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Chapter 4 — “Wanna Clean That Up for You?”
Her arch snapped taut on reflex, toes pressing against the demon’s throat.
His teeth had latched onto the raised curve of her ankle, not quite biting down hard—more like a slow, deliberate graze. The sensation spread instantly, a soft, electric numbness crawling up her skin.
The succubus’s tongue traced the contour of her bones. One hand locked around her Achilles tendon, while long, powerful fingers held her ankle firmly in place.
Where he gripped her skin, a faint flush rose.
Saliva mixed with thin streaks of blood spilled from the corner of his lips, sliding down his jaw, over her heel, and dripping onto the floor.
Su Cheng: “…………Blood.”
The demon froze.
Su Cheng quietly pulled her foot back.
The demon sat stiffly in place, as though still feeling that fleeting coolness pass between his teeth—the precise outline of bone and blood vessels lingering in his senses.
Su Cheng stared blankly at the damp marks on her ankle, utterly speechless.
“I have a death curse on me,” she said flatly. “Your blood can suppress it. When I ask you for something… what else do you think I’d be asking for?”
He had claimed that one drink of blood could suppress the curse for ten or fifteen days. That might be true—but probably only for an ordinary curse.
Hers clearly wasn’t ordinary. Something that couldn’t be judged by common sense. The effect might be far weaker than expected. She needed backup plans.
The demon paused for a few seconds, then casually wiped the blood from his lips.
“I thought humans were—”
Su Cheng’s face darkened instantly. “Stop with the stereotypes already! You’re the one with the real problem here—succubi are the ones who actually fit that image!”
She jumped off the table in irritation, grabbed several clean empty bottles, and slammed them down in front of him.
“Start filling them.”
The demon obeyed without a word.
After he filled several bottles, he collapsed onto the sofa, visibly drained.
Su Cheng sat beside him again and placed her hand on the chain around his neck, continuing to suppress the binding seal.
He shuddered violently.
The chain at his throat trembled in response. His broad shoulders tightened, muscles shifting under dim candlelight like a carved statue coming alive.
A flush spread across his skin—like berry juice soaking into white snow.
Su Cheng’s fingers lingered on his collarbone for a moment, her gaze drifting downward without meaning to.
“….”
That’s a lot of injury.
“You’re still bleeding,” she said. “Do you want me to wipe it for you?”
Without waiting for an answer, she reached out.
Her fingertips brushed his tight abdominal muscles and landed lightly on the wound cutting across his waist.
Sharp at both ends, slightly wider in the middle, edges neatly torn and burned raw—clearly the result of a precise, clean strike.
The demon exhaled sharply, narrowing his eyes at her.
“You refused earlier when I told you to do something, and now you suddenly—do you have some kind of—”
Su Cheng suddenly lifted her hand and touched the base where his wings connected to his back.
His breath hitched.
He straightened slightly, chest rising, lean abdomen twitching under tension.
“If you want to do it, then—”
A sheen of sweat quickly formed on his skin under the candlelight, glistening faintly.
His tail—strong and flexible—coiled around her thigh again, trying to pull her closer.
Su Cheng pressed a hand against his chest.
“…Don’t you think the timing is a little inappropriate?”
They were far too close.
The demon stared at her in silence, ice-blue eyes flickering with something dark and burning, as if trying to carve her image directly into his mind.
“Mage,” he asked quietly, “what’s your name?”
Su Cheng shook her head.
“I don’t want to know you, and I don’t want to exchange names. Honestly, we should stop talking altogether.”
The demon let out a cold laugh, eyes sharpening.
“You think—hmph. A mere human!”
The chain around his neck loosened slightly, and with a sudden surge of strength, he released his tail and stood.
It was like a mountain rising from the ground.
His shadow swallowed her whole.
Su Cheng wasn’t short—average height for a human woman—but he was far too tall. She barely reached his chest.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head up at him.
“Goodbye.”
He glanced at her once, then moved.
In a flash, he shot out through the window, wings snapping open as he vanished into the night sky.
Su Cheng immediately began changing clothes and tidying the room, restoring everything to its original state with practiced efficiency.
There were bigger problems coming.
The demon had escaped from the Church’s prison—there would definitely be pursuers. They would arrive soon.
And they did.
Within minutes, noise erupted in the courtyard.
Then came the knock at the door.
Su Cheng opened it.
The entire courtyard was filled with armored knights.
White-and-gold armor. Cross-shaped holy emblems glowing faintly on their chests. Shields in one hand, swords, maces, axes in the other.
A faint golden aura shimmered over them like layered membranes, wrapping armor and weapons alike. In the dim night, they looked like an ocean of drifting light threads.
Holy Knights of the Church.
They said nothing, but their presence alone was suffocating.
Servants of the Su family stood at a distance, not daring to approach.
A knight captain stepped forward.
Her armor was more refined, more ornate. Three chained insignias hung from her cloak—marking her as a commander.
“We are tracking a highly dangerous fugitive,” she said, hand resting on her blade. “He entered your residence.”
Su Cheng blinked blankly.
“…I didn’t see anyone enter the courtyard, but I will fully cooperate. What do you need me to do?”
