“Understood.”
The assistant acknowledged the order and quietly withdrew from the room.
Once the door closed, Xiu Jixin was left alone.
Outside the tall windows, dusk had already settled in. The sky was dim and overcast, while the faint silhouettes of trees swayed gently beneath the evening wind.
Xiu Jixin returned to the long bench.
A faint layer of dark gold slowly surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
Then he closed them.
His entire body relaxed, as though he had fallen into a deep sleep.
In the distance, a black cat moved with effortless agility.
Its sleek body leaped over the tall church wall and disappeared into the shadows beyond.
Xue Zhao didn’t know how he had managed to leave the church.
The entire journey back was a blur.
With his head lowered, he hurried all the way home.
The moment he stepped inside, he slammed the door shut behind him with a loud bang.
The room was dark.
No lights had been turned on.
Xue Zhao leaned against the door, pressing his back firmly to the wooden panel as he tried to steady his slightly uneven breathing.
[System]: What’s wrong? What’s wrong?
[System]: I was suddenly blocked out just now!
The moment Xiu Jixin had taken the initiative to kiss him, the system interface had automatically determined that the host was engaged in private activity.
As a result, the system had been forcibly prevented from observing.
[System]: Your Life Value increased by 8 points!
[System]: Wait… did he bully you?!
Those messages had actually arrived while Xue Zhao was walking back.
Only now did he finally see them.
“N….. No…”
His voice stuttered slightly.
“He didn’t…”
It was just…
A kiss.
Nothing more than a single kiss.
Xue Zhao knew that kissing could be done that way.
Knowing about it, however, was one thing.
Experiencing it firsthand was something entirely different.
Besides, all of his previous interactions with Xiu Jixin had remained at the simplest level imaginable.
A touch to the cheek.
A brief display of affection.
He had never even had the opportunity to think about anything deeper.
As a Mimosa plant by nature, he had never shared such intimate contact with anyone before.
Even hugs, almost every single one of them had come from Xiu Jixin.
Raising a hand, Xue Zhao touched his cheek.
It was still warm.
Very warm.
The slender vine wrapped around his arm also seemed restless.
It slowly slipped downward until it reached his wrist, as though seeking comfort and reassurance.
[System]: Well, your Life Value is at 15 points now, which isn’t bad.
One kiss.
Equivalent to four cheek kisses.
Receiving so much “food” all at once left Xue Zhao feeling strangely unaccustomed to it.
The sensation was difficult to describe.
It was like someone who had only ever been allowed to smell a sweet cake suddenly being fed an actual bite of it.
Without realizing it, he lightly licked his lips.
His heartbeat immediately began accelerating again.
The system could more or less guess what had happened.
Just as it was considering how to comfort him, a sudden noise came from the window.
Xue Zhao instantly panicked.
He hurriedly stuffed the vine back inside his sleeve before reaching over to switch on the room’s light.
The room brightened.
Sure enough, the black cat was there again.
It sat quietly on the windowsill.
A pair of golden eyes gazed directly toward him.
Now, every time Xue Zhao saw the cat, he couldn’t help thinking of Xiu Jixin.
Almost instinctively, he looked away.
Remaining silent, he walked toward the bed.
After removing his coat, he climbed beneath the blankets.
Then he wrapped himself up tightly from head to toe, leaving almost no part of himself exposed.
The system asked worriedly,
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Could it be that gaining too much Life Value at once wasn’t necessarily a good thing?
However, hearing the question only caused Xue Zhao to remember everything again.
The memory surfaced vividly.
Xue Zhao curled himself tighter beneath the blankets.
He even pulled the covers over his face.
“…I want to lie down for a while.”
After gaining eight Life Value points in one go, he no longer felt hungry at all.
Even dinner seemed completely unappealing.
[System]: Alright then.
[System]: But if anything feels wrong, make sure you tell me immediately.
Xue Zhao closed his eyes.
Drawing in several deep breaths, he tried his best to calm himself down.
It was only a kiss.
Just one kiss.
Yet his emotions refused to settle.
The truth was…
He was simply too timid.
He shouldn’t have run away like that.
He secretly opened the earlier notification.
Just before the kiss, Xiu Jixin’s favorability had increased by another point.
A rustling sound suddenly came from beside his pillow.
Xue Zhao pulled down the blanket that was covering his face and discovered the black cat.
The black cat stared at him with its golden eyes and slowly stepped closer.
For some reason, Xue Zhao vaguely felt that it was a little different from usual.
He couldn’t quite explain what was different.
Perhaps it was the look in its eyes.
Or perhaps it was some unique aura that only animals possessed.
The black cat took another step forward.
It seemed as though it wanted to crawl beneath the blanket and stay with Xue Zhao.
At this moment, Xue Zhao was particularly sensitive. He instinctively shrank backward.
“Don’t…”
However, the black cat acted as though it hadn’t heard him at all.
It stubbornly squeezed its way into the blanket and settled down beside his neck.
