Song Yin had spent the past few days scouring the city for handsome men.
Jiang Zuilan had opened yet another new shop, this one selling jade and bead jewelry. Because the items were so valuable, fewer people came to cause trouble. Of course, this also meant that if the business failed, she would lose far more than she had with her other ventures.
While helping her move the jade, Song Yin had met several refined and gentle young men who were as elegant as the stones themselves.
She had already knocked out six of them with knock-out powder and piled them all into her small room at the inn. Including the one she was currently lugging back, she had seven in total. Tonight, she planned to feast.
Since her previous dual cultivation session in the mountain cave, the bottleneck of Song Yin’s Golden Core had loosened. However, her progression speed was still not as fast as she had hoped. She wanted to reach the Nascent Soul stage before the Great Sect Competition.
In the past, she had always used the cultivation methods of human cultivators, which allowed her to advance at a lightning-fast pace. But starting from the Golden Core stage, she began to get stuck at every minor level, and the cultivation process became grueling and painful. This left the competitive Song Yin feeling greatly frustrated, forcing her to integrate the cultivation methods of a Succubus as quickly as possible.
It seemed her Master was right; once a Succubus reaches the Golden Core stage, it becomes difficult to progress further without relying on dual cultivation to boost one’s strength.
Song Yin had captured seven men. Just as she finished stuffing the unconscious “Number Seven” inside the carved wooden door, she received a voice transmission from Jiang Zuilan. Her friend claimed she had spotted the owner of the bookstore next to Luoyue Tower, and he was quite good-looking—apparently a distant relative of hers, a small silver fish demon.
Would dual cultivating with a fish species increase the supplemental benefits? She hadn’t tried it before, but it was worth a shot.
Song Yin thought to herself that if she was going to eat seven, she might as well eat eight. It wouldn’t hurt to relax a little tonight. She immediately took to the air and rushed toward Luoyue Tower.
At the top floor of Luoyue Tower.
This was the most prosperous tavern in the central city of the Azure Dragon Prefecture, a den of luxury and extravagance. With its carved beams, painted rafters, gilded plaques, and stages for dancing, the clamor of the crowd never ceased.
The Medicine Sect was a wealthy sect to begin with, and the scale of their banquet was lavish.
Seated at the head of the table, being toasted repeatedly, was a tall and handsome young gentleman.
He wore a blue and white robe, the cuffs embroidered with the Medicine Sect’s snow lotus pattern in silver thread. On his head sat a white jade and glass crown, and a long, blue crescent-moon earring hung from his ear.
His face was as fair as jade, his aura noble, and his expression cold.
He was like an epiphyllum blooming in the moonlight—ethereal and chilling.
The banquet was nearing its end, and both the host and guests were satisfied. He Lan Tan did not let down his guard. He maintained his status as the Young Master of the Medicine Sect, taking the opportunity to win over more people to his side in preparation for his future power struggle against his uncle.
Finally finding a moment to breathe, He Lan Tan took a small sip of wine at the table. A companion leaned in, gossiping excitedly, “Hey, guess what? That demoness from the Qunxian Sect has snatched up a bunch of people again.”
The hand He Lan Tan used to hold his cup wavered for a split second before he quickly steadied it, taking a cold sip of the wine.
What does it have to do with me? It has nothing to do with me.
He convinced himself of this and poured another cup of cold wine into his silver goblet.
He allowed his companion to explain with high spirits, acting as if he could open a stall and become a professional storyteller. He remained unmoved.
It was already night. He Lan Tan glanced casually out the window.
Suddenly, he caught sight of two figures emerging from the bookstore next door. A woman was grabbing a man by his collar, jumping nimbly toward the rooftops, nearly disappearing from sight.
He would recognize that familiar figure in the pale yellow dress even if she turned to ash.
During those two days, he had carved her image into his very bones. He remembered the shape of her body, the width of her shoulder blades, and the slenderness of her waist.
He Lan Tan’s expression shifted several times. He said to his friend, “I’m going out for a moment.”
His friend, who was reaching for more wine, was stunned. By the time he looked up, He Lan Tan had already vanished.
