Compared to the kiss they had shared in the confessional, this one went much deeper.
The warmth that did not belong to him, another person’s breath and the damp intimacy of lips and tongues were all overwhelmingly invasive.
A sheen of tears instantly welled up in Xue Zhao’s eyes, making him feel as though he were about to be swallowed whole.
Sweet “food” rushed eagerly into his body in waves, nourishing every part of him, even the tips of his hair.
Xue Zhao’s shoulders trembled lightly. He had no strength to resist and it was only when he was nearly out of breath that the kiss finally came to an end.
[Life Points increased by 12.]
Xiu Jixin drew back slightly. His breathing was somewhat uneven as well, his dark eyes fixed intently on Xue Zhao without wavering.
Xue Zhao took small, hurried breaths. A delicate flush had spread across his cheeks, while tears dampened the ends of his eyelashes. Even the corners of his eyes had turned a soft shade of red.
It had only been a kiss yet it seemed this was the first time anyone had ever kissed him like this.
He looked as though he wanted to cry but was desperately holding it back, like someone who had been bullied far too mercilessly.
There were other subtle changes as well. His fair skin seemed brighter than before, carrying a healthy glow, while the exhaustion caused by staying up late had faded considerably from his eyes.
Only then did Xue Zhao gradually recover from his dazed state. Too embarrassed to meet Xiu Jixin’s gaze, he instinctively tried to push him away and flee.
Xiu Jixin effortlessly stopped him, pressing him back and locking him securely within his embrace.
His strength had increased a little as well.
Even so, Xue Zhao still couldn’t push him away. Having no choice, he abandoned the struggle altogether, lowered his head and buried himself against Xiu Jixin’s chest.
Xiu Jixin’s palm gently stroked down his back as he asked softly, “What’s wrong? You didn’t like being kissed like that?”
His warm breath brushed against Xue Zhao’s ear.
Xue Zhao instinctively shrank away a little, remaining completely silent.
Patiently, Xiu Jixin waited for a moment. Then he lifted Xue Zhao gently from his embrace, pinching his chin lightly so he could examine his face.
“Does it hurt?”
Xue Zhao immediately turned his head away, refusing to let him look. With obvious grievance in his voice, he muttered,
“…Didn’t you say… you weren’t allowed to kiss me twice?”
Xiu Jixin did not answer immediately.
Instead, he simply gazed steadily at Xue Zhao. Then, without warning, he leaned in once more and pressed a gentle kiss against the tip of his reddened nose.
[Life Points increased by 3.]
Caught completely off guard, Xue Zhao stared blankly at him.
…That made three times!
Seeing the innocent, utterly bewildered look on Xue Zhao’s face, Xiu Jixin’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“In here,” he said quietly, “I make the rules.”
[System]: What a shamelessly inconsistent person!
[System]: But his Life Points are increasing incredibly fast. They’re almost at the maximum already.
The system had only just come out of its blocked state when it witnessed Xue Zhao’s Life Points soaring rapidly. They had already reached twenty.
Xue Zhao’s eyelashes quivered slightly. He still hadn’t completely recovered from that kiss. Lowering his voice, he murmured,
“I… I’m still a little sleepy. I want to go sleep.”
It was clearly nothing more than an excuse.
Even so, Xiu Jixin did not stop him again.
“Alright.”
He released his hold, watching as Xue Zhao lowered his head, stood up and hurried back into his own little room.
Soon afterward, faint rustling sounds drifted out from inside.
Judging by the noises, Xue Zhao had probably burrowed himself completely beneath the blankets.
Xiu Jixin withdrew his gaze and turned his attention toward the bookshelf standing against the wall.
A demon’s source of food…
It was usually rather singular.
Even if it could not obtain the food it desired most, it would only settle for something similar.
Recalling the kiss they had just shared, Xiu Jixin lowered his eyes. His expression remained unreadable, revealing nothing of what was passing through his mind.
Inside the small room, Xue Zhao had curled himself tightly beneath the blanket, wrapping himself up until not a single gap remained.
Only within such an enclosed little space did he finally regain a sense of security.
Little by little, the frantic pounding of his heart began to settle.
The moment the kiss had ended, all he had wanted was to hide somewhere immediately.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to escape.
