Xue Zhao lifted his head blankly.
Only after a moment did realization seem to hit him.
He shrank backward instinctively, curling closer to the edge of the cage.
Ji Xinxiu bent one knee and crouched down.
His dark eyes remained fixed on Xue Zhao.
His gaze swept over the young man’s pale face, lingering on the crimson eyes shimmering with tears and filled with confusion and panic.
In a low voice, he spoke.
“So this is your… original form?”
[Character Favorability Has Changed.]
_______
[Character Favorability Has Changed.]
Xue Zhao didn’t dare open the notifications.
Nor did he dare look at Ji Xinxiu.
Huddled against the edge of the cage, he trembled uncontrollably.
Everything had happened too suddenly.
He had been completely unprepared.
He didn’t understand why any of this was happening.
But one thing was certain.
His identity had been exposed in front of Ji Xinxiu.
And yet…
Ji Xinxiu didn’t seem surprised.
Nor shocked.
He didn’t even appear angry.
Which meant…
Had he already guessed?
Had he been suspicious all along?
Desperately, Xue Zhao searched through his memories, trying to determine where he had gone wrong.
Ji Xinxiu’s favorability had always increased.
Not once had it dropped.
But now…
Ji Xinxiu had seen his true form.
Would he end up like that demon from before?
Locked away and tortured?
Or perhaps executed through some special ritual, just like the scene he had once seen depicted in those paintings?
Xue Zhao was terrified.
And heartbroken.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
He was definitely going to die.
The mission had failed.
“You truly are unusual.”
Ji Xinxiu spoke again.
His tone was calm and unhurried.
Xue Zhao’s pale lashes trembled.
He heard Ji Xinxiu continue.
“During this time, I have already tolerated you more times than I should have.”
…Tolerated?
What did that mean?
Clutching his sleeve tightly, Xue Zhao cautiously raised his head.
Ji Xinxiu’s words halted.
The look in his eyes seemed faintly shadowed, carrying an unreadable emotion.
After a long silence, he finally said in a deep voice,
“Now you know how to be afraid?”
Under the influence of the magic array, the silver salt had completely destroyed Xue Zhao’s disguise and revealed his true appearance.
His black hair had turned entirely silver white.
A pair of small horns protruded from his forehead.
His pupils were the distinctive crimson unique to demonkind.
Yet aside from those features, Xue Zhao looked exactly the same as he had in human form.
There wasn’t a single other difference.
That much had exceeded Ji Xinxiu’s expectations.
Originally, he had assumed Xue Zhao possessed some special ability that allowed him to alter his appearance into that of a human.
Because he didn’t need to possess another body, he had escaped the black cat’s sense of smell.
And now…
Xue Zhao had clearly been frightened once again.
Holding back fearful tears, he looked pitiful beyond words.
Compared to the image most people held of demons, he resembled some fragile woodland spirit that only appeared at night.
Beautiful.
Delicate.
Harmless.
Ji Xinxiu watched him silently for a while.
Then he called out,
“Come here.”
Curled against the edge of the cage, Xue Zhao’s expression slowly shifted into one of confusion.
Hesitating, he finally opened the notification panel.
[System]: What happened?!
[System]: It’s a trap! This was a trap!
[System]: We’re done! We’re completely done for! Host, hang in there! Let me think of something!
[System]: Is the favorability system bugged?
Mixed among the countless alerts were two favorability notifications.
“Character [Ji Xinxiu] Favorability increased by 1 point.”
“Character [Ji Xinxiu] Favorability increased by 5 points.”
Xue Zhao froze.
For a moment, he thought he must have read it wrong.
The favorability hadn’t decreased…
It had increased?
Among all rankings, Ji Xinxiu remained firmly in first place.
His total favorability had already reached eighty three points.
The status description had changed to:
Deeply Devoted.
Xue Zhao could hardly believe his eyes.
Yet the words were clearly displayed before him.
At that moment, another message arrived from the system.
[System]: No bugs detected. His favorability really did increase.
[System]: Maybe because the favorability was already so high before, so…
[System]: Forget that for now! Host, stay strong! We still have a chance!
Xue Zhao’s thoughts were in complete disarray.
Timidly, he glanced toward Ji Xinxiu.
His voice still trembled slightly.
“Will… will you kill me?”
Ji Xinxiu looked at him calmly.
“For now, no.”
For now… no?
Xue Zhao remained frightened.
Quietly, he examined the cage around him.
Only then did he notice that it was different from the one he had seen before.
The demon imprisoned in the dungeon had been confined within a small cage.
