Xue Zhao remained stunned for several seconds.
“Oh…”
He looked somewhat dazed.
There was obvious confusion in his eyes.
He seemed unable to understand why such a rule existed.
Even so, he obediently agreed.
“System” : How can something like this have a limit too…
For one brief moment, the system almost wondered whether Xiu Jixin had noticed something.
But after thinking it over, it dismissed the suspicion.
After all, Xiu Jixin was a priest.
Being disciplined and restrained in matters like this was perfectly normal.
Still…
Wouldn’t that make increasing favorability much harder?
The “food” was right in front of him.
Yet he wasn’t allowed to kiss it.
Xue Zhao’s disappointment was obvious.
Looking at Xiu Jixin with pitiful eyes, he asked,
“Then… can I hug you a little longer?”
Privately, he thought that once per day was still acceptable.
At least it guaranteed two health points every day.
As for the rest, he could slowly gain a few more points from the “food” hidden within Xiu Jixin’s scent.
It would barely be enough to maintain himself.
Xiu Jixin gently stroked his black hair.
“You can.”
[Character Favorability Has Changed]
The system reacted even faster than Xue Zhao.
It immediately opened the notification.
The favorability had increased by one point.
“System” : It’s seventy five now!
If they could reach the eighty point stage, their relationship would advance another step.
At this point, the system had completely given up on creating elaborate strategies for Xue Zhao.
He could simply follow his own feelings.
At most, it would occasionally remind him to be careful.
Xue Zhao was delighted.
Wrapping both arms tightly around Xiu Jixin’s waist, he buried himself against his chest and took a deep breath.
Unfortunately, it was still daytime.
People moved through the church constantly.
They couldn’t be too obvious.
Not long afterward, the black cat jumped onto the wall beside them.
Xiu Jixin released Xue Zhao.
It was almost time.
Xue Zhao needed to return.
Before they parted, Xiu Jixin said,
“A new protective formation has been established around the assistant residence building. If anything unusual happens, the church will know immediately.”
The appearance of the new demon had not yet been announced to the other assistants or to the townspeople.
Xue Zhao wanted to ask about the old priest’s modified prescription.
However, after hesitating, he swallowed the question.
For now, it had nothing to do with him.
If he asked too many questions, it might attract suspicion.
“Mm.”
Xue Zhao nodded.
After making sure no one was nearby, he gave Xiu Jixin one final hug.
Reluctantly, he said,
“I’m leaving now…”
On the way back, he opened his status panel.
His health points had risen to seven.
So far, this was the highest value he had ever reached.
“System” (Success!): That’s not bad at all. As long as they don’t decrease, two points a day means twenty points after ten days…
The prerequisite, of course, was that Xue Zhao didn’t get injured again.
Given the current circumstances, it was rather ironic.
A succubus disguised as a human was apparently safest while staying beside a priest.
“System” : Xiu Jixin’s favorability is already seventy five. That’s rising really fast.
“System” : As long as your identity stays hidden, he’ll definitely be useful for the missions.
Walking with his head lowered, Xue Zhao reached up and lightly touched the tail wrapped around his arm.
The remainder of the afternoon passed as usual.
Xue Zhao completed his work.
The assistant who had been cursed by the talisman still appeared at the church exactly as he had the day before.
He continued keeping an eye on Xue Zhao until the latter left the church grounds.
As evening approached, strong winds blew near the entrance.
The assistant coughed twice before finally turning around and leaving.
Meanwhile, Xue Zhao collected his dinner and returned to his room.
The moment he pushed open the door, he discovered the black cat sitting on the table beside the window.
He had no idea when it had arrived.
“Kitty?”
Xue Zhao’s eyes immediately brightened.
Walking over, he gently rubbed the cat’s ear.
“Did you come to keep me company?”
The black cat swished its tail.
Lowering its head, it rubbed affectionately against Xue Zhao’s palm.
The answer was obvious.
Perhaps because they were indoors, the cat’s golden eyes appeared slightly darker than usual.
There was something subtly different about the way it looked at him.
Its behavior, however, remained exactly the same.
“System” : Did Xiu Jixin send it?
The black cat obeyed only Xiu Jixin’s commands.
It never wandered around randomly.
Most likely, he had been worried and ordered the cat to stay with Xue Zhao.
Its presence truly helped him relax.
Sitting down at the table, Xue Zhao followed the system’s suggestions.
He gently stroked the black cat’s back.
Then he scratched beneath its chin.
A rumbling purr emerged from the cat’s throat.
It couldn’t resist leaning forward, seemingly wanting to lick Xue Zhao’s fingers.
Xue Zhao reacted immediately.
