“Don’t be afraid. This Emperor doesn’t eat people,” the Ghost Emperor said.

“Really?” Zhong Cheng asked.

“Why don’t you take a guess?”

The Ghost Emperor bared a mouthful of sharp fangs and gave him a sinister grin.

Zhong Cheng started trembling even harder. Anyone who didn’t know better might’ve thought he’d secretly turned on a vibrator.

She’d definitely eaten people before!

“Actually, my meat tastes terrible. I’m always eating snacks and fast food, so my body’s built up tons of industrial additives. I stay up late gaming, use computers and phones all the time, and get blasted with electronic radiation. Eating me would be bad for your health!” Zhong Cheng said seriously.

“Relax. This Emperor is a ghost, and ghosts don’t like eating meat. The ones who like meat are demons and monsters,” the Ghost Emperor said with a laugh.

“Is that so? Then that’s good.” Zhong Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

“But as a ghost, This Emperor does like absorbing yang energy. You know, my appetite is huge. With one small sip, I can drain more than ten people dry and turn them into mummies.”

“Darling, would you like to let me have a taste?”

“…”

Zhong Cheng burst into tears.

She’d just said that a single sip could drain more than ten people dry. If he really let her take a sip, would he even survive?

“No, no! The quality of my yang energy isn’t good either. I often take care of myself at night, so my kidneys are weak. I like playing adult games, too. My yang energy is terrible!”

“But I can’t hold myself back anymore. I’ll just take a sip and see how it tastes. Nothing will happen, so don’t worry.”

Don’t think I’ll trust you just because you call yourself “this concubine” and speak in a cute voice!

A woman’s mouth is a treacherous ghost.

Mr. Jin Yong taught us from childhood that the prettier a woman was, the more she liked to lie.

Hmph. A true straight man never believed this kind of deceitful nonsense.

Sensing danger, Zhong Cheng turned around without hesitation and made a desperate leap.

He’d escape first and worry about the rest later.

He knew the chances of getting away were next to zero, but how would he know it wouldn’t work unless he tried?

Maybe he’d get a miracle from a single pull.

Of course, miracles only happened to Europeans. Africans weren’t allowed to have them.

The moment Zhong Cheng leaped into the air, his body froze there. He couldn’t move at all.

The Ghost Emperor gave a cold laugh and crooked one finger.

Zhong Cheng flew back to her.

A slender hand tipped with sharp red nails reached out and seized his chin, pulling him closer.

He faced the Ghost Emperor directly.

Closer and closer, until they were almost touching.

Zhong Cheng could clearly see her face. It was completely unadorned, naturally beautiful without the slightest trace of makeup.

What was she trying to do?

Why was she getting so close? Was she planning to kiss him?

If so, Zhong Cheng didn’t mind.

He was still a virgin when it came to kissing, but if the other party was a beauty like the Ghost Emperor, he could make an exception.

Unfortunately, Zhong Cheng was overthinking it.

The Ghost Emperor parted her little mouth and took a gentle breath.

Smoke poured from Zhong Cheng’s mouth like exhaust from a smokestack. All of it was sucked into her tiny mouth.

Zhong Cheng immediately felt the world spinning. His entire body went limp and ice-cold, as if he’d contracted a serious illness.

He felt utterly listless, while despair lingered in his mind.

If the Ghost Emperor hadn’t been holding his chin, he would’ve already collapsed to his knees. He didn’t even have the strength to stand.

If she kept sucking, Zhong Cheng would die.

He tried to resist, but it was useless.

The Ghost Emperor was incredibly strong. Meanwhile, his yang energy was being drained, leaving him powerless.

All he could do was let the ghost carve him up.

Fortunately, the Ghost Emperor stopped on her own.

Her eyes narrowed in pleasure, and her face flushed as though she’d just enjoyed a sumptuous feast.

Still unsatisfied, she stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.

It was a beautiful little clove-like tongue.

But Zhong Cheng was in no mood to admire it. His entire body felt completely drained, as if he hadn’t eaten for ten days and ten nights.

The fact that he hadn’t passed out was proof of his powerful willpower.

“Darling, your yang energy tastes wonderful. I like it,” the Ghost Emperor said.

“…”

Zhong Cheng wanted to say that he didn’t like it at all.

This weak, empty feeling was unbearable. It was even worse than draining himself ten times in a row and ending up with kidney deficiency.

“Great Ghost Emperor, please show mercy and spare me. I’m only a common citizen. I can’t withstand your torment,” Zhong Cheng pleaded miserably.

“Don’t you want to do some indescribable things with me?” the Ghost Emperor asked seductively.

The slender hand holding Zhong Cheng’s chin began to stroke it gently, as though she were polishing jade. Her pinky nail slid across his neck in blatant provocation.

Was she implying that she’d kill him if he refused?

Although the Ghost Emperor’s movements were full of flirtation, Zhong Cheng saw them for what they were.

It was a threat!

Especially that nail brushing across his neck. It was practically dripping with murderous intent.

No signal. No signal at all.

“Um, Great Ghost Emperor… I actually broke off our engagement this afternoon. So we’re not husband and wife anymore,” Zhong Cheng said carefully.