In just a few breaths, Song Yin arrived at the small inn where she was staying. Because she wanted to save money, the room she rented was small; with so many men stuffed inside, it was incredibly cramped.
She hadn’t dual cultivated with anyone else yet. Eating eight at once—she hoped tonight would go smoothly.
This time, she hadn’t controlled the dosage of her knock-out powder very accurately. The newly kidnapped “Number Eight” seemed to be showing signs of waking up, struggling in a daze to escape her control.
Song Yin supported Number Eight as they went upstairs, holding onto his arm. She stepped onto the creaking wooden floors of the inn, walked down the corridor, and pushed open the pear-blossom wood door.
She was currently busy coaxing the person beside her: “Look, I’m a snake demon. Just like you fish, I have scales. We should be very close, right?”
She looked at the thin, delicate face of the man beside her, thinking that if he struggled too much, she would just take a bite of him right there at the door.
She braced one hand against the wooden door and leaned in, preparing to have a taste.
Suddenly, she caught a familiar and intense scent—soul-stirring and captivating. In an instant, the “food” near her mouth seemed tasteless.
Song Yin snapped her head up, swallowed her saliva, and widened her eyes, searching the surroundings with both wariness and excitement, looking for the source of that delicious prey’s scent.
It was exactly to her liking, scratching at her heart and making her mouth water with desire.
A sound came from behind her. The creaking wooden stairs groaned again as someone walked up step by step, gradually emerging from the shadows.
He was tall, wearing a heavy blue robe with silver patterns and a cloak. The thick fabric of the wide-brimmed hood hid his face, leaving only shadows in the dim light.
Song Yin looked at him expectantly, like a cat waiting for a fish to break the surface of a lake, her eyes shining.
The hood with the silver snow lotus pattern was slowly pulled back by a pair of fair, slender hands, revealing He Lan Tan’s light blue phoenix eyes.
“Miss Song.”
He was a noble gentleman, as pure as a snow lotus and as cold as the moon.
However, this noble gentleman was clearly not as calm as the cool tone of his eyes suggested. He stared with intense hostility at Song Yin’s hand, which was supporting the stranger’s arm.
Then, his eyes narrowed dangerously. In an instant, he flickered to her side, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his embrace.
Caught in his arms, Song Yin’s hand instinctively let go of her prey.
Thud. Number Eight fell heavily onto the floor, his body wedged in the doorway, making the sound of someone falling into a deep sleep.
He Lan Tan looked up. Through the half-open door, he saw the men unconscious in the room. One, two… seven. His expression grew even darker.
He Lan Tan suddenly wrapped one arm tightly around Song Yin’s waist while his other hand ignited a talisman. Red light flared, and the two figures in the corridor vanished instantly.
From the moment He Lan Tan appeared, Song Yin had eyes only for him. She only wanted to eat him.
Everyone else lost their color and flavor; he was the only top-tier food that suited her tastes.
So, she submissively allowed him to hold her as they were relocated by the teleportation talisman.
Whoosh. In just an instant, the two were in a new location.
This was He Lan Tan’s room.
Song Yin pushed him away slightly, her hands resting against his chest. Her almond-shaped eyes scanned the area, and from within his arms, she looked up to admire the spacious room.
“The room you’re staying in is so big.”
She was a bit envious. If her Master and her Master’s husband didn’t have so many conflicts, their disciples would have endless money and could stay in such large inn rooms too.
She then spotted the wide bed. Blinking, she grabbed his arm and said, seemingly casually, “Wow, your bed is so big, too.”
She watched He Lan Tan’s expression and looked into his eyes. “It can fit two people, right?”
He Lan Tan let out a small smile, and the frost in his cold blue eyes melted slightly. Observing that Song Yin showed no signs of trying to escape, he let her go and went to the table to pour some tea.
Song Yin followed him in a couple of steps, trailing behind him.
She unceremoniously took the tea he poured and drank half of it. The tea was warm, served in a famous artist’s multicolored glazed cup, and the tea itself was of the highest quality, harvested before the Spring Equinox.
He Lan Tan remained silent.
