Chapter 2

When Fu Xin regained consciousness, her body felt as though it had been crushed beneath a massive boulder. Her hands hurt, her legs hurt—every part of her ached.

She had no idea what had happened to the wings on her back, but several holes had been torn through them. Her tail lay limply curled against the top of her pale thigh, devoid of its usual vitality.

Blood continued to gush from the wound on her arm. The vivid crimson liquid wound its way down her luminous white skin and dripped into the uneven puddles beneath her feet.

The pain made her hiss. She pressed a hand over the wound to staunch the bleeding.

Raising her head, she surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

Damp, dark, and shaped like a long, straight passageway, the place was flanked by walls so tall she could not see their tops. Above her head, numerous cables she did not recognize crisscrossed like a spiderweb.

“Where am I?”

A mechanical electronic voice had appeared inside her mind and kept clamoring away, making it impossible for her to calm down and think.

“Host, Host, I am the Demon King System. All you need to do is—”

“Who’s in there?”

The sudden sound of footsteps echoed through the quiet alley, interrupting the voice inside Fu Xin’s head.

Oh no. Had the guards caught up with her?

Without thinking, Fu Xin immediately dragged her injured body backward and tried to run.

But she stopped after only a few steps.

Damn it!

It was a dead end!

An icy wall blocked the path before Fu Xin. The only exit was behind her. She estimated the wall’s height, but with her wings injured, there was no way she could fly over it.

What should she do?

There was barely any magic left in her body. She definitely could not defeat those guards in a direct confrontation.

But she refused to let them capture her again.

“Host, Host…” The annoying mechanical voice abruptly sounded in her head once more, startling her so badly that her entire body trembled.

“You scared me! Shut up!”

The inexperienced system obediently closed its mouth, not daring to make another sound.

Fu Xin reasoned that she must have hit her head. Why else would she be hearing voices?

The footsteps drew closer and closer. Fu Xin had no time to think about it further.

She had it!

An inconspicuous pale violet light appeared in the dark corner.

Yu Chen made her way unobstructed to the depths of the alley. That involuntary cry of pain she had heard almost seemed like an auditory hallucination.

“No one’s here?”

She switched on her phone’s flashlight and carefully illuminated every corner.

“So this is where you are!”

Beneath the cold white beam of light, a pitch-black kitten was curled into a ball. Its fur had been soaked by the rain and clung to its body in damp locks, making it look bedraggled and pitiful.

Something had happened to one of its front paws. Several glaring wounds cut through the black fur, and after soaking in the filthy water on the ground without receiving treatment, the flesh around their edges had already turned white.

When Yu Chen looked over, the little black cat huddled in the corner raised its head and timidly meowed at her. Its soft little cry seemed to scratch gently at her heart.

Yu Chen, who rarely displayed any emotion, frowned for once, her heart filling with compassion. “What a poor little kitten.”

Poor?

Me?

Many people had praised Fu Xin for her beauty and extraordinary talent, but this was the first time anyone had ever described her as “poor.”

When she saw that the person before her was merely an ordinary human, her heart, which had been suspended in anxiety, finally settled back into place.

At least it wasn’t one of the guards.

Her current concern was that she had used the last dregs of her magic to transform herself into a kitten. Until her magic recovered, she would be forced to remain in this form.

Now that she had become an ordinary kitten, both the dampness of the rain and the cold ground made her uncomfortable. Worse still, the wound on her paw hurt so badly that she could barely endure it.

Her entire perspective suddenly shifted.

Wh-what was happening?!

Yu Chen saw the little black cat’s eyes widen, its furry face taking on an almost human expression of terror. She comforted it softly, “There’s standing water on the ground. Your wound will get worse if it stays submerged.”

She carried the little black cat to a higher spot atop a pile of miscellaneous items in the alley. There was no standing water there, and it was relatively dry.

Cradling it in both hands, she carefully set the kitten down.

Fu Xin found a comfortable [bailiantales.com]spot on the cardboard and curled up. She meowed at the kind stranger before her as a form of thanks.

As a lone little kitten, she never would have been able to climb up here to shelter from the rain.

She narrowed her eyes as she watched the kind stranger’s departing figure and resolved that once she recovered, she would definitely come back and repay this human.

