Corpse Mountain Bride

In the Great Yin Dynasty, on the western border of Qingzhou, at the mass grave outside Cangwu City.

Late autumn. The darkest hour before dawn.

The pungent stench of decay mixed with the stench of blood was the first whiff of "human warmth" that Ling Zhan, Zhan Shiqi, smelled after regaining consciousness.

She suddenly opened her eyes!

What came into view was not a vast starry sky or a scorching battlefield, but a leaden gray, low-hanging, suffocating sky, and below them, cold, sticky, and piled-up corpses! Several wild dogs that were gnawing on the carrion were startled by the sudden sitting up of the "corpse" and bared their teeth and growled.

[Warning: Host's vital signs are critical. Body damage level: 87%, energy reserves: 0.01%.]

[Environmental scan: Low oxygen, high pollution, presence of low-threat life forms (canines, three).]

A cold, emotionless electronic voice resounded directly in the depths of her mind.

Star Core. Zero!

This guy actually came along too?!

Ling Zhan suppressed the excruciating pain of his soul being torn apart and the absurd feeling of being transported to a lower dimension.

She tried to mobilize her strength...

This body was as frail as a tattered wad of cotton soaked in water, its meridians blocked and riddled with hidden injuries…

The only things I could feel were the biting cold and... a hunger that went deep into my bones!

"roar!"

One of the largest wild dogs couldn't resist and pounced on the "fresh" blood!

Foul-smelling saliva dripped down.

The instinct to kill is etched into the soul!

Ling Zhan's eyes flashed with a sharp light!

Just as the foul-smelling maw was about to bite her neck, her right hand, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, precisely gripped the wild dog's throat!

"Snap!"

The sickening sound of bones cracking was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence of the mass grave; the movements were swift, precise, and ruthless! Not a single unnecessary action wasted.

A killing technique born purely for survival!

"Threat target cleared. Energy absorption protocol activated... Trace bioenergy intake..." Star Core Zero's voice was completely flat.

A faint, almost imperceptible warmth flowed into her palm—

It barely kept the flickering flame of life afloat.

The other two stray dogs were completely terrified by this brutal scene, and fled with their tails between their legs, whimpering.

Ling Zhan tossed aside the limp dog carcass and struggled to crawl out of the pile of corpses.

A biting wind whipped at her thin, tattered linen clothes, covered in bruises and chilblains, whipping her with decaying leaves. Each step was excruciatingly painful, causing a fine sheen of cold sweat to bead on her forehead. Fragments of memories belonging to the original owner of "Ling Dahua" flooded back like a tidal wave—

An orphan girl with no parents, who is bullied and has decent fighting skills!

He was eventually beaten to death and left here for resisting the local tyrant Zhao Kui's attempt to seize his property.

Deep in my memory is Zhao Kui's grinning face and the original owner's overwhelming hatred and resentment before his death!

"If you don't discipline them for a day, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles..."

The lingering resentment and venom of the original owner pierced his consciousness sharply. Ling Zhan licked his dry, chapped lips, a metallic sweetness rising in his throat.

Her eyes were like sharp blades tempered with ice: "Go in peace, Zhao Kui... I'll smash this 'tile' for you."

Following her memory, she staggered, her body trembling slightly from the pain and weakness, but she walked with a clear goal toward the dilapidated thatched hut outside Cangwu City, which belonged to her original self and could barely be called "home".

Every step he took was treading on mud and despair, yet it carried a chilling aura of someone who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

West of Cangwu City, a slum.

Ling Zhan's thatched hut looked like it could barely keep out half the rain.

A few rotten planks haphazardly tied with straw rope leaned against the doorframe, serving as a makeshift door. A tattered straw curtain hung from the doorframe, swaying weakly in the wind. In the corner lay a few damp, moldy planks, probably intended for repairs by the original owner.

At this moment, a faint light appeared on the horizon.

Ling Zhan leaned against the creaking, almost falling apart wooden door frame, his knuckles turning white from the effort, before he could barely keep his balance.

Suddenly, a figure came up to her, trembling. It was Granny Liu from next door.

"Ah... Ah Hua? Da Hua, you... you're not dead?!"

Grandma Liu was both shocked and frightened. Looking at the congealed bloodstains on Ling Zhan's body and his overly cold eyes, her voice trembled.

She was holding a half-bowl of thin porridge, so thin it reflected her image, and a small packet of herbs.

"Zhao... Zhao Kui's men said you... you're gone... I don't believe it, come and see for yourself!"

Her eyes were filled with unbelievable surprise, but even more so with a deep worry—

It was as if I were looking at a harbinger of disaster.

Grandma Liu wiped away her tears, recounting incessantly the evil deeds of Zhao Kui of the Black Tiger Gang—how he beat her, how he oppressed the neighbors, how he drove them to the brink of starvation. Ling Zhan listened silently, took the bowl of cold, thin porridge, and downed it in one gulp. The coarse millet slid down her throat, bringing a negligible warmth and causing her dry throat muscles to spasm slightly.

"Where is Zhao Kui?"

Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, and calm, as if she were asking, "How's the weather today?" Yet, it sent a chill down Granny Liu's spine. She advised, "Ahua...you mustn't...even if you're strong, they outnumber you..."

Her thin, bony hand instinctively reached out to grab Ling Zhan's arm, but then shrank back in fear.

Before he could finish speaking...

Suddenly, a loud gong and shouts broke the deathly silence of the slum in the early morning.

"Official document! No one else may pass!"

Two impatient-looking constables, dressed in their official robes, walked straight to Ling Zhan's thatched hut, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, of impoverished people. One of the constables, a taller one named Wang, unfurled a piece of paper stamped with a large red official seal. Without even glancing at Ling Zhan, he loudly proclaimed in a businesslike tone, tinged with disdain:

"It has been determined that Ling Zhan, an orphan girl from Xicheng, is nineteen years old and has a disorderly conduct, frequently causing trouble; Chen Yan, a vagrant from Xicheng, is twenty years old and lazy. In order to maintain local order and rectify public morals, in accordance with the 'Da Yin Household Law for Pacifying the People,' you two are hereby ordered to marry immediately to uphold moral principles and return to the right path! It is hoped that you two will repent and reform yourselves, behave yourselves and not cause any more disturbance to the village! This is the decree!"

After the document was read aloud, the official shoved it into Ling Zhan's arms as if he had thrown away something dirty.

A few low snickers and whispers arose from the crowd:

"That kid Chen Yan? He's always leading a bunch of beggars to steal chickens and dogs. Isn't he a notorious troublemaker?"

"That Ling Dahua... tsk tsk, don't let her thinness fool you, she's incredibly strong and a troublemaker. I heard she even got into a fight with Zhao Kui's men yesterday? No wonder she was assigned to those thugs!"

A thought flashed through my mind: The original owner's real name was also Ling Zhan! That's great!

Another short, stout official, Li Tou'er, shouted at the back of the crowd, "Shen Yan! Shen the scoundrel! Stop hiding! Come out and get your wife! The government is giving you a wife for free, and she's known around here for her 'fighting prowess.' You've hit the jackpot! Hahahaha!"

The crowd burst into laughter and automatically parted to make way.

A young man was seen being pushed and shoved by several teenagers, reluctantly moving out.

He wore a patched-up gray cloth outfit that somehow managed to exude a rebellious air, with a faded pheasant feather tucked crookedly into his belt. His hair was somewhat disheveled, but his face was extremely handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. However, at this moment, his peach blossom eyes were filled with irritability, resistance, and a hint of barely perceptible surprise.

He habitually wore a cynical, roguish smile, but it looked somewhat stiff.

He is Chen Yan.

A notorious gang leader in the western district of Cangwu County.

He was also the "father" of more than twenty orphaned beggars.

"Boss Wang, Boss Li! Please, have mercy on us!"

Shen Yan bowed exaggeratedly, his voice clear and slightly slick, "I wouldn't dare take this 'bargain'! Look at me—" He turned and pointed to the group of ragged, emaciated little kids timidly peeking out from behind him, "—a whole house full of hungry little brats! I myself barely have enough to eat, relying entirely on the neighbors' charity and the blessings of God! How could I possibly support a wife? This would be harming other girls!"

As he spoke, he quickly glanced at Ling Zhan, who was standing at the door of the dilapidated house, out of the corner of his eye.

One glance was enough to set off alarm bells in his mind!

This woman…something’s wrong! Although she’s dressed in rags, pale, and covered in wounds, her eyes…are so cold!

She was as cold as ice in a deep pool, devoid of any human emotion, only a kind of... indifferent calm? No, it was a murderous aura! A bloodthirsty aura he had only ever felt from desperados, a aura ingrained in their very bones! Especially the way she looked at him, it wasn't like she was looking at a person, but rather like she was looking at... an object? Or... prey?!

A layer of white sweat instantly broke out on Chen Yan's back.

The government isn't sending a bride; they're sending a living devil into the door!

"Enough with the nonsense!"

The tall constable, Chief Wang, waved his hand impatiently. "This is the county magistrate's order! Do you dare disobey? Do you want to go to jail, or do you want your bunch of brats to end up homeless and starving?"

These words struck a nerve with Shen Yan.

The forced roguish smile on his face vanished instantly, his eyes darkened, and a hint of fierceness flashed in them. His fist clenched tightly in his sleeve. The children behind him huddled together in fear, the youngest girl, Xiaoya, clinging tightly to his leg, her big eyes brimming with tears.

Just then, Ling Zhan, who had been as silent as ice, moved.

She ignored the officials and Shen Yan, and went straight to the little girl Xiao Ya who was clinging to Shen Yan's leg and trembling with fear.

She walked slowly, her steps faltering slightly due to her weakness, but to everyone's astonishment, she stretched out her blood-stained and muddy fingers—not to caress, but as if examining an object—and pinched the little girl's thin, bony cheeks, then checked her pulse in her neck.

"Severe malnutrition, accompanied by a mild cold. Requires protein and calories."

The cold, monotone tone was as if he were reading a report.

The little girl was so frightened that she forgot to cry, staring blankly at the scary and strange older sister in front of her. A slightly older boy next to her, nicknamed "Dog Egg," nervously pulled the little girl back, glaring at Ling Zhan with hostility.