Xue Zhao had no choice but to accept it.
He simply assumed the cat was trying to comfort him as well.
Besides, the soft, fluffy touch of an animal was different from that of a human.
It was easier for him to accept.
Gradually, Xue Zhao relaxed.
He reached out and gently stroked the tip of the cat’s ear.
The black cat remained perfectly still.
Quietly, it watched him.
Time passed unknowingly.
At some point, Xue Zhao drifted into a hazy sleep.
When he woke up in the middle of the night, the black cat had already left the blanket.
It was crouched atop the table, leisurely licking its tail.
Xue Zhao got up to find something to eat.
After washing up in the bathroom, he returned, turned off the lights and continued sleeping.
____
The next morning, Xue Zhao woke up a little later than usual.
After an entire night had passed, he opened the system panel again.
When he saw the fifteen points of Life Value, he finally no longer felt so nervous.
However…
Now that he had so much Life Value, did that mean he temporarily didn’t need to obtain any more “food”?
Stammering slightly, Xue Zhao asked the system.
The system immediately replied,
[System]: What do you mean, “so much”?
[System]: The only reason it seems like a lot is because your Life Value used to be far too low.
Besides, Xiu Jixin’s favorability was still steadily increasing.
Their relationship could continue developing.
[System]: But if you don’t want to, then don’t go looking for him for now.
Xue Zhao lowered his head without speaking.
Silently, he adjusted his coat and opened the door.
Because he had gotten up late today, he also arrived at the church later than usual.
Quite a few residents had already gathered outside.
The residents came together and were being led into the church in groups by the assistants.
Curious, Xue Zhao turned to another assistant standing nearby.
“What is everyone doing today?”
“Today is the Day of Confession,” the assistant explained.
“After all the residents finish, we assistants will participate as well.”
Xue Zhao’s task remained the same as always.
He was still responsible for preparing medicinal herbs for the old priest.
For now, there was no need for him to help elsewhere.
After observing the crowd for a few more moments, he turned and entered through a side door.
Because of the special occasion, the church was several times livelier than usual.
Aunt Huai had come to the church as well.
After finding out where Xue Zhao was working, she specifically came to see him.
She exchanged a few warm greetings and words of concern.
“Looking at your complexion,” Aunt Huai said with satisfaction, “you seem much healthier than before.”
Xue Zhao blinked.
“Really…?”
Truthfully, he also felt more energetic today.
Perhaps it was because…
His Life Value had more than doubled compared to before.
While they chatted, Aunt Huai naturally brought up the priest.
As expected, she praised Xiu Jixin highly.
“Father Xiu is the most reliable person in town,” she said.
“Although he’s occasionally a little strict, you’ll get used to it.”
Strict?
Xue Zhao thought silently.
Does only allowing one kiss per day count?
Aunt Huai still had other matters to attend to.
She couldn’t stay long and soon left.
Later that afternoon, Xue Zhao received a notice.
Together with all the other assistants, he headed toward the main hall at the front of the church.
After entering, he copied everyone else and randomly chose a seat.
A sheet of paper and a pen sat on the desk in front of him.
Looking around, he found that every seat was arranged the same way.
Since Xue Zhao had arrived in town later than everyone else, the assistant beside him kindly explained,
“If you’ve made mistakes recently, or have emotions and obsessions you shouldn’t have, you can write them down.”
This was the content of the confession.
After writing, there was no need to sign a name.
The paper would be placed into a box at the front of the hall and later burned together.
In other words,
No one would know what you wrote except yourself.
“Thank you,” Xue Zhao whispered.
Then he picked up the pen.
[System]: Just write anything. It’s only a formality.
Xue Zhao secretly glanced around.
To his surprise, everyone appeared extremely serious.
Feeling embarrassed to be too careless, he stared at the blank page and began thinking.
What mistakes had he made recently?
Apparently none.
He had completed every mission to the best of his ability.
His identity had not been exposed.
His tail had been hidden properly.
The only things Xue Zhao felt dissatisfied about were his own weakness and lack of courage.
And his Life Value had only just exceeded ten points yesterday.
If he were stronger…
Perhaps he wouldn’t need any “food” at all.
Holding the pen tightly, Xue Zhao slowly wrote:
Always hungry.
Then he thought about the residents and assistants who had become sick because of the cursed talismans.
Pressing his lips together, he added three more words.
I’m sorry.
By the time he finished writing, several people had already stood up and begun walking toward the front of the hall.
Following behind them, Xue Zhao carefully folded his paper and slipped it into the large wooden box.
The confession mixed together with countless others.
There was still some time before work ended.
Xue Zhao returned to the old priest’s courtyard.
Throughout the entire day, he still hadn’t seen Xiu Jixin.
The black cat had not appeared either.
Sitting on the steps, Xue Zhao couldn’t help struggling inwardly.
Xiu Jixin was probably very busy today.
Maybe he shouldn’t go looking for him.
Logically speaking, after gaining so much Life Value yesterday, he shouldn’t be hungry anymore.
