Chapter 5 — Rule-Based Horror System: Making the Ghost King Kneel

The roar echoed through the hall, shaking the very rafters. Unrelenting, the evil spirit pressed his advantage, bringing his blade down in another ferocious arc. Bui Thuc parried with desperate effort, his movements sluggish and ragged; it was painfully clear he was reaching the absolute end of his strength. Panic gripped my heart like a vise, and my gaze swept wildly across the ancestral hall. The true source of power... it was never inside that fake heart... Where could it be? My eyes finally locked onto the space beneath the altar, where an unremarkable bronze censer sat in shadow. Three sticks of incense burned within it, yet the smoke refused to rise, instead curling downward in a unnatural, heavy descent. Reverse incense? This was the forbidden technique of the inverted path, burned for the living with the grim purpose of usurping another life span or forcibly shifting the threads of karma!

Lightning flashed through my mind. The Shen family had been siphoning Bui Thuc’s immense power all these years entirely because of this hidden array. And the true anchor of the formation was not the wooden box or the false heart, but this very censer! Once the censer was shattered, the array would instantly collapse, and all of Bui Thuc's stolen might would rush back to him! Understanding flooded my veins, and without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed the heavy hardwood armchair beside me, channeling every ounce of strength into a savage swing straight down at the censer.

Stop her!

Realizing my intent, the evil spirit shrieked in sudden terror and rage, turning his weapon away to strike me down. But Bui Thuc reacted with lightning speed, throwing himself forward to grip the monster with a deathly hold.

Your opponent is me!

Crash!

The heavy armchair smashed into the censer with bone-shattering force. The bronze vessel shattered instantly into a thousand jagged pieces. Grey ash scattered everywhere, revealing what lay hidden beneath—a brilliant, crimson heart that was still beating with a slow, heavy thud! So that was the true heart all along! The wooden box had been nothing more than a decoy. The very second the censer broke, the exposed heart gave a violent, joyful bound, transforming into a streak of pure crimson light that shot directly into Bui Thuc’s chest.

A savage, heaven-shaking roar tore from his throat.

Bui Thuc threw his head back as an overwhelming aura surged violently through his frame. His skin, moments ago deathly pale, turned translucent and glowing like jade; the dark, creeping runes vanished completely, replaced instantly by an imperial robe of deep, glowing gold. His dead, hollow eyes shifted entirely to a brilliant, incandescent red, devoid of eerie malice, radiating instead an unmatched, terrifying imperial dominance.

This king... has returned.

Sensing the suffocating, crushing pressure radiating from him, the evil spirit dropped his executioner's axe in sheer panic and spun around to flee. Bui Thuc merely raised a hand lazily. The colossal monster was instantly seized by an invisible, massive grip, squeezed tight as though he were nothing more than a fragile insect.

Did you enjoy hitting me just now?

Bui Thuc asked, his voice dripping with freezing mockery.

Spare me! Ghost King, have mercy!

The evil spirit shrieked in absolute terror, begging for his life.

Mercy?

Bui Thuc turned his gaze toward me, the sharp chill in his eyes instantly melting into profound tenderness. We must see if my wife is willing to grant it.

I brushed the dust from my hands and strolled calmly to his side.

This thing is hideous. It’s an eyesore.

Bui Thuc nodded obediently.

As you wish.

His grip tightened into a fist.

Boom!

The evil spirit exploded instantly into a massive cloud of black smoke, dissolving utterly into nothingness.

Following the total eradication of the evil spirit, the heavy doors of the ancestral hall blew wide open with a thunderous crash. Warm, golden sunlight flooded inward from the courtyard, completely banishing the gloomy shadows that had choked the room. Shen Changhai and Lady Wang had been cowering outside in the dirt, peeking through the gaps; witnessing this terrifying display, their souls nearly left their bodies, and they scrambled frantically to turn and run.

Want to run now?

Bui Thuc let out a cold huff and flicked his wide sleeve. A barrier of absolute, ink-black darkness instantly descended, sealing the entire Shen estate within a dome of shadows.

From this day forth, this place shall be my personal Ghost Domain.

He turned back to look at me, blinking with a look of eager triumph, practically begging for praise.