The interior had been covered with scriptures.
Whenever they touched the demon’s skin, scorching burns would appear.
But this cage was spacious.
The inner walls were smooth.
There were no scriptures.
Nothing at all.
Right…
The dungeon.
Drawing his knees closer to his chest, Xue Zhao shrank back.
“Then… will you imprison me?”
“Maybe not.”
Ji Xinxiu’s patience seemed endless.
“Come here.”
Maybe not…
What was that supposed to mean?
Xue Zhao looked utterly wronged.
His beautiful red eyes lowered.
“I… I don’t have any strength left.”
The forced transformation had reduced his Life Value directly to zero.
Even speaking required effort.
Standing up and walking over to Ji Xinxiu was simply impossible.
Ji Xinxiu said nothing.
He appeared to be evaluating whether Xue Zhao truly lacked the strength to move.
After all, the silver salt and magic array had only exposed his true form.
The cage contained no additional energy.
No scriptures.
No restraints.
As a demon, Xue Zhao was astonishingly weak.
After a moment, a faint creaking sound echoed through the cage.
The cage itself began shrinking.
The floor beneath them shifted as well.
Slowly, steadily, the distance between them decreased.
Closer.
And closer.
Until they were finally sitting near each other.
Ji Xinxiu raised a hand and gently touched Xue Zhao’s silver hair.
Xue Zhao panicked for a moment.
Instinctively, he wanted to retreat.
But then he caught that familiar scent.
The scent of food.
Under normal circumstances, he would have already thrown himself into Ji Xinxiu’s arms and buried his face against his chest.
But now his identity had been exposed.
Even after seeing the favorability increase, he remained anxious and uncertain.
He didn’t dare act recklessly.
Suppressing his hunger, Xue Zhao struggled to maintain his composure.
“Your race isn’t recorded in any of the books I’ve read,” Ji Xinxiu said as he carefully observed him. “What are you?”
Xue Zhao remained silent.
His nervousness became obvious.
Was Ji Xinxiu asking because he wanted to discover a way to…
Dispose of him?
As though reading his thoughts, Ji Xinxiu said,
“I won’t kill you.”
After hesitating for a long time, Xue Zhao softly argued,
“But what you said earlier was that you wouldn’t kill me for now…”
At those words, Ji Xinxiu unexpectedly laughed.
Just once.
Softly.
The smile vanished almost immediately.
As though his patience had finally run out, he suddenly grabbed Xue Zhao’s wrist and pulled.
Caught completely off guard, Xue Zhao fell directly into his arms.
The two of them ended up seated together on the floor.
Ji Xinxiu’s other hand moved to the back of Xue Zhao’s neck, gripping it lightly and forcing him to lift his head.
His voice was low and heavy.
“If I wanted to kill you, would you still be alive now?”
The warmth of his breath brushed across Xue Zhao’s face.
Once again, his thoughts blurred.
The embrace surrounding him was warm.
The hand at the back of his neck wasn’t particularly forceful.
It felt less like restraint and more like someone handling an uncooperative kitten that had stopped coming close.
Xue Zhao stared blankly for a moment.
Then, slowly, realization dawned on him.
Ji Xinxiu seemed…
He seemed to still like him.
Obediently, Xue Zhao stopped struggling.
Tentatively, he reached out toward Ji Xinxiu.
His fingers lightly caught hold of Ji Xinxiu’s sleeve.
A moment later, Ji Xinxiu finally released him.
Carefully observing the expression on Ji Xinxiu’s face, Xue Zhao remained cautious and tentative. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he wrapped his arms around Ji Xinxiu’s waist.
The sweet, enticing scent of his “food” immediately surrounded him.
The familiar fragrance greatly eased the tension that had been knotting his nerves.
Gradually, Xue Zhao relaxed.
His body seemed to lose what little strength it had recovered and he instinctively leaned against Ji Xinxiu’s chest, soft and limp.
But why…
He was clearly a demon.
Why did Ji Xinxiu still like him?
The question left him confused and bewildered.
After silently pondering it for a while, he couldn’t help asking,
“You said earlier that you’ve been… tolerating me. What did you mean by that?”
Ji Xinxiu bent down slightly, closing the distance between them.
He pinched the tip of Xue Zhao’s chin between his fingers and gently shook it.
“You think I didn’t know about all the things you’ve done?”
There was a trace of coolness in his tone.
Yet the gesture itself was intimate.
Xue Zhao widened his eyes slightly as he looked at him.
