Is a Succubus Considered a Demon? – CH40

Chapter 40

Ye Xiyao had never released on his own. Not once, ever since he was young.

For most men, this is a skill learned naturally without instruction, but perhaps because Ye Xiyao’s body was fundamentally different from a human’s, his understanding of such matters was also different.

Humans see the release of desire as a source of pleasure, but for succubi, it’s meaningless.

Succubi don’t pursue physical climax or the release of energy. What they want is more and more power, and they have no desire to waste any of it.

Although Ye Xiyao wasn’t a full succubus, his understanding wasn’t much different in this regard.

Moreover, Ye Xiyao never really had the opportunity to release anything anyway.

During puberty, other boys started to show signs of physical changes, but Ye Xiyao didn’t. He didn’t grow facial hair, didn’t go through the awkward phase of voice changes, and his skin remained smooth and pale, with little to no body hair. Simply put, Ye Xiyao didn’t experience the typical stages of human development, so he never learned how to “play” with himself.

But now, Xing Xu was suddenly helping him do just that.

Xing Xu’s hands were large and firm, and after he finished, he cleaned Ye Xiyao up without dirtying his clothes or the office furniture. Still, Ye Xiyao felt awkward.

He was a little scared.

First, he was scared because he had just done something he had never done before. The sensation was thrilling but also unfamiliar, and his heart raced, unable to calm down for a long time.

Second, he was afraid of being caught. After all, this was an office, and the two of them were sitting together on a single chair in front of a large and serious-looking desk. It was too bold, too shameless.

But what scared Ye Xiyao the most was that he had become so absorbed in it that he couldn’t pull himself away.

He felt so good that even his toes trembled. During those few minutes of bliss, he didn’t care if he was angry or where they were. He completely forgot his human instincts and abandoned his rationality.

Ye Xiyao thought, I’m a succubus, easily lost in pleasure, and I was defeated by the joy of the moment.

But Xing Xu, as a human—why wasn’t he embarrassed? He had just suddenly slipped his hand into Ye Xiyao’s pants, his movements swift and relentless, giving Ye Xiyao no time to react.

By the time Ye Xiyao came back to his senses, it had already happened, and there was no turning back.

Yet, Ye Xiyao wasn’t very angry.

Maybe it was because Xing Xu had already done more daring things with him, things far more intimate. So… if he wanted to use his hands, well, he could use them.

However, what confused Ye Xiyao for a long time was when Xing Xu told him to treat him as food.

In the past, Ye Xiyao would have sternly rejected such a notion. But now, his thoughts had changed.

Although Ye Xiyao didn’t want to feed as a succubus, that day when he ran home from the hospital, the intense hunger triggered his instinctive “hunting” drive, almost overwhelming his reason. In that moment, Ye Xiyao had been desperate, thinking he would completely lose to his succubus nature.

Thankfully, Xing Xu appeared in time.

Though Ye Xiyao now understood that Xing Xu’s appearance wasn’t just a coincidence, at least from a practical point of view, Xing Xu had provided him a way to survive in the human world.

Having someone who could always satisfy his hunger seemed to be beneficial, with no downsides.

Plus, he had already fed from Xing Xu. The experience earned five stars.

The taste was good, the quality high, the quantity plentiful, and he didn’t have to worry about Xing Xu’s soul being harmed. The only downside was that Xing Xu was too strong, and sometimes in his intensity, he would accidentally knock Ye Xiyao into the headboard. Otherwise, there were no other complaints.

After a long silence, Ye Xiyao finally collected his thoughts.

He turned his head, tilted his chin up toward Xing Xu, and made a small inviting sound: “Ah.”

Xing Xu was taken aback, surprised by Ye Xiyao’s gesture. “…What?”

Ye Xiyao, annoyed by his slowness, said, “I’m not full yet.”

Since Xing Xu had said he would be his food, and Ye Xiyao had been forced to release at least three times under his hands but only consumed a little, it didn’t seem like a fair deal.

Now Ye Xiyao wanted to collect what he was owed.