Pulling his hand back, he said,
“I… need to eat dinner.”
The black cat obediently settled down.
Every so often, the tips of its ears twitched.
That night, even when it was time to sleep, the black cat remained.
It lay beside Xue Zhao’s pillow.
Curled on his side beneath the blankets, only half of Xue Zhao’s face remained visible.
His breathing was calm and steady.
The black cat quietly leaned closer.
Then gently licked the strands of hair resting against his forehead.
Early the next morning, Xue Zhao arrived at the church.
To his surprise, the assistant who had been afflicted by the talisman was there as well.
He was coughing constantly.
His complexion looked poor.
It was obvious he was sick.
Yet he still hadn’t stayed home to rest.
“System” : That’s some serious dedication.
“System” : Though even if he’s here, looking like that, he probably won’t have the energy to keep watching you.
Quietly observing him, Xue Zhao felt a small amount of guilt.
And a little shame.
He had been sick before.
He knew how miserable it felt.
But if he hadn’t done it, the mission would have been impossible to complete.
Even so, he genuinely hoped the assistant would recover soon.
At noon, Xue Zhao deliberately visited the pharmacy and obtained a small amount of medicinal herbs.
After brewing them in hot water, he brought the tea to the assistant.
The assistant was visibly surprised.
He froze for a moment before accepting the cup.
“Th thank you.”
“System” : You really…
After a pause, it sighed.
“System” : Well, I guess that’s fine.
Once Xue Zhao left, the assistant carefully examined the cup.
He sniffed the medicinal scent and eventually drank a few mouthfuls.
Unfortunately, his illness came from the talisman.
And today happened to be the worst stage.
One cup of herbal tea could not alleviate much.
By afternoon, his coughing had become considerably worse.
Unable to endure any longer, he finally went to find Xiu Jixin and requested a day’s leave.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” the assistant said, lowering his head.
“I was completely fine just a couple of days ago.”
“As for the remaining work, I’ve already arranged for others to handle it.”
Xiu Jixin sat at the front of the hall.
He placed the book in his hands down.
Lifting his gaze slightly, an inexplicable chill appeared in his expression.
“Very well.”
“Go home and rest.”
The assistant felt dizzy and feverish.
In his condition, he failed to notice anything unusual.
He quickly withdrew from the hall.
At the same time, Xue Zhao was inside the library.
In the end, his plan had succeeded.
This time he had come alone.
Moving between the shelves, he carefully searched through the books one after another.
The library contained an enormous variety of subjects.
There were essay collections.
Novels.
And countless records concerning demons, including volumes similar to those he had seen in Xiu Jixin’s room.
After checking several books in succession, he discovered that none of the tables of contents mentioned succubi.
Normally, encountering a demon of unknown species was extraordinarily dangerous.
Without understanding the creature’s specific characteristics, banishing or killing it became significantly more difficult.
This was also one of the reasons Xue Zhao had managed to enter the church so successfully.
His disguise was simply too perfect.
Even the black cat couldn’t smell through it.
“System” : Check over there next.
Xue Zhao returned the book in his hands to its proper place.
Then he headed toward another section of shelves and continued searching.
However, after searching every bookshelf from top to bottom with meticulous care, Xue Zhao failed to find a single book related to the Holy Relic.
[System]: Could it be written somewhere hidden? Maybe it doesn’t show up in the table of contents?
Before either of them could think further, a new notification suddenly appeared on the interface panel.
[Mission Completed!]
Xue Zhao immediately opened it.
The mission was indeed marked as completed.
However, the progress displayed was 0%.
The reward was only 1 Villain Point.
The system quickly understood what had happened.
[System]: There simply aren’t any records about the Holy Relic here.
Xue Zhao had searched through every shelf and verified that fact personally.
Because he had successfully confirmed its absence, the mission counted as completed despite the progress remaining at zero percent.
Xue Zhao looked somewhat lost.
“Then what should we do?”
His ultimate objective was to locate and seize the Holy Relic.
Yet up until now, he hadn’t discovered even the slightest clue.
[System]: Let’s leave it for now. We’ll wait and see what the next mission is.
Someone walked past the bookshelf nearby.
Xue Zhao immediately lowered his head and pretended to read.
Only after the person moved away did he close the book and quietly leave the library.
The search had consumed much of his afternoon.
Fortunately, the medicinal furnace used for brewing herbs had not gone out.
Xue Zhao quickly added more charcoal to the fire.
After checking the time, he realized there wasn’t much longer before he could head back.
Just then, he heard a cat’s cry from outside.
Xue Zhao immediately stepped out to investigate.
Sure enough, the black cat was standing atop the courtyard wall.
It looked toward him.
Then it turned and walked a few steps before glancing back again.
