquxing explained.

"Younger men are suitable as lovers, but if you really want a husband, an honest man is more suitable."

Xu Hanyao looked up after finishing writing a couplet.

"So, were honest people all world-destroying pleasure criminals in their past lives? Why are they only allowed to eat other people's leftovers?"

He Taotao, who had just finished making a ribbon, chimed in.

"Stop with all this nonsense. Since His Majesty wants to eat a puppy, shouldn't we..."

He Taotao looked up and gave Wenquxing a knowing look that any man could understand.

Wenquxing gave an ambiguous smile.

Everyone could see that Zhao Wenhe wanted to be emperor. Of course, an emperor couldn't be without his romantic affairs, so everyone present had the opportunity to get close to him and even deepen their relationship with him.

Regardless of anything else, Zhao Wenhe's appearance is truly beautiful. Even with the vast knowledge of the God of Literature, it's rare to see a woman more beautiful than Zhao Wenhe.

After inspecting the wedding hall once more, Wenquxing went to Zhao Wenhe's bedroom. Upon arriving at the bedroom door, Wenquxing bowed and said...

"Your Majesty, the wedding hall is ready, and the wedding can begin in an hour."

Zhao Wenhe sighed from inside the palace.

"I should have given Minister Bai a wedding banquet that the whole world would know about, but due to the current situation, I can only hold a conventional ceremony for now."

Wenquxing reassured him.

"Let's give him a title first, and then we can arrange the wedding after His Majesty ascends the throne. Bai Ze is a naturally born spirit beast, and he should understand the difficult situation His Majesty is in."

Zhao Wenhe gave a satisfied response.

"What Ye Aiqing says always hits the nail on the head."

Wenquxing said happily.

"This is because Your Majesty's thoughts and ideas are in line with the current situation, making you the only choice."

Zhao Wenhe laughed a few times with great spirit, and then asked.

"Minister Ye, do you think Bai Ze is a heartless and ungrateful person?"

Wenquxing's eyes darted around.

"Of course not. I have heard of Bai Ze's character; he is a kind and generous person. Therefore, if Your Majesty can make the deed into a fait accompli and give birth to a son for Bai Ze, then Bai Ze will truly be tied to the ship and unable to get off."

Wenquxing was well aware of what Zhao Wenhe wanted to do. Marriage was just a formality; the concept of a title was, in most cases, as unimportant as Sakata Gintoki's integrity. But once Zhao Wenhe became pregnant with Zhou Yan's child, things would be different.

Zhou Yan will most likely have to work hard for his child.

Furthermore, since Zhou Yan and Zhao Wenhe are both true gods, their child is guaranteed to be at least a demigod, and might even become a true god.

Zhao Wenhe's legacy has now found a true successor.

In the end, Zhao Wenhe made a huge profit.

Unfortunately, Zhao Wenhe had such an adopted son—or rather, a treacherous minister.

If I don't seize power, corrupt the court, and turn your government into a complete mess, you won't know just how capable a treacherous minister can be.

"What you say is very good, my dear minister."

Zhao Wenhe couldn't help but admire again. In the past, Zhao Wenhe had several eunuchs like Wenquxing. These eunuchs sacrificed their reputations for Zhao Wenhe's royal power, went out to confront civil officials, and became villains who controlled the government, all in order to fight for some rights for Zhao Wenhe.

A common historical fact is that emperors are not inherently bad; they are always deceived. The truly bad ones are either treacherous ministers or eunuchs.

Here's another piece of common knowledge from martial arts dramas: generals are usually weaklings, while eunuchs are the real bosses.

Wenquxing then offered further reassurance.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Bai Ze is still young and does not understand the complexities of this world. I only need to have daily conversations with him and subtly influence him. Eventually, he will understand Your Majesty's good intentions and become a pillar of Your Majesty's support."

Zhao Wenhe applauded enthusiastically.