Xing Xu’s gaze heated, and he moved in, mixing devotion with passion as he captured Ye Xiyao’s lips. Ye Xiyao, without hesitation, absorbed his energy. Two minutes later, just as Xing Xu was completely lost in the kiss, Ye Xiyao suddenly pushed him away.

“That’s enough.” Ye Xiyao had eaten his fill. He wiped his mouth, hopped off Xing Xu’s lap, tied up the trash bag, and said, “It’s late. I’m going home.”

Xing Xu: “?”

He was a bit speechless but amused. “So sudden? Just one more kiss, okay?”

“Goodbye.” Ye Xiyao waved his hand and turned to leave.

Xing Xu had no choice but to suppress his abruptly cut-off enthusiasm and caught up to grab Ye Xiyao’s hand. “Let me take you home.”

Ye Xiyao replied, “I’ll go on my own.”

Xing Xu knew he was walking on a tightrope right now. Before Ye Xiyao forgave him, any mistake could widen the gap between them. So, he didn’t dare to rush him and only spoke softly, “It’s easier if I drive. What if you run into danger on your way home?”

Ye Xiyao stared at him, his gaze slowly dropping downward, briefly glancing at a certain part of Xing Xu with high energy. Like he had seen something terrifying, he quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Right now, my biggest danger is you.”

“…”

Xing Xu was speechless. After a moment of thought, he realized that with Ye Xiyao’s current strength, ordinary humans and low-level demons were like insignificant bugs to him—he could crush several with a single slap.

So yes, Ye Xiyao’s greatest danger was indeed someone like Xing Xu, an exorcist.

Finally, Xing Xu silently took the trash bag from Ye Xiyao’s hand. “I’ll call you a car. You can go home first.”

—

Ye Xiyao didn’t let Xing Xu call a car for him. Instead, he took the subway home.

The weather had been strange lately. Just yesterday, it was blazing hot, and everyone had been carrying umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun, afraid the UV rays would burn their skin. It had gotten dark quite late, around eight in the evening.

But today, by not even seven o’clock, the sky had already turned gray and gloomy. By the time Ye Xiyao stepped out of the office, all the streetlights were already on.

After a twenty-minute subway ride, Ye Xiyao emerged only to find it was pouring rain.

For a brief moment, Ye Xiyao glanced toward the side of the road.

There was no sign of Xing Xu’s car.

Of course, there wasn’t. Ye Xiyao looked away.

He had gotten used to Xing Xu ‘coincidentally’ showing up at inconvenient times, always managing to help out or give him a ride.

But now that Xing Xu’s task was complete, there was no need to waste time approaching or observing him anymore, so naturally, those ‘coincidences’ stopped happening.

Luckily, Ye Xiyao had gotten smarter recently. Knowing how unpredictable the weather was, he had brought an umbrella with him.

He opened the umbrella and ran into the rain.

Although the downpour soaked his clothes a bit, it wasn’t far to his home, and he managed to make it back to his neighborhood before the umbrella frame broke.

Yet, Ye Xiyao didn’t immediately go upstairs.

He stood at the entrance of his building for a moment, watching the intensifying storm, feeling a vague sense of discomfort.

Even though rain wasn’t all that unusual, Ye Xiyao couldn’t shake a subtle aversion to the damp cold it brought.

Maybe it was because he was naturally sensitive to the cold, or maybe… it was because something was wrong with this rain.

Suddenly, Ye Xiyao stretched out his hand to catch a few drops, clenching his fingers together. The rainwater trickled through his fingers, but a tiny bit remained in his palm.

He felt it for a moment before sharply shaking his hand.

He knew what that unpleasant feeling was.

There was an almost imperceptible trace of demonic energy in this rain—so faint that if Ye Xiyao hadn’t carefully sensed it, he might have missed it entirely.

But demons can’t control the weather in the human world. The only way there could be demonic energy in this heavy rain was if a particularly powerful demon had intentionally spread it.

The rain was just a medium, used to carry the demonic energy far and wide.

