Although the premise for this contract was rather strange, sometimes the process matters less than the result, right? Conversely, being a girl's permanent meal ticket was also quite an honorable position, so Lin Luo readily accepted.

Then, amidst a burst of frivolous, elegant laughter (Does that phrasing sound odd? It feels odd to me too), Yuyuko leaned in and initiated the kiss, her resolve matching Lin Luo’s perfectly.

It was Lin Luo’s first kiss with an undead being. Upon activating the Contract of the Heart, he instinctively wanted to gauge the sensation. But after kissing for a while, Lin Luo finally realized that kissing Yuyuko was no different from kissing any other girl. The only distinction was that kissing Yuyuko required no exertion, because she possessed no weight.

At this moment, inspiration struck Lin Luo, resolving a question that had plagued him for years.

Why has the romance between humans and ghosts remained perpetually popular in the mortal realm? The answer lies in the spectral advantage of weightlessness and time.

Imagine two women of identical appearance and a female ghost. While intercourse might feel the same, a living woman, no matter how delicate, certainly possesses mass. Changing positions would then drain a man's stamina. Conversely, a weightless ghost allows for positional arrangements that could reach +10086.

More crucially, beauty fades quickly. Even the most stunning woman, even a Xi Shi, grows aged after two or three decades. In contrast, a female ghost remains eternally youthful and beautiful, even after a hundred or eighty years. Facing such a spouse, how could a man possibly fail to remain vigorous?

The superiority is obvious.

Thus, human-ghost romance has become an eternal classic of the human world.

Therefore, a true man must marry a ghost as his wife!

Lin Luo’s mind wandered far and wide, yet this did not impede the contract’s signing. Waves of chilling, terrifying Death Aura emanated from Yuyuko’s [body], manifesting as visible energy that enveloped them both. Then, as that energy retreated back into Yuyuko’s [body], the contract was finalized.

“Covenant complete. Current Master and Contractor have achieved Association. Current Master obtains the Mark of Constraint: Grudge of Death. Current Contractor obtains the Mark of Constraint: Devour of Energy.” Master Lin Luo: Traveler (LV4) Physical Strength: SS Mental Strength: SS Overall Strength: Quasi-Heavenly Rank. Level Up: Requires thirteen more Covenants. Contractor: Saigyouji Yuyuko Physical Strength: SS Mental Strength: SS Overall Strength: Earth Rank Peak Mark of Constraint: Devour of Energy Seal of Protection: Death Knight — Meow King Heart of the World: Heart of Death (No. 27, Form: All Things Return to One, Fusion Heart)

As the Second Host, Yuyuko’s bond with him wasn't excessively high, yet reaching the second stage, Fusion Heart, in such a short time didn't surprise Lin Luo.

Since reaching Quasi-Heavenly Rank, he understood that the extent to which the World Heart opens depends more critically on the host's inherent compatibility and cultivation level. Given Yuyuko's power, achieving this level was normal; after all, even now, many First Hosts were weaker than her.

Furthermore, the form 'All Things Return to One' was easy to grasp: everything could be converted into food—the innate skill of a glutton... But!

What was this 'Meow King' all about?!

Just as Lin Luo was pondering this, a bone-chilling cold swept over him from the side, accompanied by an icy voice: “Although I am cute and charming, I invite death... Meow!”

Lin Luo jolted as if his tail had been grabbed, shuddering violently. He turned his head with mechanical stiffness. Near him, seated in the highest position, was a young girl.

This girl had short, snow-white hair, with a single tuft of cowlick standing upright, while the hair protruding on either side of her head formed the shape of cat ears. If one didn't look closely, one might mistake her for a cat-girl. This girl, who strongly resembled a cat-girl, had a cold and pale countenance, sharply contrasting with her crimson eyes. Her entire being was encased in fearsome black armor studded with spikes and skulls.

The girl sat there like royalty. Before her on the dining table rested a black helmet, and on the floor beside her right hand stood a peculiar longsword, also intricately carved with skulls.

The chill Lin Luo felt originated entirely from this girl.

Lin Luo stared at her, his eyes wide and unfocused. After a long moment, he managed to stammer, “You—”

“Although I am cute and charming, I invite death, Meow!” the girl repeated.

Hey, you just said that. And you’ve got your role wrong, haven’t you?

Lin Luo grumbled inwardly. At that moment, the girl rose from her seat, sword in hand, and slowly approached to stand a meter away from him. She planted the sword point-down on the ground, resting both hands on the hilt, letting out a resounding thud that exuded overwhelming dominance. “Important lines must be said twice. That’s my rule, Meow.”

