Awakening of the Ancient: Rise of the Fallen

\"Definitely not!!! I will not marry anyone other than brother Liang...\" She said in an impulse but hurriedly closed her mouth.

\"Hmm? Xu Liang? You want to marry him? Or was I correct when I said that he was forcing you?\" Heavenly Emperor said in a serious tone.

\"It's nothing like that father! It's...I have loved him since as far as I could remember! He had always been gentle and kind to me! Although he never used to smile, I knew that he was happy when we spent time together! All the interactions I had with brother Liang made me realize how much I love him. I...I want to be his wife and stay together with him forever.\" Yue said in a quavering tone.

\"What about him?\"Heavenly Emperor Tian Zhu inquired.

\"He... You won't punish him, right? I was the one that proposed to him first. He even rejected me the first time, but I managed to make brother Liang fall in love with me. You... please father! Let us be together! I will marry no one else\" Yue said as she looked deep in Heavenly Emperor Tian Zhu's eyes.

\"Sigh...I remember the days I fell in love with your mother. She wasn't from the Heavenly Realm, but a mortal from the lower planets. I begged father to let us get married. I understand how you feel, little girl. You will be married to Xu Liang in 7 days' time. That's my promise!\" 

Heavenly Emperor Tian Zhu reminisced about his past as he said.

\"This... really? Thank you, Father!\" 

Yue jumped in the air excitedly as she heard the promise of her father.

\"I must tell brother Liang the good news.\" 

Yue turned back towards the door to leave.

\"Hey... He's right here. You don't have to go look for him.\" Heavenly Emperor chuckled as he called out Yue.

\"What?\" 

With a stunned look on her face, Yue turned back only to find Xu Liang standing near the Heavenly Emperor.

\"T...this...\" Yue's face turned crimson as she wondered about what to do next.

\"Alright, I'll take my leave now. There are many preparations to be done.\" The Heavenly Emperor smiled as he stood up and left the hall.

Yue ran towards Xu Liang and hugged him as tightly as she could. He hugged her back. None of them said any words.

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\"It's good that they decided to marry each other, I was wondering how I should bring this topic up with them. I won't be here much longer and I can't trust Yue with anyone else.\" 

\"If my guess is correct, then the barrier will reach its limit in 15-20 years' time. That's all the time I have to make Xu Liang stronger so that he could protect himself and Yue in my absence. I need to make further preparations for what happens after...\" 

Heavenly Emperor Tian Zhu talked to himself as he walked in the corridor.

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This was the topic of conversation in almost every household.

\"Hey? Prince Liang and Princess Yue are brother and sister, aren't they? How can they marry each other?\"

\"Isn't that too immoral? Letting his son marry his daughter? What is his Majesty thinking?\" 

\"I think I can understand what His Majesty wants. Princess Yue is the most talented girl in the younger generation while Prince Liang is even more outstanding! If they get married, just imagine how amazing their son would be?\" 

\"But...but... they are related! That...eww\" 

\"Hey, don't you remember? Prince Liang is not His Majesty's real son. His majesty found him in one of his adventures and brought him to the Heavenly Realm! So he and Princess Yue aren't related by blood at all. I see no problem with this marriage.\"

\"Even if they aren't blood-related, they became brother and sister the moment His Majesty adopted him! It's....weird!\" 

Two friends kept arguing about the topic as they sat in a bar. A third person sat on the same table but he hadn't said anything. It looked like he was lost in deep thought.

\"Hey, Ron! Why don't you say something? What are you thinking about?\" One of the guys asked as he looked at the third guy.

\"I was thinking about something really important! This Realm's future depends on it!\" Ron replied in a serious tone.

\"What? Tell us as well!!! \" His friends asked as they sat straight. The atmosphere suddenly turned serious.

\"When Prince Liang and Princess Yue get married... who will call His Majesty father in law?  Will Prince Liang become the Prince Consort or will he still be the Crown Prince? Ahhh....so many questions!!!\" Ron let out as he grabbed his head.

\"That was the important thing?\" The other two people couldn't help but facepalm themselves.

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Minister Wang sat on a chair in his throne as he crushed a letter that he received from Heavenly Emperor Tian Zhu. The letter said that Yue can't marry his son and instead she will marry Xu Liang. Heavenly Emperor also invited him for the marriage.

\"Xu Liang!!!\" He let out in anger as he threw the crushed letter at the wall.

\"Father? So I can't marry Yue? Can't you talk to His Majesty again?\" 

\"He won't listen! It's over. I can't do anything about it. I'll find you another beautiful girl son\" Minister Wang said as he patted his son's head.

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\"What are you doing here? \" Heavenly Emperor sat on his throne as he gazed at the Illustrious Emperor.

\"I came to talk to you.\" 

\"If you want me to change my decision about the marriage between Xu Liang and Yue, then you can give up right now. I'm not changing my mind\"

\"I'm not here to talk about that. Although I don't agree with your decision, she's your daughter after all. You have the right to do whatever you desire. It's not like that mortal will gain anything from marrying her that he already doesn't have. He's the Crown Prince after all.\"

\"Then what are you here for?\" 

\"I came here to apologize. I acted on the impulse that day and after finding out about his special physique, I felt guilty. I came here to apologize to you, Brother\" Illustrious Emperor said with a smile as he gazed at Heavenly Emperor.