The rain itself wasn’t harmful, but because it covered such a large area, the demonic energy was able to spread even further. The demon responsible for it would naturally be able to sense everything the rain touched through that energy.

But…

With a rain this heavy, soaking the entire city, how powerful must the demon be to infect all the raindrops with demonic energy?

And by tomorrow morning, once everything dried up, the demonic energy would disappear along with the rain. Wouldn’t that mean wasting a large amount of energy?

Why would the demon do such a thing?

“It’s probably searching for something.”

“Is it looking for a person? Or an object?”

“I’m not sure, but using rain as a medium for demonic energy, without harming anyone or drawing attention… the only possibility I can think of is that it’s searching for something.”

“Could it be looking for you? Keep in mind, every inheritor of the Demon-Slaying Array is a thorn in the demons’ side. Maybe it—” Luo Yiji stopped midway, his tone becoming serious. “Why are you playing with your phone at a time like this?”

“I’m ordering takeout.” Xing Xu lazily tapped on his phone screen and selected a hearty dinner.

Luo Yiji sighed, “Well, it is time for dinner. What did you order? Let me see.”

Xing Xu: “Mind your own business.”

Luo Yiji: “?”

Xing Xu: “Did I say I was ordering for you?”

Luo Yiji: “Then who are you ordering for?”

Xing Xu paused briefly and, without changing his expression, said, “Ye Xiyao.”

Luo Yiji smacked his forehead, “Oh right, weren’t we talking about Ye Xiyao? How did this rain distract us?”

“The demon behind this rain is far more dangerous than Ye Xiyao.”

Xing Xu completed the order, adding a tip of 100 yuan, instructing the delivery driver to make sure not to spill anything.

The delivery driver responded with a message: [Mission accepted. [Salute emoji].]

“I watched the hospital surveillance you sent me,” Luo Yiji said, refocusing on the topic as he walked over to Xing Xu with a serious tone. “You said Ye Xiyao doesn’t harbor hostility toward humans because when he saw the demon materializing, his first instinct was to stop it and protect the people at the hospital. But I can’t explain that to the Alliance.”

Xing Xu looked up at him.

Luo Yiji continued, “You saw it too. In the end, Ye Xiyao didn’t kill the demon—he hesitated. You were the one who finished it off.”

Xing Xu frowned, “Hesitated?”

“When the demon told Ye Xiyao that humans and he are not the same, Ye Xiyao withdrew and left, didn’t he?”

At least, that’s what the hospital surveillance footage showed: Ye Xiyao appearing shaken by the demon’s words, then fleeing in a panic.

“No,” Xing Xu immediately refuted. “He left because he had run out of demonic energy.”

“You can say that, but others can interpret it differently. Xing Xu, you know better than anyone that humanity doesn’t approach exorcism with optimism. We have to assume the worst when it comes to demons—that’s something you used to say all the time.”

Luo Yiji’s gaze held a hint of inquiry. “Honestly, you’ve been unusually lenient with Ye Xiyao… is there something you haven’t told me?”

Xing Xu glanced at him, “What do you think?”

Even though they were alone in the conference room, Luo Yiji lowered his voice. “I’m just reminding you: You’ve spent over a month by Ye Xiyao’s side. Maybe you do know more about him than the rest of us, but… when it comes to the mission, you can only rely on objective results.”

“I am objective,” Xing Xu stated plainly. “If I were acting out of personal feelings, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you today.”

Luo Yiji could tell from that statement that there was a lot left unsaid. Both of them fell into silence.

After a long pause, it was Luo Yiji who gave in, sighing, “You can say that to me, but when it comes to others, you should maintain your old stance. Otherwise, you might end up causing trouble for Ye Xiyao.”

Xing Xu: “I don’t need you to tell me that.”

In fact, Luo Yiji underestimated Xing Xu. He thought Xing Xu’s partiality towards Ye Xiyao was already evident. What he didn’t know was that Xing Xu’s attachment to Ye Xiyao had already surpassed his imagination.