Song Yin’s eyes darted around. She suddenly remembered that he must have heard her lying about her identity. Last time she said she was a cat demon; this time she had lied to the scholar, saying she was a snake demon.
“Actually, I’m a snake demon,” Song Yin leaned in and hooked her arm through his.
“Okay, I lied to you before. I’m not a black cat demon.” She clung to him. “I’m a snake demon.”
He Lan Tan looked at her fair, soft arms wrapped around him, and the Succubus mark on the inside of her wrist.
Little liar. Little Succubus. But it didn’t matter. Once he finished refining the “Pill of Clarification” in the future, it wouldn’t be an issue.
“Look at my teeth. See, my snake fangs are pointed. That’s proof I’m a snake demon.” Song Yin opened her mouth again, displaying her small canines for the second time.
“Even though I have snake fangs, I won’t spit venom at you.” She looked at him in a friendly manner and rubbed against him.
He Lan Tan said nothing to that, only giving a non-sequitur: “That man was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. He isn’t worthy of you.”
Song Yin had completely forgotten who she had kidnapped or what their cultivation level was. She didn’t care if He Lan Tan was talking about “Random Person A” or “Random Person B”; she only wanted to eat him now.
She moved in directly, pinning He Lan Tan down against the headboard, just as she had pinned him in the cave.
However, He Lan Tan didn’t take the next step, nor was he as easily overpowered as he had been last time. He simply held her waist, his expression indifferent.
He reached out, his well-defined fingers tilting her chin up.
“My name is He Lan Tan.”
He curled his fingers to stroke her petite chin. “You lied about your identity, and I lied about my name. We’re even.”
“He Lan Tan,” Song Yin repeated.
Hearing his real name, she didn’t show a look of surprise, nor was she angry about being deceived.
She only tilted her head and gave a sincere compliment: “Your name contains two kinds of flowers. It sounds very pretty.”
The corners of He Lan Tan’s mouth curled up as he began to look at her very carefully.
He hadn’t seen her for a month, and she was still just as beautiful, though she had changed her outfit.
Today, her clothing was bright and airy. She was barefoot, and a string of small golden bells was circled around her right ankle.
He recognized the golden bells on her feet as a magical artifact. Invisible spiritual energy surrounded the bells, ensuring she wouldn’t be hurt even while walking around barefoot, and certainly wouldn’t be stained by dust.
Cute.
He Lan Tan’s hand squeezed her ankle as he let her sit astride him. Then, he turned his gaze to her face.
Her lips were red and full, like the most brilliant flower of spring.
She truly was a Succubus, truly skilled at attracting people.
Song Yin was looking at him as well.
He was so beautiful today. Even more beautiful than last time.
Back in the desert, he had been on an escort mission for the Medicine Sect, so his attire had been low-profile and practical for combat. Today was a banquet, and he had intentionally dressed more conspicuously.
The white jade and glass crown made his face look like jade, and those long chain earrings were still shimmering, reflecting the warm yellow candlelight and making her heart itch with impatience.
Song Yin leaned forward, cupping his face with one hand, mesmerized by his light blue eyes.
“Your eyes are really so beautiful. I want to gouge them out.”
Then she became sad. “No one else lets me gouge them out. Everyone else is so scared.”
She didn’t find her words horrific in the slightest.
She only wanted to kiss him quickly and make love to him. She leaned down directly, pressing her lips against his for a kiss.
To her, this was a feast. She bit the tip of his tongue, probing deeper and lingering in the kiss.
They kissed until their oxygen was gone, and bubbles seemed to rise in her dazed mind. She only wanted to be closer to him, to burrow fiercely into his arms, into his body, into his heart, to become one with him.
As Song Yin kissed him, she felt lightheaded but spoke her thoughts with honest sincerity: “Kissing you feels so good. I love it so much.”
She held He Lan Tan firmly and rubbed against him.
After kissing for a while, Song Yin became breathless. She clutched his lapels and rested in his arms to recover, her face pressed against his chest.
He Lan Tan held her waist, looking back at her during the gaps between their kisses.
Her ankles were slender, her calves were fair, and her waist was soft. She was born voluptuous and charming, her face was beautiful, and her nose was as delicate as a pearl.
