Chapter 3 — Rule-Based Horror System: Making the Ghost King Kneel

I let out a soft laugh and stepped down the stone steps. The early morning sunlight washed over me, casting a distinct shadow on the ground.

What are you talking about? I am breathing and standing right here, so how could I possibly be a ghost?

Though worldly and experienced, Madam Wang quickly composed herself, though her complexion remained quite unsightly:

You... you are not dead? Then where is the Ghost King?

My husband?

I beckoned with a hand,

Come out and greet your mother-in-law.

Slowly, Pei Shu emerged from the shadows. His tall frame and handsome features were slightly pale, yet his presence was extraordinary. How could he possibly resemble the green-faced, fanged monsters of folklore? Shen Yao stared at him in a daze. Convinced that the Ghost King was a hideous beast, she had adamantly refused to marry him and forced me to take her place as a substitute. Now, gazing upon Pei Shu striking appearance, her eyes turned green with maddening jealousy.

This... this is the Ghost King?

Shen Yao muttered under her breath, then glared at me with furious hatred:

Shen Ly, you treacherous bitch, you dared to trick me!

I put on a look of utter innocence:

What are you babbling about? Wasn't it you who cried and begged me to marry in your stead?

Stamping her foot in rage, Shen Yao turned to Madam Wang:

Mother! Look at this!

Madam Wang narrowed her eyes, darting a calculating gaze back and forth between me and Pei Shu. Clearly, she refused to believe that I could have so easily subdued the Ghost King.

If you are alive, then come back home with us.

Madam Wang said coldly,

The betrothal gifts must still be settled.

I knew exactly what they were plotting. The Shen family spell formation required the Ghost King heart as its core anchor, and I had been chosen as the vessel. Now that I had survived, they were bound to lure me back and wait for a chance to strike. As it happened, I also needed to return to retrieve the heart for Pei Shu.

Very well.

I linked my arm through Pei Shu's, flashing a brilliant smile:

It just so happens that my husband wishes to visit the Shen household as well, isn't that right?

Pei Shu lowered his gaze to look at me, a flash of ravenous bloodlust gleaming in his eyes:

Indeed. I have also been yearning... for the taste of the Shen family.

4

Returning to the Shen estate, the atmosphere turned eerily bizarre. The patriarch, Shen Changhai, sat at the head of the table. The moment he saw Pei Shu and me step inside, his hands shook so violently that he spilled his teacup all over himself. He was well aware of the truth. Or rather, extracting Pei Shu heart to suppress the estate's geomancy had been his own brilliant idea.

Father, Mother,

I pulled Pei Shu forward to offer our respects,

I have brought my husband back to visit our home.

Shen Changhai forced a stiff, awkward smile:

It is good that you are back, very good indeed.

His eyes darted away, not daring to meet Pei Shu's gaze. In contrast, Shen Yao stared fixedly at Pei Shu the entire way, her eyes burning as if she wanted to devour him whole.

Elder Sister,

Shen Yao suddenly adopted a soft, sweet tone,

Since my brother-in-law is here for the first time, why don't I take him for a stroll in the garden?

Daring to snatch a man right before my eyes? Before I could even react, the system chimed in my mind. [Sixth rule: Your possession is being coveted by another. Make the trespasser pay a heavy price within five minutes.] [Reward: One bottle of Truth Spray.] I chuckled silently. Perverted though it may be, this system was occasionally quite adorable. I let go of Pei Shu's arm and generously replied:

Be my guest, since she is so eager, go ahead.

Delighted, Shen Yao swayed gracefully over to Pei Shu's side, reaching out to tug at his sleeve:

Brother-in-law, this way.

Pei Shu stood completely motionless, merely tilting his head to glance at me, as if awaiting my permission. I gave him a look that clearly said "handle it however you please." The moment Shen Yao's fingertips brushed against Pei Shu's sleeve, she let out a piercing shriek as if struck by lightning, instantly snatching her hand back. Her fingers were already rapidly turning black, scorched as if by fire, emitting a foul, burning odor.

Aaaah! My hand! My hand!

Shen Yao writhed on the ground in agony. Terrified to the point of losing all color in her face, Madam Wang rushed over to cradle her:

Yao'er! What is wrong?

Pei Shu feigned innocence, lightly dusting off his sleeve:

My apologies. The nether aura upon me is too heavy for mortals to touch.

He turned back to look at me, the corners of his lips curving upward into a smile that begged for praise:

Wife, I did not let her touch me.

I nodded in satisfaction. Well done. Shen Changhai slammed his fist onto the table and sprang to his feet, pointing directly at my face as he roared:

Shen Ly! What on earth have you dragged back into this house? Do you intend to destroy us all?

So he was finally dropping the act? I looked at him coldly:

What is Father talking about? Weren't you the ones who begged to have me married off to him in the first place? Now you dismiss him as a demon?

Shen Changhai choked, utterly speechless. While hastily tending to Shen Yao's injuries, Madam Wang glared at me with venomous hatred:

You sharp-tongued little bitch! Someone, seize this demon at once! Bring out the family law!

At her command, more than a dozen servants brandishing heavy clubs surged forward, surrounding us completely. I felt not a shred of panic, only profound amusement. Trying to pick a fight with the Ghost King? Were their heads filled entirely with sawdust?

Husband,

I hid behind Pei Shu back,

Someone wants to beat me up.

The crimson glow in Pei Shu's eyes flared instantly. Slowly, he raised a hand, dark mist gathering menacingly in his palm.

Courting death.

With a mere flick of his wrist, before the dozen servants could even scream, they were violently thrown backward by an invisible force, slamming heavily against the walls, vomiting blood, and passing out cold on the spot. The main hall plunged into utter chaos. Shen Changhai collapsed back into his chair in sheer terror, while Madam Wang trembled uncontrollably while holding Shen Yao. Slowly, Pei Shu stepped toward Shen Changhai, the temperature dropping with every single step he took.

Respected Father-in-law,

His voice was gentle, yet as chilling as the depths of the underworld,

Was my heart convenient to use?

Shen Changhai pupils contracted violently:

You... you knew?

Pei Shu chuckled, a laugh drenched in cruel, bloody malice:

Of course I knew. Didn't I whisper in your ear every single night in your dreams?

So that was why Shen Changhai had been plagued by endless nightmares lately.

Give it back to me.

Pei Shu extended a hand,

Or shall I take it out myself?

With trembling lips, Shen Changhai suddenly shrieked at the top of his lungs:

Taoist master! Save me! Master!

Following Shen Changhai's desperate cry, an elderly Daoist priest clad in golden robes suddenly leaped out from behind the screen. Wielding a peach-wood sword in one hand, the old man held a golden alms bowl plastered with protective talismans in the other.

Evil spirit! Cease your rampage!

He bellowed fiercely, hurling the golden bowl into the air. A blinding beam of golden light shot out from the vessel, beaming straight down upon Pei Shu.