Chapter 3
Ye Xiyao opened the door to his rented apartment.
“I’m back.”
He kicked off his shoes at the entrance and, without even bothering to change into slippers, ran barefoot toward his bed, diving straight into the arms of his giant stuffed toy.
“Lao Shi, I just had a really dangerous encounter!”
‘Lao Shi’ was the name Ye Xiyao had given to his stuffed toy. Its full name was ‘Ye Lao Shi.’
The toy was a big, goofy-looking dinosaur, and since its expression looked honest and simple, he called it ‘Lao Shi’ (meaning honest or simple).
It was 1.8 meters long, almost taking up half of the bed.
Every day, the first thing Ye Xiyao did when he came home was talk to Ye Lao Shi.
It might sound childish, but for him, it was a necessary routine.
To outsiders, Ye Xiyao always seemed silent, withdrawn, and antisocial. But the truth was, he had plenty to say every day — he just had no one to listen to him, and he wouldn’t actively talk to people either.
His only listener was the stuffed toy in his room.
Ye Xiyao recounted everything that had just happened, as if Ye Lao Shi could truly understand him: “I don’t regret killing it. It had devoured a lot of humans, so it deserved to die. I just don’t know how to explain it, but I feel really anxious inside.”
He lowered his voice and whispered, “Lao Shi, do you know what an exorcist is? I’ve never met one, and I don’t want to. But that demon said I triggered some kind of alarm. Now, I’m a little scared…”
Of course, the dinosaur plushie didn’t respond, couldn’t comfort him, and certainly didn’t offer advice.
But Ye Xiyao was used to talking to himself like this.
Whether or not he got a response didn’t matter anymore. He just wanted to speak his thoughts out loud.
After talking with Ye Lao Shi for a while, Ye Xiyao’s racing heart finally started to calm down, and he began to analyze things more clearly:
“Actually, the demon vanished without leaving any traces, and there weren’t any cameras around. No one’s going to find out. I’m just getting too paranoid… Ah, but why do I feel a little hungry?”
He quickly changed the subject and continued, “Lao Shi, maybe we should move. This place is too close to the city center, and the rent is too high. Besides, I can’t find a job… Wait, I’m really hungry.”
Ye Xiyao had a habit of snacking, so he always kept some treats around. He ran to the coffee table and rummaged through the snacks, eventually settling on a bag of cookies, which he quickly devoured. Still feeling hungry, he tore into another snack.
Before he realized it, he had devoured all the snacks on the table. It wasn’t until then that Ye Xiyao realized he had eaten way too much, so he quickly grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to shower.
But something was odd — despite having eaten all those snacks, the hunger only grew stronger. By the time he lay down in bed, the hunger had reached an unbearable level.
Ye Xiyao was so hungry he couldn’t sleep, even feeling pain all over his body from the hunger.
Finally, he realized something was wrong.
Today’s hunger was not just a craving for snacks.
This hunger was attacking his entire being — his organs, his limbs, his bones. It surged through his burning blood and emerged from every inch of skin exposed to the air.
Even though he had eaten all those snacks, it felt as if none of the food had made it to his stomach.
Not only was he not full, but he felt a deep emptiness engulfing him.
In terror, Ye Xiyao realized his body was craving something more, his soul was desperate to be fed.
He couldn’t take it anymore!
Ye Xiyao suddenly opened his eyes, threw off the covers, and rushed to the bathroom. He plunged his face into cold water, holding it there until he nearly suffocated before letting go.
But deep down, he already knew the answer—
This hunger wasn’t just a craving; it was because he had used too much of his power today.
When you expend energy, it naturally needs to be replenished.
Normally, Ye Xiyao was different from most succubi. His body inherited two special forces, which allowed him to maintain a self-balance. Even if he occasionally released some power, he could recover just by sleeping.
But today, he had used too much.
It had disrupted the balance of energy he had maintained for so long.