In the original story, Lin Yun had blackmailed the demon into… certain intimate acts, and the situation had dragged on long enough for chaos to break out. By the time the knights arrived, everything was already a mess.
And then she escaped using a teleportation artifact, while the male lead barely managed to talk his way out of it.
Su Cheng: “…”
Now she could only rely on herself.
The captain glanced around the room. “It’s late. Why are you still awake, miss?”
Su Cheng shook her head. “I had something on my mind.”
No lies.
People like her—experts—could hear breathing patterns, could tell if someone was asleep from outside the courtyard. She couldn’t afford to lie about something like that.
The captain didn’t press further and returned outside.
Then, suddenly—
All the knights in the courtyard turned in unison.
They knelt.
Perfect synchronization. Armor clashing in a single unified sound.
A distant roar tore through the sky like thunder.
The clouds shattered overhead.
A colossal shadow descended from above, cutting through the night.
Wings spread wide like dark storm clouds, stirring violent winds that shook the entire estate.
Trees bent and groaned. Horses in the stables screamed in panic, some collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Above them—
A dragon.
Its scales gleamed like cold metal, covering a massive, powerful body. Wings beat slowly, controlling the raging air currents.
“……A dragon?!”
Servants in the distance gasped.
In the ancient dragon lineage, there were many types—draconic beasts, wyverns, and then the true dragons.
Wyverns were massive, reptilian creatures with bat-like wings.
But dragons… were different.
Four limbs. Two wings. Greater intelligence. Innate mastery of magic.
Even a juvenile dragon could rival a grand mage in power.
A mature dragon was equivalent to a tenth-tier mage and warrior combined.
And above that—something approaching demigodhood.
“It’s a dragon knight!”
Someone finally noticed the figure atop its back.
Dragon knights were rare beyond measure. Even wyvern riders were considered elite. True dragon riders were almost mythical within the Silvermoon Empire.
Su Cheng looked up, playing along with the others in feigned shock.
Then—
The figure jumped.
From over a hundred meters in the air.
He landed effortlessly in the courtyard without so much as a crater forming beneath his boots.
Su Cheng: “?”
…He actually came down?!
Wasn’t he supposed to just pass by in the sky?!
“Busy night,” the man said casually.
The kneeling knights didn’t even look up.
He walked straight through them and stopped in front of Su Cheng.
Su Cheng: “???”
Red hair. White skin. Strikingly handsome face. A diamond-shaped earring glinted on one ear.
He wore a dark, fitted hunting outfit—short leather coat, high boots, tailored trousers. Straps crossed his chest, emphasizing a strong physique.
And on top of his head—
A pair of beast ears.
Triangular. Red-brown fur outside, soft pale fur inside, twitching slightly.
A beastkin.
“Good evening, mage lady,” he said lightly. “Why is someone your age still awake at this hour?”
Su Cheng: “…”
Great.
A ‘cat-eared girl’ situation had turned into a ‘cat-eared guy.’
“Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself.”
He smiled casually.
“I’m Ling Yang, Supreme Commander of the Church’s Northern Continent Knight Order, Eastern Silvermoon Sector.”
“I’m here tracking a runaway heretic.”
Su Cheng lowered her head politely. “Honored to meet you, Commander.”
From afar, the Su family head nearly tripped over his own feet upon hearing that title.
Nine regional commanders across the entire northern continent. And this man stood at the top of one of them.
The peak of the Church’s hierarchy.
“Pleasure,” Ling Yang said. “Your forehead—are you injured?”
“Oh,” Su Cheng touched the faint swelling. “This? I hit myself. I was angry… you see, my fiancé tried to break off our engagement.”
“…I see,” he frowned slightly. “He has terrible judgment.”
“Thank you. But I wasn’t upset because I liked him—I just thought it was embarrassing. My relatives mocked me for it…”
She sighed dramatically.
“I even fainted during the day from anger. At night I couldn’t sleep, so I hit my head with a book. Honestly… now even your knights probably know.”
Ling Yang stared at her for a moment, then chuckled.
“You’re quite charming, miss. Don’t worry—I assure you they won’t spread it.”
Su Cheng sighed again. “It doesn’t matter. It’ll probably leak anyway. Let them say what they want.”
He nodded. “By the way, a fugitive passed through here, though he’s already gone.”
Then his eyes sharpened.
Golden light ignited within them—bright, burning, oppressive.
“Before that, I need you to undergo a truth examination,” he said softly. “Answer my questions. And don’t lie.”
“Otherwise, you’ll be burned to ash by holy fire.”
Su Cheng nodded nervously. “I’ll tell the truth.”
First question.
“Do you know who the fugitive is?”
“No.”
Second.
“Do you know where he went?”
“No.”
The golden light faded.
“You’ve passed,” he said pleasantly. “Then there’s nothing more to ask.”
Su Cheng quietly exhaled.
But then—
Ling Yang tilted his head.
“…However.”
He leaned in slightly, sniffing the air like a predator.
His beast ears twitched.
“There’s a scent on you.”
Before she could react, he bent closer.
His breath brushed her shoulder through layers of clothing.
Warm.
Too close.
That was where the demon had bitten her.
