Chapter 41: The Curse Awakens

Su Mian was completely intoxicated, his consciousness hazy, his actions entirely beyond his control.

He clung to Xiao Moyuan’s hand, refusing to let go. Instead, he guided that large, well-defined hand from the edge of his skirt to his own feverish cheek.

“Gege,” he murmured, his eyes clouded with drink. A subtle, unconscious allure, one he would never normally possess, flickered in their depths as his voice turned soft and sticky.

“My face… it’s also very nice to touch, you know…”

The sensation transmitted through his fingertips was delicate and warm, imbued with a vibrant elasticity.

As if possessing a will of its own, Xiao Moyuan’s hand actually gave that smooth cheek a gentle squeeze.

The touch was exquisite, like fine warm jade, yet it also carried the unique plump elasticity of youthful skin.

The moment the action was complete, Xiao Moyuan’s expression abruptly darkened, and he swiftly pulled his hand back.

‘What was he doing again?’

His uncharacteristic actions today were far too numerous.

How could a mere human, one who might even be toying with him, so easily shake his composure and self-control as a Class A demon slayer? This was not normal.

A familiar, irritating heat surged from his lower abdomen, rapidly spreading throughout his limbs.

Xiao Moyuan distinctly felt his blood accelerate its flow, as a craving and savagery stemming from the depths of his soul began to awaken. The innate “curse” was stirring once more.

‘This isn’t right.’

It hadn’t been long since he last consumed demon blood to suppress the curse; it shouldn’t be this active now.

The thoroughly drunk Su Mian remained oblivious, still following his instincts, unconsciously provoking with a voice so saccharine it could melt butter. “Gege… do you like touching me?”

His voice, light as a feather, gently scraped against Xiao Moyuan’s taut nerves, further exciting the restless curse within him.

An indescribable agitation welled up within him. He abruptly seized Su Mian’s wrist, his grip unconsciously tightening, and his voice took on a cold, hard edge. “Are you going back or not?”

The sharp pain emanating from his wrist made Su Mian furrow his delicate brows. He pouted aggrievedly, tears instantly welling in his eyes. “It hurts… Gege, you hurt me… I… I still want to stay with Gege a little longer…”

Seeing his tearful, utterly dependent expression, the unnamed rage in Xiao Moyuan’s heart was doused as if by a bucket of cold water, instantly dying down by half.

He released his grip, turned, and walked out of the restaurant, leaving only a terse command: “If you’re not going back, then follow me.”

***

Stepping out of the opulent Twin Towers, the cool night breeze swept over them.

Xiao Moyuan circulated the spiritual energy within his body, dispelling the alcohol’s effects.

He strode swiftly towards the parking lot and settled into the driver’s seat.

Su Mian, still in a daze, followed him and climbed into the passenger seat. It wasn’t until the engine started and the car slowly pulled away that he seemed to remember something, beginning to fidget restlessly and mutter indistinctly.

“Gege… you’ve been drinking… you can’t drive, it’s illegal… your driving will be affected, what if you hit someone…?”

The irritation from the curse surged once more. Xiao Moyuan, focusing on the road while suppressing the tumultuous discomfort within him, couldn’t help but snap coldly.

“Shut up. You’ll find out if my driving is affected when you experience it yourself.”

Intimidated by his harsh tone, Su Mian indeed quieted down.

Xiao Moyuan stole a glance, observing Su Mian biting his lower lip tightly, his large eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He looked utterly pathetic, like a small animal scolded by its owner, wanting to cry but daring not.

A strange softness welled up in Xiao Moyuan’s heart, and his tone unconsciously softened considerably. “Alright, stop fussing. I’ll take you to a hotel to rest.”

The phrase “hotel to rest,” combined with his earlier remark about “experiencing it yourself,” triggered a strange chemical reaction in Su Mian’s alcohol-addled brain.

His eyes instantly widened, his face etched with terror and resistance.

‘Hotel? Rest? Test his driving skills?’

‘No! Absolutely not!’

‘He’s a boy! That would completely expose him!’

“I don’t want to!” He shook his head violently, waving his hands wildly as he incoherently refused. “I don’t want to experience your driving skills! I can’t! Really can’t! No way! No way, no way!”

Xiao Moyuan was speechless, observing Su Mian’s excessively frantic reaction. He couldn’t be bothered to explain anything further to a drunkard, so he simply let Su Mian whimper beside him, continuing to drive.

After a period of commotion, the alcohol finally took over.

Su Mian’s voice grew fainter, his movements slower, until finally, his head lolled to the side, resting against the seatback, and he fell into a deep sleep.

***

The car eventually stopped in front of a high-end hotel.

Xiao Moyuan unbuckled his seatbelt, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and leaned in to release Su Mian from his restraints.