But precisely because Xing Xu understood that if he showed more favoritism toward Ye Xiyao at such a critical time, it could put him in danger, he forced himself to remain objective and report the mission progress to Luo Yiji.

“Even if I believe your judgment, what about the Alliance? And the other exorcists? They’ll still need an explanation. If we let a demon like Ye Xiyao roam freely in society, even if he doesn’t harm anyone, who’s to say others won’t provoke him?”

“That’s why I gave you the surveillance footage.”

Xing Xu didn’t mention what happened between him and Ye Xiyao afterward.

At least, not right now.

If he brought it up, the confidence in his arguments would falter. No matter how objective he tried to be, it would come off as biased.

Xing Xu felt like he was holding a tangled mess, unable to find a single thread to pull, and could only proceed cautiously. Fortunately, he wasn’t the kind of person to be easily pressured, and so far, no one had been chasing him down for answers.

“The surveillance footage can’t serve as sufficient evidence,” Luo Yiji said. “Even I have doubts about what it shows, so there’s no way others will accept it. We need more to back it up, something to silence certain people.”

Xing Xu: “What’s the rush?”

Luo Yiji: “We can’t afford not to rush. If we wait any longer, you’ll be in trouble.”

Xing Xu, confused: “Me?”

Luo Yiji gave an awkward smile: “Well, maybe not trouble exactly, but the higher-ups have heard that Ye Xiyao’s magic is incredibly powerful. They’re not happy with the fact that our mission involved leaving him at Qiaoshou Tech, a densely populated company, for a whole month. They think my plan was poorly thought out and want me to revise it. If you’re hitting a wall with the mission, then… they’ll replace you.”

“Replacing me, just like that?” Xing Xu frowned. “Whose idea is that?”

Luo Yiji hesitated for a long moment. On one hand, he didn’t want to anger Xing Xu, but on the other, he knew that if he didn’t warn him now, Xing Xu might sink deeper into trouble. Finally, he confessed, “Some exorcists bypassed our security bureau and filed complaints against you with the Alliance.”

Xing Xu: “?”

Luo Yiji: “They’re saying you’ve been stalling this mission for too long and suspect that you’re colluding with the enemy.”

Xing Xu scoffed, “What’s their reasoning?”

Luo Yiji: “The incident with the demonic energy sample.”

That time, the security bureau had prepared three plans to extract Ye Xiyao’s demonic energy. Of course, the operation was risky, but even though it was interrupted, it didn’t have much impact because Xing Xu still managed to retrieve the sample.

But the problem arose when the self-driving car, through some freak coincidence, continued to crash towards Ye Xiyao. According to the researchers, if Ye Xiyao’s physical body were destroyed in the crash, he would likely die—at least a 50% chance.

Yet, Xing Xu had prevented the “accident” from happening.

Somehow, this story reached the ears of other exorcists in the Alliance, and they were shocked to hear that Xing Xu, known for his ruthless attitude toward demons, had inexplicably saved one. They began speculating that Xing Xu had betrayed humanity and might even be possessed by a demon.

Xing Xu made a strange expression, “What kind of nonsense is that?”

Claiming he had been tempted by a demon was one thing, but being possessed?

Luo Yiji quickly reassured him: “Don’t worry. The Alliance isn’t foolish enough to believe these complaints. But you have been on this mission for quite some time, longer than any of your previous exorcism missions. So, some exorcists who see you as a threat have been using this as an opportunity to bring you down. The mission has indeed hit a bottleneck, but I’ve already told the higher-ups that switching people isn’t a good idea. What they want now is for you to show some tangible progress.”

Xing Xu, tired of the roundabout talk, said bluntly: “Just say what you’re thinking.”

“The other exorcists believe that if you’re not going to kill a demon, you need a reason why not. Simply vouching for his innocence isn’t enough to convince anyone. The security bureau has, of course, put forth the conclusion of ‘demonic energy purification,’ but without further evidence, it’s hard to back that up. So I thought…” 

Luo Yiji’s voice grew more anxious, “Why not have Ye Xiyao come to the security bureau directly? We can try to persuade him to cooperate with us. If the Alliance sees Ye Xiyao making tangible contributions to humanity, they won’t be so afraid of him.”