To quickly return to normal, he would need to draw power from the outside to replenish what he had lost.
How does a succubus gain power?
The answer to this question is all too obvious.
Even low-level demons know that succubi absorb a human’s mental and life force through their bodily fluids. Among all fluids, semen has the quickest effect, followed by saliva, and blood, which is more situational—typically, humans associate bleeding with pain, a sensation only lower-level demons enjoy.
Succubi prefer the euphoric energy that humans release at the height of desire. That’s why the process of acquiring bodily fluids is just as important.
Physical intimacy undoubtedly brings about the most intense climax, so the fluids obtained during sex and kissing are the succubus’s most cherished “delicacies.”
But Ye Xiyao didn’t want to do that.
He quickly dunked his head into cold water for over half a minute, then braced himself against the sink, gasping for air.
No, the longer he waited, the worse it got.
He rushed out, hoping to find more snacks to eat, but the house was empty. All that remained in the fridge was a lonely tomato.
With a soaking wet face and a tearful expression, Ye Xiyao braced himself, pulled out the tomato, and grimly chomped away.
Still hungry.
Really hungry.
So hungry that even breathing felt exhausting.
It wasn’t just his stomach—it was his soul that craved nourishment.
If this hunger continued, he feared he might lose his humanity.
Ye Xiyao needed to eat something, anything. Even if the energy from food was minimal, it was better than doing nothing.
He decided to grab some late-night snacks.
He didn’t have the patience to wait for delivery, so he quickly changed, grabbed his keys, and hurried downstairs.
Luckily, the 24-hour convenience store at the complex entrance was still open.
He sighed in relief, thinking about what to buy, and as he pushed the door open, the mechanical voice chimed, “Welcome.”
Suddenly, Ye Xiyao was hit with an overwhelming scent.
He froze on the spot, unable to move his feet, as the chime repeated, “Welcome.”
What a delicious smell…
It wasn’t the scent of normal food.
He followed the aroma and was completely shocked—the scent was coming from the cashier.
Ye Xiyao silently fell into despair.
He was actually smelling a human!
This had never happened before.
Ye Xiyao knew right away—it was because his body lacked power, so it had begun instinctively searching for ‘food’.
“Sir, are you going to buy something? Could you come in a bit more?” the cashier called out to Ye Xiyao. “If you stand in the doorway, the sensor will keep going off.”
Startled, Ye Xiyao snapped out of it and quickly murmured, “Yes, of course.”
He avoided looking at the cashier and darted to the furthest aisle.
Thank goodness.
Even though he could smell the energy radiating from the human, he could control himself. He wouldn’t attack anyone.
He was a rational succubus.
Without wasting any more time, Ye Xiyao rushed to the instant noodle section and grabbed as many as he could carry, eager to escape the tempting aroma.
However, the two minutes spent at the checkout felt like an eternity.
Standing just across the counter, Ye Xiyao could sense the cashier’s scent more intensely than ever.
It wasn’t particularly strong—the young cashier was clearly sleep-deprived, low on energy, and suffering from poor nutrition. His life force was weak, and his soul wasn’t especially powerful.
To a demon, this wouldn’t be a prime target.
But being so close, and with Ye Xiyao feeling so “hungry,” even this less-than-ideal “meal” was making his mouth water.
The cashier bagged his items and said, “That’ll be 37 yuan. Would you like to pay with a QR code or cash…”
The sound stopped abruptly.
Ye Xiyao didn’t pay attention to the cashier’s expression—his focus was entirely on ‘how to restrain himself from drooling over a stranger’.
After scanning the QR code with his phone, he said thank you and quickly turned to leave.
Behind him, the cashier stretched his neck, watching him leave with an admiring gaze, murmuring almost in a daze, “Whoa, does a celebrity live in this complex? I’ve never seen anyone like that before… that’s like a god of beauty just walked in!”
Ye Xiyao didn’t hear the comment as he had already pushed open the door.