That was what he had thought when leaving home this morning.
At least temporarily, he shouldn’t need any more “food.”
And yet…
This invisible, intangible kind of food seemed strangely addictive.
Xue Zhao rested his chin on his arm and stared blankly into space.
At the same time, he gently stroked the tail hidden inside his sleeve.
When it was finally time to leave the church, he added charcoal to the stove one last time before heading toward the exit.
[System]: Taking a break isn’t a bad idea.
[System]: His favorability increases almost every day. It’s already at seventy six.
In the distance, the black cat flashed across a rooftop before disappearing.
Not long afterward, Xue Zhao returned home.
He pulled out his key and prepared to unlock the door.
A message suddenly arrived from the system.
[System]: I’ve got the scanner running.
[System]: There’s someone inside.
[System]: Looks human…
Xue Zhao froze.
He already had a vague idea who it might be.
His eyes brightened slightly.
At the same time, nervousness and anticipation surged through him.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally pushed the door open.
Light illuminated the room.
Xiu Jixin stood beside the window.
He quietly lifted his eyes.
The window behind him wasn’t completely closed.
Tiny fragments of paper transformed into wisps of white smoke and drifted away into the night.
Afraid someone might discover Xiu Jixin here, Xue Zhao immediately shut the door.
Then he hurried forward and tightly drew the curtains closed.
Only after finishing all of that did he turn around.
Looking at Xiu Jixin, he asked softly,
“Why are you here…?”
Xiu Jixin didn’t answer.
Instead, he grasped Xue Zhao’s wrist and pulled him into his embrace.
That familiar scent enveloped him.
Almost instinctively, Xue Zhao wrapped his arms around Xiu Jixin as he always had.
While gently stroking Xue Zhao’s smooth black hair, Xiu Jixin lowered his gaze toward the faintly red tips of his ears.
“Why did you run away yesterday?”
The moment those words entered his ears, Xue Zhao’s body visibly stiffened.
So that was why he had come.
Just to ask this question?
The redness on Xue Zhao’s ears deepened.
“N… Nothing…”
His voice was muffled.
He genuinely had no idea how to answer.
In the end, he simply buried his face and closed his eyes, choosing avoidance.
But Xiu Jixin clearly wasn’t willing to let the matter go so easily.
He lifted Xue Zhao out of his embrace, grasped his waist and sat him atop the wooden desk behind them.
Xue Zhao sat on the edge of the desk.
His knees brushed against Xiu Jixin’s body.
Embarrassed, he instinctively scooted backward.
Xiu Jixin asked again,
“Why?”
His eyes remained fixed on Xue Zhao.
Rare seriousness and curiosity appeared within his expression.
It was as though he absolutely had to know the answer.
A blush spread across Xue Zhao’s cheeks.
Patiently, Xiu Jixin took hold of his hand.
“Did the kiss hurt?”
It had only been one kiss.
How could it possibly hurt?
Xue Zhao’s face immediately became even redder.
Still, he refused to answer.
Xiu Jixin continued.
“You didn’t like it?”
Turning his head away, Xue Zhao finally showed a trace of dissatisfaction.
“Stop asking…”
He tried pushing Xiu Jixin away.
Instead, his wrist was caught.
At last, Xiu Jixin seemed to give up.
He changed the question.
“Then today…”
His voice became softer.
More coaxing.
“Do you want to kiss?”
Xue Zhao was almost completely surrounded by his embrace.
He hesitated for a long time.
His appearance was shy and timid.
As though a slightly louder voice might scare him into running away again.
Xiu Jixin watched quietly.
His gaze swept across Xue Zhao’s pale lips.
[Character Favorability Has Changed]
Xue Zhao didn’t even need to open the panel.
He already knew the favorability had increased again.
His eyes darted away.
He didn’t dare look at Xiu Jixin.
He wanted to say that they shouldn’t kiss today.
However, Xiu Jixin never gave him the opportunity to refuse.
Leaning closer, he merely pressed a gentle kiss against Xue Zhao’s cheek.
A fleeting touch.
Gone almost instantly.
[Life Value Increased By 3 Points]
Huh?
Xue Zhao blinked in confusion.
He looked up at Xiu Jixin.
Why was it that when both of them kissed cheeks, his own kisses only increased Life Value by two points?
Was it because they had kissed properly yesterday?
Or because his Life Value was higher now?
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t understand.
And he certainly didn’t have the courage to ask Xiu Jixin to test it again.
His attention was completely diverted.
Without realizing it, he relaxed.
The tension from earlier gradually faded.
Xiu Jixin took his hand.
Xue Zhao didn’t resist.
Instead, he obediently wrapped his arms around Xiu Jixin’s neck.
Like a kitten that had finally been coaxed into a good mood.
Happy again?
Xiu Jixin’s expression remained unchanged.
His palm slowly stroked along Xue Zhao’s back.
No one could tell what he was thinking.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Yes, this is the part where we shamelessly ask for coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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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?