Chapter 40

Chapter 40

At noon, Yuan Zhu sought out Xiu Jixin for a chat, only to find him absent from the church.

Upon inquiring with the assistant, he learned that Xiu Jixin had already returned to the courtyard.

Yuan Zhu frowned, "He left early again?"

"Father Xiu Jixin... has been quite unusual lately," the assistant remarked with concern. "He seems preoccupied."

Since taking charge of the church, Xiu Jixin had rarely taken leave.

Yet, recently, he had not only taken two consecutive days off but also missed scheduled appointments.

This was unprecedented.

The assistant was worried, even suspecting...

But how could Xiu Jixin, protected by a Familiar, be swayed by a demon?

Yuan Zhu observed the assistant's hesitation and finally said, "Don't worry, perhaps he's just tired lately."

He mused silently that Xiu Jixin's distraction was a good thing. Regardless of the reason, anything that could divert his attention was beneficial.

Otherwise, if things continued as before, a great disaster would eventually unfold.

When demons were at work, the populace found sanctuary in the church.

But if the Holy Spirit of the church were to act improperly...

Yuan Zhu found himself in an inexpressible predicament. He waved his hand, dismissing the assistant, and took two calming pills.

Meanwhile, the black cat, spotting Xiu Jixin's return from afar, leaped off the wall, ready to go elsewhere.

Xiu Jixin pushed open the bedroom door to find Xue Zhao standing before him.

Xue Zhao appeared displeased, his cheeks faintly flushed, as he accused, "Didn't I say... no touching!"

Xiu Jixin closed the door, his expression unchanged. "Touching what?"

He asked knowingly. Xue Zhao pursed his lips, stepped forward, and tugged at his sleeve. "Give it back..."

Throughout the morning, his tail had been touched at least five times.

Each time, Xue Zhao felt as if Xiu Jixin was right beside him.

He was annoyed and helpless, having barely read a few pages of his book.

The only silver lining was that the task progress had actually increased by 5%.

Xue Zhao pulled up Xiu Jixin's sleeve, and the slender tail wrapped around his wrist, resembling a delicate black bracelet.

He tried to retrieve it, but the tail was wrapped quite tightly, seemingly unwilling to let go.

Xiu Jixin bent down and embraced Xue Zhao tightly. "The tail willingly sought to be touched."

Xue Zhao's face flushed even deeper. "How is that possible...?"

Yet, his words lacked conviction. Judging by his tail's previous behavior with Xiu Jixin, it seemed quite plausible.

In that moment, the tail subtly shifted upward, burrowing deeper into the sleeve.

Xue Zhao attempted to stop it, but Xiu Jixin kissed him and carried him to the sofa.

They kissed on the sofa. After their embrace, Xue Zhao rested in Xiu Jixin's arms, regulating his breathing.

Xiu Jixin picked up the nearby book and checked his progress. "Only read this much?"

Xue Zhao grumbled, "It's all your fault!"

He hugged Xiu Jixin again, saying in a spoiled tone, "I want to go out and sunbathe."

The weather was pleasant at noon; a rare burst of sunlight had finally appeared.

Xiu Jixin assented, "Okay," and was about to lead Xue Zhao to the courtyard, but Xue Zhao hesitated.

Recalling yesterday afternoon, Xue Zhao worried about being seen if they went to the front yard.

"How about going to the back?" he whispered. "We'll be discreet."

Xiu Jixin lowered his gaze and stroked Xue Zhao's cheek. "Alright."

The rear of the courtyard was a restricted area, where no one ventured.

Xue Zhao led Xiu Jixin to a clean patch of grass on the side, perfectly bathed in sunlight.

After sunbathing for a while, Xue Zhao leaned into Xiu Jixin's arms, his curiosity piqued again.

Since Xiu Jixin was the Holy Spirit, and the restricted area contained nothing, why was it still restricted?

Xue Zhao couldn't fathom it and couldn't help but ask.

Xiu Jixin pinched his face and said, "To catch disobedient ones like you."

Xue Zhao felt a pang of guilt. He had indeed believed there was something hidden in the restricted area and had secretly ventured there in the middle of the night, only to be discovered by Xiu Jixin.

He rubbed Xiu Jixin's palm and mumbled, "I'm very obedient now..."

"Are you?" Xiu Jixin's lips curved. "Today is Confession Day; you must participate too."

Paper and a pen were in the study, and Xue Zhao could write by himself.

He had participated in a Confession Day before and knew the procedure.

Xue Zhao nodded obediently, his beautiful black eyes looking up. "Do you want to see what I wrote?"

Xiu Jixin leaned in and kissed him. "No."