The mechanical voice chimed, “Thank you for shopping with us.”
But at that exact moment, in his rush, Ye Xiyao accidentally bumped into another customer who was just about to enter.
“Ah, I’m sor—”
Ye Xiyao started to apologize but froze mid-sentence.
Oh no!
How could someone smell so good?!
The person he collided with radiated such an intoxicating scent that Ye Xiyao nearly lost all sense of reason.
He didn’t dare look up, swallowing frantically, while mentally reminding himself:
Stay calm. Hold back. You’re human.
Humans don’t treat other people like food.
But… this scent, compared to the cashier earlier, was a hundred times more tempting.
To put it simply, if the cashier was like a packet of instant noodles, then the person in front of him… was a feast fit for royalty!
With a face full of despair, Ye Xiyao thought to himself, Instant noodles can be ignored, but a royal feast… that’s much harder. This wasn’t his fault.
At this moment, his only option was to quickly distance himself from this person, to avoid losing control and pouncing on them.
Just as he was about to lift his leg, his body suddenly went weak, and with a soft “ah,” he nearly collapsed to the ground.
Luckily, a hand quickly reached out from the side, effortlessly steadying him.
“Thank you…”
Ye Xiyao wasn’t used to physical contact, but given the circumstances, he didn’t have time to avoid it. Instinctively, he glanced at the hand that had caught him, and couldn’t help but think:
It’s the height of summer in late July, and this person is wearing gloves. Isn’t that hot?
But he didn’t have time to dwell on this.
The moment their hands touched, a wave of satisfaction and pleasure surged through him, making his entire body tingle as if electricity had run through it. His body started to uncontrollably lean toward the other person.
But before he could indulge in the sensation any further, the person calmly withdrew their hand and walked into the convenience store, brushing past him.
Ye Xiyao’s body reacted faster than his mind, and he turned to look.
It was a figure impossible to ignore, commanding attention, with everything around them fading into insignificance by comparison.
He was tall—tall enough to exude an oppressive presence. His broad shoulders and strong arms, paired with his long, lean frame, were encased in a uniform that was strict and formal, its black fabric reflecting a faint metallic silver sheen.
It was a police officer from the patrol team.
Ye Xiyao swallowed again, a loud gulp.
Damn, why does this policeman smell so good?
He wanted to ‘eat him’…
Not in that way! Ye Xiyao quickly clarified to himself, I just want to taste him—I definitely don’t want to possess him or hurt him like those low-level demons do.
I really just want to taste his flavor…
But Ye Xiyao knew that even if the way succubi absorbed energy was relatively “gentle,” it would still harm the human.
Though he wouldn’t consume the soul or the person’s body, for every bit of energy he took, the other person would experience a corresponding loss.
Even though this patrol officer was tantalizingly fragrant, with abundant life force, strong mental energy, and a delicious soul, he had no obligation to give his power to a succubus.
Which meant that Ye Xiyao’s midnight snack would have to be instant noodles.
Reluctantly, he forced himself to look away, suppressing the desire to linger.
But in that brief moment when Ye Xiyao turned back, he unintentionally caught a glimpse of the cashier’s expression as he faced the patrol officer—
The cashier looked… scared?
Ye Xiyao was a bit puzzled.
He couldn’t see the front of the officer, so he had no idea why the cashier was wearing such a terrified look while staring at someone’s face.
All he could do was guess—maybe this pleasantly scented officer didn’t have the most appealing appearance. Perhaps he had a particularly fierce expression, his features sharp and intimidating, maybe even a scar on his face—Ye Xiyao’s thoughts began to wander.
But police officers are there to protect the safety of the public; they don’t rely on their looks.
As Ye Xiyao walked out, he mused:
If it had been him standing at the cashier, no matter how frightening the other person’s face looked, he would have offered the officer a polite smile.
After all, patrolling so late into the night—what a tough job.
And besides, he smells so good. ^^
