Chapter 1 — Rule-Based Horror System: Making the Ghost King Kneel

On the night of our grand wedding, Pei Shu handed me a rusted pair of scissors, commanding me to peel his skin off in one complete piece. Should I dare to disobey, the female ghost in a red dress suspended from the rafters would instantly snap my neck. I trembled as I received the cold blades, and deep within my sea of consciousness, the Strange Rules System abruptly flashed a line of blood-red text. Third rule: The groom is an extreme sadomasochist; any resistance on your part will only heighten his ecstasy. Optimal solution: direct and utter humiliation. I gazed into Pei Shuss handsome yet deathly pale face, drew a sharp breath, and swung my hand back to deliver a fierce slap across his cheek.

Peeling skin is far too tedious.

My dear husband, why not play a game... far more stimulating? The female ghost on the rafters widened her eyes in shock, while deep within Pei Shuss lifeless pupils, a layer of eerie, blood-colored light began to surge. The very next instant, he lunged forward to seize my ankle, the corners of his mouth tearing outward into a distorted grin.

Wife, you have finally come to understand me.

1

Peil Shuss hands were as cold as ice, resembling blocks of iron just hauled from a frozen cellar. He gripped my ankle with a force so immense it felt as though my bones were about to shatter. Excruciating pain made cold sweat pour down my forehead, yet I had to maintain a haughty and arrogant demeanor on the surface. After all, the system inside my head was still flashing a frantic red warning. Warning! Detecting a drop in the grooms arousal value, immediately increase the level of humiliation! Otherwise, the mission will be judged a failure, and the host will be eradicated! Eradicated? I had endured so much hardship just to escape that man-eating Shen household, taking the place of the fake daughter to marry this corpse of a man; I absolutely could not perish in this gloomy bridal chamber. I clenched my teeth, lifted my free foot, and kicked fiercely at Peil Shuss chest.

Let go! You are hurting me!

The red-dressed female ghost on the rafters emitted a piercing, ear-splitting screech, as if she were mere seconds away from pouncing to tear me—an ignorant mortal—into pieces. Yet Pei Shu reacted as though this kick had triggered some hidden switch. Far from showing any anger, he actually released his grip, his entire body lying flat against the coffin lid in a grotesquely twisted posture, exposing his deathly white neck completely to my view. The blood-red light within his lifeless eyes intensified dramatically, and from his throat came a low, rumbling growl of satisfaction, like a beast finally sated.

Wife... your strength is still far too lacking.

He rasped, his voice carrying a bizarre, viscous texture.

Exert a bit more force, or perhaps... take those scissors and pierce them into my chest?

I stared at the rusted pair of scissors he offered, their blades still stained with dark, coagulated blood. This madman was entirely serious. The system interface popped up once more. Fourth rule: The groom possesses an extreme obsession with cleanliness, yet harbors a deep longing to be defiled by his bride. Within three minutes, soil him in a manner that induces profound humiliation. Reward: Ghost-qi immunity constitution (beginner level). Penalty for failure: Turned into a paper lantern by the red-dressed female ghost. I glanced up at the rafters where the female ghost was craning her neck, her unnaturally long tongue sweeping dangerously close to the crown of my head. Soil him? And humiliate him in the process? I swept my gaze around the room. The bridal chamber was grimly obscure; aside from the towering coffin and the floor littered with spirit money, the only other item was a goblet of bridal wine on the table—its contents stagnant for goodness knows how long. There was no time to hesitate. I snatched the flagon from the table and forcefully pried off the lid. The murky, blood-red liquid within emitted a foul, stagnant stench. Pei Shu was still watching me with eager anticipation, seemingly waiting for me to impale him with the scissors. I sneered, straddled his waist, and looked down at him from above.

You wish for me to stab you? Do you even deserve it?

The moment the words left my lips, I raised the flagon and poured the entire vessel of foul, crimson sludge directly over his strikingly handsome face. The dark wine streamed down the bridge of his high nose, staining his snow-white undergarments and leaving him in a state of utter disarray.

Drink it all down, do not leave a single drop.

I commanded through clenched teeth, casually hurling the empty flagon down to strike his chest. A suffocating silence hung heavily in the air. The female ghost on the rafters looked as though her eyes might pop out of their sockets, her pale tongue frozen rigid in mid-air, entirely paralyzed by the audacity of the spectacle below. Pei Shu slowly extended his tongue, licking away a droplet of the foul wine lingering at the corner of his mouth. His skin, already as pale as parchment, now took on a bewitching, perverse allure beneath the staining of the wine. He stared fixedly at me, the crimson light in his eyes blazing fiercely, while the corners of his lips stretched wider and wider until they tore into an angle no ordinary human could ever achieve.

Delicious... the wine bestowed by my wife is indeed a magnificent delicacy.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Grooms arousal +50, red-dressed female ghosts fear +20. Reward distributed: Ghost-qi immunity constitution (beginner level). A wave of comforting warmth surged through my entire body, completely neutralizing the bone-chilling aura that had previously made me shiver. I breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to lift myself off his torso. But Pei Shu suddenly reached out, his hand snapping around my waist. This time, his gesture was far gentler, yet the terrifying, suffocating pressure grew infinitely denser.

Since my wife has soiled her husbands garments,

he murmured softly against my ear, his freezing lips brushing lightly over the shell of my ear,

should you not... help your husband take them off?

2

My entire body stiffened. Remove his clothes? This was a Ghost King! Who knew what lay beneath those layers of fabric? What if it were nothing but rotting flesh and exposed white bones? The system interface flickered into view once more. Fifth rule: The grooms physical form is his ultimate forbidden territory, yet also his deepest longing. Refuse him, and you shall perish; comply blindly, and you shall die an even more agonizing death. Discover the third option. I mentally cursed the eighteenth generation of ancestors belonging to the creators of this system. To refuse meant death, and to comply meant death as well—was this not an absolute dead-end scenario? Pei Shuss fingers had already begun tracing patterns around my waist, sending a fresh wave of chills rippling through me wherever he touched. By now, the red-dressed female ghost had slithered down from the rafters, her limbs pressed against the floor like a giant, monstrous spider crouching beside the coffin, glaring fixedly at the two of us. Her gaze was brimming with fierce jealousy and consuming malice, as though the slightest misstep on my part would cause her to lunge forward and usurp my place.