Strangely enough, he wasn’t all that afraid.
“However,” Ji Xinxiu continued, “none of it was serious enough. A punishment will be sufficient.”
So he wouldn’t kill him.
But there would still be punishment…
Xue Zhao immediately grew anxious.
“Last night’s incident wasn’t me…” he hurriedly explained.
He had assumed Ji Xinxiu suspected him of causing the disturbance the night before and had therefore set up today’s trap.
Ji Xinxiu merely responded with a calm,
“Mhm.”
After hesitating, Xue Zhao quietly asked,
“Then… how will I be punished?”
“From now on, you’ll stay here,” Ji Xinxiu answered without changing his expression. “As for the rest, I’ll consider it later.”
Stay here?
Did that mean he intended to keep him confined?
Ever since visiting the dungeon, Xue Zhao had developed a deep psychological fear of silver cages.
Lowering his eyelashes, he spoke hesitantly.
“Can… can there not be a cage?”
His arms tightened around Ji Xinxiu’s waist.
His voice sounded pitiful.
“I’ll be obedient.”
“I won’t run away.”
Even though Ji Xinxiu had spoken of punishment, his favorability had increased rather than decreased.
And he was still holding him so intimately now.
Xue Zhao tried his best to negotiate for himself.
Maybe Ji Xinxiu would soften his heart.
The system also sent him several messages, coaching him on what to say.
After hurriedly skimming through them, Xue Zhao continued his defense.
“I’ll only listen to you.”
“As for those things before… I’ll never do them again.”
Ji Xinxiu lowered his voice.
“You’ll behave?”
Xue Zhao nodded immediately.
“Yes.”
Ji Xinxiu fell silent.
It seemed he was thinking.
After a long while, he finally replied.
“Alright.”
The silver cage emitted another metallic sound.
Slowly, it began rising upward.
Higher and higher.
Until it merged into the ceiling and vanished completely.
At almost the same moment, the “food” he had gained from the embrace increased his Life Value by one point.
Only then did Xue Zhao finally feel a little relieved.
Lowering his head, he rubbed against Ji Xinxiu’s collar.
The system silently watched everything unfold.
Truthfully, it had never believed Ji Xinxiu would be heartless enough to actually keep Xue Zhao locked inside a cage.
After all, his favorability was already eighty three.
That was completely different from the seventies.
Still, Xue Zhao had always been timid by nature.
His panic and nervousness were understandable.
Besides…
Coaxing Ji Xinxiu a little wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
If the favorability continued to rise…
Then wouldn’t the church and the holy relic practically be within reach?
After thinking it over repeatedly, the system revised and adjusted its original plans once more.
Inside the room, Ji Xinxiu slipped an arm around Xue Zhao’s waist and lifted him into his arms.
Xue Zhao had no idea where he was being taken.
Quietly, he wrapped his arms around Ji Xinxiu’s neck.
However, instead of heading somewhere else, Ji Xinxiu left the study and walked directly toward the bedroom.
Could there be another hidden room inside the bedroom?
Xue Zhao secretly looked around.
Before he could react, Ji Xinxiu had already set him down on a sofa.
Standing in front of him, Ji Xinxiu asked,
“Where is your demonic marking?”
Demonic marking?
Xue Zhao froze briefly.
“On… on my back.”
Every demon possessed a demonic marking.
The pattern differed according to race.
Even when he was in human form, Xue Zhao still had one.
He had seen it while bathing alone before.
More specifically…
It was located at the small of his back.
Night had already fallen.
The bedroom was dimly lit.
Ji Xinxiu moved his fingers slightly and the two wall lamps illuminated one after another.
Lowering his gaze, he said,
“Show me.”
Xue Zhao immediately stiffened.
“Why do you want to see it…?”
The reluctance on his face was obvious.
Scooting toward the opposite side of the sofa, he tried to put distance between them.
In his panic, he completely forgot that he had only just promised to obey.
Ji Xinxiu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Leaning forward, he bent down and reached for the ties of Xue Zhao’s outer robe, intending to undo them and inspect the marking himself.
Startled, Xue Zhao struggled desperately.
Only to be pressed back into place.
Suddenly, Ji Xinxiu stopped.
His hand settled against the side of Xue Zhao’s leg.
Even through the fabric of his clothing, he could feel something there.
In a low voice, he asked,
“What is this?”
A blush immediately spread across Xue Zhao’s cheeks.
“T…. tail…”
The moment the words left his mouth, Xue Zhao regretted them.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This chapter was powered by questionable decisions. The next one may require 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?