Chapter 38: Kiss, Innocence, and the Succubus

Li Ang walked on the road home, replaying the earlier conversation in his mind.

The old emperor certainly kept his word, but this old fellow seemed far from simple.

Li Ang shook his head at the thought.

There’s no way someone who becomes an emperor is a simple character.

What he needed to worry about next was how to deal with that church artifact the emperor had mentioned.

The only thing that bothered him was the strange aura he’d sensed earlier in the church—did that mean he’d already caught the eye of an evil god?

And what was the artifact actually supposed to do?

Li Ang decided that when he visited his little sister tomorrow, he’d ask Miss Katharina about the situation; she might know something.

It was getting late. Li Ang grabbed a quick bite at a restaurant by the roadside and then returned to his room to continue his simulation.

He wondered if the simulation’s rewards might be of some help.

He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

The familiar sound of cold wind howling drifted past his ears.

Ever since that last incident, Li Ang and Lias had become much closer.

Of course, nothing happened that night—they really just slept.

It was just that the little cat succubus had terrible sleeping habits.

When Li Ang woke up the next morning, he found her draped over him like an octopus, her slender tail tightly coiled around his finger.

Clearing his mind, Li Ang focused his attention on the Magic Potion brewing before him.

He was going to attempt to make an Intermediate Healing Potion.

Although in real life he’d tried every Healing Potion on Sylph, none of them had worked, so he wanted to see if he could create a completely new kind of Healing Potion.

As the herbs in front of him melted down, a liquid with a luminous green glow gradually appeared.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

He’d done it.

He carefully poured the potion into a bottle and set it aside.

On the other side of the room, Lias immediately bounced over with a book in hand as soon as she saw Li Ang was done.

“Li Ang, Li Ang, what does kissing mean?”

“What kind of book are you reading now?”

Li Ang looked at the book in Lias’s hands with a peculiar expression.

Ever since he finished telling her that story, the little succubus kept pestering him for more.

He couldn’t take it, so he’d bought her some novels from the street’s bookstore.

Li Ang glanced at the book’s title.

“Storybook: The Destitute Me Was Forcibly Loved by the Aloof Princess…”

His mouth twitched. What sort of book is this?

“You still haven’t told me.”

Lias looked at Li Ang with curiosity, her eyes full of wonder.

Li Ang was a little confused.

“Aren’t you a succubus?”

How could a succubus be this innocent?

“Yep.”

Lias answered as if it were obvious, then looked a little downcast and said, “But my mother didn’t get to teach me a lot of things before she…”

Li Ang instinctively reached out and ruffled the little succubus’s hair, then sensed something wasn’t right.

Teach? Did succubi always teach everything by example?

He organized his thoughts and explained simply, “It’s… um, when two people touch their lips together.”

“Then why do they stick out their tongues?”

“Uh, that’s another way to kiss.”

“So why do people kiss?”

“Hmm… to make each other happy?”

“Then let’s kiss too!”

“Cough, cough, cough! No, we can’t do that!”

Li Ang hurriedly closed the book in her hands.

“Why not?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Li Ang used the classic parental tactic to brush her off.

“Oh, okay.”

The little succubus replied, her small tail twitching behind her.

She scooted over to Li Ang’s side, compared their heights, and asked, “So, if I’m taller than you, does that mean I’m grown up?”

“Mm, that’s right.”

Watching the little succubus try so hard to stand on tiptoes, Li Ang couldn’t help but laugh.

With her guard down, she really was just an inexperienced little girl.

“Then I’ll definitely grow taller than you, and my legs will be longer too!”

The little cat succubus huffed arrogantly.

“All right, all right.”

Li Ang picked up the potion he’d just bottled from the table and prepared to head out and sell it, but before he’d taken two steps, his sleeve was tugged.

“Dummy Li Ang, I want to go out and play with you too.”

Lias looked at him expectantly.

Li Ang’s face showed hesitation, but he couldn’t bear to see the pitiful look in her eyes.

He said, “Not yet. Things got a bit too noisy last time, and now the whole city’s looking for you.”

“Oh… okay.”

The little cat succubus’s tail drooped, her eyes filled with disappointment.

“Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”

Li Ang comforted her and handed back the book.

“All right.”

Lias didn’t cling to him, but just waved at him.

“Come back soon.”

Li Ang smiled and waved back, then set off with a backpack full of bottles and jars.

Both Intermediate and higher-level Magic Potions required rare ingredients.

Most were hard to find in the wild, and if you wanted to buy them, the price was sky-high.

So if Li Ang wanted to keep developing Magic Potions, he had to make money.

Back in the room, Lias didn’t keep reading her book.

Instead, she walked over to Li Ang’s work table and picked up the small booklet.

Her thought was simple.

If she could help Li Ang make those potions, wouldn’t he have more time to spend with her?

The little succubus thought she was very clever.

After all, if the dummy Li Ang could make Magic Potions, then Lady Lias could definitely do it too!

So, she reluctantly tossed aside her copy of “Storybook: The Destitute Me Was Forcibly Loved by the Aloof Princess” and started studying the booklet.

Of course, Li Ang knew nothing of what was happening inside the room—he was busy selling his potions.

Most of his buyers were people who hunted in the wilderness or fought the Demon Clan and got injured.

At first, nobody believed Magic Potions could actually work.

But as time passed, the old man had opened up the market, though it was still limited to this city.

This time, Li Ang also put his new Scar Removal Ointment on the shelf, complete with labels.

Soon, a masked Hunter stopped in front of his shop, her gaze fixed on the Scar Removal Ointment on the shelf behind Li Ang.

“What’s that?”

Her voice was hoarse—it was a woman.

Li Ang quickly noticed a scar under her chin.

Smiling, he said, “This is my latest Scar Removal Ointment. If you apply it to a scar, it will completely erase it, leaving no trace!”

“You made this?”

The female Hunter’s eyes under the mask looked at the boy with some doubt.

“How much?”

Li Ang held up one finger.

“One silver coin!”

The Hunter’s brow furrowed beneath the mask.

What he described was tempting, but one silver coin was pretty steep.

What if it was a scam…?

Seeing her tempted, Li Ang immediately enticed—no, promoted: “We offer free trials here. This bottle is a sample. You can take it home and try it first.”

He took a bottle of Mini Scar Removal Ointment from his bag and handed it to the female Hunter.

“This… is free?”

The Hunter took it, tempted.

“Yes, free trial. If you find it effective, you can come back and buy more.”

Li Ang kept smiling.

The amount in the bottle was only enough for a palm-sized scar.

He was certain she’d be back.

“All right. I’ll try it at home. If it works, I’ll come back.”

The female Hunter clutched the little bottle and hurried off, already eager to see if Li Ang’s claim was true.

After that, plenty more people—most of them women—came to inquire, and Li Ang generously gave out more mini versions for free.

Based on his past life’s experience, all these samples were bait, and soon enough, the fish would bite.