“So you look down on me? Even if someone was going to break off this engagement, it should’ve been me. Hmph.”

“To begin with, I didn’t like this marriage. I wanted to end it and kill you while I was at it. But your yang energy is delicious, and I like it. So I’ve changed my mind.”

“I’ve already acknowledged you as my husband. Don’t mention ending the marriage again, or I’ll drain you dry,” the Ghost Emperor said ominously.

Drain you dry?

Why did that sound so suggestive?

He suspected she was being indecent on purpose.

Still, Zhong Cheng absolutely didn’t want to be drained dry. He’d die.

Compared to being her husband, he felt more like the Ghost Emperor’s emergency food supply.

Thinking about a future where the Ghost Emperor drained his yang energy on a regular basis, Zhong Cheng suddenly felt that life had turned completely bleak.

“Actually, I think we’d be better off as friends. Marriage is too troublesome in modern times. The divorce rate is high, and then there’s property division and lawsuits. Everyone longs for a free, unrestrained life now. Great Ghost Emperor, why don’t you think it over?” Zhong Cheng urged earnestly.

“Looks like you really do despise me,” the Ghost Emperor said with a cold laugh.

It wasn’t disdain. He was scared!

Couldn’t she see that his body was still trembling?

He was still young. He hadn’t had the chance to waste his youth properly yet. He wanted to live a good, long life.

He didn’t want his wife draining him dry at any moment.

“How dare a mere human defy the Great Ghost Emperor? Are you looking to die?”

“Should we deep-fry him or boil him?”

“I suggest we skin him, tear out his bones, chop off his hands and feet, then gouge out his eyes.”

“Ke ke ke… Lock him deep underground, where no sunlight can reach. Driving him mad would be easier and save us the trouble.”

The ghosts and monsters throughout the great hall shouted threats, their killing intent surging as their ghostly voices filled the air.

They described horrifying methods of torture, scaring Zhong Cheng so badly that his heart nearly stopped.

“Quiet!” the Ghost Emperor barked.

The entire hall fell silent in an instant. Not a single ghost dared make another sound.

The Ghost Emperor turned back to Zhong Cheng’s pale face and gently patted his cheek.

“Now make your choice. Will you obediently be my husband, or insist on ending the marriage and let me drain you dry?”

But did he even have a choice?

This was clearly forcing an honest man into prostitution.

I only want to be a good person. Please, let me be one!

“Do I still have a chance?”

“A chance to push me off the mountain? Sorry, but no.”

“…”

Zhong Cheng was speechless.

How did she even know modern memes? That made no scientific sense.

“Right. Although we’ve been married for half a year, today was our first meeting. We haven’t even drunk the nuptial wine, so it doesn’t count as an official marriage.”

“Prepare the wine,” the Ghost Emperor ordered.

Hadn’t Zhong Cheng made his choice yet? Why was she making decisions on his behalf?

If not drinking the nuptial wine meant they weren’t officially married, then Zhong Cheng declared that he could do without it.

However, it seemed he didn’t have the right to choose.

This was forcing an honest man into prostitution!

Now he understood what it meant to lower one’s head beneath another’s roof.

Still, as long as he could keep surviving, he had to hold on to hope. If he persisted, he might eventually find a chance to escape.

Enduring hardship and biding one’s time was never something accomplished in a single day.

It seemed that Zhong Cheng would have to live in fear and caution for the foreseeable future.

At the Ghost Emperor’s command, the ghosts below immediately got to work.

They brought out wine and even arranged a simple wedding feast. Before long, everything was ready.

The Ghost Emperor then picked up the weak and powerless Zhong Cheng and carried him toward the banquet.

He’d lost too much yang energy and couldn’t move freely for the moment. He could only be handled like a doll.

The two of them sat facing each other, with two cups of wine on the table.

The cups were made of gold and engraved with phoenixes. They glittered brilliantly, exquisite and breathtaking.

They could probably be sold for a fortune.

Zhong Cheng didn’t know what kind of wine it was, but it smelled incredible.

The Ghost Emperor picked up both cups and handed one to Zhong Cheng.

He accepted it and immediately felt its weight. It was probably made of solid gold.

The Ghost Emperor reached out with the hand holding her cup.

Zhong Cheng understood what to do and extended his own hand as well. Their arms intertwined, and they drank together.

The wine was fairly strong, but its flavor was rich and pure.

It felt cool on his tongue at first, with a faint sweetness at the tip and a spicy bite at the root.

Once it reached his stomach, warmth immediately spread through him, like having a heat patch stuck against his body.

What excellent wine.

Even someone like Zhong Cheng, who had never cared much for alcohol, could taste its quality.

If his grandfather—a true drunk—ever got to drink this, he’d probably be overjoyed.

The two of them sat extremely close, almost face-to-face, yet Zhong Cheng couldn’t feel her breath.

The arm pressed against his felt cold.

She was beautiful, that was true. Too bad she was a ghost—and an exceptionally vicious one at that.

Yes, definitely vicious.

Zhong Cheng secretly glanced toward her prominent chest.

So big.

If she weren’t so vicious, she’d actually make a pretty good wife.

What the hell am I thinking?

I’m thinking about a ghost, all right…