To make matters worse, Xiu Jixin had kissed him again, behaving nothing like he had before and for some reason, that left Xue Zhao feeling inexplicably timid.
Back then, there had always been the “rule” that only one kiss was allowed each day.
Xue Zhao had long since grown accustomed to it, subconsciously believing that the amount of Life Points he could receive each day was fixed and limited.
Only now did he finally realize the truth.
One single kiss could increase his Life Points by twelve.
And there was no limit to how many times they could kiss in a single day.
Just now, he had gained a total of fifteen Life Points.
Receiving so much “food” within such a short period of time left his body feeling somewhat overwhelmed, making it difficult for him to adjust.
Still slightly dazed, he reached out and gently stroked the tail wrapped around his hand, trying to soothe himself and calm his emotions.
Yet although he was struggling to adapt, once he regained his composure, he couldn’t help recalling everything all over again.
The taste of his “food.”
The feeling of that kiss.
A kiss like that could increase his Life Points by twelve.
If they kissed twice, his Life Points would already reach their maximum.
Then… if they kissed even more times…
What would happen?
The thought left Xue Zhao feeling troubled.
He still preferred it when Xiu Jixin followed the “rules”, if they agreed on a certain number of kisses for the day, then it should stay that way.
Or at the very least…
He should tell him beforehand before kissing him.
Xue Zhao took several slow, deep breaths, continuing to stroke his tail as though comforting himself.
He hadn’t slept well the previous night.
Now that his body had finally relaxed, wave after wave of drowsiness washed over him.
Before he knew it, he had drifted into sleep.
Xue Zhao slept until noon.
After lunch, just as Xiu Jixin had promised that morning, he allowed Xue Zhao to leave the room and move about freely within the courtyard.
However, it would be inappropriate for an assistant to linger in the priest’s private courtyard.
Because of that, Xue Zhao had to be careful not to let anyone else see him.
Fortunately, the system kept its scanning function active at all times, while the black cat remained by Xue Zhao’s side, standing guard with him.
The afternoon sun was warm and bright.
Xue Zhao found the best spot in the courtyard and sat down upon the soft grass, quietly basking in the sunlight.
Leaning comfortably against the courtyard wall, he had barely settled in when the black cat leaped gracefully down from the rooftop, cautiously stretching out one paw toward him.
Xue Zhao hesitated for a moment but in the end, he still didn’t refuse.
The black cat happily flicked the tip of its tail before slipping into his arms and curling up contentedly against him.
That afternoon, Xiu Jixin assigned Xue Zhao a new punishment.
He was to continue copying passages from the Bible.
“Do it properly,” he reminded him. “No cutting corners.”
Xue Zhao accepted the Bible handed to him and obediently nodded.
“I know.”
Even after spending the entire morning recovering from that kiss, whenever he faced Xiu Jixin now, Xue Zhao still couldn’t help feeling nervous.
He secretly stole a glance at Xiu Jixin before quickly turning away and hurrying toward the desk. His hair fell forward, hiding the faint blush that had spread to the tips of his ears.
Xiu Jixin had no need to go to the church that afternoon either. As before, he sat quietly on the sofa reading, silent and composed.
Xue Zhao also concentrated earnestly on his writing, enduring the faint irritation that always accompanied copying passages from the Bible.
About halfway through, a notification suddenly appeared on the panel.
[A New Main Quest Has Been Released!]
[Quest Details]: Brew a magic potion to awaken Father Yuan Chu.
[Quest Reward]: Villain Points +10
[Current Villain Points]: 45
Xue Zhao opened the quest details and pondered thoughtfully, his fingers still holding the pen.
“A magic potion?”
[System]: Let me check.
[System]: There should be a suitable talisman in the database.
“But… that human is already sick,” Xue Zhao said hesitantly. “If we use a magic potion on him too… won’t it…”
[System]: I’ll see if there’s a gentler one. It only needs to wake him up briefly.
[System]: Once this quest is completed, the next one will most likely follow immediately, asking about the location of the holy relic.
The quests had gradually been guiding Xue Zhao toward this objective.
He had already discovered clues related to the holy relic and Father Yuan Chu was undoubtedly the person who knew the most about it.
Moreover, this quest offered a generous reward and the time limit was fairly lenient.
He had seven full days.
While searching through the database, the system simultaneously analyzed the most efficient course of action.