Xue Zhao instantly understood.
Quickening his pace, he followed after it.
The black cat alternated between walking and stopping, occasionally looking back to ensure he was still behind.
Together they passed through several winding paths before arriving at a smaller confession room.
A resident had only recently left.
Xue Zhao waited until the person had gone far enough away before quietly slipping inside.
Within the room, Xiu Jixin sat upon a wooden bench near the window.
When he saw Xue Zhao enter, he lifted a hand toward him.
“Come here.”
Xue Zhao walked over and sat beside him.
Almost out of habit, he leaned closer, wanting a hug.
Xiu Jixin shifted slightly and wrapped an arm around him.
At the same time, he asked,
“You went to the library again today?”
“Mm…”
Xue Zhao answered vaguely.
Since Xiu Jixin seemed to know where he had been, Xue Zhao didn’t think much about it.
He simply assumed the black cat had seen him while wandering around earlier.
As Xiu Jixin gently stroked his hair, he asked another question.
“What books were you reading?”
“Just…”
Xue Zhao answered obediently.
“Books about demons.”
He tightened his hold around Xiu Jixin slightly.
“I wanted to find out what kind of demon the one from last time was.”
It was the perfect explanation.
Anyone who heard it would find it completely reasonable.
Xiu Jixin appeared unsurprised.
After considering for a moment, he replied,
“The one from before was most likely a Shadow Demon.”
“A Shadow Demon?”
Xue Zhao searched his memory.
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
He was fairly certain he had seen it listed somewhere in a table of contents.
Unfortunately, he had only skimmed the contents pages and never read the detailed descriptions.
Xiu Jixin continued.
“Shadow Demons excel at hiding themselves. They feed on emotions and possess the ability to turn people into puppets under their control.”
Such puppets differed from ordinary possession.
They were significantly more difficult for outsiders to detect.
A chill ran through Xue Zhao.
“That sounds scary… Then… how do you catch one?”
“Catching one isn’t difficult.”
Xiu Jixin’s tone remained calm and unchanged.
“The problem is that they are naturally cautious creatures. Their true origins are also somewhat special, which makes dealing with them more troublesome.”
A trace of confusion appeared on Xue Zhao’s face.
“Dealing with them?”
Xiu Jixin gazed at him quietly for a moment.
Then he said,
“Come with me.”
Xue Zhao obediently followed behind him.
Together they entered the corridor located beyond the confession room.
The hallway was long and dark.
Xiu Jixin pressed a switch.
One by one, the wall lamps illuminated the passageway.
As light spread through the corridor, Xue Zhao looked up.
Only then did he notice that numerous paintings hung along one side of the wall.
“Different kinds of demons require different methods of handling.”
As he spoke, Xiu Jixin led him toward the first painting.
The artwork was so vivid it almost appeared alive.
Within it was a grotesquely twisted demon imprisoned inside a silver cage.
Blood tears streamed down its face as it screamed in agony.
Xue Zhao’s eyes widened slightly.
The image instantly reminded him of the demon he had seen in the dungeon.
The memory of those agonized shrieks seemed to echo once more inside his ears.
He didn’t dare continue looking.
Quickly, he turned his gaze away.
Beside it hung another painting.
This one depicted towering crimson flames.
A demon was trapped within the inferno, burned repeatedly without end.
Xiu Jixin continued walking forward.
Xue Zhao lowered his head and followed.
Painting after painting lined the corridor.
Each illustrated a different method used to execute demons.
Xue Zhao didn’t dare look.
The system, however, saw everything clearly.
Drowning.
Exposure to intense holy light.
The tearing apart of limbs.
And many others.
Even though Xue Zhao kept his head down, fragments of the images still slipped into the corners of his vision.
Strictly speaking, he was a demon too.
He couldn’t stop himself from imagining things.
The books contained no information about succubi.
But if he were ever discovered…
The thought made him increasingly uneasy.
At that moment, Xiu Jixin’s voice sounded beside him.
“Especially those demonic creatures that have committed serious evil. They must be dealt with immediately. Otherwise, the consequences can be endless.”
For some reason, hearing those words left Xue Zhao feeling hurt.
And disappointed.
He knew Xiu Jixin liked him.
The favorability score proved that much.
Yet no matter how high that score rose, the person Xiu Jixin liked was the human version of him.
If the truth were ever revealed…
The favorability would probably plummet straight to the bottom.
There were thirteen paintings hanging throughout the corridor.
The walk felt unbearably long.
At last, they reached the end.
When they returned to the confession room, Xue Zhao still kept his head lowered.
He remained unusually quiet.
Seeing this, Xiu Jixin reached out and pulled him into his arms.
