Shasha, shasha—thump!
The floor beneath her feet shuddered violently. Her heart hammered against her ribs as Xu Songhe realized she was still alive.
A thick, metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils, sending jolts of adrenaline through her nerves.
She forced her heavy eyelids open to a dim, oppressive darkness, save for a few faint beams of light filtering through the cracks in the stone ceiling above.
When she tried to move, her fingers brushed something sticky and wet. Her stomach churned.
She lay on a damp, freezing stone slab covered in rotting moss.
Where am I?
Struggling to lift her stiff neck, Xu Songhe gazed upward toward the light as her eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom.
Everywhere she looked, there were only cold, lifeless stone walls. A shiver ran down her spine. What is going on? She had been walking down the street—completely fine—how did she end up in this hellhole?
A faint sobbing sound reached her ears.
She focused her gaze and witnessed a sight she would never forget for as long as she lived: a three-eyed snake, coiled on the ground, tears streaming from all three of its eyes. The sobs were coming from its opening and closing mouth.
Her pupils dilated in shock.
Holy shit—it’s a ghost!
Since when do snakes talk?
[Host, your emotions are unstable. Please remain calm.]
Xu Songhe clamped a hand over her mouth, barely daring to breathe. She strained her eyes, trying to find the source of the voice.
It’s in my head, she realized.
The voice was echoing inside her skull, accompanied by a faint crackle of static.
Host? What did that mean?
Have I… transmigrated into a book?
“Where… where am I?” she asked breathlessly. “Who have I become?”
[You have transmigrated into a fantasy novel,] the voice replied.
[As for the plot… I’m afraid I’ve forgotten.]
It added an unreliable excuse. [But since you’ve kept your original body, the entire story will likely change because of you. The plot doesn’t really matter anymore.]
“…”
I died?
Her last memory before opening her eyes was a runaway truck barreling toward her. Xu Songhe had to admit that while this voice sounded untrustworthy, everything it said seemed to be true.
She watched the monsters toiling and hauling things nearby. The moment they glanced her way, she quickly shut her eyes.
“System, what am I supposed to do now?”
[Host, don’t panic,] it instructed sternly.
[The nearest person you’ll see after you open your eyes is your future husband.]
“…” I didn’t ask about that! Who cares about a husband when I’m about to die?
She grew desperate. “I’m trying to figure out how to escape this place!”
The System consoled her, [Don’t worry, Host. You’ll be fine. But first, you need to find your future husband. I’ve already bound a Favorability Meter to you. Every point you gain in his favor will earn you a random item or reveal the next part of the plot. Once the favorability reaches one hundred percent, you can reconstruct your physical body and return to your original world to live your life!]
So, it’s given me a romance system.
Xu Songhe stared blankly for a moment, then looked around. Her gaze fell on a clean-cut young man sitting nearby with his eyes closed in meditation, also trapped in the monster’s lair. Aside from the rabbit at her feet, he was the closest person to her.
Xu Songhe studied him for a long while, then silently swallowed hard. “System, is he… my future husband?”
The System replied with absolute certainty, [There are only two of you left. It must be him!]
“…”
The words stung. It was true—they were the only two normal humans here. Everyone else was a grotesque monster.
Xu Songhe studied him carefully. The young man was strikingly handsome, with delicate features that surpassed anyone she’d ever seen before transmigrating.
He did have a faint scar on his cheek that looked recently scabbed over, but that hardly diminished his beauty.
The thought of actually seeing her family again made her heart race, instantly erasing the terror she’d felt upon seeing the monsters.
“Hey, wake up…”
Taking advantage of the monsters’ distraction, Xu Songhe hesitated before creeping closer.
She lightly patted the back of his hand. “Are you all right?”
The young man kept his eyes shut tight, his lips pale. Strands of hair drifted across his forehead, while the dim light from above cast mottled shadows over him.
Xu Songhe withdrew her hand, her gaze lingering on the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
He looked injured.
Maybe he’s just some weak scholar, she thought. I’ll protect him for now.
“Hurry up! Carry him inside first.”
Heavy footsteps thudded outside the cave. The rock blocking the entrance was shoved aside, and the sudden glare of light made her squint. But the brightness was quickly blocked by several figures.
As they drew closer, Xu Songhe realized the gleaming objects she’d seen weren’t blades at all—they were horns protruding from the monsters’ heads.