In the afternoon, Xiu Jixin went to church on schedule.

Xue Zhao entered the study, sat at the desk, and prepared to write his confession.

[System]: I won't look either. Standby for half an hour.

The black cat stood guard in the hallway outside. At this moment, Xue Zhao was alone in the room.

He stared blankly at the paper for a while, then slowly picked up the pen.

He hadn't done anything truly bad recently, except for feeding the magic potion to Father Yuan Zhu that one time.

And then there was his maturity stage.

During those two days of his maturity stage, he truly lacked self-control and couldn't help himself.

Xue Zhao thought as he wrote down the words "maturity stage, six times."

And yesterday...

His ear tips were slightly red as he continued to write "Seduction: three times."

Seducing Xiu Jixin was likely what Xue Zhao needed to confess most.

But he was a Succubus, and each time he was fed, the experience was so incredibly satisfying.

Xue Zhao briefly zoned out when a strange sensation suddenly arose from the demonic mark on his lower back.

He hastily covered it with his hand, his ear tips flushing even redder.

...He was touching his tail again!

It was then that Xue Zhao noticed he had unconsciously written the word "like" on the paper.

His tail must have been touched very comfortably; his lower back felt tingly. Looking at the written "confession," Xue Zhao blushed and stared blankly for a moment, then hastily crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it away.

But then, he retrieved it from the wastebasket, meticulously tore it into pieces, and discarded them again.

After composing himself, Xue Zhao left the study and prepared to return to the bedroom to continue reading.

The black cat followed him, entering the bedroom for a while, but soon slipped out again.

It squeezed through the study window and approached the wastebasket. Its golden eyes were slightly darker, appearing somewhat different than usual.

Then, the fragments in the wastebasket floated in mid-air and automatically reassembled.

The black cat stared for a while, then suddenly shook its head, its eyes regaining clarity.

The shredded paper in mid-air fell back into the wastebasket. It leaped onto the desk and exited through the window.

Later that evening, all the residents' and assistants' confessions were written and collectively stored in a wooden box.

An assistant approached, asking, "Father, should these be destroyed now?"

In the past, Xiu Jixin would personally incinerate the wooden boxes.

But this time, Xiu Jixin lowered his eyes. "Move them out. You can handle them."

The assistant agreed, picked up the wooden box, and departed.

—

Before dark, Xiu Jixin returned to the courtyard.

In the evening, Xue Zhao continued reading with him.

Regarding the "confession" written that afternoon, Xiu Jixin didn't inquire about it again, seemingly unconcerned whether he had actually written it.

Xue Zhao flipped through the pages, secretly opening his panel.

Looking at the task progress on the panel, he was puzzled.

From the afternoon until now, the progress had actually increased by 5%, reaching a total of 50%.

Yesterday, it only increased by 15%, but today, Xiu Jixin clearly wasn't with him, yet it increased by 10%.

Could it be because of touching the tail?

Xue Zhao couldn't figure it out and somewhat regretted using his skills yesterday.

He was so... so tired, and even hurt, yet it only increased by 15%.

The system couldn't pinpoint the specific reason either; aside from the tail being touched, it had no idea what else Xiu Jixin did in the church.

Xue Zhao was staring blankly at the task progress bar when he was suddenly embraced.

Xiu Jixin noticed his recent distraction, pinched his chin, and stroked it. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing..." Xue Zhao habitually snuggled into his arms, then looked up and kissed him.

After kissing for a while, Xue Zhao pushed Xiu Jixin away and moved back slightly.

His gaze drifted, and his cheeks flushed. "You..."

Xiu Jixin had a reaction.

But it was already evening, and he wasn't hungry right now.

It seemed unnecessary to engage in such activity.

Moreover, Xue Zhao was still bothered by yesterday's task progress and felt awkward.

Xiu Jixin pulled him back again and patiently asked, "What's wrong?"

Xue Zhao stammered, "I don't want to... yesterday, yesterday... I'm not hungry now."

He spoke haltingly, his face growing redder and redder, and then said, "I need to sleep at night."

Seeing that Xiu Jixin didn't react, Xue Zhao continued to push him. "You didn't accompany me today either."

He offered three reasons in a row, the most significant being that Xiu Jixin hadn't accompanied him during the day, which made him somewhat unwilling.

Xiu Jixin's breathing paused slightly. Taking advantage of his silence, Xue Zhao managed to escape, taking his tail with him, and swiftly slipped into the small room.

He also turned off the light, indicating he didn't plan to sleep with Xiu Jixin tonight.

Xiu Jixin stared at the dark doorway, his eyes deep.

But he ultimately did nothing and got up to go to the bathroom.