Zhao Wenhe doesn't know how deep Wenquxing's talent or how capable he is at governing the country, but just based on how carefully and clearly Wenquxing understands the emperor's intentions, he should have no problem becoming a favorite of the emperor in the future.

"Your Majesty, I will go and speak with that young man from the Zhou family now."

Wenquxing respectfully stepped back.

……

Two hours later.

When Wenquxing arrived at Zhao Wenhe's palace again, the designated prime minister respectfully greeted him.

"Your Majesty, the wedding venue is ready. You may proceed."

With a "whoosh," the palace doors opened, and a gust of wind rushed out. With the wind, Zhao Wenhe, dressed in a wedding robe (men's style) and in a magnificent posture, walked out.

This wedding dress was made by Wenquxing using his literary energy in conjunction with the clothes brought by the awakened ones outside. Although it's not as beautiful as a real professional wedding dress, it's not too far off.

"Your Majesty, please come with me."

The God of Literature led the way.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace, a bridal sedan chair, made from a tree that Wenquxing had commissioned to be cut down and carried by eight people, was waiting. As soon as Wenquxing and Zhao Wenhe came out, the two attendants who did not carry the sedan chair (namely, Yinzan and Tongzan) called out in front of the sedan chair.

The eulogy reads: "The groom stands before the sedan chair."

Zhao Wenhe walked to the side of the bridal sedan chair.

The attendant said, "Open the sedan chair, the newlyweds rise."

Zhao Wenhe and the bridal sedan chair walked toward a small courtyard where fireworks were constantly being set off. Wenquxing followed beside them, glancing around from time to time and giving glances to the awakened ones who were acting as sedan chair bearers.

Royal weddings involve many procedures, but since Zhao Wenhe has not yet ascended the throne and is considered a deposed emperor, a simple wedding at the level of an ordinary citizen will suffice.

Of course, Zhao Wenhe also said that when Zhao Wenhe ascends the throne again, he and Zhou Yan will have another wedding, and this time it will be a pure royal ceremony.

She must make sure the whole world knows that Bai Ze became her husband.

Before entering the courtyard, the two attendants called out again.

The bridegroom bows.

Zhao Wenhe cupped his hands in greeting to the bride.

The eight-bearer sedan chair was lowered, the bridal sedan chair was lowered, and the curtain of the bridal sedan chair was pulled open by an awakened person. Zhou Yan, wearing a red wedding dress and a flower canopy, walked out.

Zhao Wenhe, with a mocking expression, held his head high, happily thinking that after marrying Zhou Yan later, he would give Zhou Yan a true god son as soon as possible. At that time, his imperial hegemony would be guaranteed to be passed on, and he could also keep Zhou Yan by his side, unable to leave.

Truly killing two birds with one stone.

The two attendants continued.

The caption reads: "The bride and groom are in front of the flower hall."

Zhao Wenhe and Zhou Yan, dressed in red wedding attire, walked into the courtyard together.

The courtyard contained all the other awakened beings. A path had been cleared in the middle, and the people stood on the left and right sides. At the end of the path was an offering table with an incense burner on it. Next to the incense burner were several memorial tablets inscribed with the names of Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher.

When Zhao Wenhe saw the two signs for "Heaven and Earth," his expression darkened.

Behind the offering table hangs a shrine to ancestors, inscribed with the names of all the ancestors of the Taisho Dynasty.

Upon seeing the name of his ancestor, Zhao Wenhe's expression softened considerably.

The two attendants shouted excitedly.

Praise: The bride and groom are in place.

Tongzan: The bride and groom offer incense.

Zhao Wenhe and Zhou Yan walked to the incense table and took the incense from the hands of the people on either side.

The ushers kneel and offer incense.

Zhao Wenhe and the ghost bride lit incense and knelt down.

Tongzan: Kneel, kowtow, kowtow again, kowtow a third time.

Zhao Wenhe and Zhou Yan did just that, kneeling and kowtowing before their ancestors.