Some of the other children shrank back, while others curiously peeked out.

Shen Yan's heart leaped into her throat, and she instinctively tried to shield the child behind her: "What are you trying to do..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ling Zhan's gaze finally fell on Shen Yan.

That look in his eyes was like that of a warrior from the Asura Star assessing the resources of a planet waiting to be exploited.

"Disgust?"

"Ah...it's me."

Shen Yan forced himself to answer, trying his best to maintain that shaky, gangster-like aura.

Ling Zhan nodded, waved the absurd marriage certificate in her hand, pointed to the group of terrified children behind Shen Yan, and finally, her gaze settled on Shen Yan's handsome face, which was filled with resistance. In the tone of announcing a mission objective, she clearly stated:

"From today onwards, you are under my jurisdiction?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Shen Yan's gaudy face adorned with chicken feathers, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. She added, as if questioning, but her voice was resolute: "The betrothal gifts, are these twenty mouths to feed?"

"besides--"

She stepped forward and, before Shen Yan could react, struck with lightning speed, "Snap!" The flamboyant, faded pheasant feather stuck in his belt was plucked out by Ling Zhan with perfect precision.

She casually tossed the chicken feather on the ground.

He took a slight breath, then used his mud-covered, worn-out shoes to grind the mud, coldly uttering two words: "Too ugly."

The entire room fell silent.

The officials were dumbfounded.

The onlookers remained silent, terrified.

The children forgot their fear, their mouths agape in an "O" shape, and Gou Dan's hostility turned into astonishment.

The little girl stared blankly at the chicken feathers that had been trampled on the ground.

Shen Yan stood frozen in place, his handsome face turning red and white in turns. Looking at the chicken feathers that had been trampled on the ground, and then at the woman in front of him who exuded a fierce aura and had "taken over" him and all his "property" with just one sentence, while also criticizing his aesthetic sense, for the first time in his life, the sharp-tongued Shen Yan was completely speechless.

Only deep within Ling Zhan's mind, the electronic voice of Star Core Zero indifferently analyzed the new data:

Target: Shenyan, a human male mate.

Secondary targets: Twenty-three human larvae.

Survival resources assessment: extremely scarce.

Recommendation: The primary task is to eliminate the survival obstacle 'Zhao Kui' and obtain initial survival supplies.

Ling Zhan's gaze passed over the dazed Shen Yan and the group of little rascals behind him, and landed in the direction of the Black Tiger Gang's stronghold in Cangwu City.

His fingers twitched unconsciously, as if he were savoring the feeling of crushing a wild dog's throat.

Officers Wang and Li looked at the "perfect couple" before them—a "bride" whose murderous aura had not yet dissipated and whose eyes could freeze people to death; and a "groom" whose face was changing and who looked at the chicken feathers on the ground with a pained expression—and felt their brains throbbing.

This job is a disaster!

"Alright, alright! The documents have been issued, and the personnel have been handed over!"

Wang Tou'er waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies, and roared, "Chen Yan, get out of here with your wife and these brats! The county magistrate has been merciful, granting you household registration since you've just 'started a family,' and even allocating you two acres of wasteland and an abandoned thatched hut at the foot of the mountain! From now on, behave yourselves as ordinary villagers in 'Kaoshan Village,' clearing wasteland and farming. If you dare to go back to the city and cause trouble again, you'll be in big trouble!"

He tossed over two rough wooden plaques.

The name "Chen Yan" and "Ling Zhan" and the words "Miscellaneous Households of Kaoshan Village" were crookedly engraved on it, along with a simple draft of the land deed.

Household registration! Land!

These two words, like pebbles thrown into a deep pool, stirred up completely different ripples in the hearts of Ling Zhan and Shen Yan.

Ling Zhan, Zero's analysis in his mind:

[Obtain legal identification here: household registration. Importance: Extremely high. Facilitates movement and reduces official attention. Attached survival resources: Fixed residence, but its defense level and usability need to be assessed. Cultivable land, but soil quality and yield efficiency also need to be assessed. Conclusion: Accepting the current arrangement is the optimal survival strategy.]

Sighing with disgust, he roared inwardly:

Kaoshan Village? What a godforsaken place!

Two acres of wasteland? It's probably more rocks than soil!

A dilapidated thatched hut? Probably not much better than this drafty shack!

This isn't mercy; this is exile!

But… household registration… with this, the children wouldn't be unregistered anymore; at least they'd have a 'home' in name. And land… no matter how barren, they'd be landlords now. He took the two rough wooden plaques and accompanying documents, his knuckles turning white. For these brats… he had to swallow this humiliation!

Ling Zhan didn't look at the officials or Shen Yan again.

She bent down to pick up the rough land deed from the ground. The movement aggravated her wound, causing her to furrow her brow slightly. Her gaze swept over the location of "Kaoshan Village" and the marking of the two acres of land. At the foot of the mountain? Good, it meant there might be more prey, and it also meant... less trouble, at least for now.

These guys are always climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles!

Let's go and remove the first "tile" for the original owner.

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