Bizarre: Forced into an arranged marriage, his wife turns out to be a demon emperor?

Crush my throat?

Or will you take out my heart?

Lin Che closed his eyes, awaiting death.

However, the expected excruciating pain did not occur.

[Ding! Main quest changed!]

[Task objective: Take your wife's outstretched hand.]

[Mission Reward: Supreme Ghost Body (Intermediate)! Fear Value +500!]

[Task Hint: As the head of the household, how can you let your wife take the initiative for too long?]

The system's voice in his mind made Lin Che suddenly open his eyes.

He saw Su Hongyi's hand stop in front of him, with long, slender fingers and a palm facing upwards, an invitation.

His terrified face was vividly reflected in her emotionless eyes.

The oppressive force that almost crushed him also subtly weakened.

Lin Che's heart pounded wildly.

Holding hands?

Holding the hand of a female ghost?

However, the reward is the Supreme Ghost Body (Intermediate)!

He could clearly feel that the feeling of weakness he had just experienced was because his "Supreme Ghost Body (Primary Level)" could not withstand the pressure from the other party.

If I upgrade, will I be able to survive under this kind of pressure?

I'm taking the gamble!

Not gambling means certain death!

Lin Che gritted his teeth and used all his strength to raise his still trembling right hand.

His hand, slowly but firmly, reached out to meet Su Hongyi's hand.

This was an incredibly difficult decision.

He didn't know if his hand would freeze into ice crystals or be corroded instantly after touching it.

Finally, the two hands met in mid-air.

Lin Che's fingertips touched her palm.

cold.

Bone-chilling cold.

There was not a trace of human warmth.

Lin Che's body trembled, but he did not pull his hand back.

He gritted his teeth and placed his hand completely into her palm.

Then, with his trembling fingers, he gently took her hand.

The moment he grasped her hand.

[Ding! Successfully paired up!]

[Mission complete! Rewards being distributed...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Supreme Ghost Body (Intermediate)!]

A warm current, ten times stronger than before, suddenly exploded within his body!

The warmth that flowed through my body instantly dispelled all the cold and weakness.

Lin Che felt as if a small furnace had appeared inside his body, continuously providing him with power.

Although the terrifying pressure surrounding him still existed, it could no longer cause him any real harm.

He can move now!

He survived!

Lin Che supported himself on the ground and slowly stood up.

He looked at Su Hongyi and found that she was still looking at him with that infatuated gaze, or rather, at their clasped hands.

She gripped Lin Che's hand tightly with her other hand, the coldness of which made Lin Che very uncomfortable.

But he dared not break free.

He noticed that when he held her hand, Su Hongyi's originally empty and cold eyes seemed to have gained a touch of human vitality.

That chilling cold that could freeze the soul also vanished without a trace.

A bold idea flashed through Lin Che's mind.

This female ghost, although ridiculously powerful, seems to... need me?

Or rather, do they need to maintain a certain stability through contact with me?

[Ding! Detected that the host and his wife have completed their first intimate interaction. Marital affection +1.]

Current Relationship Level: Random Acquaintance (-10/100)

[As your relationship level increases, you can unlock more system functions and rewards. Please continue your efforts and become a qualified head of the family as soon as possible!]

Seeing the new information pop up on the system panel, Lin Che's heart finally settled down.

It turned out to be the case.

Making your wife happy makes you stronger.

Why not force yourself to live off her?

To survive, and for revenge!

Looking at the unbelievably beautiful face before him, Lin Che's fear was being replaced by an even stronger desire.

He wants to live.

He wants to become stronger.

He wanted to leave this awful place and go back to the village!

He wants Lin Guofu and all the villagers to pay a bloody price for what they have done!

And this bizarre SSS-level empress in front of him is his greatest reliance!

……

at the same time.

Linjia Village, outside the ancestral hall.

The torrential rain that had poured down all night had stopped sometime ago.

As the dark clouds dispersed, a crimson moon, as red as blood, hung high in the sky, casting an ominous red glow over the entire village.

The villagers, however, were completely unaware of anything amiss.

They were surrounding Lin Guofu, their faces filled with relief and flattery at having survived a disaster.

"The village chief is brilliant! Everything's fine now. Sending that kid over there will satisfy 'that person,' and our village will be peaceful from now on!"

"Exactly! If you ask me, this should have been done a long time ago! A family with no parents left is just a waste of food!"

"Guofu, you've really done a great service to the whole village this time!"

Lin Guofu stood with his hands behind his back, listening to the praise from the crowd, a smug look on his face.

He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Don't worry, everyone! The master said that as long as the marriage is completed, that 'one' will become the 'God of Happiness' of our Lin Family Village. Not only will he stop causing trouble, but he will also bless us with good weather and abundant harvests!"

"good!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from their hearts.

They've even started discussing slaughtering pigs and sheep tomorrow to have a proper celebration.

However, at that moment...

A cold, damp wind blew by without warning.

The few dim lanterns in front of the ancestral hall began to sway violently, their light flickering on and off.

A faint smell of blood began to fill the air.

A villager sniffed and asked in confusion, "What's that smell? Why does it smell so fishy?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone pointed towards the village entrance and let out a terrified scream.

"Th...what is that?!"

Everyone turned around to look.

Suddenly, a thick cloud of blood-red mist rose from the direction of the village entrance.

The mist churned and writhed, as if it were alive, and was spreading rapidly toward the center of the village.

Wherever the fog passed, trees and houses were stained with a dark red color, as if they had been soaked in blood.

The smiles on the villagers' faces froze.

"What's going on? Wasn't it supposed to be peaceful?"

"This fog...this fog is strange!"

Lin Guofu's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.

He forced himself to remain calm and shouted, "What's the panic! It's just miasma in the mountains! Go home, all of you!"

But nobody listened to him.

Because the blood mist spread so quickly, it enveloped half the village in the blink of an eye.

The chickens, ducks, dogs, and pigs raised in the village collapsed without even being able to utter a scream the moment they came into contact with the blood mist. Their bodies quickly shriveled up and turned into dried corpses.

"ah--!"

Finally, someone couldn't bear the horrific sight and turned to run away like a madman.

But he hadn't run two steps before he was overtaken by the surging blood mist.

He was enveloped in a blood mist, letting out a heart-wrenching scream. His body deflated rapidly like a punctured balloon, and finally, with a "pop," he turned into dust, which was scattered by the cold wind.

Dead silence.

The area in front of the ancestral hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their bodies trembling like leaves.

Fear, like an invisible hand, gripped everyone's heart.

The sacrifice... failed?

No.

It wasn't a failure.

They've completely made a mistake!

They thought that sacrificing Lin Che would quell the sinister rage behind the mountain.

Little did they know that by engaging in a ridiculous ghost marriage, they were personally welcoming into the village a being a thousand times, ten thousand times more terrifying than the one behind the mountain!

"Help...help me!"

Someone shouted first, and the crowd instantly erupted in chaos.

Everyone scattered like headless flies, their cries and screams echoing through the night sky.

Lin Guofu collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

He stared at the approaching blood mist, his lips trembling as he muttered to himself.

"How could this happen... how could this happen..."