For the time being, Xue Zhao still couldn’t leave the courtyard.
However, he could secretly prepare both the talismans and the magic potion in advance while Xiu Jixin was away.
Then, once the opportunity presented itself, he could head directly to the quest target’s location.
According to the system’s plan, as long as Xue Zhao could successfully enter Father Yuan Chu’s room, completing the quest would be remarkably simple.
Even if the potion prepared beforehand proved ineffective, Xue Zhao could simply use the save point item, rewind and immediately brew another one.
Although staying by Xiu Jixin’s side seemed to restrict his freedom on the surface, Xiu Jixin had also become Xue Zhao’s “emergency food reserve.”
Unlike before, he no longer needed to constantly worry about exhausting his Life Points.
The system added,
[System]: Before starting the quest, you should stockpile a few more Life Points.
“…Twenty points… still isn’t enough?” Xue Zhao asked awkwardly, the tips of his ears gradually turning red.
[System]: To deal with unexpected situations, it’s definitely… ahem… the more, the better.
[System]: Of course, that’s only a suggestion.
[System]: Your Life Points used to be much lower and your quests still went quite smoothly.
[System]: But after successfully brewing the potion, it’s best to replenish them once first.
Xue Zhao fell silent.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the pen.
It was only kissing…
It wasn’t as though they had never kissed before.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the system inside the dialogue box was brimming with confidence.
[System]: Once this quest is finished, there’ll definitely be a major breakthrough!
They had been in the small town for so long without even knowing what the holy relic looked like.
Now, at last, they had finally made some tangible progress.
If they could successfully obtain the holy relic, then even if the Villain Points they accumulated weren’t particularly high, completing the final mission would still reward them generously.
For the moment, however, Xue Zhao wasn’t thinking that far ahead.
He sat quietly in a daze for a while before lowering his head once again and continuing to copy the scriptures with complete concentration.
That evening, Xue Zhao finished washing up early and returned to his little room.
Lying face down on the bed, he quietly took out half a sheet of paper and a pen that he had secretly hidden away earlier that day.
[System]: I’ve chosen the talisman. Let’s try it first.
Following its instructions, Xue Zhao carefully drew the talisman onto the paper with slow, cautious strokes.
The moment he finished, he immediately hid everything beneath his pillow before nervously listening for any sounds outside.
The talisman drawn upon the paper gradually began gathering magical energy.
The aura was extremely faint, so faint that it was nearly impossible to detect.
Xiu Jixin was in the bedroom just next door.
If he couldn’t sense it from such a close distance, then when Xue Zhao eventually brewed the magic potion, it probably wouldn’t leave behind any noticeable traces inside the room either.
Xue Zhao waited quietly for a long while.
Only after the system confirmed that Xiu Jixin truly hadn’t noticed anything did it finally speak again.
[System]: Alright. Get some rest early tonight.
Tomorrow, after Xiu Jixin left for the church during the day, Xue Zhao could begin brewing the potion.
“Mm.”
Xue Zhao responded softly.
Slowly wriggling out from beneath the blanket until only half of his face was exposed, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The following morning, Xue Zhao woke unusually early.
Perhaps because he was about to do something bad again, he felt nervous and uneasy from the moment he got up, a faint heaviness weighing on his heart.
Before leaving, Xiu Jixin looked at the absent minded Xue Zhao, who was standing there with his head lowered.
Bending down slightly, he asked,
“Do you want a kiss?”
Perhaps he thought Xue Zhao had been cooped up inside for too long and was feeling unhappy.
He wanted to cheer him up a little.
Xue Zhao hesitated briefly before slowly reaching out to clutch the sleeve of Xiu Jixin’s robe.
“…Yes.”
Xiu Jixin leaned closer.
This time, however, he merely kissed Xue Zhao gently on the cheek.
[Life Points increased by 3.]
For some inexplicable reason, Xue Zhao felt just a tiny bit disappointed.
If it had been a real kiss…
He could have gained at least eight points.
Even kissing on the lips…
Would have given him five points…
His thoughts wandered aimlessly until the cheek that had just been kissed was gently pinched.
The pressure wasn’t too light, nor too heavy.
“Be good,” Xiu Jixin said meaningfully. “Wait for me to come back.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A tiny coffee can be a surprisingly nice “thank you.” ☕
☕ 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?