“Hah? Uh, could you introduce yourself first?” Lin Luo had no idea how to respond to this barrage of absurdity. Although he had a strong suspicion about which great figure this was, he still needed confirmation.

The girl straightened her posture, chest out, and replied cheerfully, “My name is Arthas, Princess of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, Meow. From birth, I was destined to save the world, Meow. But I haven't been a princess for many years now; I’m a villain, Meow. You can call me Death Knight or Meow King, Meow. And this is my companion, Frostmourne; I call it Frost Sigh, Meow.” I know you want to display your might, but do you realize those 'Meow' suffixes have completely negated all your imposing aura?

Marrying the Lich King actually resulted in becoming the Meow King—Lin Luo felt a wave of despair.

After the Meow King finished her introduction, Yuyuko floated over, nuzzled the Meow King’s head, and grinned at Lin Luo: “Well, isn’t my little kitten adorable? Fluffy and fragrant. Now, besides Youmu’s cushion-spirit, I have another emergency reserve food source, hehehe.” Pfft!

Lin Luo nearly spat blood. Seeing Yuyuko nuzzling the Meow King’s cheek, he briefly thought she had converted to being a cat-girl enthusiast, only to realize he was being far too naive. Yuyuko’s nature was immutable; besides eating, nothing else occupied her mind.

And was it really okay to announce so openly to the Meow King that she was reserve food? Also, you’ve always considered Youmu’s cushion-spirit food? Youmu is going to cry! She definitely will!

Compared to Lin Luo’s internal outcry of galloping grass mud horses, the Meow King appeared quite placid. She pointed towards the dining table, looked at Lin Luo, and asked calmly, “Excuse me, do you have any more of that grilled fish? I want to eat, Meow! I want grilled fish, Meow! Important lines must be said twice.”

“……………”

Fine. Lin Luo was speechless. These two were truly kindred spirits: both related to Death, both gluttons!

It took over an hour to satiate both Yuyuko and the Meow King. Lin Luo finally activated the planar passage, taking the two foodies with him towards Gensokyo.

Minutes later, the trio emerged from the passage, but unexpectedly, they didn't arrive directly inside Gensokyo; instead, they materialized in the world outside of Gensokyo.

“Oh dear, how did this happen?” Yuyuko looked surprised.

“Perhaps due to the interference of a Quasi-Heavenly Rank existence, or some other reason,” Lin Luo wasn't overly shocked. Gensokyo housed Yakumo Yukari, a Quasi-Heavenly Rank entity, and coupled with the issue of retro-causal lines, anything happening was normal; common sense simply didn't exist in this world.

“If that’s the case, then this is perfect. I’ll play around here for a bit while I have the chance; I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the outside world before.” Yuyuko’s mood was as volatile as the weather, and she quickly became interested in their current location.

Seeing her eager expression, Lin Luo knew dissuasion would likely be useless, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Is this alright?” Yuyuko blinked, flashing an adorable expression. “Don’t worry, although I am cute and charming, I invite death.” Simultaneously, the Meow King held up a V-sign. “No problem, Meow! I will make this world the territory of the Meow King!”

Lin Luo was done trying to critique them. Indeed, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will lean; if the lower beam leans, the upper beam certainly won't be straight either. These two were perfectly suited to causing structural chaos.

Watching the pair happily fly off into the distance, Lin Luo could only sigh. Yuyuko’s Seal of Protection turned out to be the Meow King, meaning Youmu’s status was severely threatened. A delightfully anticipated plotline of Youmu and the Meow King competing for favor might develop in the future—or, more likely, a practical discussion forum on which one tastes better.

“Forget it, I shouldn't expect such bizarre plot developments. Infiltrating Gensokyo is the priority now.” Lin Luo shook his head, and moments later, he arrived at the Great Barrier surrounding Gensokyo, searching for the weakest point. While entering openly wouldn't have been an issue, secretly slipping into Gensokyo, moving through it as if no one were there—that was the true romance of a man!

A few minutes later, Lin Luo finally located the optimal point for infiltration and extended his hand.

“Let’s begin. Although I am cute and charming, I invite death—Ah, damn it! Have I been infected too?!”

Lin Luo cursed loudly, and then vanished from the spot.

Shortly before Lin Luo arrived at Gensokyo, inside the Hakurei Shrine, a little girl dressed in a shrine maiden outfit pushed open the doors, skipping outside while singing a tune.

“Little Ma-Ma Mima, carrying a bottle to buy soy sauce, unafraid of the sun, nor the wind and rain’s harshness, only afraid Mom is too lazy, no soy sauce means no braised pork…”

: This chapter is repayment. There’s another five-thousand-word chapter coming today.