Wife, the Shen property is entirely yours now. Do whatever you please with them.

I gazed down at the crowd of Shen family members kneeling abjectly in the courtyard, weeping and kowtowing for mercy, yet my heart remained utterly unmoved, without a single ripple of pity. Good and evil always meet their due reckoning in the end. For a full century, the Shen family had enjoyed boundless wealth built entirely on the stolen strength of the Ghost King; now, the time had come to pay their debts in full.

Lock them all in the deepest dungeons,

I said indifferently. Let them experience firsthand what it feels like to be used as sacrificial offerings to feed the demons.

Bui Thuc snapped his fingers casually, and several shadowy ghost guards materialized from thin air, dragging the wailing, hysterical prisoners away toward the dark subterranean cells. With those wretched flies finally cleared out, Bui Thuc suddenly swept me up into his arms in a bridal carry.

Wife, official business is concluded. Shouldn't we attend to some private matters now?

I blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned.

What private matters?

He leaned down close, his dark eyes brimming with heavy, sultry intent. Last night, our wedding night was utterly ruined by a pack of blind fools. Tonight... shouldn't we make up for it?

A warm flush crept up my cheeks, and just as I opened my mouth to offer a teasing refusal, a row of bright pink text materialized instantly in my mind. [Final Mission: Completely conquer the Ghost King.] [Current Affection Level: 99.] [Only one final step remains, host, you can do this!] I looked up into Bui Thuc’s impossibly handsome face—features so striking they could summon the wrath of gods and men alike—and then glanced toward the blooming spring courtyard around us. Well... since escape was clearly out of the question, I might as well sit back and enjoy the ride. I looped my arms gently around his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Then I suppose it will depend entirely on how well my husband performs.

Instantly, fireworks seemed to burst behind Bui Thuc’s glowing eyes as he chuckled deeply, carrying me in large, eager strides toward the inner bedchamber.

At your absolute command, my Queen.

The utter ruin of the Shen family sent violent shockwaves reverberating through the entire capital. Some whispered that the family had committed countless atrocities and brought down the wrath of the heavens; others claimed they had simply offended a power far too terrifying to provoke. Only I knew the truth: the once-illustrious mansion had now been transformed into the private rear garden of the Ghost King. Bui Thuc and I lived a life of unrestrained indulgence. By day, I acted as the new head of the Shen household, managing the legitimate businesses that could be brought out into the light. By night, I reigned as the mistress of the Ghost Domain, commanding a troop of mischievous little ghosts to plant flowers and tend the courtyard gardens, while conveniently checking in on the Shen family members languishing in the dungeons. Shen Yao had completely lost her mind. Unable to withstand the relentless erosion of ghostly energy night after night, she spent her days staring blankly at the stone walls, giggling mindlessly while babbling that she was going to marry the Ghost King. Lady Wang and Shen Changhai were still alive, but they had aged at least twenty years overnight, brawling fiercely and tearing at each other's hair every single day over a single moldy steamed bun. That afternoon, as I lounged lazily in the courtyard soaking up the sun, Bui Thuc hurried over in a breathless rush, holding a brilliant, shimmering roll of imperial yellow silk.

Wife! Disaster has struck!

I lazily cracked open one eye.

What is it now? Another arrogant Daoist priest looking to throw his life away?

Not quite,

Bui Thuc handed the scroll over to me, his expression unusually serious. It’s from the emperor.

The emperor?

I took the silk scroll and unrolled it to inspect the contents. It was an authentic imperial decree. Rumor had reached the palace that a wondrous maiden capable of commanding ghosts and spirits had emerged within the Shen household, and the emperor had specifically appointed me as the new Imperial Tutor, summoning me into the inner palace to hunt down and subdue demons.

Subdue demons?

I let out a soft, amused laugh. Is this emperor's brain addled? Asking me—a master who raises ghosts—to go out and hunt demons?

Bui Thuc curled his lip in deep disdain.

Word is that the inner palace has been entirely restless lately. A favored imperial concubine died and somehow came back to life, turning the harem completely upside down. The emperor is terrified out of his mind and is blindly grabbing at any straw he can reach.

Came back to life?