“Host, Host!”

The noisy voice in her head started clamoring again.

Whenever it spoke, Fu Xin’s head felt swollen and painful, leaving her entire dem—no, her entire feline body dizzy and disoriented.

Her whole body was weak. She tried lifting her front paw, only to discover that she could not muster the slightest bit of strength. To make matters worse, her body was beginning to burn. Perhaps the wound had become infected and caused a high fever.

Ordinarily, Fu Xin could have resolved something like this with a single healing spell. But in her present condition, it was a life-threatening problem.

“I’m done for. I’m not really going to die here, am I?”

“I wonder if Meili and Qimeng managed to escape.” Then again, the two of them were at full strength and had the keys. Escaping from the guards should not have been difficult.

Fu Xin had not consumed so much as a drop of water during her three days inside the cage. She was so hungry that her stomach felt as though it were pressed against her spine.

“Whatever happens, I should find something to eat and fill my stomach first.”

The bedraggled kitten swayed unsteadily to her bailiantales.com feet and laboriously shuffled forward a few steps, estimating the distance between herself and the ground.

“It’s so high. How am I supposed to get down?”

She no longer had wings on her back. After crawling to the edge, Fu Xin cautiously retreated two steps, afraid she might accidentally fall.

Her opinion of that kind stranger plummeted.

She gritted her teeth and endured the pain throughout her body and the hunger in her stomach. She only needed to hold on until her magic recovered, and then every problem would resolve itself.

“Host, this world contains no magical energy. No matter how long you wait, the depleted magic within your body will not recover.”

The mechanical voice sounded, dealing Fu Xin a devastating blow.

“Wh-what?”

She suspected that the fever had muddled her brain. Not only was she hearing another voice inside her head, but it was also announcing such horrifying news.

“Th-this world?”

“What do you mean by ‘this world’?”

“Explain yourself. What exactly is happening?”

“Hello, Host. Due to a disruption in the order of space-time, you were forcibly brought into this world. [bailiantales.com]I am the Demon King System, and I am responsible for handling this accidental event.”

“After binding with me, every point of affection you receive from another person will cause the magic within your body to increase accordingly. There is no restriction on whom you can earn affection points from. It can be anyone.”1

“Once you accumulate enough affection points, you will be able to advance into a Demon King and return to your original world.”

“Time flows at different rates in the two worlds. In other words, no matter how long you remain here, only a few seconds will have passed in your original world. You do not need to worry about returning to find that everything has changed and everyone you knew is gone.”

“Friendly reminder: Affection points can be converted into magic.”

The system rattled out the entire explanation like beans spilling from a sack. The person concerned rolled her eyes back halfway through and fainted.

Help!

This was a world without magical energy, yet it had a mechanical system that could invade her mind whenever it pleased.

What a terrifying world!

In the instant before her eyes closed, she seemed to see the kind stranger’s figure.

Like a beam of light shining into a darkened corner.

In this unfamiliar world, she was the only person who gave Fu Xin even the slightest trace of warmth.

After leaving the alley, Yu Chen headed directly toward a convenience store. Her hands never stopped moving as [read the original at bailiantales.com]she searched the map for the nearest veterinary hospital.

She hurried back soon afterward with a plastic bag in hand.

The pitiful little kitten had fainted on the cardboard. A cold gust made its half-dry, half-damp fur tremble in the wind. If not for the faint rise and fall of its chest, Yu Chen might have thought she had returned too late.

She quickly took a towel out of the bag and wrapped the kitten so snugly that not even a breath of wind could reach it. Cradling it in both hands, she continuously transferred warmth from her palms into its body.

“You’ll be all right.” Even though she knew the little black cat could not understand her, she still coaxed it softly. “Once you’ve seen the doctor and your wounds have been treated, you’ll be fine.”

“Would you like to come home with me?”

Yu Chen made the decision on her own and continued in her clear, cool voice,

“If you don’t refuse, I’ll take that as a yes.”

Strictly following the principle that hesitation meant losing out, she hailed a taxi and rushed to the hospital with the kitten in her arms.

The tiny, boneless body lay in her palm, so light that it seemed to weigh nothing at all.