The idea sounded reasonable at first, but Xing Xu didn’t respond immediately.

After a moment of contemplation, he cautiously asked, “What kind of cooperation are you talking about?”

“You know that person named Wen Jisheng? He survived,” Luo Yiji said, changing the subject.

Xing Xu was taken aback, “That’s impossible.”

Luo Yiji couldn’t contain his excitement. “Exactly, everyone thought it was impossible! But he really did survive!”

A human possessed by a demon could be saved in the early stages, but Wen Jisheng’s condition had progressed far beyond that. His soul had been hollowed out, leaving behind a shell that could turn to ash at any moment. Once the demon died, Wen Jisheng, as its host, should have perished as well.

“Although Wen Jisheng is still in a deep coma, I’ve confirmed with the hospital multiple times—he’s really alive. His body is slowly recovering, and with proper care, he might wake up any day now.”

Luo Yiji became more and more excited, speaking faster. “This means Ye Xiyao’s purification ability is even more powerful than we thought. He not only cleansed the demonic energy but also brought a soul, already corrupted by demonic influence, back to life! Do you understand what this means?”

Xing Xu just looked at him, silent.

Luo Yiji, thinking he hadn’t fully grasped the significance, spelled it out. “You’ve been exorcising demons for years, so you know better than anyone that once a human is possessed, nine out of ten times they don’t survive. Even if they’re left with a sliver of life, their soul is damaged, and they waste away in a hospital bed, dying within days. But if Ye Xiyao is willing to work with us, he could help save a lot of people. This is something that benefits both sides.”

If we can save humanity and make people understand that Ye Xiyao is not a terrible demon, it sounds like a best of both worlds.

but……

“Ye Xiyao used up almost all of his magic energy to kill that monster.” Xing Shu poured cold water on Luo Yiji, “You want him to help rescue people every time he encounters an exorcism operation, so won’t that mean he will use up all his magic energy every time? He may not be willing to do that.”

Luo Yiji seemed to have thought of this a long time ago. He smiled slightly, clapped his hands confidently, and said, “No, I’m not asking him to help us exorcise the demons. All he has to do is help humans purify the demonic energy in their bodies. This shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

Xing Shu: “How do you know it’s not difficult?”

Luo Yiji had a look of “you know the answer but still ask”, nodded his chin, and said, “Hasn’t he also helped you purify the demonic energy of the Demon Slaying Array? Not only can he help you eliminate the backlash, but he can also absorb the demonic energy from it. Isn’t this killing two birds with one stone? Wouldn’t it be better to let him use the same method to help others purify their demonic energy?”

Xing Shu: “…”

Luo Yiji: “What’s with that expression on your face? Hiss… such a strong murderous aura!”

Xing Shu coughed, restrained his emotions, and said as calmly as possible: “No.”

“Why?” Luo Yi was very surprised. “You said that Ye Xiyao hopes to live in peace with humans and is friendly to humans. Then he must be willing to help humans, right? If he doesn’t want to cooperate with us for a long time, then we can discuss with him and let him support only one operation. I think, based on Ye Xiyao’s gentle temperament that we have seen at this stage, he will not refuse.”

Ye Xiyao is so friendly, so well-behaved, and wants to live in the human world so much, so he would not refuse.

It was because Xing Shu knew that Ye Xiyao would definitely be willing to help humans that he said no.

Instead of asking Ye Xiyao to use the same method to help others purify demon, it would be better for Xing Shu to surrender to the enemy now.

–

?At three o’clock in the middle of the night, Ye Xiyao was awakened by rustling sounds at the door.

He used to sleep well and could sleep through the night, but recently he has been waking up more and more easily.

Except when Xing Shu sleeps next to him.

There was another noise at the door, and Ye Xiyao wrapped himself in the quilt and sat up carefully.