“Be careful,” one of them said. “The Lord said he wants no damaged bodies—we’ll take the next one first.”
“Hmph. That one’s tender and fine-skinned. He’ll taste a lot better.”
A shiver ran down Xu Songhe’s spine.
Eat… eat people?
Her heart pounded like a drum. She risked opening one eye and saw the monsters dragging iron chains into the cave, preparing to bind the young man.
Her heart clenched.
She was about to throw caution to the wind and fight back, desperate to shove the monsters away, when she saw them bypass the young man and head straight for the snake demon behind him.
One of the monsters sneered, looking down with pure contempt before kicking the young man. “What piece of trash thinks he can block my path? Why did we even bother capturing such a useless waste? We’ll just set you all on fire later.”
The kick sent the young man’s body collapsing limply to the ground. His eyes remained shut, and he lay there like a lifeless corpse, offering no resistance.
Xu Songhe quickly shut her eyes and lay still, pretending to be dead. After a few more cries and shouts, she heard the sound of something being dragged across the floor.
“I say we just send these low-quality ones to the Lord,” one monster said. “Let’s go catch some with higher spiritual power to offer to Lord Nine-Tails.”
“Wipe that fawning look off your face and just do your job! Do you think we can just see Lord Nine-Tails whenever we want? Even if we did, His Lordship wouldn’t care for such trash.”
The monster speaking had four eyes and a completely infatuated expression. “If I could just see His Lordship once, it would be worth it—even if he killed me for it.”
The voices faded as the rock was shoved back over the cave entrance. Xu Songhe opened her eyes and scrambled over to the young man, shaking him vigorously. “Wake up! Wake up! We have to run before they come back!”
He didn’t respond. His head rested to the side, so still he seemed lifeless.
Xu Songhe anxiously reached out to check his breathing. A faint warmth met her fingertips—thank goodness, he’s alive.
She didn’t know how long they had before the monsters returned. Her gaze swept the surroundings, eventually landing on a stone wall.
A layer of red liquid was smeared across it. As she leaned in to sniff, an indescribable stench shot straight to her brain.
Xu Songhe shut her eyes tight, bracing herself as if facing death. She extended a trembling hand and touched the liquid. The smell was familiar now—it was blood.
She pinched her nose and pulled her hand away in disgust, only to slowly bring it back a moment later.
The monsters said they didn’t want anyone with a damaged body, she thought. This is the only way. Survival is what matters most.
Gritting her teeth, she turned to the handsome young man beside her. You’re gorgeous, but I’m sorry—you’ll have to put up with this.
Xu Songhe carefully smeared the blood from the wall onto herself, feigning a grievous injury. Then, she smeared some onto the young man.
As she worked, she kept glancing back at the cave entrance.
Good, not a sound. They won’t be back for a while.
Xu Songhe glanced back for the hundredth time, only to notice the cave had grown slightly brighter. When she looked up, four brilliant lamps seemed to have appeared in the darkness.
Oh, so the monsters aren’t completely heartless after all she thought. They even left us a light.
A flicker of hope sparked in her chest. Using this precious light, she worked faster, smearing the blood.
“I really owe you one,” she murmured, glancing at the unconscious man. “If you hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have been able to finish this before they returned. I know you can’t understand me, but I still want to thank—”
Xu Songhe turned her head, smiling, only to be met by a wall of pus-green flesh.
“…You.”
What light? those weren’t lamps—they were the monster’s four eyes!
Xu Songhe felt the blood drain from her body. She tried to shuffle away, slowly increasing the distance between them.
The four-eyed monster was more than twice her height. Seeing that she had noticed him, it grinned, revealing teeth sharp enough to crush steel.
“One’s awake. Perfect…”
“Wait, wait, wait!”
As the monster prepared to lunge, Xu Songhe scrambled to her feet and held up her blood-smeared arm. “Look, I’m injured! Your Lord definitely wouldn’t want someone like me.”
Noticing the monster’s gaze shift, she quickly threw herself over the unconscious boy. “He’s hurt too! We were injured together!”
The monster narrowed its eyes and burst into a harsh laugh. “Is that so? Perfect. I don’t mind blood-stained ones.”
What does that mean…?
A violent surge of air blasted her from the side. Before she could even react, she was thrown across the cave, slamming heavily into the stone wall.