Her eyes remained fixed on the suffering little black cat as it whimpered unconsciously. Her heart felt as though someone were squeezing it viciously, filling her with unbearable distress.

[Ding! Successfully obtained one affection point.]

The Demon King System in Fu Xin’s mind dutifully recorded the change in value.

Because of this kitten, a faint ripple spread across Yu Chen’s life, which had always been as still as an ancient well.

When Fu Xin woke again, most of her discomfort had faded. She seemed to be lying on a soft cloud, so comfortable that she wanted to knead it with her paws.

“Meow~”

Her pale pink paw pads spread like tiny plum blossoms blooming upon the woolen blanket. The kitten lazily arched her back and stretched.

As she wondered when her front paw had been wrapped in layer after layer of white gauze, her gaze swept across her surroundings.

“Where am I now?”

Warm yellow light, a soft cushion, and…

The aroma of food!

Fu Xin sniffed vigorously with her pink nose, and the emptiness in her stomach became even more pronounced. She could no longer spare any thought for how to return to her original world. Her tiny head was occupied solely with filling her stomach.

Succubi fed on lust and desire while in heat, but ordinarily, they ate normal food to fill their stomachs just like humans.

Fu Xin had only just come of age and had yet to experience her first heat. She had never tasted lust or desire and was interested only in food she could put in her mouth.

She saw the kind stranger walking toward her with a bowl.

“You’re awake?”

The kind stranger crouched in front of her and spoke in a voice as clear and refreshing as spring water.

“I mixed some powdered goat’s milk for you. Have a little.”

Goat’s milk?

Fu Xin had once accompanied Meili to the marketplace and tried goat’s milk there. It had possessed an overpowering gamey smell that she had not liked at all. But this bowl in front of her—

The rich milky fragrance made her swallow repeatedly.

Should she try it?

Seeing the hesitation on the kitten’s face, Yu Chen nudged the bowl closer, making the milky aroma even clearer.

A pink tongue tentatively lapped at the milk. Its rich, creamy fragrance instantly filled Fu Xin’s entire mouth.

It was delicious!

This was goat’s milk? Then what in the world had she drunk before?

Fu Xin began lapping eagerly at the goat’s milk in the bowl.

At first, she was unaccustomed to drinking with her tongue like a kitten. Once she got the hang of it, however, she lapped at astonishing speed. The bowl was soon empty, and a ring of milky-white whiskers appeared around her mouth against her pure black fur.

Now that she was full, Fu Xin felt remorseful for having doubted the kind stranger and became even more convinced that the woman was a good person.

Yu Chen had remained beside her the entire time, watching the kitten drink with a smile. The tenderness in her eyes seemed capable of melting the kitten where she sat.

“You’re so adorable~”

She scooped up the kitten with one hand, her long fingers brushing across its round little belly.

“Your tummy is so full.”

Fu Xin fell onto her back in Yu Chen’s arms, all four limbs waving wildly in the air as she tried to stop the woman from touching her belly again.

Fortunately, she was a black cat, and her jet-black fur concealed her embarrassment. Otherwise, her entire body would have turned as red as a ripe peach.

Yu Chen saw the shyness on the kitten’s face and wanted to tease her even more. Her nimble fingertips evaded the flailing paws and stroked the little kitten from head to toe.

Fu Xin’s eyes widened, and all four limbs forgot to struggle.

“Meow?!”

Which one of them was the succubus?! Even a kitten could not be touched wherever someone pleased!

“Hahaha?”

“Why are you covering your face with your paws?”

“Are you feeling shy?”

“You’re so adorable!” Yu Chen gently pried the furry paws away and leaned closer, wanting to examine the kitten’s expression.

Smack!

A soft paw pad smacked Yu Chen across the face.

That’ll teach you to fear my kitty punch! Let’s see if you still dare touch me wherever you like!

But events did not unfold as Fu Xin had expected. That punch seemed to short-circuit Yu Chen’s brain, leaving her standing motionless with one hand over her face and a foolish smile on her lips.

Oh no. Had she hit her too hard?

Remembering how the woman had kindly gotten her wounds treated and brought her such delicious goat’s milk, Fu Xin felt a trace of regret.

“What a well-mannered little kitten. You even knew to retract your claws before swatting someone.”

Fu Xin: ???