The rain outside the window was still falling, and the evil spirit spread by the demon in the rain had not yet dissipated. The sound of clacking mixed with the cold and eerie smell that made Ye Xiyao uncomfortable, coupled with the occasional footsteps outside the door.

Everything was so weird that it made Ye Xiyao’s scalp tingle.

At this time, his first reaction was to take out his cell phone and call Xing Shu.

It’s a habit, and it’s also his subconscious mind that makes the decision for him.

After making the call, Ye Xiyao came to his senses and thought that he shouldn’t call Xing Shu at this time. Besides, he was a monster himself, so what was there to be afraid of?

Let alone a bad guy outside, even if it is a ghost, he will lose if he meets Ye Xiyao.

Ye Xiyao wanted to hang up the phone.

But then I heard a bell ringing at the door.

Ye Xiyao was stunned for a moment, picked up the phone and looked at it. The next moment the call was connected, and Xing Shu’s hoarse voice was heard.

“Baby…I missed you.”

The sound didn’t come from the phone.

It’s from outside the door.

Ye Xiyao was a little angry, but also a little amused.

He threw his phone aside, ran to the door barefoot, and opened it to see Xing Shu: “It’s late at night, you…”

However, the voice stopped here.

He saw Xing Shu standing at the door, soaking wet, with his head down, his hands hanging at his sides, his tall body bent, his slightly curly half-long black hair hanging down in front of his forehead, and the rain flowing down his trouser legs to the ground, flowing all the way.

Ye Xiyao was startled and tried to pull him into the house, but Xing Shu didn’t move.

“It’s okay.” He said, “I’ll just take a look at you and leave. I’m wet, so I won’t go in.”

Ye Xiyao frowned: “It’s so late, you still want to leave?”

“So quick to let me into your home.” Xing Xu looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. His usually cold and sharp features, hidden behind his wet bangs, softened unexpectedly. “You’re always like this.”

Ye Xiyao: “Like what?”

Xing Xu: “Soft-hearted, kind, and so naive it’s almost a little foolish.”

Ye Xiyao pouted. “Why are you insulting me?”

Xing Xu: “I’m complimenting you. You’re soft-hearted, my sweet baby. You’re very good.”

Ye Xiyao was flawless. Even without Xing Xu, someone else would have gladly become Ye Xiyao’s willing prey. Xing Xu just happened to arrive first—lucky him.

Ye Xiyao didn’t quite understand what he meant. “Are you coming inside or not? You’re soaked.”

“I won’t come in,” Xing Xu said with a smile. “Tomorrow, I’m heading to the main office of the Alliance government.”

Ye Xiyao’s breath caught, and his expression turned serious. “Are you going to report… about me?”

“Do you want me to report you?” Xing Xu asked in return.

“I do,” Ye Xiyao nodded, but then quickly shook his head. “Well, maybe not. Actually, I’m a little scared because I’m not sure how it will end. But at the same time, I kind of want to know the result quickly.”

Xing Xu raised his hand, as if he wanted to embrace Ye Xiyao, but since he was soaking wet, he eventually lowered his arm. “It will definitely be a good result. Don’t be afraid. If anyone doesn’t accept you, I’ll kill them.”

“Don’t say that.” Ye Xiyao disapprovingly covered Xing Xu’s mouth. “This is something we can discuss calmly.”

“Yes, humans will accept you. They’re afraid of demons, but you’re not one. No one will be afraid of you.” Xing Xu took Ye Xiyao’s wrist in his hand, his cold touch making Ye Xiyao shiver.

Ye Xiyao was comforted by his words. “Really?”

Seeing Ye Xiyao’s innocent and hopeful eyes, Xing Xu couldn’t hold back any longer. He reached out and hugged Ye Xiyao.

He held him tightly, squeezing him so hard that Ye Xiyao’s bones ached.

Ye Xiyao hated the cold and hated pain. Xing Xu made him cold, and made him hurt.

But he didn’t push him away.

He heard Xing Xu say, “It’s true. Everyone will love you. Everyone will love Ye Xiyao.”