He scrutinized her.
Her toes kicking him—cute.
Her waist pressed against him—cute.
Everything about her was cute.
This was a Succubus. It was all because she was a Succubus.
The reason she suited his tastes so perfectly was entirely because she was a Succubus.
It didn’t matter. Once he successfully refined the Pill of Clarification, he would be able to completely ignore her.
He Lan Tan straightened up, pulled her waist tight, and kissed her deeply. As his hand touched her waist, he naturally began to untie her belt.
However, as soon as the strap loosened slightly, Song Yin reacted instantly, pressing down to stop him.
“Wait, wait! Apply the medicine first.”
Song Yin halted all his movements and hopped out of his arms, kneeling by the edge of the bed. She began rummaging through her rabbit bag and pulled out a bunch of bottles and jars.
She once again carefully deciphered Jiang Zuilan’s “chicken scratch” handwriting and accurately found a bottle of medicine.
He Lan Tan twitched his nose slightly, smelling that this was the same medicine used to identify a “Pure Yang” body.
He didn’t understand what Song Yin meant. Hadn’t she checked before? He submissively reached out his hand, and Song Yin applied the medicine to his wrist again.
After applying it, she crouched patiently beside him, seriously observing the color.
The color soon appeared on his wrist. This time, it was no longer a pure white, but slowly stained a deep blue.
It was the blue that symbolized a broken Pure Yang body, but one that had only ever had a single Dao companion.
He Lan Tan had known the result already, but seeing that smear of blue, the tips of his ears turned red anyway.
Song Yin stared at the blue. This meant his chastity had been taken by her, and currently, there was only her.
No one else. Clean. He was safe to sleep with.
Song Yin was very satisfied. She threw herself onto him again, lying on his chest.
Passion flared in their kisses, and the candle flames flickered.
Song Yin sat on his waist, staring at his flushed face, and asked curiously, “How come you don’t struggle at all? Other people want to die when they’re tied up by me, and you’re literally being ‘plucked’ by me. You should struggle a bit.”
He Lan Tan didn’t struggle. His fingers rubbed the soft flesh of her wrist; he was indulging this Succubus’s wild behavior.
Song Yin’s hands pressed against his shoulders as she tried to push him down. Remembering a scene from a storybook, she happily added her own plot: “You struggle, and then I’ll force you. I’ll compel you. That would be fun.”
She even tilted He Lan Tan’s chin up: “Come on, show me a little bit of disgust.”
However, not a hint of disgust could be found in those phoenix eyes. Those light blue, glass-like eyes were filled entirely with the flickering, warm yellow candlelight.
Song Yin told him to build up his emotions and cooperate with her story.
He Lan Tan sighed. He picked up the belt that had been tossed onto the headboard and voluntarily tied it over his eyes.
Now, it truly had the atmosphere of being “forced.” Song Yin grew excited, though she was even more surprised by his cooperation.
She cupped his face and kissed his cheek, pecking it several times. “You’re so good. I like you even more now.”
Even with his eyes covered and his vision stripped away, He Lan Tan could still feel her every move in the darkness, and the possessiveness drifting from her over him.
“Your fangs are so sharp. Hiss… bite lighter.”
However, by the second half of the night, Song Yin realized that while she loved to play, she truly lacked the physical stamina.
All of her initiative was taken away. Clearly, He Lan Tan was still dwelling on the events of the day. He tore off the blindfold and took control, every movement incredibly heavy and intense.
“You were so mean when you first got here today,” Song Yin complained with a tearful voice.
He Lan Tan didn’t think he was being mean. Perhaps he was less calm than usual, but that was surely because the little Succubus was too good at bewitching people’s hearts.
He was simply being bewitched. For the sake of the Pill of Clarification, he could briefly indulge her.
Song Yin panted. She had originally intended to eat eight men, but the one she was currently “plucking” felt like more than eight times. He had already shed the clumsiness of his first night in the cave; he was progressing at a lightning-fast speed and understood her weaknesses all too well.
“Wooo… you’re bullying me. You won’t even let me taste what other men are like.”
“They don’t taste good. Eat me.”