In the small room, Xue Zhao was nervous for a while, then soothed his tail to relax.

The system was a little worried. "Will he get angry?"

"Will he?" Xue Zhao hesitated. "I can accompany him tomorrow during the day."

Even now, if Xiu Jixin insisted on doing something to him, he couldn't resist.

And if it wasn't for the maturity stage or for the task, it wasn't necessarily something that had to be done every day, right?

Xue Zhao touched his slightly flushed cheeks, pulled the covers tighter, and listened to the faint sound of water from the bathroom.

He closed his eyes and soon drifted into a hazy sleep.

The next day, Xiu Jixin still had to go to church.

Before leaving, Xue Zhao obediently gave him his tail.

Xiu Jixin watched the tail skillfully wrap around his wrist, then hugged Xue Zhao. "Wait for me to come back."

Xue Zhao responded, then remembered what the system had said last night.

He hesitated for a moment, then hugged Xiu Jixin and cautiously asked, "Were you... angry yesterday?"

"Angry?" Xiu Jixin lowered his eyes. "No."

This finally put Xue Zhao at ease, and he actively kissed him.

As the Holy Spirit and the church priest, Xiu Jixin certainly wouldn't... at least not like a Succubus, who desperately needed "food."

It was mostly because of his maturity stage and the skills he used the day before yesterday, which was why they had been intimate so many times in a short period.

And today, Xue Zhao wanted to see how much the task progress would increase if he gave his tail to Xiu Jixin again.

Although it might not be very useful, he still instructed, "Don't touch..."

Xiu Jixin replied, "Okay."

Xue Zhao thought for a moment, then added, "Don't... don't touch too many times."

Xiu Jixin's lips curved, and he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss him. "Okay."

Then, Xue Zhao watched his retreating figure leave through the crack in the window.

—

The entire day passed in a flash. When Xiu Jixin returned in the evening, Xue Zhao stared blankly at the task progress bar.

It had actually increased by 20%!

The rapid progress made Xue Zhao feel inexplicably uneasy.

This was different from what he had initially expected. He even wondered if something had happened in the church.

Xue Zhao didn't dare to ask directly. He hesitated and only asked Xiu Jixin if he had been busy during the day.

Xiu Jixin held him, took his hand, and gently stroked it. "Not very busy?"

"How is Aunt Huai?" Xue Zhao asked again. "Is she feeling better?"

"She has recovered a lot," Xiu Jixin replied. "She's helping out at the clinic today."

What he didn't say was that Aunt Huai was also very worried about and missed Xue Zhao, and had come to the church to pray for his safety.

Seeing Xue Zhao's distracted look, Xiu Jixin suddenly asked, "Do you want to go out?"

Xue Zhao was stunned, then quickly nodded happily. "Yes..."

Xiu Jixin stared at him for a moment, then pinched his cheek. "I'll consider it again."

Alright...

Xue Zhao obediently leaned into his arms, flipped through a few pages of his book, then went to the bathroom to shower.

After showering, he returned to the small room alone.

—He wouldn't be sleeping with Xiu Jixin tonight either.

Looking at the task progress that had soared to 70%, the system couldn't help but say, "This is too fast..."

Xue Zhao hadn't really done anything. This 70% was either the progress of seduction or the progress of the Holy Spirit's corruption value.

But no matter what, for the system, it was a good thing that the Host's task could be completed smoothly.

...

In the next two days, the task progress bar reached 95%.

The previous day, the progress was slightly slower, only 15%, and the next day was another 10%.

It was afternoon now, and perhaps by the time Xiu Jixin returned in the evening, it would reach 100%.

It was raining outside. Xue Zhao finished reading his book, pushed the window open a little, and looked at the dim sky outside.

Chanting was taking place inside the church, but the rain was heavy, and many residents did not come.

Yuan Zhu looked at Xiu Jixin, who was standing at the front side of the hall, fearing that he would be angered by this.

Since he awoke until now, the town had been safe and sound, so it must not...

Looking at the quiet crowd below, Xiu Jixin's eyes were cold.

A moment later, he stroked the tip of the tail hidden in his sleeve and turned to leave.

Yuan Zhu watched the entire process, somewhat surprised.

He just... left like that?

He then breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to inform the assistant who was chanting that they could try to finish early.

—

On the other side, not long after Xue Zhao closed the window, he heard footsteps entering the courtyard.

The door was pushed open, and he happily went forward, throwing himself into Xiu Jixin's arms.

Xue Zhao hugged him tightly. "You came back so early today..."

Xiu Jixin responded, took off his rain-splashed outer robe, and led Xue Zhao to the sofa.

Just then, several notifications popped up on the panel.

