Chapter 35: Snowbound Hearts

Inside the room, Li Ang closed the door and looked at the little succubus with an excited expression, his mood growing increasingly complicated.

The little succubus was now taking out food wrapped in clothes one by one, among which Li Ang saw Aunt Karasha’s steamed buns.

The girl excitedly counted the items on the table, then picked up a steamed bun and offered it to Li Ang with a tsundere tone: “Nng, you eat first.”

Li Ang didn’t take the steamed bun handed to him by the little succubus.

Liyase also noticed Li Ang’s unusual mood; he didn’t seem happy at all.

“Human, what’s wrong with you?”

The little succubus tilted her head, confused.

Li Ang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly opened them and looked seriously at Liyase: “Liyase, we can’t keep these things.”

Liyase’s expression froze for a moment.

“Why?”

Li Ang spoke calmly: “These foods were hard-earned by others. We can’t just take them, and stealing from others is wrong. Let’s return these things later, okay?”

He thought Liyase would understand, but unexpectedly, the girl immediately guarded the food on the table and looked at Li Ang warily, shouting, “I won’t return them! I took all these by my own strength, so why should I give them back!”

Li Ang frowned.

“Among the Human Race, stealing is wrong.”

“But I’m a demon. Our demon race has always hunted like this! They kept cursing me and even tried to kill me—those things deserve to be taken away!”

The little succubus tensed up, clutching her spoils tightly with both hands, fiercely protesting, her eyes full of stubbornness.

“If someone tried to take your only food away, what would you do?”

Li Ang stared into Liyase’s eyes, a hint of anger surfacing.

“I’d kill them!”

Liyase’s unwavering voice echoed in the quiet room, and a fierce light flashed in the dark red eyes of the girl.

Li Ang instinctively stepped back at her words.

That one step caused them both to freeze for a moment.

Seeing this, the once stubborn girl’s eyes reddened; she gritted her teeth and called out with extreme grievance, “Stupid Li Ang! I went looking for food because I was afraid you’d starve to death!”

Clearly, she was doing it for this fool, yet he not only blamed her but…

…also feared her.

Liyase felt so wronged that she was on the verge of tears.

“You big dummy!”

The little succubus released her grip, didn’t even look back, and dove onto the bed, wrapping herself completely in the quilt.

Li Ang sighed softly in his heart at the sight, then silently packed up the food on the table one by one and took it out of the room.

Taking advantage of no one noticing, he placed it back at Aunt Karasha’s stall.

After returning to the room, he sat at the edge of the bed and quietly spoke to the lump under the quilt.

“I know you’re trying to help me, but from a human perspective, this kind of thing is wrong.

Even though I’m really poor, I would never steal or rob. I will work hard and buy food with my own efforts. Only food earned this way can clear my conscience.”

Li Ang had long worried about Liyase’s worldview, shaped since childhood among demons.

He didn’t want her to become a ruthless demon lord.

He continued, “I’ve never thought you were a bad demon, so I don’t want you to become one.”

The lump under the quilt didn’t move, the little cat succubus locked inside gave no response.

Li Ang didn’t mind and went on rambling, “Also, I bought a lot of food today, so we won’t go hungry anymore.”

“Oh, right, I saw some candied fruits sold on the street. You probably haven’t tried them. I tasted one—it’s very sweet. You’ll definitely like it.”

He took the paper-wrapped candied fruit from his pocket and placed it on the bedside table, saying, “I left it here. Remember to eat it.”

The boy sat at the bedside, rambling, but the lump on the bed remained motionless.

He knew the little cat succubus was sulking, and once she got mad, she was really hard to soothe.

He sighed softly in his heart and then said, “You know cold treatment is scary, right? If you don’t talk to me, I’m just going to stay here and not leave.”

After saying that, he simply lay down on the empty spot of the bed.

Normally, Liyase wouldn’t allow him to lie beside her, but now…

The little succubus still gave no reaction.

Li Ang felt a little melancholy and started recalling how he usually soothed the young lady when she got angry.

Hmm…

An image appeared in his mind: the boy putting a collar around his neck, obediently handing the end of the rope to the cold-faced girl’s hand, then expressionlessly barking,

“Woof.”

Snapping out of the thought, Li Ang covered his face.

Alright, that definitely wouldn’t work here.

Li Ang lay on the bed and sulked with the little cat succubus, ready to wait it out.

It was still early, and he didn’t believe she wasn’t hungry at all.

Outside, some noise rose—perhaps Aunt Karasha had discovered the items he left by the door.

But the city was bound to become chaotic from now on, especially since Liyase had caused such a commotion in town.

Her current situation wasn’t safe anymore.

What should he do…

Lost in thought, Li Ang gradually grew drowsy; his eyes slowly closed.

Soon, the sky darkened.

Li Ang suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

“Did I fall asleep?”

He had been slightly malnourished lately, and after running around all day, he actually fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked down and found a quilt covering him.

“Huh?”

He quickly looked toward the bed, only to find it empty.

The paper-wrapped candied fruit on the bedside table lay there untouched.

Liyase was gone again?

“Could she have run away because she’s upset with me?”

Li Ang’s heart jolted.

The city was surely tense at this point.

What if something happened if she ran outside?

He hurriedly got out of bed, suppressing his hunger, and dashed out of the shop.

His gaze scanned the surroundings quickly; seeing no signs of disturbance only made him more anxious.

Had she been caught or was she still undetected?

So in this small city, a slender boy darted through the streets and alleys.

After searching nearly everywhere, he still couldn’t find any trace of the little cat succubus.

He stopped and thought.

If Liyase wanted to leave, she definitely wouldn’t stay in the city.

Then she should be heading toward…

Li Ang suddenly looked in the direction of the city gate.

The wasteland!

That idiot succubus actually ran back to the wasteland?

Her sister would surely send people to search the wasteland.

Running back there now would be like a lamb walking into the tiger’s den.

Li Ang tightened his clothes, gritted his teeth, and headed out through the city gate.

It was already night, and the temperature dropped sharply.

The cold wind bit into Li Ang’s face, making his pale, thin body feel as if it would be blown away at any moment.

“Liyase! Where are you?”

“Hey! I’m not mad at you anymore!”

Li Ang kept calling out across the white wasteland, but the howling cold wind swallowed his voice in the snow.

No response came at all.