"?"
The Ghost Bride didn't speak.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly, as if slowly forming a question mark.
Strangely enough—it made her look a little… cute.
Bai Jue smiled and explained,
"This is a Nie Transformation Pill. After taking it, you'll die once more and be reborn as a Nie. You already know what a Nie is—there are no side effects."
Hearing this, the Ghost Bride froze for a moment.
Then she stepped forward.
Her red robes fluttered as she approached Bai Jue, took the pill from his hand, and gently lifted her red veil.
Under Bai Jue's gaze, her exquisite face was revealed once more.
Without hesitation, she swallowed the pill in a single motion.
After that, she returned to the city gate.
Her body began to tremble slightly, as if she were enduring immense pain.
Soft, restrained moans escaped her lips.
Bai Jue watched intently.
Black mist surged around her form.
Her body became transparent… ethereal… almost unreal.
Then—slowly—it began to solidify again.
Inside the Netherworld Authority, the ghosts and undead grew restless, emitting uneasy howls.
Even the Nie Bai Jue already controlled let out faint, fearful sounds.
There was no doubt about it.
The Ghost Bride was transforming into a Nie.
Bai Jue's eyes shone with anticipation.
Several minutes passed.
Boom!
A powerful aura erupted from her body.
Her appearance showed no obvious changes—
yet she now felt inexplicably more enchanting, more dangerous.
Her realm remained at Third Tier.
Normally, no matter how strong a ghost had been in life, once it transformed into a Nie, it would fall back to the apprentice level.
But she remained Third Tier.
This alone proved how terrifying the Nie Transformation Pill truly was.
When the transformation was complete, the Ghost Bride stepped forward once more.
Her voice was cool, yet gentle.
"Thank you, Husband."
"…You're welcome—wait."
Bai Jue's eyes widened abruptly.
"What did you just call me?"
"Husband."
Her voice was soft and calm as she leaned closer, her presence carrying a chilling cold.
"H-Husband?!"
Bai Jue nearly jumped.
"Why are you calling me that?!"
"Because you have seen my face," she replied gently.
"When I died, I was in the midst of my wedding procession and had not yet married."
"According to the customs of that time, whoever sees my face… becomes my husband."
Her voice was like flowing water—soft enough to make one's heart tremble.
Bai Jue, however, looked completely baffled.
"But… I saw your face days ago. Why didn't you say anything back then?"
The Ghost Bride hesitated.
After a long pause, she finally spoke,
"I wished to observe you first."
"And the result was that my husband treated me well… even willing to give me something as precious as this."
"…Ah."
Bai Jue twitched at the corner of his mouth, his mind in complete chaos.
To be honest—his heart did flutter.
Her beauty alone was enough to topple nations, and she had died before completing her marriage.
By ancient standards…
She was still pure.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
"Ahem."
Bai Jue cleared his throat, took a small step to the side, and said,
"Hold on a second."
He pulled out his phone and opened QianDu search:
"Can a Festival Bearer and a Nie have children?"
Urgent. Please answer.
No signal.
Of course.
This wasn't a special communications device.
Bai Jue sighed and put his phone away.
At that moment, the Ghost Bride leaned closer again, her voice tinged with faint sorrow.
"Does my husband… dislike me?"
"It's not that I dislike you," Bai Jue said awkwardly.
"It's just… ahem, I need to think about future generations."
This wasn't dating—where breaking up was easy.
She was the gatekeeper of his Netherworld Authority.
Breaking up wasn't exactly an option.
She didn't seem bothered at all.
"That's fine, Husband," she said softly.
"I can be your concubine. You may take other wives if you wish—this one does not mind."
"Let's… talk about that later."
Bai Jue rubbed his forehead.
"At least tell me your name first. I don't even know that yet."
"I was negligent," she said calmly.
"My surname is Li. My given name is Changxi."
"Li Changxi…"
"That's a beautiful name," Bai Jue said sincerely.
Changxi—drawn from Chang'e and Xihe, the moon goddesses of ancient legend.
It suited her perfectly.
"As long as Husband likes it."
She smiled faintly, her veil already lifted.
"Will Husband accept me?"
"Of course."
Bai Jue wasn't the indecisive type.
A stunning beauty appearing at his doorstep—rejecting her would be madness.
Besides, she was his gatekeeper. Separation was impossible anyway.
Accepting her was simply… practical.
Sure, she was a Nie.
But she was powerful, beautiful, and honestly—
It felt a bit like being kept by a rich patron.
Especially after she casually told him about the location of another Ghost King.
That sense of being "kept" only grew stronger.
As Bai Jue answered, joy bloomed across Changxi's face.
While he wasn't paying attention—
She leaned forward and lightly pressed her red lips against his cheek.
Then, as if shy, she quickly retreated back to the city gate.
Bai Jue touched his cheek, still feeling the lingering cold.
He laughed helplessly.
"In the past, people married snakes. Others fell in love with ghosts."
"But marrying a Nie… I'm probably the first."
Shaking his head, Bai Jue took a deep breath and prepared to move on.
With a thought—
The Netherworld Authority vanished.
A ring appeared on his index finger.
Not an engagement ring.
A spatial ring.
Though his Netherworld Authority could store items, spatial rings had one major advantage—
Time inside them was frozen.
No decay. No deterioration.
After testing it briefly, Bai Jue continued deeper into the mountain.
Before long—
Roars echoed again.
Soul Beasts charged toward him.
Bai Jue raised his scythe and swung it down, a cold smile curling his lips.
"A bunch of beasts courting death."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
https://patreon.com/RogerTL