Chapter 38: The unfairness of fate
Unlike common knowledge of succubi limited to anime and literature, Su Qi’s childhood stories came from his adventurer-archaeologist father, Su Yuangu. While other kids heard fairy tales, Su Qi thrilled to his father’s real-life exploits in the Ruins. Among them, the tale of the “Succubus Academy” captivated him most—a secret realm where men faced a web of desire, resisting seduction to reach a teleportation tower or risk becoming the succubi’s “playthings.”
Young Su Qi once asked, “Dad, why do succubi live in a special realm? Don’t they hunt men with their… lustful nature?” His father, citing his age, dodged the question. But after his parents vanished in the Ruins, Su Qi found his father’s journal among hidden savings. A passage detailed the succubi:
“Succubi, long-lived beings, feed on male essence, hence their name. Despite their lustful nature, they have a fatal flaw: they’re unexpectedly monogamous. Falling deeply in love often leads to tragedy. A devoted succubus endlessly seeks essence from one man, but even strong men falter after years, unable to satisfy her. Once tasting essence, a succubus can’t return to calm, her body craving more. Yet her monogamous heart resists others, causing mental collapse from conflicting desires, decimating their race. To prevent extinction, their ancestor created the Succubus Academy to isolate them from sentient men.”
Now, staring at Wen Yin—her purple hair flowing, black whip in hand, exuding rose-scented allure and a heart-tipped tail peeking from her skirt—Su Qi pieced it together. Her conservative summer outfits and bound hair hid her succubus ability’s seductive aura.
Without his father’s notes, he’d be thrilled to have a “succubus wife,” especially his beloved Wen Yin-jie. But the journal’s warning chilled him. Glancing at his diminished “asset,” he wondered, Can I, so small now, satisfy her? If my Crisp Wife ability makes me fully female, what then? Yuri intimacy? That won’t fulfill a succubus’s need for male essence.
The thought felt like a cruel cosmic joke. His dream girl had confessed, a perfect “lovers united” script, but their abilities—his Crisp Wife and her succubus—cast a soap-opera curse, like lovers doomed to be siblings.
Though initially annoyed at Lin Xue’s interruption, he now felt grateful. Had he proceeded with Wen Yin, her succubus nature and his shrinking maleness—potentially turning fully female—could lead to her unfulfilled desires and a tragic end, as his father warned.
Amid relief, bitterness surged. Why is my ability Crisp Wife and hers succubus? Is this fate’s prank, keeping us apart? Damn it!
The harsh truth overwhelmed him. Emotions swirling, his peach-blossom eyes misted, tears soon streaming down his fair cheeks.
Drip drip~
The sudden tears startled Lin Xue and Wen Yin, mid-standoff. Wen Yin dropped her whip, flustered. Lin Xue’s blood blade vanished into her skirt, her fighting spirit gone.
“Xiao Qi, why are you crying? Are you hurt?” Wen Yin asked, concerned.
“Little junior, what’s wrong?” Lin Xue echoed.
Feeling the tear tracks, Su Qi realized he’d cried unconsciously. His usual boyish stoicism wouldn’t allow this; it had to be Crisp Wife’s emotional influence. The realization hit like a highlighted exam note, underscoring the clash between his ability and Wen Yin’s succubus nature. Unable to confess his love to his cherished sister due to their incompatible powers, shame, exhaustion, anger, and helplessness tangled within him. Overwhelmed by recent events, he couldn’t explain his tears or the situation.
After a mental struggle, he blurted a lame excuse, pointing at the broken window. “The wind’s too strong; something got in my eyes.”
“Wen Yin-jie, Lin Xue-jie, I’m sleepy. Can I rest? Please don’t fight, okay?”
He fled to his bedroom. In his haste, or perhaps from his racing heart, the white stockings binding his chest slipped, falling to the floor in Lin Xue and Wen Yin’s view.