[Task completed!]

[Task hint: You tried to tempt the Holy Spirit, causing him to fall deeper into corruption, but you underestimated the Holy Spirit's vigilance and determination. You ultimately failed, and precisely because of your temptation, the Holy Spirit was pulled back from the brink of corruption. But you refused to give up and decided to do something more.]

[New main quest has been released!]

[Task details]: Attract the Holy Spirit's attention and make him neglect his duties.

[Task reward]: Villain Value +50

[Current Villain Value]: 130

Looking at the content in the task hint, Xue Zhao was stunned.

Didn't the task... succeed?

The rewarded Villain Value had already been credited, so why did the hint say it failed?

[System]: Why doesn't it match?

[System]: It's a bit strange. I'll check it out.

The system sent a message, and then the next moment, Xue Zhao saw a progress bar appear on Xiu Jixin.

[Corruption Value]: 10%

[Corruption Value]: 30%

...

In the blink of an eye, the progress bar increased from 10% to 60% before finally stopping.

But the hint clearly stated that he failed to tempt, and instead pulled the Holy Spirit back from the brink of corruption.

Xue Zhao was confused and stared blankly at Xiu Jixin.

After the increase ended, the progress bar showing "Corruption Value" faded away.

Xiu Jixin sat on the sofa, pulled Xue Zhao into his arms, and stroked his cheek. "What's wrong?"

Xue Zhao came back to his senses, hesitated for a moment, and cautiously asked, "Do you feel... uncomfortable anywhere?"

60%... already more than half of the total progress.

Xue Zhao secretly observed, wanting to know if Xiu Jixin was different from usual.

"No," Xiu Jixin looked up. "Why do you ask?"

"Because... because you came back early today," Xue Zhao said vaguely. "And these past two days, haven't you been busy?"

Xiu Jixin responded with a faint, "Mm-hmm."

He seemed perfectly normal, which only piqued Xue Zhao's curiosity further.

The System hadn't returned yet, so Xue Zhao, unable to resist, leaned in and took a gentle sniff.

Xiu Jixin's scent hadn't changed either; it still carried a hint of damp dampness.

Xue Zhao gazed at him in confusion for a moment, then quickly kissed him.

[HP reached maximum]

It can also increase HP... It must be the same as before.

Xue Zhao grew even more curious and wanted to sniff more closely, but then his chin was gently pinched.

Xiu Jixin asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"

"I..." Xue Zhao stammered, "I'm worried about you."

"Worried about what?"

"These past few days," Xue Zhao thought for a moment, "have you been feeling down?"

Corruption Value at 60%... there's no way there's been no change at all, right?

Or is the progress bar displaying incorrectly, and his mission actually failed?

Xue Zhao was briefly distracted, but Xiu Jixin didn't answer the question.

"Hungry?" He gently stroked the tip of Xue Zhao's chin. "I haven't fed you in days."

"I'm not hungry..." Xue Zhao had just finished speaking when his lips were kissed.

At that moment, Xiu Jixin's Corruption Value displayed again, and it had risen to 61%.

Xue Zhao was a little stunned, then immediately felt Xiu Jixin's body react.

He instinctively tried to dodge but was held tightly.

"Dodging again," Xiu Jixin continued to kiss his cheek. "What are you afraid of? Don't you like it?"

[Corruption Value]: 62%

Xue Zhao was a little slow to process: "What..."

It was still raining outside, the sky was dark, and there were no lights on inside.

Xiu Jixin's eyes were dark, and he spoke in a low voice, "You like to go to bed."

Xue Zhao finally reacted, his cheeks quickly flushing red.

He was at a loss, his trembling eyelashes showing a hint of panic and shame: "You, you..."

Didn't he say he wouldn't look?

And what he wrote that day simply didn't mean that!

Xue Zhao couldn't care about any mission now and pushed Xiu Jixin hard.

However, Xiu Jixin's strength was too great; he easily held him down while unbuttoning his pajamas.

"These past few days," Xiu Jixin kissed him again, "Why have you been deliberately avoiding me?"

[Corruption Value]: 63%

Xue Zhao said timidly, "I didn't..."

By this point, Xiu Jixin seemed to finally show some changes brought about by "corruption."

His breathing was heavy, his expression dark and gloomy, and the sense of oppression was even stronger.

Xue Zhao's clothes were stripped off, and he shrank back in grievance.

He was in human form, and his tail was still wrapped around Xiu Jixin's hand, so the Demonic Mark was repeatedly caressed.

"Don't be afraid."

"I won't let you wear clothes anymore," Xiu Jixin coaxed softly. "I'll make you wait for me to come back and feed you every day, okay?"