The System’s cheerful voice chimed in. [Excellent, Host! Now you don’t have to keep pretending to be bloodied.]
Are you insane?
Xu Songhe pushed herself off the ground with her blood-caked palms.
She struggled to lift her head, watching in horror as the four-eyed demon hooked its rough fingers under the boy’s chin.
Her mind buzzed.
“Stop! You can’t touch him!”
Though she knew her strength was nothing against it, a sudden surge of courage seized her. Xu Songhe stumbled to her feet, ready to stand against the hideous creature.
It wasn’t just her desire to complete the mission; it was also a sense of pity for the first fellow human she’d met in this world. No matter what, she didn’t want him to die.
“You’re too noisy.”
The boy had awakened without her noticing. As his eyes narrowed, his fingers clenched, and the four-eyed demon’s scream was cut short in its throat.
“Y-you…”
Xu Songhe cowered in the corner, speechless. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and tears welled in her eyes, but she forced them back.
The towering demon that had just loomed over her was now as fragile as paper, its bones crushed with effortless ease.
The next moment, his gaze fell on her. It was cold and indifferent, as if he were looking at an insignificant ant.
Xu Songhe shuddered violently.
System, you said he’s my future husband… but he doesn’t seem like a good person at all.
The boy raised his hand and tossed the demon’s corpse aside. The impact sent a cloud of dust and sand into the air, and the boulders blocking the cave entrance were smashed open, revealing the rest of the demon horde outside, their faces frozen in shock.
He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile on his lips. “Do you want to die one by one, or all together?”
Before they could respond, he turned his head away lazily and crooked a finger.
“Never mind. Too much trouble.”
The last word had barely left her lips when a deafening roar echoed through the cave. The entire structure collapsed instantly, and boulders tumbled down upon the demon horde. Their screams were quickly swallowed by the swirling dust and sand.
The other smaller demons, now free, didn’t dare linger. Dragging their injured bodies, they limped and scrambled away in all directions.
Xu Songhe touched her head, making sure the sudden gust of wind hadn’t blown her hair away.
“I’m saved?” she muttered.
She had meant to say it to the System, but in her excitement, the words slipped out loud.
The boy looked down and wiped the blood from his arm. Hearing her, he raised his eyes to the only living person left in the cave.
Xu Songhe’s scalp tingled with fear.
She desperately fought back the tears she’d just shed and stammered, “S-System… my future husband won’t kill me too, will he?”
The System reassured her, “Rest assured, Host. He would never hurt you.”
That’s good, she thought. He’s only killing demons—the kind that eat people. What does that have to do with me?
Xu Songhe trembled, silently repeating the System’s words in her mind.
Besides, having a powerful cultivator by her side was far better than fighting alone.
“Husband—oh, wait, Young Master! You were so cool just now!” She gathered her courage and looked at him with a hopeful smile. “I thought I was a goner. Thank goodness you were here.”
But he ignored her completely, not even slowing his pace. He brushed past her without a backward glance.
Wait—wait a minute! How could he just leave? What would she do if another demon showed up?
Xu Songhe scrambled to her feet and chased after his receding figure. “Wait for me, Husband! I don’t even know your name yet!”
“What did you just call me?”
The young man turned around, his eyes reflecting the sight of the dust-covered girl.
He glanced at the blood still staining his hand, then smiled faintly. “If I remember correctly, weren’t you the one who just smeared these filthy stains on me?”
Though she didn’t completely believe the system’s words about her “future husband,” she had no choice.
In her past life, she had been a corporate drone just drifting along. Now, transported to this hellhole, her only hope for survival was to cling to someone who looked reliable.
Besides, to get the item she needed to return home, she had to stay with him.
“Yes, that was me,” Xu Songhe said with a generous wave of her hand, her eyes curving into a smile. “But you don’t need to thank me, Young Master. After all, you’re so handsome—it would have been a crime not to save you. But if you’re truly determined to repay me, there is one way…”
She blinked, noticing he didn’t seem to mind her words or the term “Husband.”
She continued cautiously, “Could I follow you? Don’t worry, I definitely won’t hold you back…”
The young man didn’t answer. His gaze swept over her, a faint, inscrutable smile playing in his eyes.
Breaking her neck would be far easier than choking that demon to death.