“Did it scare you?”
His breath brushed lightly against Xue Zhao’s ear.
The tone sounded surprisingly gentle.
As though he were comforting him.
Xue Zhao gave a muffled response.
“Mm.”
Xiu Jixin smoothed the loose strands of hair beside his face.
“I’ll have the little cat take you back.”
“Tonight it’ll stay with you as well.”
As he spoke, he released Xue Zhao and seemed ready to call the black cat over.
But suddenly, someone tugged lightly at his sleeve.
Xiu Jixin lowered his gaze.
Xue Zhao tilted his face upward.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke quietly.
“Today… we haven’t kissed yet.”
Yesterday, Xiu Jixin had said it himself.
One kiss per day.
After seeing those paintings in the corridor, Xue Zhao still felt somewhat wronged.
His eyes glistened with moisture.
The tip of his nose had turned faintly red.
There was dependence in his gaze.
A trace of grievance.
And something resembling a spoiled little complaint.
Xiu Jixin looked down at him silently.
A moment later, he leaned closer.
Then he kissed him.
[Character Favorability Has Changed]
[Health Points Increased by 8]
Their lips met.
Their breaths intertwined.
It was a brief kiss.
Awkward and inexperienced.
Before long, Xiu Jixin pulled away.
Xue Zhao had been completely unprepared.
His eyes widened blankly.
The tears lingering at the corners of his eyes only made them seem wetter.
The exposed tips of his ears turned scarlet.
A blush rapidly spread across his cheeks.
Xiu Jixin lifted a hand and gently touched his burning face.
His voice softened.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Xue Zhao’s breathing had become uneven.
His eyelashes trembled.
Only then did he seem to recover from the shock.
Flustered beyond words, he abruptly pushed Xiu Jixin away.
Then he fled from the confession room as though escaping.
Xiu Jixin remained standing exactly where he was.
The black cat quickly followed after Xue Zhao.
At that moment, an assistant happened to enter through the back door.
“Father,” he called out, “the new silver cage has already been completed. Which scriptures should be engraved inside it?”
The scriptures carved into the interior of a silver cage were normally used to suppress and weaken a demon’s power.
Without them, it would merely be an ordinary cage and could not fulfill its intended purpose.
Xiu Jixin continued staring in the direction Xue Zhao had disappeared.
After a long pause, he replied quietly,
“For now, there is no need.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
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☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
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ChaptersChapter 1 · [Mission Identity]: SuccubusChapter 2 · Let him copy the scriptures fifty more timesChapter 3 · Can I seduce him?Chapter 4 · Can I have a bite?Chapter 5 · I wasn’t full at allChapter 6 · This is its original formChapter 7 · Xue Zhao slowly licked it againChapter 8 · If something is discoveredChapter 9 · Because he is… a succubusChapter 10 · Are you trying to seduce me?Chapter 11 · That’s right, a cage to lock up the devilChapter 12 · Can I keep you company for a while?Chapter 13 · Only one kiss a dayChapter 14 · Uncomfortable?Chapter 15 · Day of RepentanceChapter 16 · It’s the last bit left, silver halideChapter 17 · Current Form: SuccubusChapter 18 · This is your… original form?Chapter 19 · What would you like to eat?Chapter 20 · I’ll show you my tail… okay?Chapter 21 · The premise is that he didn’t lieChapter 22 · It has a light, pleasant fragranceChapter 23 · Demons typically have a limited dietChapter 24 · Don’t touch me…Chapter 25 · MaturityChapter 26 · Touch What?Chapter 27 · I never imaginedChapter 28 · “I’ll feed you until you’re fullChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · Anyway, I’ve already touched it onceChapter 31 · Like a kitten begging for extra food.Chapter 32 · [Skill “Charm” in effect]Chapter 33 · [You have entered the “Mature Stage”]Chapter 34 · He wanted Xiu Jixin to feed him….Chapter 35 · You’re trying to seduce me againChapter 36 · He seems… even more off now.Chapter 37 · Xue Zhao blushedChapter 38 · The fallen Holy SpiritChapter 39 · [Health points have reached maximum]Chapter 40 · [Corruption Value]: 63%Chapter 41 · Besides seducing me, what else can you do?Chapter 42 · Can we take the NPC with us?Chapter 43 · Horror Comics: The Murder DollChapter 44 · [Task Details]: Find a new owner for your itemsChapter 45 · The skill “Entering Dreams”Chapter 46 · The thought of making him cryChapter 47 · With a rather wicked interest.Chapter 48 · I’ll buy you new clothes, little bunnyChapter 49 · I should say, thank you, MasterChapter 50 · Do toy bunnies go into heat?