Gazing at the other’s defenseless sleeping face, he hesitated for a moment, then reached out and lifted him into his arms.

The person in his arms was lighter than he had imagined, with a delicate frame. He felt soft and pliant, carrying a faint scent of alcohol and a subtle, sweet fragrance.

After completing the check-in, Xiao Moyuan gently placed Su Mian onto the soft, large bed and covered him with the blanket.

Having done all this, he immediately walked to the room’s sofa, took out his phone, and dialed a number, his voice returning to its usual cold sharpness.

–Now, immediately find me the nearest trace of a demon to my current location.

–Yes, Young Master, a respectful reply came from the other end of the line.

Hanging up the phone, Xiao Moyuan sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and focused his mind. He guided the surging spiritual energy within him, attempting to forcefully suppress the increasingly undeniable backlash of the curse.

It was quite a while before that restless, agitated feeling was somewhat brought under control.

During the interim while his subordinate searched for demons, his gaze involuntarily drifted back to the person sleeping peacefully on the bed.

The sleeping “girl” had shed all pretense and defensiveness. Her face was serene, her breathing even, and her long, curled eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyelids. She truly resembled a sleeping beauty awaiting awakening in a fairy tale.

‘What exactly is hidden beneath this beautiful face?’

A powerful curiosity, mixed with the earlier irritation of being toyed with and an emotion he himself was unwilling to delve into, compelled him to stand up and slowly walk to the bedside.

He did not rashly act to verify anything. Instead, he once again summoned a wisp of pure spiritual energy, subtly guiding it into Su Mian’s body for a deeper investigation.

As the spiritual energy circulated, the information it relayed was incredibly clear.

Male.

These two words, like a final verdict, instantly confirmed all his previous suspicions.

Su Mian, who in reality had been timid, awkward, and repeatedly dismissed by him as a mere clown, actually possessed the audacity to approach him in women’s clothing, even daring to keep their appointment!

A surge of anger at being fooled and provoked, combined with the savage emotions from the curse, abruptly flared up within him!

Xiao Moyuan’s eyes instantly turned cold and sharp, his entire aura becoming several shades more dangerous. For a fleeting moment, he almost lost control, wanting to simply crush the audacious person on the bed.

Yet, rationality ultimately prevailed. From the very beginning, he had known that “Sweetheart Marshmallow’s” approach had an ulterior motive; it was merely a game he had tacitly allowed, even guided, to pass the time.

Now that the truth was revealed and the game was over, he shouldn’t have such intense emotional fluctuations.

‘Then where did this rage, powerful enough to incinerate his reason, truly come from?’

“Damn the curse…” He attributed everything to the unstable factor within him, believing it had amplified and distorted his emotions.

He unconsciously overlooked the fact that only when one truly cared could their emotions be so easily stirred.

“Enough,” he muttered, suppressing his tumultuous thoughts as he prepared to withdraw the probing spiritual energy.

However, at that very moment, an anomaly abruptly occurred!

The wisp of spiritual energy he had sent into Su Mian’s body seemed to encounter an invisible vortex. It began to uncontrollably converge towards a certain spot on Su Mian’s chest, as if actively being absorbed by something!

Immediately afterwards, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.

The sleeping Su Mian’s body began to transform. A pair of fluffy, snow-white fox ears subtly emerged from his hair!

Simultaneously, several equally white and bushy phantom fox tails swayed into view behind him.

Even more strikingly, his previously flat chest visibly swelled and rounded at an alarming rate, stretching the upper part of his dress into a breathtaking curve.

But this astounding transformation lasted only a few short seconds, like a fleeting epiphyllum.

The next second, all the anomalies rapidly receded. Su Mian reverted to his previous appearance as an exquisite “girl” in women’s clothing, as if everything that had just happened were merely an illusion.

Xiao Moyuan’s pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, an unconcealed shock appeared on his face.

‘A fox demon? From the Tushan lineage?’

‘Is this Su Mian’s hidden, true secret? A… half-demon, living among humans, perhaps not even fully aware of his own condition?’

Just then, his phone rang again, interrupting his thoughts. It was his subordinate, sending the location information of a nearby demon.

Xiao Moyuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He glanced at the still-sleeping Su Mian on the bed, his gaze becoming incredibly complex.

He picked up his phone and, in a low voice, instructed the person on the other end.

“Target received. Additionally, immediately retrieve all confidential information related to the Tushan Fox Clan for me, the more detailed, the better.”

Hanging up the phone, Xiao Moyuan took one last look at the “sleeping beauty” on the bed, who harbored such a great secret.

Without further hesitation, he turned and strode out of the room, his figure swiftly merging into the night as he sped towards his next hunting target.